UN Geneva Press Briefing: HRC, UNDP, UNHCR, UNCTAD, UNECE

Good morning. Thank you for joining us here at the UN Office at Geneva today, Tuesday the 30th of June. We have a busy agenda for you as usual. We'll start off immediately with an announcement from Pascal on the activities of the Human Rights Council, then we'll go down a list of topics including the Ebola crisis, Venezuela, Strait of Hormuz, and more on climate change. But without further ado, Pascal.

Thank you, Rolando. Good morning, everyone. I just want to remind you that the Human Rights Council Secretariat has received a total of 23 draft resolutions for consideration at the end of its session. The adoption will— are scheduled to begin on Friday afternoon and will continue on Monday and Tuesday, the 6th and the 7th of July. The second announcement concerns a possible urgent debate. On the 29th of June, the President of the UN Human Rights Council received a letter from the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland seeking an urgent debate at the Council's ongoing 62nd session to, quote, "address the human rights situation in El-Horbeid, North Kordofan, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Sudan, unquote. The letter indicates that it was submitted as a joint request by a core group of countries, namely Germany, Ireland, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. This core group of countries also says they intend to present a draft resolution for adoption by the Council as an outcome of this urgent debate. The Bureau of the Council will discuss this request today at lunchtime as a matter of urgency and propose for the Council's consideration a suitable date and time for the urgent debate to take place.

Thank you.

Pascal, can you just give us an idea what a possible date might be?

Is that next week or—?

Yes, so the goal is to hold this urgent debate before the start of the adoption, so we're looking at Friday, this coming Friday. Yeah, I don't have the exact time, but that will most likely take place on Friday. Yeah.

Thank you very much, Pascal. Do we have further questions? No? Okay, it's very clear. Then, of course, the Council itself, the programme continues as programmed up until— for the moment, it goes till next Tuesday, as it stands now. So thank you very much, Pascal. Okay, colleagues, we're going to move to the DRC. We're very pleased to have with us Mr. Damien Mamma, who is UNDP's Resident Representative acting humanitarian coordinator, resident coordinator in the DRC, who's joining us from the DRC. I'm not sure if you're in Kinshasa, sir, or if maybe you can identify where you're speaking from. And we're very pleased to have you join our press briefing here in Geneva. Thank you. Over to you.

Thank you very much. I'm very pleased to join you from Kinshasa, the Congo, um, to share some perspectives and updates on the Ebola epidemic and its socioeconomic impact. On DRC and the region. As of this week, more than 1,200 cases and over 350 deaths have been confirmed here in the DR, Congo, and Uganda. And the numbers continue to rise in the DRC in particular because this country remains the epicenter of the epidemic. This Ebola epidemic in the DRC is not merely a local health crisis. More than 90% of the confirmed cases are concentrated in Ituri Province, the epicenter of the outbreak and a major hub for cross-border trade with neighboring countries, particularly Uganda. This interconnectedness increases the risk of the epidemic spreading beyond the affected areas and across national borders, which means that Ebola must be therefore understood as a full-scale development crisis, one that is already affecting lives, disrupting livelihoods, and weakening the social fabric of communities in the DRC and beyond. Today, UNDP is presenting a rapid socioeconomic assessment of the impact of the Ebola crisis. This latest analysis shows that the outbreak could push close to an additional 1 million people into poverty in a country like DRC, where 6 out of 10 people live under the poverty line. And it could cost Africa up to $3.6 billion US in economic losses and put more than 300,000 jobs at risk. Even if the outbreak is contained, the DRC alone could lose more than $1 billion and 55,000 jobs because this is already happening. Trade disruptions, border restrictions, transport delays, declining consumer confidence, and interruptions to informal market could reduce the continental GDP by 2.37 billion, even if transmission remains largely contained. This is why we say that Ebola is not only a health emergency, it is a development shock that is already reversing hard-won gains. We are seeing the impact in real time. Jobs are disappearing, markets are slowing down, and families are being pushed to the edge. When people lose income and access to basic goods, they face impossible choices. And in some cases, survival pressures lead them to break quarantine isolation measures like broader health public health measures, which increases the risk of transmission. This is why a medical response alone is not enough. And I think here in the international community and also with the government, there's a clear understanding that this goes beyond health. At UNDP, we are working with the government across the United Nations system to address both the health emergency and the socioeconomic consequences. In this crisis, trust is trans-central to the outbreak. We are working closely with local authorities, women organizations, and community leaders to ensure that people have access to reliable information and the means to act on it. One very important aspect which I will close with, gender. Women are at the center of this response as caregivers, health workers, traders, community leaders, while also bearing a disproportionate burden as incomes fall and services are disrupted. So supporting women's initiatives and strengthening resilience at community level would help greatly in containing the spread. I really would like to stress that we are now at a critical moment in this Ebola response. If we have the resources and we step up, we can contain this outbreak and prevent further losses. If we do not, this health emergency risks becoming a much deeper and prolonged development crisis across the region and potentially the continent. Thank you for listening.

Thank you very much, Mr. Mama, for highlighting these important angles to the outbreak. I should note, colleagues, that we shared with you a press release a short while ago, which, um, from UNDP, which, which speaks to the points that Mr. Mama just raised. So we'll take questions starting for those in the room, if any. Online. Okay. You're a quiet bunch today. I think you were very comprehensive, Mr. Mama. I don't see questions. I think— I just give it one more chance. No. Okay, I don't see that's the case, but thank you very, very much for joining us from Kinshasa, Mr. Mama. We will look at the press release and get back to you and your colleagues should there be follow-up, should there be any questions. So thank you very, very much for joining us. And thank you very much, of course, and keep up the amazing work that you're doing there in your organization and country. Thank you.

Thank you. Bye-bye.

Okay, so we're moving to the other hemisphere with Carlotta of the UN Refugee Agency, who is going to address the UNHCR response to the earthquakes in Venezuela. So, over to you, Carlotta.

Thank you so much. Good morning, everyone. From UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, we wanted to update you on our response in Venezuela and also the outcome of some initial assessments on protection risks that we're seeing among people affected by the terrible earthquakes last week. Initial on-the-ground needs assessments from Venezuela have revealed a dramatic surge in humanitarian and protection needs. In recent days as teams evaluate the full impact of last week's devastating earthquakes. In La Guaira, the hardest-hit state, food shortages are widespread, basic services have broken down, and connectivity has been largely severed. Community tensions are rising as access to assistance remains constrained. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has immediately mobilized to support affected communities and conducted a rapid needs assessment on 26th and 27th of June with participants across La Guaira, the capital district, Miranda, Aragua, and Carabobo states. The initial findings showed that 75% of respondents had reported injuries in their communities, and 56% reported fatalities. Older people and people with disabilities face compounded risks due to the limited mobility and reduced access to digital information. Half of those assessed are staying with neighbors or relatives, and 39% are living in streets and public spaces. And others in churches, schools, or improvised facilities. These improvised shelters do not meet the minimum protection standards. For example, for privacy, safe spaces, and basic levels of hygiene and comfort. Worryingly, 17% of those surveyed reported the presence of unaccompanied and separated children, in their communities. The UNHCR-led Protection Cluster has launched, therefore, a campaign to address child protection risks, particularly family separation. Efforts focus on awareness raising, identification, family tracing, and ensuring children's safety. UNHCR is scaling up life-saving assistance and protection services across the multiple fronts. We are supporting local authorities with tools and equipment for the safe collection and management of information on affected people, helping to identify specific needs, vulnerabilities, and facilitate referrals to appropriate services. At the same time, emergency supplies are being transferred from UNHCR's local warehouse in Táchira to La Guaira. With additional capacity to mobilize more than 20 tons of relief items from UNHCR's global stockpiles in Panama to help further bolster our assistance. UNHCR partner Caritas has established a donation collection and storage center at the Episcopal Conference premises, including with UNHCR tents and at Rab Hall to support aid distribution and keep aid safe. Safe. Authorities, as of yesterday, 29th of June, have confirmed 1,719 fatalities and at least 5,034 people injured and 15,866 people affected. Infrastructure damage is also extensive. A total of 189 structures have collapsed with 666 have sustained damage or partial collapse. As the situation evolves and protection risks grow, UNHCR reiterates the importance of timely and flexible support for people who are in dire need across all the affected communities. UNHCR requires an estimated $14.85 million to scale up further our protection core relief items, and temporary shelter support for about 30,000 earthquake-affected people over the next 6 months. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Carlotta, and I trust that the notes have been shared with colleagues. There's lots of important figures here, so let's take questions.

Christiane?

Yes, hello, Carlotta. Does this pertain to refugees? Your work in general, or do you do the same assessment as everyone else—OCHA, UNICEF? Everyone seems to be doing their own assessments. I get these questions a lot from my readers, and maybe you can respond to that. What is UNHCR's role protecting refugees in supporting a community that is devastated by an earthquake?— and there are other UN agencies who do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Christian. Thanks for the question. Indeed, UNHCR has been in Venezuela for 35 years, as we are in many countries, and Venezuela is itself a country hosting refugees and asylum seekers and displaced people. Over 210,000 are actually in the country, as well as returnees. So we have been there, and we have always been working with the authorities and partners and communities themselves to support. And of course, the terrible earthquakes are affecting everybody, including people who have been already forced to flee and who happen to be in those locations. In addition to our role, of course, to protect, assist, and find solutions for refugees, we also have a role at interagency level to support displaced people, people affected, displaced internally through the cluster system. And as I mentioned, we are actually, UNHCR, the leading agency for the protection cluster in Venezuela, as well co-leading together with IOM colleagues the cluster on temporary shelter and infrastructure. So that's— our assessments are, of course, initial protection assessments done in partnership with our agency partners and NGOs on the ground. So we all contribute to the overall response, which is led by the authorities currently.

Thank you. Emma.

Good morning. A couple of questions. Could you just say generally how big the needs are and whether you feel like donors are stepping up to handle a crisis on this scale. You also mentioned community tensions. Do you have any anecdotes, and how worried are you about really a breakdown of law and order here? And finally, I'm sorry if I missed it, could you just say how many are displaced by the earthquake? Thank you.

Thank you, Emma. Let me start with the last. So the latest assessment as of yesterday today, which is 29th of June, is that we have over— I mentioned 15,866 who are people affected or displaced according to the authorities by the two earthquakes. In terms of community tensions, this has been reported by our colleagues on the ground. Of course, after, you know, in the aftermath of such a massive-scale disaster, people are worried and there is panic ongoing Search and rescue operations are still happening, and people want to have access to aid as soon as possible. I mean, we've all seen the tragic images of people being rescued. So, of course, there is a lot of commotion sometimes and tensions in that sense, and people willing to have access to assistance as soon as possible. As always, as humanitarians, and in line with the authorities' guidelines as well, we are providing assistance first to people who are most vulnerable. And that's why the assessments that are ongoing are really important to highlight how assistance should be distributed, really focusing on, as mentioned, the, for example, older people, people with reduced mobility, children, women, or people who are in dire need out of everybody who's in need of assistance, of course. And then overall needs assessment, I said these are initial, really preliminary needs assessment that we're doing. Other agencies are also on the ground working on the same together with the authorities, so the, the overall needs are not yet— I mean, the scope and the scale of it is not fully available right now. But what we are seeing, for example, is that people are in dire need of shelter, protection services. So as mentioned, identifying the most vulnerable out of those who are all in need, but also, for example, psychosocial support after such a traumatic experience is what people are really needing. So those are just the initial assessments. The ones we are doing on the ground.

Thank you very much. And maybe, colleagues, I would encourage you to take a look at the transcript of the exchange with Mr. Gianluca Rampolla, who is the Resident Coordinating Humanitarian Coordinator, who spoke to journalists from Caracas yesterday just to give a broad overview as well. Agnès.

Yes, hi, thank you. Agnès Pedro from AFP in Geneva. I have some questions about several elements that you have mentioned. You first talked about community tensions that are rising. My first question would be, what community are you talking about? Are you talking about refugee communities, or— and what tensions? If you could elaborate on that, because it's like very vague like this. We don't understand. At least me, I don't understand what you are talking about and what level of tensions. And then you, you mentioned the initial findings that was done with the respondents. So the first question would be, how many people have you reached? And you, you mentioned also at that moment 75% of the respondents have reported injuries in their communities. So again, what kind of communities you are talking about? Thank you.

Can you hear me now? Perfect. On the affected communities, meaning all the ones that are affected by the earthquakes, so it's mostly in La Guaira, but also in the other states that I mentioned at the beginning. And communities are everybody who has been there and who's still there. In terms of tensions, it's more really tensions for assessing for trying to have access to aid, to assistance. And so it's more panic and, and tensions among communities in the sense of where to find aid and, and trying to gather information. So really, we're seeing a need for reliable information on where assistance can be provided. We are supporting the authorities to try to set up specific multi-service centers where more assistance and information can be actually provided on the ground to everybody who's assessed. As in need, but also a tool to really enroll and, and manage the data and the information that the authorities are gathering on who's in need and what kind of assistance should be prioritized for those people. So it's all in the making, but efforts are ongoing. In terms of the people reached by the initial assessments, these are quite preliminary and more are ongoing, so the number is quite limited. I can further check with the colleagues on the ground, but this is happening on a daily basis, so we'll, we'll be able hopefully to provide more, more updates. Um, and yes, on the 75% injured, again, this is among the communities where they are. I repeat what I was mentioning is in La Guaira, so as you know, the epicenter of the quake, the capital district Miranda, Aragua, and Carabobo states.

Great, thank you. Oh, sorry, yeah, go ahead. Yes, and I also note that Christian wanted to add something from WHO, but go ahead with your second question.

Yeah, my question on the community is, are you talking about Venezuelan people or not Venezuelan people? That, that's basically the, the, the question. If you are talking just about refugees, as I understand—

talking about everybody affected, including Venezuelan people who are mostly, mostly the ones living in those locations, but they may include also some refugees or asylum seekers. We don't have details of this yet because, again, rescue— search and rescue is still actually ongoing on the ground.

Okay, I think it's clear. Christian, do you want to chime in on this from WHO?

Yeah, indeed. Thank you, Rolando, and thank you to UNHCR. As we're talking about the impact on the population, let me add a bit to to the picture here. So the health services are under extreme pressure now with facilities operating beyond the capacity of the surge of the trauma cases, obviously. The interim president reported 38 hospitals have been affected. So far we could make an operational check on the status reports and had— could look at or have Verified reports collect the data for 21 health facilities. This means that there's an increased risk now of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria, pertussis, as well as yellow fever and other vector and waterborne diseases including dengue, chikungunya, Zika, oropush, and malaria. All that is available in the area. The shelters and the displaced population also face an elevated health risk due to the low pre-event vaccination coverage and the currently limited access to vaccines. The temporary shelters have been established including a baseball stadium in La Guaira and 5 sites in Caracas. But to give a bit more, just an example of a situation, missing healthcare workers create a gap too. Several healthcare workers in La Guaira remain missing, including the official responsible for the entire maternal care pathway in the area. That means there's immediately created a critical gap in obstetric care. All this is— this means the risks are heightened as several of the diseases are already circulating in the country, not only now, and could surge in the aftermath of the earthquake, exacerbated by the disruptions to the health services, to the water and sanitation system, and to the population displacement, as just Manish mentioned.

Thank you very much for adding those important points, Christian. Let's take a question now from Isabel, Spanish news agency.

Yes, good morning. Thank you, Rolando. For WHO, I would like to know, Christian, if of the 21 hospitals that you have assessed, What is the operational situation of these hospitals? This is for Christian. For the Refugee Agency, I would like to know, on the 15,000 people that you mentioned the authorities say are displaced or affected, how many of them are displaced concretely? How many of them have lost their homes, or homes have been severely damaged, so they cannot live there. And also, for you, as the leading agency on protection and shelter, as you mentioned, I would like to ask you about some messages and information going through social media. Saying that aid is being controlled by the government and that this is— the aid is not being distributed in an independent way. So could you explain how aid is being distributed and under what conditions? Thank you.

I'll start and then we'll pass to—

You want to? Yeah. Sorry.

Maybe let's start with Carlotta, then we'll go back to Christian, okay?

Go ahead.

Thank you. Thanks a lot, Isabelle. On the 15,000-plus, almost 16,000 affected, this is how the government and the authorities have been— you know, this is authorities' figures, but they are all, I mean, affected or displaced. This is meaning people who are currently trying to look for alternative shelter because they cannot leave for damage or full collapse of, of their housing. They cannot live in their places of, of origin, of residence. So this is the figures we are working with, which of course is being updated on, on a daily basis. Just yesterday, I think we had 13,000+ people, and as— sorry, of the day before, and as of yesterday, 15,000+. In terms of how aid distribution is happening. The authority I mentioned, for example, our partner Caritas is setting up already, has established already, a donation collection and storage center. This is being set up including with, I think, 400 tents of UNHCR and a rabble hole of UNHCR as a space where to store aid, including medicine, for example, garments, and relief items that we're also providing. This is at the Episcopal Conference premises, and from there, based on the assessments of vulnerabilities of the populations affected, and through these centers that are being set up, multi-service centers, distribution will, will continue to, to people affected. So this is being set up as we speak, but we already have this —donation collection and storage center currently run by Caritas, UNHCR's partner. Thank you so much.

Christian, back to you then.

Thank you, Isabelle. So, as of 27 June, the operational status reports have been collected for 21 health facilities across Caracas, La Guaira, Miranda, and Falcón. Of these, 3 are in critical condition, 6 have structural damage or partial functionality, and the rest remain operational under significant strain. Preliminary findings reveal chaotic service delivery and patient flow marked by overcrowding, growing surgical backlogs, especially on the mainly trauma, orthopedics, and neurosurgery breakdown in biosafety measures, and severely stressed staff. Critical gaps include the collapse of forensic and morgue services and inadequate casualty registration and tracking of missing persons.

Thank you very much, uh, Christian. Maybe on your other point, I would just encourage you once again to take a look at the transcript from Mr. Rampolla yesterday where he speaks of Indeed, the government is leading this massive-scale, this large-scale response. We have some 27 countries involved in this response, 49 international teams, and so forth. So lots of personnel on the ground trying to meet the needs of those immediately affected throughout the country. So indeed, do take a look at that for more details. That is the transcript from our humanitarian coordinator in-country. Isabel, is that a follow-up?

Yes, yes, it's a follow-up. Yes, on what you just said, because I didn't really have an answer to my questions about the independence and impartiality of the distribution of aid. And I ask that because UNHCR said that they are the leading agency on protection and shelter, so I would like just to to have a quote saying that if yes or not, they are working in a completely independent way and without pressure from any government entity. Thank you.

Thank you for the follow-up, Isabelle. So I mentioned UNHCR, as always in all the countries where there is, you know, interagency UN response., and humanitarian systems set up, such as the cluster system. Agencies support usually government-led response, which is also the case in this situation. So we're leading on the protection cluster and co-leading together with UNHCR on the infrastructure and temporary shelter cluster in support of the authorities— this is government, but also local authorities heavily involved in the response organization., including to this disaster. And as mentioned, this is already happening on the ground, and more coordination is happening across all actors involved. So I mentioned an example of how aid is being delivered currently in partnership with Caritas, but, you know, there are many other centers that are being set up for the distribution of aid together, a joint effort by authorities and partners, NGOs, and humanitarian and partners on the ground. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you very much. I think it's very clear. Um, do we have further questions on Venezuela for Carlota or perhaps for Christian? No, I don't see that is the case. So thank you very much. Thank you, Carlota, as always, to come here. And I'm sure this story, as, as you well know, colleagues, it's, it's developing, and we'll, we'll provide you with with more details, hopefully will resolve or at least address the immediate needs of those immediately affected. So thank you so very much. Thank you. We're going to shift over to the other side of the planet now, to the Strait of Hormuz specifically. We have Marcello Ricci of UNCTAD, the UN Trade and Development, who's joining us. Thank you very much, Marcello, you have an update on UNCTAD's Hormuz Monitor, I believe. So over to you, Marcello. Over to you, Marcello. Thank you.

Thank you, Rolando. Yes, that's correct. And thank you for the space. We are releasing today— we just released it an hour ago— the new edition of our Hormuz Monitor. And the headline is clear. As we know, It's the slow reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The first reaction may be more calm to the markets, but our specific focus is on vulnerable economies, and they will continue to feel the consequences. This is the fourth edition in a monitoring series, and the focus has evolved since the conflict broke. In earlier editions, we looked at the immediate risks pressure on oil prices, higher fuel import bills, need for early warning data, and really to understand how disruption in one strategic corridor can really spread through trade, transport, energy, and food systems. Now, today's edition looks at what comes next. So the first point is that the shock does not end with the reopening, no matter what the headlines say. So after more than 100 days of disruption, The ship transits, as I said at the beginning, through the Strait may gradually resume. Energy markets are likely to react quickly. However, food, transport, and public finance systems move much more slowly. So, for instance, freight contracts take time to reset. Supply chains need to readjust. To the new situation. And of course, it's what economists call sticky prices. We have higher fuel, higher gas, higher fertilizer costs that continue to feed into farm production, transport bills, and household budgets, of course, even after the initial market shock has eased. So it's not only a story about gasoline prices and grocery bills. In major economies. So the global head impact really goes beyond the headlines that we see and really those dominating the media echo of what's happening immediately in the current circumstances. So as I said at the beginning, for many vulnerable economies and countries, the issue is really the combination of all this package: higher energy, higher food, higher transport costs, hitting all at the same time and in economies, of course, with very limited room to absorb the shock. The second point is, of course, who is most exposed? When we say vulnerable economies, of course, those countries with limited capacity to absorb external shocks. And we're looking especially at least developed countries and small island developing states. We have 44 least developed countries around the world. So about 1.1 billion people. This is what it translates to. And about 65 million living in SIDS, in small island developing states. So according to our analysis released today, UNCTAD finds that 61 vulnerable economies are exposed to both oil and cereal import shocks, which leads to the third point and how this pressure, of course, reaches the affected households. Those relying heavily on import fuel are the hardest hit. Just one example, Cabo Verde, net imports of oil and petroleum products in recent years averaged up to 25% of the GDP. So the impact is direct. Higher fuel costs directly spill over into electricity, transport, food, and public finances. And food dependence, of course, those countries dependent on food import, that's another layer. So it's not only macroeconomics, again, it's not only a spreadsheet that we're looking at. There is a clear human cost, and we point at the link between higher food prices and the greater risk, for instance, of child malnutrition, and especially, again, about children in rural and landless households. The policy message is clear: reopening the Strait is of course necessary, but it's not sufficient, and it's definitely not the end of the story. Many vulnerable economies face the aftershock with high debt service, exchange rate pressures, weaker remittances, and declining aid, because this is the overall context that we are— that we're looking at. And this of course reduces their ability even further to protect households and firms. So the task now is broader than reopening this trade route. The report— and with this I conclude, Ronaldo, and the media, the monitors— is online together with a feature story on our website. Contact us through established channels for comments, data, and further analysis. And also looking ahead, if I may, just wrapping up, a heads up, we will launch next week on the 7th our flagship World Investment Report at the Palais. We'll be sending out a media package with embargoed material starting today, including the report, press releases, and more assets. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Marcello. And indeed, lots of different angles affected lots of different areas of our lives and livelihoods affected by this— the crisis in the Hormuz. So thank you very much for highlighting that and also for shedding light on the World Investment Report next week. Take a question starting with Jamie, AP.

Can you hear me?

Thank you. Thank you, sir, for your presentation. I'm Jamie from Associated Press. I just wanted to make sure I understood what you said. Could you tell us how many vulnerable economies that your analysis refers to and that are, that are exposed to oil and cereal import shocks? And just elaborate, if you would, a little bit on how you come to that figure and what that really means in terms of what needs to be done to help those countries.

Thanks.

The total figure according to the report is just what I— let me just not to say anything wrong in terms of the total numbers. So overall in the world, we count according to the UN measurements, 44 least developed countries, so 1.1 billion people spread over Africa, also parts of Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and then the SIDS, the Small Island Developing States, mainly the Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean regions, 65 million people. The analysis and the report again is online finds that 61 vulnerable economies are exposed to this double shock of oil prices and import, cereal import shocks. So we're talking about at least 35 of the LDCs group, and around 26 of the Small Island Developing States. That's the count. So, and of course, groups overlap. This is technicality, but it's a majority of the vulnerable economies being impacted by what is happening. This calls really to awareness that, again, of course, With the opening of trade flows, there is an expectation that with stabilizing and hopefully reduced energy costs, which of course have this domino impact across the broader economy, the wider impact, economic and also human, might be mitigated. It's about, again, policy. We mentioned the pressure on debt, for instance. We know how this, of course, limits the ability of countries to deliver on social spending, infrastructure, all the, if you want, the SDG-related expenditures, fiscal space that countries have. So if they're hit by this circumstance of higher energy prices, this leaves them really, really exposed and they become even more vulnerable than they already are. So this is an alert in terms of being aware that policy response from the countries, but also from the larger donor community, needs to take this into account.

Thank you so much, Marcello.

Do we have further questions? No, I don't see that's the case. So I'd like to thank you again and also for shedding light. Upcoming report next week. Thanks very much. Okay, on my right is Jean Rodriguez, who you know well, who is going to talk about the impact of climate change on transport infrastructure from the ECE's perspective. Thank you.

Good morning all. Yes, so UNECE is launching today a report called 'An Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation for Inland Transport.' The recent episode of extreme heat that we've seen in Western Europe, has highlighted climate risks and the impact and the consequences they can have on transport infrastructure. And with, just to name a few, train delays, cancellations in many countries due to rail deformation, onboard air conditioning failure of trains, slowing down of traffic needed to reduce the kinetic stress on expanded tracks, cable and signaling meltdown, melting and buckling of asphalt, traffic lights malfunctioning, creating traffic jams in cities, river navigation bottlenecks slowing down traffic on rivers, and many other, many other examples that you've seen in the various countries the most affected in the recent days. Across Europe, Central Asia, and North America, inland transport systems which cover roads, railways, inland waterways, ports, ports and airports are expected to face significantly more adverse climate conditions in the period 2051-2080. Key risks include flooding, high temperatures, reduced snow, ice cover and permafrost, and sea level rise. The report we publish today maps key inland transport networks and nodes that are in our region which are, are particularly at risk. And attention and calls for strengthened adaptation efforts at all levels. It is projected that transport infrastructure will need to cope with 10 to 15 days— 10 to 15 more days per year with temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius, with some areas expected to live up to 200 days per year at that temperature. This will heighten risks of pavement deterioration thermal expansion of bridge joints, rail deformation, and not to be forgotten, wildfires around infrastructure. Global estimates suggest that floods represent approximately 73% of global expected annual damage and that around 7.5% of all assets are exposed to the risk of a 1-in-100-years flood event. Let's recall that in 2024, the Atlantic hurricane season inflicted damage that were estimated up to $232 billion. In commenting the launch of the report, UNEC Executive Secretary Tatiana Molchan commented, transport systems are vital for the smooth functioning of our societies and economies. Disruptions can have dramatic consequences on communities and come at huge financial costs. Because extreme weather events are no longer a future risk but a reality today, adaptation of transport infrastructure is an imperative. UNECE's work, including the recommendations contained in this report and our legal framework of transport international agreements, supports countries to integrate climate risks into infrastructure planning and operations. The report contains a series of temperature and precipitation projection maps across the region at various thresholds and under various scenarios to help government and transport professionals understand changing conditions and foster local-scale analysis of transport systems vulnerabilities. If we look at flooding or heavy precipitation, for instance, more intense rainfall is projected in regions already affected by extreme events, including the western coast of Norway, the Alps, the Balkans, northern Türkiye, parts of Central Asia, coastal British Columbia, and the east, uh, and the east coast of the US. This increases the risk of landslide, embankment failure, drainage overload, and infrastructure washouts on roads, rail, and inland waterway systems. Infrastructure in highly populated middle and lowland basins of major European rivers, including the Danube, the Rhine, the Elbe, the Po, the Don, and the Volga, is projected to be exposed to significant flooding. Looking at rising temperature, it is expected that 90% of the European railway network will be subject to additional 10 days of temperatures above 25°C over the period of 2050-2080 compared to the previous period of 1970 to 2000. Additionally, almost half of the network would be exposed to additional 10 days with temperatures above 32°C, which is what we've just experienced now. In areas surrounding Seville in Spain and İzmir in Türkiye, the annual numbers of temperatures above 43°C would increase by up to 12 days per year in the period. The heightened risk of disruptions for all railway, in particular rail deformations, Safety equipment damage and signaling overheating with potential severe consequences on serviceability and passenger safety are already, are already on the radar. As far as declining snow and ice and permafrost, though, reduced snow cover and Arctic ice together with permafrost degradation and thawing pose major risk in the entire Arctic region. By 2050, 70% of infrastructure there will be at risk from permafrost thaw subsidence, which requires obviously early adaptation measures. Finally, as regards sea level rise and coastal extremes, the report stresses that estimates show that between 71% and 89% of ports globally will be at risk by the end of the century of extreme marine storms. Port-specific damages have been estimated at $7.5 billion per year, with the annual systemic risk to global maritime transport, trade, and supply chains and economic activity estimated at $81 billion and $122 billion respectively. In addition, about 5 million Europeans and the transport infrastructure they depend on may face coastal flooding almost annually by the end of the century. So in view of all these increased risks, the report calls, calls for adaptation action and recalls that the cost of inaction is extremely high. According to the World The World Resource Institute's every dollar spent on climate adaptation yields over $10.5 in economic, social, and environmental benefits. Given the worsening climate projections, long infrastructure planning horizons and lifespans, and the cost of inaction, the report encourages public and private entities to make climate change adaptation and resilience building of transport transport infrastructure a key priority. The report draws on experiences from various countries and provides about 30 case studies across different transport infrastructure and countries to show concrete actions that countries have been taking or have been initiating in the past years. The report also underscores the value of adopting an iterative adaptation process based on analyzing current challenges assessing future impacts, designing resilience-increasing measures, and monitoring progress to implement corrective actions as necessary. And before concluding, let me clarify that military infrastructure— airfields, ports, and the roads and wells that connect them— were not specifically looked at in this report, but obviously face the same natural risks as be the rest of the transport infrastructure. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Jean, for highlighting these important issues within the broader issue of climate change. So let's see if there are questions for you. Any questions in the room, online? No, I don't see that's the case. So the report they can find online, I guess, and it's—

Yes, we share the report and we've We've shared the— sorry, we've shared the report and the press release and the link to the platform where you can download and tailor-make the maps according to the different risks and different scenarios.

Excellent. Thank you so much again, Jean. Thank you. Okay, colleagues, just a few announcements before we wrap up this press briefing. Just wanted to highlight a couple of things we shared with you, particularly the statement from the Secretary General—his remarks, rather—to the Fourth High-Level Conference on Counterterrorism in New York yesterday. Among other things, the Secretary General, Mr. Guterres, told member states that our response must be rooted in the very principles that terror seeks to destroy, adding that our efforts must be firmly grounded in the rule of law and in human Human Rights. Secretary General noted that through prevention, through cooperation, and through unwavering commitment to human rights, we can build a safer world where people everywhere live free from fear. So do take a look at those remarks we shared with you. This afternoon at 4:00 PM our time, 10:00 AM New York time, the Secretary General will deliver remarks to the ad hoc committee on— an announcement, rather, of voluntary contributions to UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency. So we will certainly share those remarks with you at 4:00 PM once they are delivered. And just more housekeeping notes in terms of meetings, of course you've heard from Pascal about the upcoming session, the possible— well, the urgent debate on Sudan, and of course the Human Rights Council continues until Tuesday. As it stands now, no treaty body meetings to announce. And again, on housekeeping, as we mentioned here, we have upcoming next week the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence on Monday and Tuesday. Thereafter, we'll have the WISSIS, the World Summit on Information Society, and the AI for Good meetings, all taking place at the Palexpo, with the exception of one meeting of Wissus on Tuesday. But we do require you, if you want to attend, you have to register. If you haven't done so, please do so quickly, and we will approve you. It's important to have that badge to get into Palexpo. We also have the scientific panel on artificial intelligence report that is coming out tomorrow at 5 o'clock our time. There is a press conference. If you'd like to attend the press conference, do register via the advisory that we shared with you last week. We'll resend that just for your ease of reference, but that's an important opportunity. We'll have Yoshua Bengio and Maria Ressa, who are the co-chairs of this independent international scientific panel on artificial intelligence, which, as you know, was set up last year. David is is also in the room if you have questions. There he is in the third, fourth row there. You could reach out to him either in person here or afterwards. But lots of moving parts, lots of details, and lots of important people coming next week at Bell Expo. So please let us know if you have any questions. Any questions for me? Nope? OK then. Have a good afternoon.