UN Geneva Press Briefing: UN Women, WHO, WMO

Good morning. Welcome to the press briefing of the UN Information Service here in Geneva. Today is Friday, 10th of July, in this wonderful heat. We have a few topics today for you, and I would like to start immediately by giving the floor to Sofia Kaltorp. Sofia, you are joining us from Stockholm this time, if I'm not wrong.

Yes.

And you are here this morning because the organization UN Women is launching a new global report on the impact of aid cuts on women's organizations. Yesterday, I think you have received under embargo the press release, the information on this report. The embargo was lifted at 10 o'clock, if I'm not wrong. So we will hear now from Sophia about this important report. I give you the floor, Sophia. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Alessandra, and, and good morning to everybody. Today, UN Women is launching a new report on the impact of aid cuts on women's organizations and on the women and girls that they serve. And the findings of this report are deeply disturbing. Since January 2025, at least 1 million women and girls affected by conflict and crisis have lost access to critical services and support. UN Women has spoken to 855 women's organizations working in 52 countries who have told us that these women and girls have been turned away due to funding cuts that are dismantling their organizations. And we know that this number, at least 1 million women and girls, is just the tip of the iceberg. If you have ever been in a war or disaster zone, you will know that women's organizations are the muscle and the lifeblood of humanitarian response. They are the first to respond and the last to leave during crises. They work on the front lines of the world's most complex and dangerous crises in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, or Yemen, serving the communities they are closest to. And in some cases, their staff, who are mostly women, they go where international actors cannot, facing huge risks and personal sacrifices by doing so. Needs and demand for their services are outpacing the support available. Which is itself shrinking. 8 in 10 have seen an increase in demand for their services since January 2025. And yet, more than 9 in 10 women's organizations that we spoke to, they told us that they cannot meet the current levels of need. 3 quarters have been forced to cut staff. Just as we record the highest level of armed conflict that the world has seen in decades, 4 in 10 women's organizations working in humanitarian crises expect to close in the next 12 months. Cases of conflict-related sexual violence doubled in 2025, and yet nearly two-thirds of women's organizations have told us that safe spaces and gender-based violence services have been significantly reduced or are no longer available in their communities. This is a cruel paradox. Nearly 2/3 of the organizations we surveyed told us that their staff are working without pay to keep critical support for women and girls afloat. These sacrifices, they are testament to the commitment, but expectation cannot be that women absorb these costs. There are already signs that they are being pushed beyond the breaking point. Almost half report rising burnout among their teams. And let's be clear, the cuts to women's organizations are happening at the time we are seeing women's rights being eroded. And these 2 things, they are so deeply connected. 9 in 10 women's organizations that we spoke to, they said that they have seen an increase in poverty among the women they serve. 8 in 10 have seen an increase in girls dropping out of school. And 7 in 10 have seen an increase in forced marriages. We are seeing how defunding of women's rights and gender equality in humanitarian settings have fueled insecurity. But the reality is that when you invest in women's protection and leadership, communities strengthen and peace lasts longer. And yet, 1 in 5 organizations has already suspended work that is designed to advance women's leadership and gender equality. And more than half are already seeing less women participate in community leadership and local decision-making. Funding shortfalls deepen inequality and division, both of which comes with an incredibly costly price tag. The deep irony is that women's organizations are highly cost-effective. UN Women calls for immediate action from donors and from the humanitarian community to prioritize funding for women's organizations. They need multi-year support that allows them to plan, to retain staff, and strengthen the institutions. And they need to be part of decisions about resources and responses. UN Women is working to make this happen. We are on the ground in crisis and conflict-affected countries around the world. Working together with women's organizations to strengthen their leadership, their capacity, and ability to reach all women and girls. We will not, and we cannot allow them to become yet another casualty of war. Thank you very much, and over to you, Alessandra.

Thank you very much, Sophia. Thanks for launching this report in Geneva with such important series of data. I'll open the floor to questions now. if any. Olivia, you have the floor.

Sophia, thank you very much for that really, really interesting and albeit concerning report. I was interested in what you were saying about this kind of almost dual-track challenge that women's organizations are facing, both in terms of funding cuts, but also you were mentioning there about this kind of broader backlash and challenge to women's rights. I was just wondering on the latter kind of what things you're seeing in that regard. and how together that creates such a worrying picture and kind of how much more concerned are you from now a year in to maybe how you were when this crisis started, you know, more than a year ago? Because I know there was an initial kind of assessment that UN Women did, right, a preliminary assessment. I'm just wondering how much more severe your findings were than expected.

Thank you, Olivia. I mean, you're precisely right. This is an extremely worrisome development because what we see are 2 at the same time reinforcing trends. So we see these funding cuts really having an immediate effect on critical services to women and girls. As said, at least 1 million women and girls have already lost out of critical services. But at the same time, we see this erosion of investment in women's leadership and capacity to work within their community. And And I've been throughout this year, traveled to Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and those women organizations that are very often working with very, very little funding, but doing incredible work within their capacity to see how their ability to even exist and to work within their community is eroding is an extremely worrisome trend. Because as I said, you know, the women organizations are It's the backbone of humanitarian response. Without those community-led responses in places like Gaza, where now access is extremely difficult for international actors, there would be no response whatsoever for those communities. To see these trends coming together and really eroding the whole kind of machinery and architecture for women's organizations in crisis is extremely worrisome. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Sophia. Any other questions on this report? I don't see other hands up, so just go ahead. I believe, Sophia, the report is now available on your website, and journalists who will not have received the press release, just let us know. We will also distribute— I mean, I don't know if Georgina or somebody else can send your notes to the journalists. Thank you very much for this important report. Let me go now to our second speaker, who is from WHO. Tariq, do you want to come on the podium while we are also connecting with Dr. Shibley Sabani? I think you all remember Dr. Sabani, who has already addressed us, WHO representative to Sudan. Sir, believe you are in Tripoli at the moment in Libya, and you are calling in from there to give us an update of the health situation in Sudan. And Tariq is at my side. Please go ahead, Dr. Sabani.

Thank you very much, Alessandra. Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Yes, indeed, today I'm briefing from Tripoli, Libya, where I'm currently on a short mission. So colleagues, for more than 2 years I've briefed the Palais des Nations on Sudan. Sadly, my message has remained the same. Despite all the efforts that we have been doing as WHO, but also as health partners, and despite all the commitment of Sudan health leadership and health workers, the situation remains really concerning for us, mainly the health situation. Sudan remains the world's largest humanitarian crisis with more than 33 million people in need, including 21 million requiring health services. And despite all the returns that we've witnessed, especially to states which are where the situation is improving— here I'm talking about Dongola, Atbara, Khartoum, some of Omdurman— but still 13.4 million people are displaced, 9 million IDPs and 4.6 million across borders. With regards to health, in addition to the existing disease outbreaks like dengue, malaria, meningitis, hepatitis E, measles, cholera outbreak was declared on the 27th of June. Yes, cholera is back and it's affecting several states. mainly in the western part of the country, the Darfurs and the Cordofans, where the access is very limited. Up to date, we've recorded more than 1,330 cases with 114 deaths related to cholera. This gives us a case fatality rate of 13.7%, which is extremely high. And of course, the rainy season is expected to worsen the situation. As WHO, we are coordinating the cholera response by strengthening surveillance, treatment, community engagement, distribution of supplies. We were, of course, expecting cholera to come back, so we, as part of preparedness, we've prepositioned more than 64 metric tons of cholera kits across Sudan to support the response. But still the needs are huge and we are expecting cholera to spread in different states. We are particularly concerned about the spread to Al Ubaid in North Kordofan where the access is very limited and where the fragile health system is under increasing strain. Health facilities are overwhelmed there and access to care is very, very limited. But beyond cholera in Al Ubaid, we are deeply concerned about the broader humanitarian needs and growing protection risks, as you know. And this is echoing what unfolded in Al Fasher last year, unfortunately. But of course, the situation is not better in other states. Earlier this week, I was in Kosti with the— in a joint mission, the UNHCR with my colleague, the UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner, and we visited internally displaced persons camps and refugee camps and surrounding communities in Kosti and White Nile in general. What we've witnessed is immense health needs placing enormous pressure on the health system, but also great commitment from health workers and from the health authorities there. But to better respond to the needs of this population, it's— we cannot just create a parallel system where we are responding to refugees and IDPs separately from the host community. So it's very important to have an inclusive health response across Sudan. But without adequate financing, neither partners nor the health system can meet the scale of the needs. As I conclude my assignment in Sudan after 2 years and a half, I leave the country convinced that despite all the challenges, Sudan's health system can recover. It can recover stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to meet the health needs of its people. But we need support to do so. When I arrived to Sudan in March 2024, commitment was our greatest asset. Through the dedication of Sudan health leadership, health workers, WHO country team, and partners, we've adapted and we've shown a high level of flexibility and agility. We've worked tirelessly to sustain the health system services in ever-changing crisis. But today, as I leave the health sector, as I leave the country, the health sector recovery strategy is being launched. So even amid the conflict, we are planning for recovery, rehabilitation, rebuilding. That's a powerful sign of hope. And all partners, health partners, they are part of this approach. I close my remarks by renewing WHO's call for stronger international support. Now, more than halfway through, throughout the year, WHO's commitment appeal for Sudan is less than 15% funded, and we are at the 7th month of the year 2026. Without additional resources, we cannot sustain the response to disease outbreaks, but we cannot even strengthen the health system to make it able to respond to the needs. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and your questions are most welcome. Back to you, Alessandra.

Thank you very much for these remarks. And just before I open the floor to questions, I'd like to also add that we also reiterate our appeal for increased timely and flexible funding. The 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan of the UN is less than one-third funded. having received $930 million— that was up to yesterday— out of the nearly $2.9 billion needed. So it is, as Dr. Sabani said, an urgent appeal to all donors to fund our activities, life-saving activities in Sudan. So I'll open the floor to questions now, if any. I see Nina, Nina Larsson, AFP.

Yes, hi, thank you for the briefing. I was hoping—

you mentioned just at the end there about less than 15% funded. I was wondering if you could provide the figures for that.

How much money have you asked for and how much have you received?

And what specifically will the impact be if, if you're not able to receive more?

If you could provide some examples. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, thank you for your question and for your interest in the health situation in Sudan. Actually, the, the health sector in Sudan is funded at less than 15%. So for health, we are asking for $325 million. And now it's funded at 35.2%. But for WHO alone, we are asking for $167 million, and we got until now 11% of the funding, of the humanitarian funding. But let me be frank with you, we have funding for development, and we are trying to invest and strengthen the health system to be able to respond to all needs regardless of the status of the population— refugees, IDPs, returnees, or host population. But strengthening the health system is just part of our approach, but we need to also respond to acute needs like cholera, what I mentioned before, and other outbreaks and malnutrition and so on. And for that, we are funded only 11% as WHO, which is very, very low. Noting that we are at the 7th month of 2026. Thank you. Over to you.

Thank you very much. Olivia Le Poitevin, Reuters.

Thank you very much, Dr. Tahbani. Just a couple of questions. You were raising concern about Al-Ulaid. Perhaps you could just give a bit more details about why particularly there you're increasingly concerned, and perhaps you can kind of outline the what I understand to be pretty large access restraints. I'm just not clear whether you can get any kind of access or whether currently there is zero access into, into that area. And also just a very simple question. I mean, why, why is cholera back? Has it, has it just been truly impossible to kind of reach the number of people you seek to reach in terms of helping assure kind of clean water supplies, etc.? Or was this almost inevitable? Did you expect kind of cholera to come back given that the conditions are still, as you said, they're so grave over so many months and a couple of years of the conflict.

Thank you. Yeah, thank you very much. So with regards to your first question on Al-Ubeid, of course the situation continues to worsen with humanitarian warning that if risks become— there is the risk that it will become the second Al-Fasher. Or even worse. Because as we know, as fighting is ongoing, there is limited access there. We are struggling to deploy our staff, but also the frontline workers to provide health services. We are struggling to send supplies. And we know that the UN Security Council has expressed concern over the imminent risk of mass atrocities and has demanded an immediate halt to assaults, which may help us to access this area to do our situation analysis and also to respond adequately. But as we were expecting worsening the situation there, we already prepositioned supplies in Al-Ubeid to be able to meet the health needs of more than 25 thousand people, but I can admit that it's not enough. In terms of preparedness, we are trying to be prepared in the 18 states of the country, but at the end, it's not enough due to the shortage of funding. So as WHO, we call for respect of the sanctity of health and the protection of the health workers so we can access and we can respond. Of course, the protection of health workers, but also the patients, the health facilities and assets as per the international humanitarian law. But also we call for our partners and donors to help us to be able first to access and second to be able to send enough supplies and enough facilities in Al-Hubeid. But we know that the situation there is very, very bad and it's worsening with high risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition, violence, including violence against women and children, as it was mentioned by my colleague earlier. Now, with regards to your second question, it was about cholera. I couldn't agree with you more. Cholera, what I was mentioning now, is just like the outbreak of the cholera. But we were expecting that because the situation, I mean, all the ingredients in the country are there. to have another third and fourth and fifth wave of cholera in terms of access, in terms of water and sanitation, in terms of displacement of people who may be infected and moving from one state to another. So our role is to strengthen the health— the surveillance system, what we call the EWARS, the Early Warning Alert and Response System. And through that system, we can detect very early the cases and respond before the outbreak spreads in all states. Unfortunately, again, access is a major, major issue to make us able to implement the warning system everywhere. And second, funding shortage is another issue to be able to preposition the cholera kits everywhere. But also, we are working very closely with our partners within UN and outside UN to address the other issues which we call the social determinants of health, like water sanitation, hygiene, and so on, to be able to prevent and respond to any outbreak, including cholera. Over to you.

Thank you very much. I think this was very clear. I don't see other hands up, so thank you very much. Tariq, you want to add anything?

No, we shared the notes by email, so reporters should have them in their inbox.

Okay, thank you very much. So, Dr. Sabani, thank you so much for this very important briefing, and thanks to Tariq for coming. I'll give now the floor to our colleagues from WMO. Welcome, Claire. If you want to sit one on each side because of the frame.

Yeah, please.

So Claire, welcome. You are coming with, uh, Miss Leilani Drugeroff, who is your Global Atmosphere Watch program staff. So I give you the floor first to you, maybe. Yeah, yeah, go ahead.

So, um, good morning everybody. Um, it feels like I come here every Friday to talk about extreme heat. Um, please prepare for more next week if you are in Geneva. Meteo Suisse is forecasting it'll spike at 37 degrees Celsius next Tuesday, so, you know, please stay cool, stay safe. Just to— and before we talk about sand and dust storms, I will just say a few words about the ongoing heat because it is obviously grabbing the headlines. First of all, Western Europe, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which is from the European Union, they issued their monthly figures for June yesterday. And they said that Western Europe had its hottest June on record. Not the whole of Europe. The whole of Europe, it was the second hottest June. Globally, it was the second hottest June. Globally, however, sea surface temperatures were the highest on record. So that is setting the scene for more heat, unfortunately, to come. And so, as we've seen, we had this incredible heat wave in late June in large parts of Western Europe. The heat is continuing as we move into July. Just to give you a flavor, Spain's Fabra Observatory, which is one of WMO's long-term observing stations, they've been, you know, monitoring and observing for more than a century. They recorded 45 point— sorry, 40.5 degrees Celsius on the 8th of July. That's the highest temperature there in more than one century of data. Temperatures in Spain have widely been above 40 degrees Celsius this week. France also is seeing extreme temperatures. For instance, yesterday in Narbonne, it was 41.2 degrees Celsius, with very high, very dangerously high overnight temperatures, which is when the body needs to cool down and relax. Today, Météo-France has issued a top danger to life red alert for 9 departments, and tomorrow, Saturday, this will increase to 24 departments. The heat, very dry soils, drought, and low humidity have combined to lead to a high fire danger level in many parts. And unfortunately, we are seeing, you know, quite devastating fires at the moment with very unfortunate, tragic loss of life, and particularly in Spain. The World Meteorological Organization, you know, we do work closely with the World Health Organization to try to mobilize heat health action plans to save lives and to protect livelihoods. But this is, you know, very, very extreme heat wave. We're still only mid-July. It's still relatively early in the summer. So that's just to give you— set the scene. But now what we're here to talk about today is the World Meteorological Organization every year issues an airborne dust bulletin. This coincides with the International Day for Protecting Against Sand and Dust Storms. That takes place on the 12th of July, and this afternoon in New York there will be a summary— a ceremony to, to commemorate that day. So ahead of, um, the, the events, we've, uh, we've this morning issued our Airborne Dust Bulletin. In the room with me, I have Leilani Dulgaroff, who's with our Global Atmospheric Watch team, and also joining us on Zoom— she can't be with us in the room, unfortunately— is Sarah Buzzard, who is the coordinator of the bulletin, and she is also one of the experts of WMO on wildfires, in case, in case you have questions on that. So the figures that we'll be presenting today are for 2025, not, not for this year. So thank you. Over to you, Leilani.

Thank you, Claire. Today, the World Meteorological Organization has released the 10th edition of the Airborne Dust Bulletin, which provides an annual assessment of major sand and dust storm events and advances in monitoring and forecasting. Airborne dust is a truly global problem. Dust emitted from major sources in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia can be transported thousands of kilometers. It affects air quality, weather, climate, ecosystems, transportation, agriculture, and public health. The bulletin shows that global dust conditions in 2025 are comparable to those observed in 2024, but there are some large regional variations. The world's most active dust source remained the Bodele Depression in Chad. Parts of the Middle East and Central Asia saw increased dust activity coinciding with drought in several Asian regions in 2025. A widespread East Asian dust outbreak reached parts of southern China rarely affected by such events. Inhalable particulate matter 10 levels reached 3,000 to 4,000 micrograms per cubic meter in northern China. An exceptionally active dust season was also observed in the desert region along the border of Mexico and the United States. Some locations had record-breaking concentrations of PM10 and an unprecedented number of dust storm days. Levels peaked at more than 8,000 micrograms per cubic meter in El Paso, Texas, forcing the closure of schools and airports. For comparison, 45 micrograms per cubic meter is the 24-hour threshold considered by the WHO air quality guidelines. It's not all bad news. The Bulletin also showcases important scientific advances, for instance, in artificial intelligence and machine learning for dust forecasting. This has the potential to provide faster and increasingly accurate forecasts. These findings reinforce the importance of the WMO Sand and Dust Storm Warning, Advisory and Assessment System initiative, which coordinates international research, observations and operations. operational forecasting activities. The Airborne Dust Bulletin demonstrates that airborne dust is not only an environmental issue but also a challenge for health, sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, and climate resilience. We hope that its findings will support both scientific progress and effective policy action worldwide. Thank you.

Thank you very much. So your third Just if there are questions. Okay, so I see a question from AFP. Robin.

Thank you.

2 questions from me on the dust. Firstly, how— what is the impact of human activity on dust storms in terms of exacerbating the situation or the problem? And secondly, 8,000 micrograms in the air. What does breathing in that kind of air actually do to you? Thank you.

I believe Sarah Bazard, who is the report coordinator, is online to answer you, Robin.

Good morning, everyone. Thanks for being here today. There is a component that is coming from land and water management, plus desertification, that if you think in terms of human intervention, desertification, climate change is considered in this part of the discussion. But I think we are not sure about what is the contribution in these phenomena that we monitored the last year in Asia about how much is land degradation or desertification versus changes in the atmospheric drivers, meaning how all these changes that we are monitoring with temperatures changing, the sea surface temperatures that Claire mentioned before, are affecting the currents of sand and dust. And this is ongoing research, by the way. It is also stressed in the bulletin, for example, that it's really the season in the United States was really extreme, and there is a lot of questions that now researchers try to disentangle. Because remember, sand and dust is land conditions plus atmospheric drivers. Then we need to better understand what is the relation in between the land condition and changes in the global circulation patterns or more local phenomena. And your second question, can you repeat it? Because now I, I am not sure.

It was about the levels. What are the health effects? of breathing in the high levels of PM10?

Thank you. In fact, PM10, as Leilani mentioned, it was— it's related to the particles that are— that you can inhale. It's the coarse fraction. Then we have also the PM2.5 particles that are going deeper in your respiratory system. And WHO is having these air quality guidelines. that is telling you a threshold where the high concentrations start to be a risk for your health. These highlights— these guidelines are stressing that for PM10, that is these coarser inhalable fractions, is 45 daily average. In this case, we are talking about thousands of micrograms per cubic meter. Then you can imagine that It's not just what you can breathe. It's also the reductions of visibility were so strong, few meters, then you have to stay at home. Then it's not just a matter of health risk when you're thinking breathing. It's also stretching your eyes or your skin. When you have these extreme events, you have to stay at home. This is the recommendation.

Thank you very much. John?

Yes, good morning. I was wondering, you just mentioned you liaise closely with the WHO. Have you been collecting data on the outbreak of dust storms and increases in meningitis, especially in sub-Saharan African countries, which is normally the case? And have you seen any cases of meningitis outside of Sub-Saharan Africa. Thank you.

Thanks a lot for the question. I cannot report about meningitis cases because we are not having this information at WMO. I will invite someone in WHO who can report on that. But ACMAT, the African agency, is releasing bulletins every 2 weeks on the state of cases of meningitis in sub-Saharan and Sahel. They are using information coming from the WHO regional centers. In the case of the meningitis outbreaks, again, I'm not having the numbers. We are not having health information, unfortunately. But again, I can point some colleagues at WHO that can give you this information. But one of the things that is important in these meningitis seasons is the vaccination campaigns. Then somehow it's not just the dust that is a proxy on the spread of the meningitis, it's also how the health authorities are managing the vaccination campaigns and to avoid the spread. That again, I would say that if you want exact numbers, it's better to ask ACMAT as African regional agency or WHO?

Just to conclude on that, I mean, obviously the meningitis belt in Africa, it is a very well-known phenomenon. There has been quite a lot of progress in trying to deal with this problem. So, what the meteorological What the medical authorities do is to try to provide the forecasts, the information to enable the health authorities to act on that, and vaccinations obviously is a very important part of that.

I'm looking at Tariq in case you wanted to add something.

I don't really have any figures on meningitis due to dust, but John, I'll ask around colleagues. colleagues and come back to you.

Thank you very much. I see Robin has a follow-up.

Thank you.

Just on the wildfires in Spain, what can we say about the underlying weather conditions and the part that that might have played in setting the scene for such deadly wildfires? Thank you.

I can start and then maybe Sarah can pick up. Obviously, Spain and southern France have seen very, very high elevated temperatures. There are very, you know, very dry soils because of the drought. And certainly this week there's been low humidity. All of this leads to an increase in the risk of fires. You know, there are many, many warnings at the moment. Météo-France is issuing warnings of, you know, elevated fire risk. The actual causes of individual fires vary. You know, sometimes it's dry lightning, which I don't think has been the case with this particular set of wildfires. Sometimes it's it's careless humans, sometimes, you know, dropping a match. Sometimes it can be arson. Sometimes it can be electrical faults. So, you know, we— and obviously land management does play a role in this. The amount of vegetation that's already present, which, you know, can act as fuel for fires, also plays a role. So it's quite complicated. We are, you know, trying to work to improve forecasts of fire risks, but it's still work in progress. I don't know if Sarah wants to say anything else on that.

Yeah, apart from what Claire mentioned, just be aware that here again is the health and the fire authorities, the national authorities, and the investment in this more like suppression and preparedness for the fire season. Unfortunately, this year, if you are going to the monitoring of active fires that we have, there are many, and this is at the same time, and this is something that the national authorities are mentioning every time, that the huge number of fires at the same time is giving them a lot of difficulties. to handle all fires at the same time. Then in Spain, there are some regions that are having special headquarters to— because they are— it's super active and they have to manage many, many different fires at the same time. Then another factor here is how the national authorities can manage the resources to fight against the fire. But it's true that the meteorological conditions are not ideal, and obviously the risk is very high.

Thank you very much. Any other question for our colleagues? Don't see any other hand up. But before I let you go, I just wanted to add that in addition to being the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, the 12th of July, It's also International Day of Hope, which is a commodity that we really need at the moment. So thank you very much to our colleagues. In fact, they— you don't even need to go because that concludes our briefing for the moment. I have no announcements today for you, so unless you have any question to me, to us, I thank you all very much, wish you a very good weekend, and see you next week. Oh, sorry. There is a question. I don't know if it's for you or for me, and it comes from Gorgi.

Bonjour, Alessandra. J'ai deux questions. La première, c'est pour vous. La deuxième, pour la madame. J'ai posé en français. J'espère qu'elle va comprendre. J'aimerais savoir aujourd'hui avec vous avez parlé de l'IA au départ. La première personne qui a parlé. Est-ce qu'aujourd'hui l'intelligence artificielle peut aussi aider à mieux se défendre, c'est pas le mot, peut-être se prémunir par rapport aux effets désastreux du changement climatique, notamment concernant les questions des inondations, etc.? Oui, bien sûr. Ça, c'est ma première question aux scientifiques. Et la deuxième, à vous, Madame Alexandra, c'est concernant l'élection du prochain secrétaire général des Nations unies. Est-ce qu'il y aurait une information disant qu'il y avait une sorte de résistance de syndicats des Nations unies par rapport au candidat Grossi, le candidat argentin, qui devrait pouvoir démissionner pour pouvoir faire sa campagne, qui aujourd'hui ne l'a pas encore fait. Est-ce que c'est éthique de garder son poste tout en candidatant pour le poste de secrétaire général? Voilà, merci beaucoup.

Merci.

Désolé, ma voix est un peu rauque.

Oui, on vous entend mal aujourd'hui, Gorky. Je vais commencer par demander à Claire si la question était claire en français.

Alors, ma collègue Leilani va répondre pour l'artificial intelligence, pour les tempêtes de sable. Mais juste pour ajouter aussi que cette semaine à Palexpo, c'est le AI for Global Good Summit. Et là, nous, comme l'OMM, on a participé. Notre secrétaire générale, elle était là sur place. Et on a parlé beaucoup, beaucoup des progrès, de l'espoir de l'artificial intelligence, justement pour les prévisions de météo et surtout aussi pour les inondations. On travaille avec beaucoup, beaucoup de de partenaires pour améliorer les prévisions et surtout pour améliorer les prévisions dans les pays en voie de développement. En Afrique, il y a beaucoup, beaucoup de potentiel. Il y a pas mal de défis en même temps, mais ça, c'est vraiment un sujet Si on parle du International Day of Hope, ça, AI, AI for good, ça peut être une source d'espoir, mais il faut l'utiliser pour le bien. Et justement, notre bulletin de l'OMM, il y a une partie qui traite le progrès qu'on a vu dans les prévisions pour les tempêtes de sable. Et Leilani, elle peut répondre en français à ça.

Oui, oui. Alors, comme mentionné par Claire, dans le bulletin, nous avons des études sur les avancements dans les prévisions de conditions atmosphériques et de tempêtes de sable. Et en fait, ils ont testé plusieurs modèles différents pour essayer de trouver une méthode qui fonctionne le mieux. Pour l'instant, il n'y a pas une méthode qui fonctionne mieux que d'autres, mais on essaie d'intégrer ces modèles dans les modèles climatiques actuels pour faire les prévisions. Et en fait, Au début, ça demande peut-être beaucoup d'énergie à entraîner le modèle, mais une fois que le modèle est bien entraîné, il consomme beaucoup moins d'énergie qu'un modèle climatique actuel. Autre part, il y a aussi de l'intelligence artificielle qui est utilisée pour identifier dans les hotspots les conditions qui pourraient être liées à ces phénomènes. Donc à partir des images satellites, nous voyons où sont les hotspots et l'intelligence artificielle permet de tester les causes potentielles. de ça.

Merci beaucoup. Et Gorky, sur votre question sur l'élection du secrétaire général, ça, c'est un processus qui, comme vous le savez, est géré et supervisé par la présidente de l'Assemblée générale. C'est un processus qui est dans les mains des États membres. Et donc, moi, je ne peux pas commenter, enfin, je ne sais pas, Je ne peux pas commenter sur une question d'éthique, ça, je le laisse à votre appréciation. Mais allez quand même effectivement regarder la lettre conjointe par la présidente de l'Assemblée générale et du Conseil de sécurité, je crois que c'était novembre de l'année passée, au sujet de justement des conditions pour les personnes qui souhaitaient courir comme candidat. Voilà. Et puis je crois qu'il n'y a pas d'autres questions, donc je remercie encore une fois tout le monde. Thank you very much for participating. I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you on Tuesday. Thank you.