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UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing 29 September 2020
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Press Conferences | OHCHR , UNHCR , WHO , WFP , IOM
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing 29 September 2020
COVID-19
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) read parts of the Secretary-General’s statement on one million casualties from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our world has reached an agonizing milestone: the loss of one million lives from the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a mind-numbing figure. Yet we must never lose sight of each and every individual life… As we remember so many lives lost, let us never forget that our future rests on solidarity —as people united and as united nations.” Full statement is available here.
Ms. Vellucci informed that on 30 September, the Secretary-General would participate, together with the WHO Director-General, in the High-level Virtual Event: Tackling Covid-19 together through the ACT-Accelerator, organized in the framework of the 75th General Assembly in New York. The event would be webcast live at webtv.un.org from 2:30 p.m. Geneva time.
Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), responding to questions, explained that the WHO was not holding press conferences in person on its premises in order to minimize infection risks for journalists. There was no room at the WHO premises where all interested journalists could be welcomed in a safe manner. Crowded, closed spaces and close contact ought to be avoided, emphasized Ms. Harris.
On the topic of the global partnership to make available 120 million affordable, quality COVID-19 rapid tests for low- and middle-income countries, Ms. Harris said that the pricing for rapid tests should be limited to USD 5 per test. They should be made as financially accessible as possible. Reliability was clearly a very important factor; the PCR test was still a good standard, though, and rapid tests were not intended to replace PCR. More information on rapid test partnership is available here. Ms. Harris, speaking about the terrible one-million milestone, stressed the words of Dr. Tedros, who said that there was still a chance to turn the tide.
A number of journalists requested that the WHO hold press conferences exclusively for Geneva-based press corps.
45th Human Rights Council
Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council (HRC), said that 38 draft resolutions on a wide range of topics had been tabled, on which the Council would take action the following week. All of those texts were available at the HRC Extranet. Today, the Council should adopt Universal Periodic Reports adopted: Sweden, Grenada, Turkey, and Kiribati. At 2 p.m. the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen would present their findings to the Council, to be followed by an interactive discussion. Afterwards, the Council would hold a discussion on its subsidiary bodies. On 30 September, a general debate on the UPR would be followed by a general debate on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and presentation of a report by the Working Group on people of African descent. On the agenda for 30 September was also the issue of repercussions and reprisals for those who sought to cooperate with the Council and human rights mechanisms.
Detailed Human Rights Council’s agenda can be found here.
Food situation in South Sudan
Matthew Hollingworth, World Food Programme Country Director in South Sudan, stressed that the humanitarian situation in the country was worsening. About 700,000 people were in dire straits as unprecedented flooding swept across the country, submerging whole villages, homes, farmlands, livestock and livelihoods in 36 counties.
Jonglei State had been the worst affected: of the 700,000 of flood-affected people, 230,000 people living in Jonglei had experienced flooding incidents more than once. The flooding crisis came on top of the grim food security situation in Jonglei, where more than 1.4 million people were suffering from acute and severe hunger in addition to more than 300,000 children under five who were acutely malnourished.
Mr. Hollingworth stated that South Sudan had been undergoing a complex crisis: sub-national conflict, economic shocks and high food prices, climate change, seen in the ongoing extreme weather patterns, which were driving vulnerable communities deeper into hunger and despair. In 2020, the flooding was likely to be the worst in 60 years. To counter the damaging effects of these floods, the WFP was aiming to support 700,000 flood-affected people who had lost their harvests and livelihoods, between October to March. The WFP needed at least USD 58 million for the coming six months to continue to deliver emergency lifesaving food assistance to alleviate hunger and malnutrition.
More information on the WFP’s work in South Sudan can be found here.
Responding to questions, Mr. Hollingworth said that water-borne diseases were definitely a concern. More than 93 percent of staff who were supposed to be in the field were indeed there in spite of COVID-19 limitations.
Northwestern Sahara Aquifer System
Jean Rodriguez, for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), informed that the UNECE was launching the report “Reconciling resource uses: Assessment of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus in the North Western Sahara Aquifer System”. The aquifer, shared by Algeria, Libya and Tunisia, was North Africa’s largest groundwater reserve, supporting the lives and livelihoods of 4.8 million inhabitants. The aquifer system was naturally vulnerable due its low natural recharge.
Pressures on water had been increasing over the past three decades with the rise of new industrial agriculture, with water abstraction currently standing at three times the aquifer’s natural recharge rate (one billion cubic meters per year). That resulted in pressures on water and soil quality, leading to a vicious cycle of reduced agricultural productivity and increased energy demand for pumping from deep wells.
The report underlined the urgency of taking action across borders and sectors to address the threats leading to the degradation of the aquifer system. Cross-sectoral collaboration was the key to provide the highest level of water, energy and food security, as well as adaptation in the face of climate change.
UNECE press release is available here.
Refugee high education
Shabia Mantoo, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that with only three per cent of refugees accessing higher education, UNHCR was urging governments and donors to help bridge critical gaps by ensuring the inclusion of refugee students in national education systems and the continuity of tertiary education programs, as well as offering more places for refugees. The COVID-19 pandemic had been tough for students and especially for refugees, 85 per cent of whom resided in developing or least developed countries.
On the other hand, 2019 had been a record year for UNHCR’s higher education scholarship scheme known as the DAFI programme (the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative), largely funded by the German government with the Government of Denmark as a new partner.
To withstand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNHCR was calling on governments, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders to help strengthen and improve refuge inclusion and accessibility to national education systems in refugee host countries and to secure and safeguard education financing. Without such action, countless futures would be jeopardized, stressed Ms. Mantoo.
UNHCR’s report “Refugee Students in Higher Education” can be found here.
Full press release is available here.
UN General Assembly
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that the General Assembly would conclude its general debate today. Together with the Prime Ministers of Jamaica and Canada, the Secretary-General today would host a high-level event on financing for COVID-19. It would be followed by an event by UN Women on tackling gender-based violence.
All these events would be virtual and visible on webtv.un.org
Geneva announcements
Tomson Phiri, for the World Food Programme (WFP), informed that the WFP and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) would present on 30 September at 7 p.m. Geneva time the results of the study “The Cost of the Double Burden of Malnutrition: Social and Economic Impact for Guatemala”. The study revealed that malnutrition had significant and negative impacts on disease and mortality rates, in the educational outcomes and productivity. The launch would be done via the WFP Spanish Facebook page.
Vittorio Cammarota, for the International Trade Center (ITC), announced that as of 1 October, Pamela Coke-Hamilton would join the ITC as the Executive Director. Ms. Coke-Hamilton was currently Director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities at UNCTAD. Ms. Coke-Hamilton’s full biography was available here. The new Executive Director’s first public engagement would be at the Geneva Trade Week on 1 October at 1 p.m. in the plenary session on trade.
Mr. Cammarota also informed that on 7-8 October, the ITC would host the (virtual) Good Trade Summit. More information would be shared later in the week.
Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that the WHO had issued new fair pricing guidance, the goal of which was to ensure that medicines were accessible to everyone.
Ms. Harris also informed that today, 29 September, was the Heart Health Day. Ms. Harris shared a link at which one’s heart health risks could be assessed.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that today was the first-ever International Day against Food Loss and Waste, on which occasion there would be an event in New York.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had postponed to a later date the opening of its virtual 68th session.
The Committee on Enforced Disappearances would resume its session on 5 October to hold its dialogue with Iraq.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child would hold its next public meeting for the closure of the session, on 1 October at 5 p.m.
Finally, Ms. Vellucci reminded about the inauguration of the new temporary facility at UN Geneva, Tempus, today at 12:30 p.m.
Teleprompter
Good morning everybody.
Thank you for being with us today for the press briefing of the Information Service at Geneva.
I will start by reading to you a statement that the Secretary General has issued last night on the 1 millionth death from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Secretary General said our world has reached an agonising milestone, the loss of 1,000,000 lives from the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's a mind noming figure.
Yet we must never lose sight of each and every individual life.
And the Secretary General goes on reminding us about the fact that these people who died were close to our heart.
He he ends the statement by saying that there is still no end insight to the spread of the virus, the loss of jobs, the disruption of education, the upheaval to our lives.
We can overcome this challenge, but we must learn from the mistakes.
Responsible leadership matters, science matters, cooperation matters, and misinformation kills as the relentless hunt for a vaccine continues, A vaccine that must be available and affordable to all.
Let's do our part to save lives, keeping physical distance, wearing a mask, washing hands.
As we remember so many lives lost, let us never forget that our future rest on solidarity as people united and as United Nations.
You have received the text of this message, which is a video message.
We want to send you the link to the video and I hope you will spread these words of the Secretary General on this terrible day.
I also would like to mention that the Secretary General tomorrow will participate in a **** level virtual event tackling COVID-19 together through the ACT Accelerator in the in the framework of the 7570 Fifth session of the UN General Assembly.
This is a a meeting organised with WHO and Secretary General Guterres will participate together with Doctor Tedros Gabris.
Think maybe Margaret later on will tell us more about this event.
Also announcements from my left.
I'll give the floor now to Rolando to tell us a little bit more about what's happening at the Council.
Thank you, Rolando.
Thank you, Alessandra and good morning to everybody.
I before I get into the programme for today for the Human Rights Council, I'd simply remind you that we have a total of 38 REF resolutions that have been tabled for the consideration of the Human Rights Council on six and seven October.
That's next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Six additional draught resolutions were tabled yesterday and that's on top of the 32 that were tabled late last week.
So 38 draught resolutions covering a wide range of topics, human rights themes and country situations.
All of these are available on the Human Rights Council extranet.
If you have difficulty accessing, please let me know and I'll point you to those turning to today's programme.
So at 9 O clock, the Council continued its adoption of Universal Periodic Review reports.
We have 4 countries that were scheduled for those adoptions this morning as fall as Sweden, Grenada, Turkey, which is currently underway in Karabasa in a little while.
So in total, 12 countries will have had their reports, a UPR reports adopted this session with the conclusion in about an hour or so from now, this afternoon at 2:00 PM following a break at 2:00 PM, we'll have the presentation of the report from the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen.
And this will be followed by a concerned country statement and interactive discussion with the three experts, Kamel Zhandubi, Melissa Park and RDN Inseis, who as you know, present a rather published the short version of the report on 9 September.
A long version of that report was shared with you last night under embargo, together with the press release in English and Arabic.
Now this long report to class to qualify provides detailed finding as outlined in the Group of Experts short report.
There are no new findings in the report.
It just expands on the findings in this more abbreviated version that was sent out earlier.
So do take a look at that report.
The embargo on the long report will be lifted at the time of the presentation at 2:00 PM and that is expected to last.
The interactive discussion on Yemen is expected to last for a couple of hours.
At approximately 4:00 this afternoon, the Council will kick off its general debate on Item 5, which speaks to the subsidiary bodies of the Council.
There are various subsidiary bodies, so it'll be an opportunity for States and NGOs to chime in on on that subject.
Very briefly turning to tomorrow, another general debate.
We start at 10:00 tomorrow, a general debate on the Universal Periodic Review, and this will be followed by a general debate on the human rights situation on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
And then in the afternoon we'll hear from the working group on people of African descent who will present their annual report.
And at the end of the day tomorrow, there'll be a report presented, the Secretary General report on alleged reprisals against those who seek to cooperate or have cooperated with the United Nations, including the Human Rights Council, its mechanisms and its representatives.
Now, this will be followed by an interactive discussion.
This is the second time that we're having an interactive discussion on this report, which has been a steady feature of the council for several years now.
The report itself cites multiple cases of alleged reprisals.
It gives details, country specific details and this would provide an opportunity for states to, to respond to some of these allegations of reprisals.
So that will be towards the end of the day tomorrow.
I'll leave it there.
Thanks.
Thank you very much, Randall.
Let me see if there is any question for you in the room.
No online no.
So thank you very much.
Have a nice day and I'll go straight to Margaret who also has an announcement as an Margaret that related to the event that we Co host together tomorrow UN and WHO you have the floor Margaret.
Hi.
No, it's actually not the event tomorrow.
It is to inform everybody, as I mentioned last week, that today is Heart Health Day and we have a link for where you can you can go and you can assess your own heart health risk.
So I'll just provide that when as soon as I've finished this.
The second thing is we've got some fair pricing guidelines that have just been published.
Now this sounds very boring, but it's actually really important.
It's guidance to countries to how to set the prices on their medicines so that they are genuinely accessible to all.
It's a really important issue.
Quite often the pricing of medicines means they're beyond the reach of many of the people who need them.
And if you've got something like diabetes where the medicine, the insulin is life saving, if you cannot financially afford it, you, you, then you are your, your chances of survival are greatly limited.
So we've provided those.
And again, I will provide the link to the guidance and the guidance after this.
So it's just those 2 little announcements.
But Alessandra, yes, you should mention that our joint event.
Thank you.
And I see already a couple of questions for you, Margaret.
I'll start with Jamil.
Yes, Hello, Margaret.
Hello, Alessandra.
Quick question, Have you considered already having us back in your press conferences since everyone else is doing so?
Thank you.
And if not, what is the reason that WHO is more dangerous than other places for us to be?
Thank you, Margaret.
Thanks Jamila.
I think I've mentioned this before, but in the in the context of the rising number of cases in Europe, we are actually being more careful more more.
We are following of course our own guidance, but we do not have a room in which we feel comfortable.
We can have, we can effectively socially distance and have you all there fairly in, in a protective way.
So I, I know that other organisations are managing it by limiting, but we're not, we haven't got a sort of first come first serve sort of basis or policy.
We would want you all to have the chance to come to our press conferences.
So we have not, we're not having anybody in the building currently.
Good morning.
I have a question about the rapid test mentioned by Doctor Tedros at the press conference yesterday.
So 100 million rapid tests will be available.
Sorry, 120 million rapid tests will be available to low and middle income countries.
But do they receive them for free or do they need to pay partially?
Also about the timing, when are they plan to be distributed?
Thank you.
So, so in the pricing, the, the top level of the price is $5 per test.
So the, the pricing would be something that's that's negotiated or organised at country level, but no greater than $5 per test.
So the aim is very much to keep them as financially accessible as possible.
On the second one, I don't have the timing for you, but I'll see if I've got any kind of timeline on roll out and so on and I'll get back to you on that.
Katrina, Yes, good morning, Good morning, Alessandra and good morning, Margaret.
Good morning, Catherine.
Good morning.
Yes, two things to in fact follow up.
The first one is on on on tests.
You know that everybody speaks a lot about these very quick tests that you are able to give a result within 20 minutes.
But apparently the efficiency, the reliability of these tests is not 100%.
Apparently they're not detecting all the cases.
So what is the position of WHO on that one?
And my second question is in fact the follow up on the intervention of Jamil is regarding organising events.
Do you think that not only other international organisations, but in general people are not respecting the, the proper measures in order not to pass the, the COVID-19 because we see more and more all kind of behaviours, They are reducing the confinement time, reducing so many things that at the end of the day, you ask yourself, it's, it's worth to, to, to, to apply in fact these measures.
And my, my other question is also about people being in a room.
If I understood well, WHO advises to have a minimum of four square metres for one person in a room.
So I would like to have the position of WHO regarding the open spaces, offices that are open spaces, are they dangerous?
Are they places where people can be more easily infected?
If there's Margaret, I give you the floor to answer Catherine.
And I've got three more journalists want to ask you questions.
This was supposed to be an announcement.
We have quite a few briefers, including one from South Sudan.
So I will ask everybody please to be brief, Margaret to answer Catherine, I certainly can be brief on the tests we have evaluated.
We are evaluating all the tests and we are doing an emergency use listing.
We've listed one and there's another one expected and we are reliability is a very important part of that.
But the PCR test, the, the one that takes longer, that's done, the laboratory is still the gold standard.
And we certainly ask that that be used often as a backup.
So it's not simply one or the other.
Um, uh, on the organising events, yes.
Uh, if all of us need to be our own risk managers, we have to take this matter very seriously.
We have to ensure that we physically distance and we avoid the three C's, crowded places, closed spaces, closed spaces with poor ventilation and close contact.
So if you use those 3 rules and apply them everywhere, you will minimise the risk.
The third thing was I guess that was about it organising events.
Again, I can't comment on other organisations, I don't have the detail of what they all do.
I think that's it.
Robbie, can you hear me?
Yes, well, sure.
Again on the on the rapid tests, just a little bit more information, how many countries will they be distributed to and on what basis are those countries chosen?
Secondly, following up to Catherine's question, what is, what is the difference in efficiency between a standard PCR test and a rapid reaction test?
OK, So countries distributed to, I don't have a list about this.
Essentially the ones that we have, we have got a volume guarantee on our for lower middle income countries.
So the idea is that we have reserved this to ensure that lower middle income countries get it.
So I guess that that's how you know who you are on the reliability, again, it it's goes varies from test to test, but we're seeing 99% or or levels at that level of of I'm trying to whether I I'd have to double check whether it's specificity or sensitivity.
I think it's specificity.
So I will get back to you on the reliability and but as I said again, we still say you use PCR, that it's not that that this replaces PCR.
This is in order to have a a rapid result and to enable you to make clinical decisions.
Or if you don't have PCR, you can use this in the play in the place of PCR, but it does not mean that it replaces PCR.
Nobody had that brief, please.
Hello, Alessandra.
Good morning, Margaret.
Quick questions at what time is the event with the Secretary General and Doctor Tedros and if we can ask questions or it's not for OK, so the you should have received now the media advisory so on just send it out.
The event is scheduled for 8:30 AM ADT from 8:30 to 10:00 AM.
As I said, you'd be addressed by the UN Secretary General, the world, The Who Director General and also the governments of the United Kingdom and South Africa who Co host this event with the UN and WHO in the media advisor you have received there is a link to register to attend the event.
And after the event there will be a press conference by the UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed that will brief the media on the work of this ACT accelerator and expectations for the event.
I'm not sure about asking the question, probably not at the meeting for the press conference.
I'll ask my colleagues in New York, but you have all the details in the advisory which has been sent to you.
Yes.
And then very quick on, on the tests yesterday that yesterday were announced, I asked and they said that it's 140 countries that will receive or something like that.
But if you can send us the list, maybe Margaret, if you can find it, if there's a list that we've got, certainly I'll, I'll send it and I'll send it to Solange so she can send it to all Christian, then Gorgi and then we go to the next speaker.
Christian.
Yes.
Good morning, Margaret and Alessandra.
It's on the tests also.
Did I understand correctly that you have one emergency listing already?
Could you tell us which test that is and how many are in the pipeline to be listed?
Thank you.
We've it's a Korean biosensitist that was got emergency use listing at the end of last week.
We're expecting the Abbott very soon.
As for the others, I don't have the names in front of me, but if and I think I'm not sure how far down the track the others are, but that's that's certainly the Korean biosensor and we do expect the Abbott pretty soon.
Gorky.
Do not civilization.
I'm going to give the floor to Victoria Camarota who has a short announcement, then we will go to the WSP.
Good morning Alessandra.
Good morning colleagues.
I would like to inform you all that on October 1st the Mrs Pamela Coke Hamilton will join the International Trade Centre as Executive Director.
She's currently director of the Division on International Trading Commodities and and she has worked before.
For the Caribbean Export Development Agency and also for the Jamaican Government, the Caribbean Forum and also some multilateral institutions, including the Organisation of American States and the Inter American Inter American Development Bank.
Our first public appearance will be on the same day, October 1st at 13 hours at the Geneva Trade Week.
She will speak, She will be part of the plenary trade and the the plenaries moderated by Professor Richard Baldwin.
And we'll focus on trades intersection with other policy areas including health, technology, gender and small businesses.
I would like also you to please mark your calendars on 7 and 8 October when the International Trade Centre will hosted the Good Trade Summit, will you know, virtual event that will highlight gender and sustainability in the context of the recovery for COVID-19.
I will get back to you later this week with more information on the speakers.
Thank you very much all and thank you, Alexander.
Thank you, Victoria.
Any question for ATC in the room or online?
Catherine?
I I hope it's, I hope it's for Victoria, not for Margaret.
No worries.
Alessandra, my question before was was for you, so I will ask it later, but now it's for Victoria.
Hi Victoria, nice seeing you.
Victoria, your, your event is virtual.
I suppose that is the first thing.
And the second thing is do you plan to to have a virtual or hybrid event with the new executive director of ITC?
Thank you.
Thank you, Catherine.
Yes.
Our event, the Good Trade Summit will be absolutely virtual and we will plan an informal gathering with the Uno press corps, I think in the next month.
Thank you, Victoria.
That was the only question.
So I'll turn now to Thompson.
Thompson, V4 WSP, he has brief announcement and then we will go to his guest from South Sudan.
Thompson, please.
Thank you so much, Alessandra.
Just quickly in terms of an announcement from Latin America and the Caribbean, the World Food Programme and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean will present tomorrow on Wednesday the 30th of of of of September rather at 1900 hours, 7:00 PM Geneva time.
The results of the study, the cost of the double burden of malnutrition, social and economic impact for Guatemala.
Among other things, this study reveals the extent to which malnutrition, which encompasses both anti nutrition and obesity has had significant and negative impact on disease and mortality rates.
The educational outcomes as well as the productive productivity as just in general, also the economic impact on on Guatemala.
That's it.
I don't know if there are any questions on that event, but it will be, it will be, it will be live on our on our Facebook page, the Spanish Facebook page, the WFP Facebook page and it will be in Spanish.
Thompson, I don't see any question for you.
So I'd like now to introduce Mr Matthew Hollingworth, who is the WFP country director in South Sudan.
I don't know if you want to say a few words before no.
OK.
So can my colleague please unmute Matthew, who is going to take to talk to us about the South Sudan frauds?
Matthew, thank you very much.
Good morning to all.
I'm obviously I'm, as you've heard, I'm going to talk to you a little bit about the, the problems that South Sudan and the people of South Sudan are currently facing, which are let me say worsening at this point to the point where we, we really are incredibly concerned for the in particular the hunger situation and the growing hunger situation in South Sudan.
As you've no doubt seen from from other press interest over the past weeks, there is a very significant flood which is is covering vast areas of the country now, now more than 36 counties of the country underwater, submerging entire villages, homes, farmsteads, killing livestock and putting an end to live livelihoods etcetera.
In the last couple of weeks, the country team and the World Food Programme have been very active in the field, in particular in John Glay Estate, which is one of the worst affected areas in in the country.
Where 230,000 people of the 700,000 people affected by floods are living, where 85,000 people have been displaced because of the floods and crops have been damaged and as I said, livelihoods curtailed and interrupted.
This flooding crisis is coming on top of a very grim hunger situation in Jonglei, where already this year 1.4 million people were suffering from acute and severe hunger, in addition to to over 300,000 children under 5 who are acutely malnourished.
And so it's very, very clear the conditions this year are are deteriorating an already dire situation for the people of South Sudan, in particular some of the states like John Glay here.
There's four real key factors to the crises that the people of South Sudan are facing.
The 1st is, is very clearly a protection crisis.
We've seen increased violence this year across the country, particularly in John Glay and the people administrative area and that displaced 160,000 people.
We've also seen violence at a sub national level, but also at a community level in Lake State and Unity State.
All of those states or administrative areas are also affected now by flooding.
We've also clearly seen an economic crisis this year with the, the, the, the decrease in oil prices, which obviously has a massive impact on the government's ability to respond with their own resources.
But we're also seeing health crisis because of COVID-19 have an impact on the economy at the same time.
So as, as well as the health impact of COVID, we have very significant price increases, supply chains because of the crisis, as well as the, the increase in prices because of, of the economic problems the country facing.
And obviously now we're we're faced by a climate crisis or a climate related crisis with with regards to flooding.
What's of really particular concern right now is that the torrential rains that we've witnessed this year are on top of torrential rains that were at the time unprecedented last year and last year's flooding in particular of the Sober and Nile Basin expanded the wetlands of the Sood.
Now the expansion of the wetlands, it has meant that people would have displaced last year and now they've been displaced again this year and again this year at a time when violence also was was getting worse, where already there were people, as I mentioned, who were forcibly displaced in the country.
But now we're seeing to get more rain and of course the real flooding season, the normal flooding season has yet to start because that normally starts now.
And we're actually three months into an unprecedented, I mean across John Glay State and Unity State, as I mentioned, homes are are submerged, clinics are submerged.
There's many communities that are stranded.
There are so many animals dead lying in the fields that it is, it is, I mean, it is quite also a health concern.
More than 45,000 cattle, sheep and goats have died in the last few months because of the flooding.
And of course, those cattle, those sheep, those goats are not only the assets in which people hold their money reserves, their value, their own resource, but it's also where their children get nutritious milk from.
So the loss of those animals is a very significant impact on the nutrition and and and health status.
We've seen as I mentioned harvests being decimated in John Glay state that I've I've just come back from 2 visits from 45% of all the land that was planted with cereals with sorghum, the mainstay of the diet have been lost this year.
That comes in addition to what we saw very similar last year.
So we are, Needless to say, seeing very worrying signs in a country where in the past five years we've seen 31 pockets of famine and every time we've seen 31 pockets of each one of those 31 pockets of famine.
We've been seeing similar issues.
We've been seeing natural disasters.
We've been seeing conflict displacing people.
That's the situation we're in right now.
And we've yet to get data back to confirm how bad it will be.
But I think we all need to prepare ourselves that we must do everything in our power to avoid famine and to avoid the levels of hunger, the catastrophic hunger that we've seen sadly in the past in this country.
We are already now supporting 300,000 of the 700,000 people I mentioned earlier.
And we will, we will have to continue to now support half a million more people this year than we would normally do because now is harvest time, typically after harvest time, no longer support with food assistance.
And we have a period of time where people can live off what they've cultivated.
What they've cultivated has been lost.
We are now going to have to really ramp up our operations.
And sadly, because it's also the rainy season, we're going to ramp up.
We're going to need to ramp up our logistics operations in more aircraft or helicopters to have access to areas which are now entirely cut off from the outside world and where communities, as I've said, are.
We are.
We're as you may have seen are calling for additional resources to the tune of 58,000,000 U.S.
dollars for the next 6 months to provide that life saving famine.
Avoiding support to alleviate hunger and malnutrition in these areas most badly hit by by the floods.
But very importantly to try and get people back home as soon as areas dry out.
To rehabilitate the **** rehabilitate the levees which have been broken and to start working with partners like FAO, like UNICEF, like UNHCR, like IOM, to try and get livelihoods back up and running so that families can actually start growing food again.
And we don't have to find ourselves in a situation where we're supporting a vast community for a year before they can they can next see the fruits of their labour in the fields.
I'll stop there.
Thank you very much.
Matthew, I have a first question from Lisa Schlein was of America.
Lisa, you have the floor.
Thanks.
Good morning, Alessandra.
Good morning.
Yeah, I have a few questions.
I'm wondering what sort of access your agency and other humanitarian agencies have to John Grey State and other flood affected areas, whether you're able actually to reach them or if this is a problem, not only the floods but also the fighting.
Is the fighting very serious that is going on?
Is this of concern to you?
And then I'm what about waterborne diseases?
Is this happening yet?
Is this a problem that you are dealing with or will have to deal with just a couple of other things.
If you could talk about the malnutrition of children, whether you're concerned about they're the risks that they run, maybe many of them will die, maybe other people will die as a consequence of not having the aid they need.
And is COVID a big concern and what are you doing about that?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Matthew, I think you can hear me now.
Thank you for this question.
OK.
So with regards to access, I mean, first of all, our biggest constraint right now is, is the natural constraint.
This is one of the most remote areas of the world with the greatest sort of deficit of any kind of infrastructure in terms of roads, bridges than than than most countries I've ever worked in, in the last 20 years.
So that's our biggest concern.
The violence which we've seen in three very significant rounds this year around February, in May and then in July.
That level of violence that we saw that was as bad as we've seen since 2013 has now diminished primarily of course because the region is flooded and it's not possible for the violence to take place.
However, there have also been very significant engagement with parties at local levels, at different tribal groups, different political groups, and also at at state and capital level to try and to bring an end to that violence.
And that seems to be holding.
So violence is not what's stopping us getting to people right now.
What's stopping us, if at all, is just simply the difficulty of getting to areas.
However, as I've said, I mean from our perspective, we have the tools we need.
We need to augment them in terms of our helicopters, the aircraft that we use for air dropping, the all terrain vehicles, the amphibious vehicles that we use to to access areas, the barges, the boats, the canoes, those kinds of tools we have in our in our arsenal to have access.
But it doesn't make it easy.
Of course, it doesn't make it easy that throughout this year we had violence that stopped us pre positioning as much as we wanted to before the rain started.
So we're now, as it were playing a game of catch up.
And it doesn't help us to deal with the, the very complex means we have to an expensive means that we have to use to, to get to communities that are, that are cut off from larger areas of the country in terms of, of waterborne diseases.
I'm, I'm not a public health specialist, but clearly it is a very big concern of the humanitarian country team here in South Sudan.
Clearly when you find villages and and even larger towns that are flooded, that also means every latrine is flooded.
That also means you have animals who have died and are in the water.
That means we begin to become very concerned about water borne diseases including cholera and we are watching that very carefully with our partners in WHO but also other health and medical organisations who are part of the country team.
We are working as a country team to respond to this crisis in order to try and get sufficient materials prepositioned out there in the field despite COVID-19.
We are present, I mean World Food programmes present in all state in all 10 states of the country.
We have about 93% of our staff who should be in the field, are in the field despite the, the, the challenges that COVID-19 have given us.
And we are now able to move in line with and in accordance with all of the restrictions that were in place on movement.
So this is a, it's a response which is very much coordinated and supported by agencies across across the country team, including WHO.
In terms of malnutrition, of course, the moment we start to worry about waterborne diseases, sadly that's normal normally coming when a sanitation problem is also mixed with with a hunger issue.
And as I've said, this is an area of the country that has persistent and or has experienced persistent crises in the past, whether they be violence or or or related to agricultural cultivation and its curtailment.
So when you see that, but then when you also see increased health concerns, obviously, we start to really be very worried about about children in particular.
And as I've said, I mean, John Glay State has 300,000 children under 5 already acutely malnourished, and that's before the real floods hit the area.
Back to you.
Thank you.
A question from Peter Kenny from the room.
Maybe you introduce yourself.
My name is Peter Kenny.
I'm a freelance journalist.
Mr Hollingsworth.
One constant of South Sudan over many years has been the security issue.
And in February this year there was a government of national unity formed and with quite a lot of fun here.
And there's been some moves with some of the groups to incorporate them into this recently.
Do you think that peace and government of national unity that's working will ease your problem in feeding the people of South Sudan?
Thank you, Matthew.
So clearly we can't actually meet any of the longer term impacts of our humanitarian and development joint work without peace in the country.
And, and all three aspects are interrelated.
Peace is going to be the foundation that supports us to bring an end to hunger in South Sudan, which is our ultimate goal.
Now the the government of national unity is in place and for the most part, the government of national unity is now being mirrored at the state level with state governors being in place and and their administrations being created.
That's taken time.
And in areas like John Glade that took more time, given the, the complexity of the, of the deal between the the different parties who are now part of the unity government.
There is there is still a lot of work to do to ensure that the the agreements that have been made nationwide actually philtre down into community agreements as well between you know, between villages or communities who in the past may have been manipulated to to to bring violence to their to their area or in fact may just have been dealing with long time grievances.
So it it we have seen a very significant step forward in terms of the national levels of peace and bringing the main you know, you know, provocateurs parties to the to the past conflicts of 2013 and 16 bringing them together.
However, we still have faced very significant conflict and violence, as I've said in John Glay and people in Lake State and Unity State to mention a few this year.
And but we are now at a point where clearly what we mustn't do is lose the positive momentum that that has started towards peace.
And what we mustn't do is, is have a situation where because of, you know, whether it's displacement because of flooding or displacement because of violence, we create longer term problems as cattle move into areas where they weren't previously put to pasture, as people are displaced into areas when not necessarily there are sufficient resources to look after them, as well as the resident community.
All of those can breed future problems.
So from a humanitarian perspective, we need to look forward to try and ensure that our immediate response also has a medium term and longer term plan to ensure that not only that we're dealing with the immediate needs, but but we are trying to make sure there is a dividend to people to return home, both in the fact that they can make a livelihood and start to recover.
And also they can recover peacefully knowing that their neighbours and, and, and host communities have looked after them in their time of, of, of need.
Back to you.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Matthew.
I don't see any other question for you.
So thank you and good luck with this very important work.
I'll turn now to Shabia for her briefing on behalf of UNHCR.
Thank you, Lassandra and good morning, everybody.
Today we're briefing on higher education for refugees.
So, with only 3% of refugees accessing higher education, UNHCR is urging governments and donors to help bridge critical gaps by ensuring the inclusion of refugee students and national education systems and the continuity of tertiary education programmes, as well as offering more places for refugees.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough for students and especially for refugees, many of whom 85% reside in developing or least developed countries, with some affected by school closures.
Remote learning is not always available and even if so, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, TV and radio sets as well as Internet connectivity are often not accessible to those displaced.
The socio economic consequences of the pandemic not only constrain opportunities but also may force displaced and destitute students to drop out of school and into work, begging and early marriages to try and support their families.
UNHCR is worried that unless support is urgently boosted, one of the consequences of the global health emergency will be the reversal of some hard won gains in refugee education, including an increase in refugee tertiary education enrolment rates.
In 2017, only 1% of refugees were enrolled in higher education.
Since the end of 2018, this figure increased to 3%.
This is largely owing to a greater recognition on the part of states, educational institutions and partner organisations of the importance of tertiary education for refugees.
2019 was also a record year for UNHC Rs Higher Education Scholarship Scheme, known as the Daffy Programme or the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative, which is largely funded by the German government, with the Government of Denmark as a new partner aiming to support national education systems.
The programme prioritises refugee enrolment in public higher education institutions.
Scholarships are provided to refugees through a competitive selection process and cover tuition and other associated costs, highlighting the growing demand from refugees around the world and the strong response by governments and partners on the need to improve refugee education.
The number of refugee students enrolled in the programme at the end of 2019 was 8347 and 54 countries of study.
This is a record level since the programme inception.
Sorry, this is a record level since the programme inception almost 3 decades ago and an 18% increase when compared to last year.
This expansion was made possible through increased funding In 2019, scholarship recipients came from 45 countries, including Syrians, Afghans, S Sudanese, Somali and refugee students from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The top five refugee host countries of study for students enrolled in the programme where Ethiopia, Turkey, Jordan, Kenya and Pakistan, which are also reflective of global refugee movements.
This and further data on refugee tertiary enrolment is highlighted in Unhcr's Refugee Students and Higher Education report released yesterday.
Railing support for refugee education, including at the tertiary level, was a key objective of the Global Refugee Forum held in December last year to withstand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNHCR is calling on governments, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders to help strengthen and improve refugee inclusion and accessibility to national education systems and refugee host countries, and to secure and safeguard education financing.
Without such action, countless futures will be jeopardised.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Let me see, Katrina has a question.
Yes, Hello.
Good morning.
Good morning, Shavia.
Listen, I'd like to to to know the reasons why refugee students are not included in these kind of programmes.
Is it due to the fact that they don't have access to it or is it due to the barrier language or to the fact that if they study, they cannot have, I mean, a job to, to maybe have to live abroad?
Because as a refugee, I suppose that if you study you the studies, you need a scholarship for that.
And what are the amounts needed for scholarships for refugee students?
And do you have other programmes that UNHR is working with in order to provide scholarships for students at that level of education?
Thank you, Shavia, thanks for your for your question.
No, indeed, there are many, many reasons why there are barriers to education for refugee students.
We have to bear in mind, I mean, the big statistic is that most of the world's refugees, 85% live in developing or at least developed countries.
So there there are also challenges for, for host populations and and education remains A barrier for some.
But you compound that with displacement where people have been forced to flee their homes, they may be facing poverty.
Sometimes they rely on on children to help with with chores at home or also with work in the formal or informal economy.
And there are other factors also that that are really hindering and imposing obstacles to the accessibility.
Inclusion in the national education system is also another another issue.
We try and advocate for that and there are many great examples of where that is happening.
But overall, in general, the picture of education is one that we need to continue support these efforts to to include refugee children in that We also know that refugee girls are often more disadvantaged than than their male counterparts when it comes to education.
And now we're dealing with a situation of the COVID pandemic, which has resulted in in obstacles for many children to access education in terms of school coalitions.
And then also some of the reasons that I outlined in terms of accessibility options, even when learning is now based on a remote kind of application, It's very hard for, for a refugee and displaced students who may not have those the same opportunities to access the TV sets where they can receive their, their, their classes or, or tablets or have Internet connection.
So now, I mean, the situation is getting worse.
And we're also seeing on top of that, the socio economic impacts of COVID are also driving refugees in general to to further desperation and destitution.
We're seeing deepening poverty in many situations.
And then that comes down really to the most vulnerable.
They're the ones that are likely to be taken out of school, may be subjected to things like early marriages or or into work to help support their families.
So the picture with COVID now, it's extremely worrying.
And that's why we're also, I mean, we're calling in general to be able to advocate for more to ensure their inclusion and accessibility to primary, secondary and also tertiary education.
But today, because there have been some significant gains over the past few years in education in general, the real worry is that now we're looking at a reverse or or a halting of that trend.
And that's why we're we're appealing to to let's prioritise education for refugees.
Thanks.
Thank you Shabby.
I don't see any other questions.
So thank you very much for this briefing.
And our last speaker is Jean Rodriguez.
Jean trying to announce the Pardella mission Economic.
Do you hear me?
Yes, we can.
OK, good morning everybody.
I'm here to we're launching today with partners new reports on a topic which is seldom studied or has been seldom studied so far, aquifers.
And we're releasing report calling for broad cross sectoral cooperation to address the degradation of North Africa's largest aquifer, which is shared by Algeria, Libya and Tunisia.
This aquifer, the Northwestern Sahara aquifer system, is the North Africa's largest groundwater reserve and it supports the lives and livelihoods of more than 4.8 million people.
It's a vital water resource extending over 1,000,000 square kilometres in a highly arid environment, which makes it naturally vulnerable due to its low natural recharge.
Pressure on water have been increasing over the past three decades with the rise of new industrial agriculture, with water abstraction currently standing at three times the aquifers natural recharge rate, which is 1 billion cubic metres per year.
This results in pressures on water and soil quality, leading to a vicious circle of reduced agricultural productivity and increased energy demand for pumping from deep wells.
Fragile ecosystems such as wetlands are consequently under ******, and local populations are exposed to significant vulnerability.
The report we're launching today, which is titled Reconciling Resource Uses Assessment of the Water, Food, Energy Ecosystems Nexus in the Northwestern Sarah Aquifer System, was carried out under Water convention in cooperation with the Global Water Partnership, Mediterranean and the Sahara and Sahil Observatory.
The report underlines the urgency of taking action across borders and sectors to address the threats leading to the degradation of the aquifer system worldwide.
Transboundary and groundwater resources are commonly not covered by formal cooperation agreements, yet they constitute important sources of water for drinking and other uses, are susceptible to pollution, complex to investigate, and commonly inadequately understood.
The Northwestern Sara aquifer system is a rare example of a corporation arrangements, arrangement and data exchange on a transboundary aquifer, focusing on the interlinkages between energy, water, land and ecosystem resources.
The assessments we're releasing today analysis cross sectoral dynamics and identifies integrated solutions to render resource management more sustainable and efficient.
While sectoral measures such as improving the efficiency of irrigation can contribute to alleviating pressures, the Nexus assessment provides examples of how cross sectoral collaboration is the key to provide the highest level of water, energy and food security, as well as adaptation in the face of climate change.
Following a participatory process of consultation with governments and local stakeholders, the report proposes an integrated package of 15 **** priority cross sectoral solutions.
The list of these measures is included in the press release that you have received.
These measures range from implementing governance changes to adopting, to adopting economic and policy instruments and investing in infrastructure and innovation.
The Nexus approach adopted in this report provides for the combination of diverse elements to address the challenges.
For example, it proposes the adoption of new technologies alongside the reviving and valorisation of traditional agricultural practises and implementing national and transboundary level strategies alongside a renewed focus on local resource management.
The analysis emphasises how strategic partnerships and cross sectoral and transboundary corporation are essential to reap maximum societal benefits.
For instance, one of the solutions proposed consists of upscaling the use of non conventional water resources using desalina tion, wastewater treatment and drainage water treatment or reuse.
In this context, the concurrent deployment of renewable energy, solar power in particular, could help create major benefits for both the water energy and energy sectors.
Conversely, lack of water energy coordination can lead to adverse results.
A small scale solar irrigation were deployed.
Without appropriate water and environmental regulation, pressures from higher water abstraction would increase.
The report is available in French and English and we have also experts in the participating countries that could answer questions in Arabic if need.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Jean.
Lisa, thank you.
Good morning.
Jean, I, I'm, I'm wondering, I may be way off the track, but I'm wondering whether this issue, these problems you've outlined are a source of potential conflict.
Water is, is dynamite in the Middle East and Africa and so forth.
Is this a source of potential conflict or not at all?
Because you have agreements and everybody adheres to them.
Thank you.
Lisa.
The as you said, water is dynamite in many regions of the world, but this particular report doesn't highlight any specific **** risk of conflict due to water at this stage.
That being said, the IT highlights the need to take action and to to put in place coordinated measures across the three countries and across the sectors that need use, that need water for human consumption, for agriculture, for industry, for energy, in order to make sure that the water availability keeps at levels which is which are manageable.
Water scarcity is indeed an issue in in such arid environments and cooperation must be increased in order to make sure that solutions will ensure a long lasting water availability for the people in the in that area.
I don't see any other question in the room, no.
So thank you very much Jean and I have a few announcements for you.
I would like to start by highlighting some important events the General Assembly today in New York.
The Assembly will conclude it's general debate today.
It is expected that the President would deliver a closing statement at the end of the proceedings.
That should be around 5:00 PM New York time.
The Secretary General will convene a **** level events on COVID-19 and financing, financing the development crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is a **** level event that he convenes with the Prime Ministers of Canada and Jamaica aims aimed to articulate a coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response to the urgent financing for development crisis due to the pandemic.
The event will start at 8:00 AM New York time and it will be available will will be visible on the web TV.
This event at 9:30 will be followed by another, which will also be addressed by the Secretary General.
It's a **** level, a **** level set event hosted by you and women to highlight progress based on tackling gender based violence in the context of COVID-19 and to activate the UN Secretary General engagement strategy on gender based violence.
That's 930 New York time also available virtually at 11:30, the Secretary general will give a press conference together with the prime ministers of Jamaica and Canada, and that will be on the financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the era of COVID-19 and beyond.
It will be also available.
It's a Webex press conference.
I just would like to also mention that today is the first ever International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.
There is a virtual celebration which is also organised in New York at 4:00 PM New York Times.
It's a bit, a little bit late for us, but it's a screening of a documentary called Wasted, the Story of Food Waste, and there is a panel afterwards with food experts to change to, to discuss how to change the story of loss and waste.
This is hosted by FAO and the UN Environmental Programme.
I think you have received the invitation to all these events.
Otherwise, of course, they are available with us in Geneva.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has postponed to a later date due to technical problems the opening of its virtual 68 session, which would have opened yesterday.
Of course, we will keep you abreast of the new date.
The Committee on Enforced Disappearances, which suspended last Friday it's 19 session, will resume it next Monday to hold it's dialogue with Iraq.
The dialogue on complementary information concerning the implementation of the convention in the country will take place on 5th of October at 12:30 and 7:00 October at 4:00 PM.
And finally, the Committee on the Rights of the Child will hold its next public meeting for the closure of the session on the 1st October at 5 PMI think I've told you everything I had here.
I see that Gabriella has a question.
Yes, thank you, Alessandra on on 2 questions.
Actually 1 is a very quick one on the general debate today in in New York, I, I saw the countries that will speak, but I don't see the speakers.
If you have the list, I I would appreciate that.
And then on WHO and press conferences, I understand the reasons that WHO has A to not accepting people there because of security reasons and COVID and everything.
But we need, I mean headquarters of WTO is in Geneva and we need to cover the story.
So if we can find a way to have more or often press conference with WHO press, Geneva Press Corp, we need to ask a lot of questions.
For example, today on tests that yesterday were mentioned, we have a lot of questions.
So I think we have been covering WHO issues for years.
So if we can find a way, I mean soon could be a good solution.
But with Geneva Press Corp, that's that's what I'm asking.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Gabriella, on your first question, when you look at the list of the speakers, he says in brackets whether it's a heads of states, head government or Minister of Foreign Affairs, but we can send the list to you again, that is in acronym close to the name of the country.
And so you know, which is who's the person who's going to speak on WHO?
I'm afraid I would have turned Margaret, who I see is still connected.
But of course, yes, we are always happy to host briefings from WHO?
Margaret, you want to say something about that?
Yeah, Yeah.
We agree that, you know, the Geneva press call is critical to getting the right messages and the detailed messages and really understanding the issues.
And, and personally, I want to thank you for the fantastic work you're doing.
I think of so much soon press conference is a good idea.
So let's let's look at how we can do that because I think basically given the way things are going in Europe, that's going to be difficult.
But let's look at a Zoom press conference specifically for the Geneva press call because you do have very good questions and and I often don't have the the level of knowledge to be able to answer it.
So thank you for the suggestion and I'll definitely take that up.
Thank you, Margaret.
We'll be happy to support if needed.
Margaret, can you hear me?
I can, Yeah, true.
Go ahead.
I don't think we we have seen an official reaction from WHO on the the side sad milestone of the 1,000,000 COVID deaths.
So if you could just please comment on this.
Thank you.
Yes, I think actually my director general, Doctor Tedros, has been speaking about this several times, but we were not specifically marking it.
It is a very sad milestone.
And it is, as the secretary general said, every person is a parent or a child, a brother, a sister, a wife or a husband.
So many people have lost so many people and haven't had the chance to say goodbye because this horrible disease is so infectious that many, many of the people who died died alone in, in, in medical circumstances where it's a terribly difficult and lonely death.
We are we as part of our marking or discussion around this milestone, what we are saying and what the director general has issued is a, is an op-ed, which I'll send to all of you indicating that it's not too late to turn this around.
Never think so.
The one positive thing about this virus is it is suppressible.
Suppressible.
It's not the flu.
It doesn't just go and you can't.
And the amount that you can, and many countries have shown that.
And there are many things that can be done, a lot of them in our hands, the physical distancing, the spacing, the lack of ensuring that you're not in contact, close contact, ensuring that you're not in crowds, ensuring that you're not in closed indoor spaces.
That's why we are so firm about keeping our numbers down physically.
We, we are walking the talk and but also governments need to up the testing, the tracing, the identifying all the contacts, ensuring that they can isolate safely.
There is so much we all can do and we all need to do it.
I'll attach the director general's op-ed because it really has very good words and very good.
I have a very good discussion of what we can all do to make sure that we stop transmission of the virus and therefore stop more people from suffering this very hard and lonely death.
Thank you, Margaret.
Katrina, maybe I'll finish with Margaret 1st and then I'll come back to you.
Alessandra.
Margaret, this was to to back up what Gabriela said.
You know that Geneva correspondence really would like to have more often press conferences exclusively for us.
Akanu did send a letter last Friday, if I recall well, regarding the events that you organised between.
That was a so-called hybrid event, but that was between the public and journalists.
We, we really would like to make a difference between public questions coming from the public, which are very important for people to know what's going on, and professional questions from professional press.
We need absolutely to have access to information.
As Gabriella said and as you said last time when Akanu organised the event with Doctor Terrett at WHO, it was said that we will have other opportunities to meet the experts from WHOI mean, we really need that.
If you want to keep correspondence in Geneva, we need to have the opportunity to work because otherwise the different medias are going to remove correspondence from Geneva.
And if we disappear, spokespersons will disappear too.
That is something that you have to be aware.
Now, Alessandra, I would like to ask you again about the press conferences that are going to be organised in New York.
If you could please check if we have access, because in the, the, the, the programme that has been sent by your office, it's not, we don't have the precision, it's just written media event, but we don't know if we have access or not.
Thank you so much.
Yeah, Catherine, that is the problem with that.
We have already discussed this with the colleagues in New York.
They have a limitation on the number of people that can be actually hosted on their platform.
We will ask for these, but often it's not possible because of this reason.
And you can follow the press conference, but not necessarily register and and be able to ask questions.
But we will ask again.
Absolutely Christian.
Yes, hello.
This is a bit of a technical question to UN and WHOA, number of journalists here cannot receive WHO press releases and only WHO none of the other UN agencies because of a technical issue.
Our external spam service provider says there is a suspicious link in The Who emails and that's why they refuse to let it get into our e-mail boxes.
And I'm not the only one, if I understand correctly, who is using an external provider to send out these mail shots.
Is that correct?
Is the other security?
Are there not security issues if there might be suspicious links in those mails?
I wonder this is only awho problem?
None.
None of the other UN agencies?
I wonder whether anyone is looking into that.
Thank you.
Yes.
Do you have a, an answer?
Yeah, yeah.
We use something called Campaign Monitor, which is an external provider, but it's been our IT department, have looked through it and they're comfortable that there's no issue.
But look, send me your concerns.
I think Imogen Fuchs also has had some problems and I will ask them to look at specifically what's happening.
But they've they've gone through it and they do not seem to be any.
They certainly are not suspicious links.
I mean, they are not transmitting anything beyond our press releases.
But let's have another look at how we can fix it because it's absolutely critical that you get all that press releases.
Absolutely.
Thank you very much, Margaret.
Thanks to everybody.
Before I close, I just would like to remind you that we wait for you at 12:30 at the entrance of the palace at the on the side of the Flag Alley for the inauguration of the new temporary conference facility called TEMPUS that we are inaugurating today with the Director General Tatiana Baro Vaya and the Switzerland Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Europe Lauber.
So I hope you will be there.
After a few short speeches, we will have the ribbon cutting and a visit of the facility.
You have received I think immediate Pfizer on that.
Otherwise around the Vue does or don't the one in the well, the Lenovo Battimo Merci Boku.
Thank you very much and I'll see you on Friday.
Thank you.