UN Geneva Press Briefing: UNHCR, UNICEF, IFRC, OHCHR, UN WOMEN, IOM, OCHA, WHO Press Conferences Date: 9 October 2026 Language: English Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/en/briefing/geneva/2026-10-09 Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations. --- UNIS Geneva · Moderator [0:00]: Good morning, welcome to the press briefing of the Information Service in Geneva. Today is Friday 9th of October. We have a very, very long list of briefers, so I would ask everybody's understanding to be brief. We will try to have everybody talking on such a list of very important subjects. And because of the fact that he has to take a plane, I'd like to start immediately with our colleague, James Alder, spokesperson of UNICEF, who is calling in from Kathmandu. James, are you there? We can't hear you, I'm afraid. We knew this would be a difficult connection, because I think he's in the airport or somewhere. If this is not possible, let me see. Can you ask the colleagues? Yeah, I can see he is connected, but we don't hear him and we don't see him. Sorry for that. UNICEF · Spokesperson [1:34]: Sorry, Alessandra, can you hear me? UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:36]: Yes. Speaker 4 [1:37]: Okay, you want James Helder? UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:39]: Yes. Let's see if we can connect with James. And I'd also ask a colleague from IFRC to come to the podium so that we have the item on Nepal. Hoping that we can get the sound from James. James High, welcome. Now we can hear you. Oh, and now we can see you. Fantastic. UNICEF · Spokesperson [2:11]: Colleagues, I can't hear anyone. I'm just going to start my briefing. Is that correct? UNIS Geneva · Moderator [2:15]: Yes, we can hear you well. UNICEF · Spokesperson [2:19]: More than 32,000 children in Nepal have been affected by the floods that began when a mountain of glacial ice and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river in August. Parts of the towns and villages look like war zones. Scientists warn that as the Himalayas warm, this kind of disaster is becoming more and more likely. And the countries that have done the least to cause it are being left to pay for it. 84 children have been declared dead, but with more than 5,000 people still missing in Nepal, that number will, sadly, swell. And so six weeks after that disaster, heartache remains daily. Sahara is 16. I met her earlier this week at a technical training centre that UNICEF supports. Her mum was swept away by the floods and killed. Through tears, Sahara told me, it's not nice to live without a mum. Sahara has done nothing to cause this crisis, yet children like her bear a disproportionate response, disproportionate share, rather. Let me start again. Sahara has done nothing to cause this crisis, yet children like her, bear a disproportionate share of its consequence, from disrupted education to the loss of safety, the loss of loved ones. Now, scientists are careful about pinning one disaster on climate change, and rightly so. But the conditions of what happened in Nepal are well understood. The Himalayas are warming about twice as fast as the global average. Glaciers are shrinking. Permafrost is thawing. And the ice and frozen ground that hold these slopes together is weakening. And that reaches far beyond Nepal. The Hindu Kush Himalayas holds more ice on Earth than anywhere else outside of the polar regions. Now, 240 million people live in these mountains, 240 million. Another 1.65 billion live downstream and rely on the rivers that this ice feeds. That's nearly 2 billion people. It's a quarter of humanity. That system is being pushed out of balance. Faster melting ice brings more water and more flood risk now, and then serious shortages later as the glaciers disappear. Both are driven by a warming planet. And yet Nepal produces only around 1/10 of a single percent of global greenhouse emissions. Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have agreed to provide that finance, to provide that support, to avert, minimize, and address loss and damage. But for countries like Nepal, those commitments have to quickly translate into support that reaches affected families on the ground. Okay, what could that money do right now? Let me very briefly tell you a story about Sushila and her husband, Jivan. Jivan is deaf and does not speak. He's been like that since birth. Trushila is an amputee. Together, over 15 years, these two built two businesses, a tailor shop and a tea shop, and they raised three children with what they've earned, and they send those children to fee-paying schools. I've seen photos of the shop before the flood, right? Bright, welcoming, full of care and successful. They built, they bought an apartment of their own. Then the flood came, right? Water 2 meters high destroyed their home, destroyed both their businesses. They escaped with what they were wearing and nothing more. Shushila said to me, maybe it would have been better if we weren't able to escape. That's the stress and the trauma brought on by inaction elsewhere in the world. And that's what climate financing is for. Letting a family like this start again. Now, UNICEF has supported Shushila and Jivan's family with cash assistance. But with so many needs, how do they prioritize? In their case, they prioritized on their children. Books, stationery, clothing. Now, one-off payment like that, of course, is not the solution. Sustained cash to that family and many thousands like them is essential. Humanitarian Cash, UNICEF with government, is part of our winterization response, along with blankets and newborn kits and ECD kits and warm winter clothes. Cash gives people the dignity to decide for themselves what they need and what's in the market. Lastly, let's be clear. This disaster did not begin when the water rose. Before the floods, more than half a million girls and boys in Nepal were already exposed to multiple, overlapping climate and environmental hazards. Okay, to end on some good news, the response from government, communities, and the UN is comprehensive. I saw bridges rebuilt just weeks after a bridge had been swept away hundreds of meters away. I saw UNICEF and partners have vaccinated 68,000 children against cholera, tens of girls and boys into temporary learning spaces. Lots and lots of children getting trauma support. However, however, Unless the world acts to reduce climate risks, we will keep returning to the same valleys after the next flood and after the next landslide, and yet again find children paying the highest price. This is true in Nepal, across Asia, across the Pacific, and around the world. Thanks, Alessandra. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [7:59]: Thank you very much, James. Now, we have a problem because I'm not sure you can hear us, and as you cannot hear us, maybe other people can't hear us from the room. Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. So my colleagues from the... The technical room tells me that we need to stop for a moment and reboot the system because you cannot hear us. UNICEF · Spokesperson [8:21]: I'm going to look in the comment section, I guess, if there's a question or we just, there's a second stage on the poll. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [8:26]: I'll have to inform James on WhatsApp. We have to apologize. Give us two seconds. We will have to reboot the room. Sorry. UNICEF · Spokesperson [8:53]: Sandro, how are you? Speaker 13 [10:49]: You are in the meeting now. Recording in progress. OHCHR · Spokesperson [12:13]: Sorry, can you hear me now? UNIS Geneva · Moderator [12:15]: I don't know if they can hear outside, but people here can. OHCHR · Spokesperson [12:22]: Okay. We're elated to hear the news that Navi Pillay has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She's been a staunch defender and advocate of human rights, and it's more important in this day and age to see that accolade being awarded for those who are speaking out on violations and committing to the defense of human rights of all people around the world. So we are absolutely elated by this news, and we wish her all the best on behalf of the UN Human Rights Office and all the staff and the colleagues and those who she's worked with. So very to hear this news today, and congratulations to all of those as well who work for the cause of human rights and really defending people against human rights violations and for speaking out and for protecting the human rights that are all so important to us. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [13:06]: Thanks. Yeah, okay. Sorry. You are on we have the line now. It seems we are on again. Shabir, do you mind to repeat your statement, because otherwise it will not be recorded. Please, I'm sorry, because I know that it came out of Your heart, but if you can repeat so we have it on record. Thank you. OHCHR · Spokesperson [13:26]: Okay, well we're still just processing the news, but it's wonderful to see this being awarded to Navi Pillay, the former High Commissioner for Human Rights. It is testament to the need and to the... the value of human rights in this world more than ever. So on behalf of the UN Human Rights Office and colleagues who have worked with her, congratulations to her on this award. And it's really testament to what's needed now more than ever. And we hope it will encourage and continue to encourage and inspire others to speak out in protection and promotion of the human rights of all people around the world. So once again, our congratulations, and we're just so elated about the news that we've received. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [14:19]: Thank you very much, Shabia, and I think we can all be very proud and happy that the work that Mrs. Pillai has made as High Commissioner, and before and after, because she has also been the Commission of Inquiry chair for the violation of human rights in the OPT with the Human Rights Council. And the whole career, I think, all her career showed them is the testimony of her engagement for human rights. And I know that there will be an official statement from the Secretary General later on, but thank you for having this first remarks and first reaction online, Shabia. So now that we should be back to our briefing, I will have to ask Mrs. Holt to be very, very brief so that we can free James and have our colleague who also needs to leave from OCHA on the DRC. Please, Mrs. Holt. And sorry again for all these technical problems. IFRC [15:28]: No problem. Good morning and thank you for the space. I returned just last Friday from Nepal and whilst there I saw firsthand the devastating impact of last month's flood. I also saw something equally important, that preparedness and early action saves lives. One month on, the scale of destruction remains stark. Thousands of people have lost their homes. Many are still missing. Communities are facing an uncertain future. But the story of these floods is not just one of loss. It's also the story of people like Mr. Rajendra Dhawadi, a head teacher whose actions saved hundreds of lives. On the morning of the floods, his school sat close to the river, and at around 9:20 a.m., another teacher entered his classroom with alarming news. A friend upstream had called to say the river had swept through his village and floodwaters were moving rapidly downstream. Mr. Dhawadi did not hesitate. He rang the school bell and instructed all 900 students to move immediately to higher ground. He also contacted bus drivers who were on their way to the school and told them to turn back. Just 10 minutes later, the floodwaters arrived. Because of his quick decisions, all 900 children reached safety. When I met him last week, I asked him how he was able to react so quickly under such enormous pressure. His answer was simple. Several years earlier, he had attended a disaster preparedness for safer schools training organized by the Nepal Red Cross. That training gave him the confidence, the knowledge, and the presence of mind to act when every second mattered. His school was destroyed, but not one child lost their life. For me, his story captures something fundamental. Preparedness is not about predicting exactly what will happen, but it's about ensuring that people, communities, and institutions have the knowledge, the systems, and the confidence to act before a hazard becomes a disaster. That's why investment in early warning and preparedness matter. Quite simply, it saves lives. Following the floods, the Nepal Red Cross mobilized within hours, supported by the IFRC and partners across the Red Cross Red Crescent network. And today, just over one month on, in many areas, the focus is gradually shifting from immediate life-saving assistance towards recovery. That means helping families restore a degree of normality through temporary and transitional shelter, through cash assistance, essential services, and early recovery support. I was in Newakot. And I saw this firsthand. The Nepal Red Cross was the first organization to provide cash assistance, and we have plans to deliver up to 17 million through cash in the coming months. Cash allows people to prioritize the needs that matter the most to them and begin rebuilding their lives with dignity. The challenges remain significant. Access to some communities in Rasuwa is still difficult, and they continue to receive airlifted relief supplies in the most isolated areas. In the hardest hit locations, families face disrupted markets, higher transport costs, and shortages of essential goods as roads and communications are gradually restored. And the next phase is critical. We must move quickly from relief to recovery. People need more than assistance to survive. They need confidence in their future. They need to know where they'll live, how they will earn an income, and when their children can return to school. Achieving that requires planning. That's currently led by the government of Nepal. It also requires sustained resources and local actors that stay longer than just the first month. Our appeal today is for flexible, predictable funding that supports families throughout their recovery journey, not only during the weeks when international attention is focused on the crisis. And because the response does not end when the cameras and the international agencies leave, the Nepal Red Cross and the IFRC will stay. For affected families, locally-led recovery is only just beginning. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [19:17]: Thank you very much, Mrs. Sultan. Thanks to Jamie. I think James is gone. So, and we really have to listen to our colleague for DRC. So are there any burning question on Nepal, please? Online. Gabriela, is this on Nepal? Journalist [19:41]: Before she goes, please, let me ask. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [19:45]: Gabrielle, is this a question on the poll? Journalist [19:49]: No. Okay, so I have a question for Shabia. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [19:52]: Shabia is not going. She is briefing later on. So let me go to somebody else if there is any question on the poll for our colleagues. James or Mrs. Holt? There are none, so thank you very much. Sir, maybe we can hear from you before you go. Sorry for this. This is a complicated briefing. Yeah, please. Yeah, we have it. So thank you very much for taking the opportunity of your visit to Geneva. Mr. Mama, Damien Mama, is the humanitarian coordinator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So he took the opportunity of his visit to Geneva to come briefly and speak about the humanitarian situation and challenges in the DRC with the current situation. UN · Humanitarian Coordinator [20:42]: Thank you so much. I'm getting a bit emotional to be in person in this room because I used to do this online and I never anticipated that there are some technical glitches that can happen in Geneva, so that's quite a good experience. I'm here to talk about the EAC. I know you've been hearing over and over about the EAC and sometimes you can get tired of the stories from there. What I'm going to tell you today is a bit different, so I would request your attention. You know, over the past three weeks, I've been touring Eastern DRC. I went to displacement camps. I met the M23 leadership. I traveled through the areas that are the most complicated ones with drones flying over. And there's one story that It keeps striking my mind. I met a 65-year-old woman in the displacement camp in Oicha in North Kivu, and she told me this. We thank you for your assistance, but we want to go home. We simply want to live in peace and security and return to our farms, work, and live from our own labor. And this message, you know, she said that to me by looking at me in the face and saying, please, carry this message to your bosses. You know, she does not make a difference between UN or government or anybody. So he just wanted me to carry that message. So as I'm standing here today, I want to also convey that message to you so you can also replicate that what Mama Miriam told me. So when you hear that story... Her message captures something fundamental about the people in the DRC today. Millions of people long for peace and security, yet both remain out of reach in large part of the country, particularly in the eastern part where I've been to a couple of weeks ago. The situation today, I mean, I've sent you the numbers, you have them. Six million people are displaced, internally displaced in the country. And on top of the large populations in need in the country, there is an additional layer, which is now the Ebola outbreak, which you are certainly following. I'm not going to come back to the number of cases and the number of deaths, but we do know that it's an extremely deadly disease. So Ebola is spreading very quickly, but through communities that are already dealing with displacement, hunger, insecurity, and the disruption of basic services. So these crises are not separate. They are intertwined together. This is why, you know, when people are forced from their homes, they lose access to health care. When health care is disrupted, disease spread more easily. And when humanitarian workers cannot safely reach communities, both the humanitarian response and the Ebola response are weakened. And it has a lot of consequences. This is why we are trying not to have the response fragmented. The Ebola response must go together with the humanitarian response, because they are very much linked. yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with member states here in Geneva, and one of the points we discussed was precisely about how to strengthen international solidarity and support, not only by providing humanitarian assistance, but also by solving some of the fundamental issues that create the need in the first place. So we need the international community to stay engaged, both to sustain the broader humanitarian response, the peace process, the nexus between development, peace, and humanitarian assistance, and also, more importantly, end the Ebola outbreak. We are grateful to countries that are supporting us. We are grateful to the media that continue to relay the message. And we continue to draw your attention on the fact that As we approach the end of the year, our humanitarian funding situation is not very encouraging. We are funded by 51%. So we are talking about a billion dollars missing. So it's my time, my opportunity to also appeal to donors to keep DRC on the agenda. DRC situation affects nine other countries because it has nine borders. If you solve the situation in DRC, you are preventing other neighboring countries from being affected. We already see that Ebola is spreading beyond the borders of DRC, so we cannot respond to the Ebola outbreak only within DRC. We have to invest for the region. My last message is on humanitarian access. We do still have a lot of hurdles and and difficulties in accessing the areas where people are most in need. And it's also my time to, my opportunity to launch an appeal to the international community and to everyone that humanitarian workers are there to save lives and they must be protected. We had over 353 incidents in 2026 alone. And there are six humanitarian workers that were killed this year. And we have to stand and make sure that the international humanitarian law is applied, humanitarian principles are protected, and humanitarian workers are assisted and protected wherever they are. Thank you so much. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [26:26]: Thank you very much, Mr. Mama. Any question on this very, very important summary of the situation in the Middle East? UN · Humanitarian Coordinator [26:36]: If I don't have questions, then I would be disappointed. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [26:39]: Disappointed. So we have to have questions, sir. There are things in the chat, so let me have a look. But I don't see questions for you. Anyone in the room? No? Okay. So, I thank you very much, and I'm really proud that this time we could host you, and sorry again for all the issue. Oh, no, sorry, there is a question. John, John Zarocostas, is that a front and the Lancet. John, is that a question for Mr. Mama. Journalist [27:15]: Well, while we have him here, it's an opportunity to get his point of view on reports from a lot of health NGOs are saying that a lot of the cases of Ebola are happening outside of the main areas in isolated communities, and many are not being registered. What are your views on that? And I have a question to Jens. on the looting of the UN warehouse in Ethiopia, what was the amount of damage that was looted, and which agency were most affected? Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [27:47]: You want to start, maybe, Mr. Mama, and then you could -- no, no, please. UN · Humanitarian Coordinator [27:54]: Yeah, it is true that Ebola is spreading in communities that are hard to reach. That's very true. And this is why, while we are stepping out the response, we built in a very strong community engagement component of the response, but we are also appealing for all the groups and parties fighting to let humanitarian and health workers reach the communities. the impediment to movement of personnel is security related, further up, other logistical challenges, but it's very important that everybody understands that unless everyone is safe, nobody is safe from Ebola. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [28:38]: Thank you. Jens? OCHA · Spokesperson [28:40]: Yeah, thank you, John. I don't have anything on that particular incident that you referred to. We have had some progress, a little bit of progress, on getting some aid out there in Ethiopia, but it's also clear that very significant challenges remain and there is a lot of insecurity along the front lines. And indeed, we have warned as recent as yesterday about the risk of looting of supplies. Thank you very much. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [29:11]: At this time, there are no further questions, so thank you, sir. Thank you so much. And have a nice rest of your stay here. Thank you. So let's now go to retake the agenda as it was and go to the Middle East. We have several speakers, and I'd like to start with Shabia, who has a point on Syria. Then we will hear from UN Women. Sophia Caltrop will tell us about the impact of three years of war in Gaza on women and girls. And then Zoe, with Carl Baker, will tell us about the shelter needs in Gaza ahead of winter. And finally, Ricardo Pires will tell us something about, give us an update of the situation of children in Yemen. So let's start with Shabia, who's on my left. Go ahead. And also, you have an announcement, a last-minute announcement. OHCHR · Spokesperson [29:59]: I do. Following the wonderful news this morning of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, we will actually have a stakeout here with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, outside the H building here at 12:00, 12:00 p.m., so in basically 40 minutes. So, members of the press corps -- But we'll finish the briefing before. Exactly, so we'll hear from our High Commissioner then. Okay. And turning onto the subject of human rights, which is obviously in the news and obviously of pressing concern, we're turning to Syria, where there are detentions of Syrians by Israeli forces amid ongoing Israeli incursions. So the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, is concerned by the continuing impact of Israeli military operations on civilians in southern Syria. Some 280 incidents involving armed Israeli incursions into Syria were recorded in September alone through open-source monitoring, and this is the highest monthly number since the start of the year. These include reported raids on homes, restrictions on movement, harassment and intimidation of civilians, arbitrary detention, and destruction of livelihoods. Our office continues to document the detention of Syrians by Israeli forces. According to information we have received, 49 Syrians currently remain in Israeli custody, although we have not independently verified a comprehensive current total. Information from released detainees and other sources described prolonged detention periods, in some cases exceeding a year, detainees reportedly not being informed of the reasons for their detention, and there are transfers between several and unknown facilities, and also allegations of torture and ill treatment. These include beatings, prolonged force standing, setting dogs on detainees, and threats to harm them and their families. At least 14 long-term detainees were released during August and September, yet new detentions continue to occur. Serious protection concerns remain, with the Israeli military regularly accessing concerned villages. We received reports on Wednesday that a farmer with a disability was reportedly shot and temporarily detained during an Israeli military incursion in Jubail Khoshab in northern Quneitra. According to information received, the individual attempted to move away from the area, frightened by the presence of soldiers, after which the Israeli forces opened fire, shooting him in the leg. He was then detained while bleeding and released an hour and a half later, after which he was transferred by the Syrian Civil Defense Force, sorry, after which he was transferred by the Syrian Civil Defense personnel to Al-Jolan Hospital in Quneitra for medical treatment and subsequent surgery. On Monday, a 22-year-old man from Jaba town in Quneitra governorate was killed by Israeli forces near Al-Hamadiya town. Information we received indicates that he was walking at night in an area unfamiliar to him, and he did not know an Israeli military position was at the end of the road. No warning shots were known to have been fired. The High Commissioner calls for a prompt and impartial investigation. Outside of hostilities, the intentional lethal force may be only used when strictly unavoidable to protect life. Israeli authorities should cease actions that harass or intimidate civilians in Syrian villages, including raids, restrictions on freedom of movement, detention, and destruction of crops. No person may be detained absent proper basis in international law, and the important procedural guarantees under applicable international human rights and humanitarian law that protect any individual taken into custody must be fully respected. All detainees must be treated consistent with their dignity and human rights. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [33:54]: Thank you very much, Shabia. Any question in the room for Shabia on Syria? Yes, Agnes. Journalist [34:03]: Sorry, it's not on Syria. It's not on Syria. Not on. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [34:15]: Syria, okay. Just I see Mohammed. online. Journalist [34:26]: Alessandra, it's not only Syria as well, for other topics. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [34:31]: Everybody seems to have questions for you on other topics. Gabriella, Agnes, and-- OK, let me see if there's anything on Syria. Can you please indicate it's on Syria? I don't see any other. hand up for you except for those. So I will start with Agnes, AFP. Journalist [34:51]: In fact, it's a question to you, Alessandra. Does it work? It's not working, this one, no? Does it work, this one? Okay. In fact, it's a question to you, Alessandra. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [35:30]: Gabriela, we cannot hear you. I'm sorry. Yes. OK. Journalist [35:36]: Thank you. Yes. Oh. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [35:38]: Yeah, go ahead. Thank you so much. Yeah. On what is your question, please? Journalist [35:42]: Yes, congratulations for Navi Pilla. I'm definitely going to cover that to Oslo. OK. So my question is this. I'm doing an investigation. regarding a Mexican man named Jorge Amilcar Olan Aparicio, OK? So he disappeared one year ago. Sorry for-- it's a little bit long, but you have to follow. So he was disappearing from Mexico, and he was found in Lugano, Switzerland, after one year with 250 million Swiss francs, Okay, UBS has that money here. Consider PEP, politically exposed money. Okay, okay, so I went to the police because I am with this investigation, and I said, okay, I'm going to give information to the police. I spoke with Ceresetti, Paula Ceresetti from the Swiss mission, she told me go to the police. Wait, wait, I went to the police. I went to the police to give the information because I felt that responsibility to find this guy because he's a criminal, okay? 30, and I left at 2:00 a.m. in the morning, 10 hours with the police, okay? He told me briefly that I'm in danger. that I'm in danger because these guys are powerful, more powerful than Chapo Guzman, okay? They are narcos. So the police told me, okay, wait, Alessandra, the policeman told me, you have to turn off your phones, you have to stay in your house because we fear for your life, okay? Okay. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [37:39]: So what is your question to Shabia? Journalist [37:43]: What I have to do? I mean, I need protection. I went to USA mission. They told me they can't protect me because they are Americans and they are in Switzerland. Switzerland is the one that is going to protect me. So my question to Shabia is, what should I do? I go to Article 19, I go, I mean, this, I am inside my house, trapped. I can't do my life because I fear for my life because these guys, you turn on the telephone, they know where you are, and poom, they kill you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [38:19]: Poom. Ms. Gabriela, we hear your distress. I'll let Shabia answer, and maybe this is something so important that she will have to take with you separately. Shabia, please. OHCHR · Spokesperson [38:30]: Ms. Gabriela, very sorry to hear of your situation. Let us get in touch following the briefing, and we will contact you to follow up on this pressing situation that you describe. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [38:40]: Absolutely, yes, it's important. Thank you, Gabriela. And we hear you. And Shabia, we'll come back to you on that. Mohammed, you had a question to Shabia on something else also. Journalist [38:53]: OK. Thank you so much, Alessandra. My question about the France. Shabia, as you may have seen, the protest organized by high school students in France for almost three weeks, and they are demanding improvement of educational condition of theirs. Against this, the disproportionate use of force by police. in the protest has been criticized, and it's said that some students were seriously injured. My question is, how do you evaluate this harsh intervention of the police in the protest in France? Thank you. OHCHR · Spokesperson [39:41]: Thank you for your question, Mohammed. We are following with concern incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent. We call on everyone to ensure that they remain peaceful and that there is no disproportionate use of force by law enforcement. And the right to peaceful assembly must be upheld. Thanks, Mohammed. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [40:04]: Thank you very much. Sorry, let me go to Agnes. Is that a question on? Journalist [40:12]: -- Yes, I just wanted to know, I have a question also to Shabia, if it's recorded. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [40:17]: Yeah, I've asked why we were hearing her briefing, so I understand, unfortunately, we cannot do it live on U.N. TV because we are here, basically, because we don't have the resources, but Tony is going to record it, and you will have the recording really fast. But it's in the UN in building H at 12 o'clock. Journalist [40:40]: No, but now, this briefing is recorded. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [40:43]: Oh, this briefing, sorry. I thought you were speaking about the former. Journalist [40:47]: No, no, no, this one now is recorded. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [40:48]: Yeah, yeah. Journalist [40:49]: OK. So the question then to Shabia and then to you, Alessandra. First question to Shabia is if, do you hear me? UNIS Geneva · Moderator [40:56]: Yes. Journalist [40:57]: OK. Is it possible to have a reaction from the Office of the High Commissioner about the announcement by the US authorities that there will be a public execution in the U.S. And then should I ask now my question to you, Alessandra? Yes, the question to the UN is about something that I have heard about a possible meeting next week or next days in Geneva on Sudan. Thank you. OHCHR · Spokesperson [41:30]: Thank you, Agnes, for your question. As the High Commissioner for Human Rights has stressed in response to the conduct of public executions in Afghanistan and Iran, public executions constitute a form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. The live streaming of an execution is tantamount to a public execution and would breach the absolute prohibition of torture. Failure to respect this prohibition would inevitably render the execution arbitrary in nature and result in a violation of the right to life. and the absolute prohibition of torture prohibits public executions. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [42:05]: Thank you very much. Yeah, the issue of Sudan is not human rights related. It's indeed I can confirm that the sixth Sudan consultative meeting on enhancing coordination of peace initiatives and efforts in Sudan will be taking place indeed in Geneva next week. So that's going to be on the 21st of October. The invitation have already gone out. And what we understand I don't have yet too many details, but this mechanism, as you know, has been meeting already five times. This is the sixth time. And it's going to be co-hosted by the special envoy of the Secretary General and the Government of Switzerland. So we understand that this is going to happen on the 21st of October. That's going to be the meeting, but there will be a sort of a preparatory meeting where delegates will be able to hear more on the humanitarian situation, and that will be in the afternoon of the 20th of October here at the Palais. And I also understand that there will be some media engagement at the end, so since this is quite recent, we are now trying to put together the information for you for the accreditation, for the coverage, for the various elements. But I can already confirm that this is going to happen next week here at the Palais, and there may be also some side meetings. We will give you more information on that very quickly. Thank you. I hope that helps, Agnes. Okay. So Let me see if there are no other questions. Let's remain. Thank you very much, Shabia. John, is that for Shabia before I go to UN Women? Journalist [44:02]: To Agnes' question, will the meeting be in the Palais? Because you said something about accreditation. Will the Sudan meeting be at the Palais? UNIS Geneva · Moderator [44:10]: Yes, it will. Journalist [44:11]: And will Pekka Haavisto give us a press conference before the beginning of the meeting or after? UNIS Geneva · Moderator [44:17]: Yeah, uh, again, I don't have all the details, but definitely. He will be at the Palais. And as for what concerns media engagements, I believe we will be after, but we will give you more information soon. Thank you. But he will be at the Palais, yeah. Okay. So thank you very much, Shabbir. Let's remain in the Middle East. We have two speakers who are going to talk to us about Gaza. So I'll ask Ayum to come to the podium. And I will start with Sophia, Sophia Kaltrup, who is online, I believe, to tell us about the impact of the three years of war in Gaza on women and girls. Sophia, with all these problems, technical problems, can we see you? Yes, we can see you. I hope we can hear you. Go ahead. And then we will go to IOM with Zoe and Carl Baker. Please. UN Women [45:09]: Thank you very much, Alessandra, and good morning, everybody. The scale of suffering in Gaza can be measured in the lives of women and girls. UN Women estimates that nearly 50,000 women and girls have been killed or severely injured since October 2023. More than 38,000 killed and 11,700 left with injuries so severe that they now live with lifelong disabilities. This is equivalent to one in every 21 women and girls in Gaza. Most of the casualties were recorded during the first two years of the war, but women and girls continue to be killed and injured even after the ceasefire agreement entered into effect a year ago. 277 women and girls have been killed in Gaza since October 2025. Behind every number is a life. a woman with hopes and ambitions, mothers caring for their children, daughters, spouses, and friends, and women contributing to their families and communities. Earlier this week, we spoke to Amani's mother about her daughter, a 35-year-old psychologist and mother of four who was killed in an airstrike alongside her children. She told us that Amani had dreamed of watching her children grow and building a future with them. She also stressed that she did not want her daughter's story to be reduced to the day she was killed. In her own words, "We want the world to know who Amani was in life, an ambitious Palestinian woman, a devoted mother, a psychology professional, a woman who loved life and made a difference in the lives of others. Over the past three years, the Israeli Defense Forces have issued more than 150 evacuation and movement orders. Nearly one million women and girls have been forced from their homes. And today, almost every woman and girl in Gaza remains displaced, with the majority living in tents or among the ruins of their homes. Hayam is one of them. She's a program coordinator at the Women's Affairs Center in Gaza, one of UN Women's partners providing a lifeline to women and girls in Gaza. Hayam lives in a tent, and her wishes are simple. A wall to lean against, a door to close, and the safety of her family and her team. The war has also reshaped family life. The number of women heading households has doubled over the past three years. Women now head one in four households in Gaza, often while facing deeper poverty, repeated displacement, and the responsibility of caring for their families with increasingly limited resources. Noor is one of them. Her home was destroyed, her husband, a nurse, was detained, and she has neither seen nor heard from him since. She told us that at times, she becomes so lost in thought that she is unable to respond even to her children. Women's organizations are the lifelines to women, girls, and their families, but funding cuts are threatening their ability to serve those who need them. UN Women surveyed 14 women's organizations working in Gaza and on the occupied West Bank, and 13 said that the needs of women and girls have increased since funding cuts swept through the aid sector in 2025. The same number said that they no longer have the capacity to meet those needs. And the consequences are immediate. Nearly two-thirds of the organizations surveyed said they have been forced to put women and girls on waiting lists or turn them away altogether. And all organizations surveyed had seen an increase in gender-based violence, poverty, and mental health distress since 2025. 13 out of the 14 organizations had seen an increase in child marriage. UN Women is on the ground in Gaza. We work with women-led and women's rights organizations to deliver life-saving and critical assistance to those most in need. We document the experiences and perspectives of women and girls in Gaza, and we use these insights to help ensure that the humanitarian response reflects and responds to their needs. What we have found is a horrific amount of collective suffering, an immense amount of pain, and a level of resilience and strength that no woman should have to bear. Women are keeping their families afloat, trying to hold on to the everyday things that make life feel normal, while rebuilding what has been lost. We call for the ceasefire in Gaza to be fully implemented, international law to be upheld, and accountability for violations alongside the protection of women and girls. Thank you very much and back to you, Alessandra. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [50:26]: Thank you very much, Sophia. Thanks for this spotlight put on the situation of women and girls in Gaza. And I think we have more from IOM on the urgent shelter needs. Zoe, you brought Carl Baker, who is the IOM regional crisis coordinator on the Gaza response, who is connecting from Amman. I give you the floor to you and him. IOM [50:46]: Thank you very much, Alessandra, and thank you. Thank you for your enviable calm in navigating all the technical challenges. So indeed, I have on the line our regional crisis coordinator for the Gaza response, Carl Baker. And also just to note that we have put out a press release on the urgent shelter needs as winter looms in Gaza. So, Carl, over to you. IOM · Regional Crisis Coordinator [51:13]: Thank you and good morning. It's starting to rain in Gaza. Palestinians endure a fourth winter in a displacement crisis, despite one year since the ceasefire was announced. Nearly the entire population of 2 million people still require shelter assistance. The reality is that the current shelter response is nowhere near the scale required to protect the people. Only 17% of winter-specific shelter needs are covered by the pipeline of humanitarian shelter partners. This is due to the combination of insufficient funding and continued Israeli restrictions on the entry of critical shelter supplies. According to the Palestinian Shelter Cluster, which IOM co-coordinates, half of all existing tents and makeshift shelters are in poor or very poor conditions and require replacement. Yes, tents have been entering Gaza over the past year, but tents, by design, are temporary solutions made to last six to 12 months. Current forecasts indicate that a strong El Nino weather pattern could bring a wetter, longer, and more intense winter to Gaza. Most of the 1.8 million people living in displacement sites are in flood risk areas, according to the site management cluster. These people, who have lost so much already, are at a risk of further damage, loss, and displacement. This is a frustrating situation. Humanitarian organizations have shelter solutions ready. IOM, like all shelter partners, ensures compliance with Israeli security requirements and specifications, yet supplies continue to be turned away at crossing points. IOM alone has about 8,600 emergency shelter kits pre-positioned outside of Gaza that have been repeatedly denied entry by Israeli authorities. These restrictions carry a monetary cost through prolonged warehousing and repetitive trucking fees, wasting already limited member state support. But the real cost can only be measured by the loss of human lives, which will unnecessarily rise this winter. Preventable deaths from hypothermia will occur just like last year. We've seen in recent weeks war-damaged buildings collapsing and killing people. Heavy rain and winds will only be increasing this winter and the risk of death. We also know from previous periods of prolonged aid restrictions that desperation leads to lethal survival mechanisms. As winter nears and shelter needs go unmet, the security and protection risks to both humanitarian workers and affected communities will increase. Humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to find alternative materials inside of Gaza, but local markets have been exhausted, reusing cargo pallets, Scavenged materials may provide temporary relief for some families, but it is not a sustainable or scalable solution for hundreds of thousands of people. The bottom line is simple. Humanitarian organizations know what is needed, and the supplies and expertise are ready. To prevent a humanitarian catastrophe this winter, shelter materials must be allowed to enter Gaza quickly, predictably, and at scale. This includes not only tents, but also emergency relief housing units, wood, tools, and other materials needed to strengthen shelters, repair damaged homes, and help families return home or move beyond temporary solutions. Meeting humanitarian needs and fulfilling the commitments outlined under the ceasefire framework requires the immediate and sustained entry of shelter materials. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [55:22]: Thank you very much, Carla. Is it OK? You want to add anything? No? OK, so let's go to questions now, if any, in the room. I don't see hands up or online. We have from. welcome. Journalist [55:41]: Hello, Alessandra. Thank you for taking my question. I will direct my question to Aya and I would like to ask, you said about thousands of sheltered kids being turned away by Israeli authorities. At least it was in the statement that has been released. I would like to ask, is there any specific justification is being given for these refusals from Israel? And what would be the consequences that you anticipate if this restriction continue? also have another question about the displacement size as more than half of them being in areas at medium or high risk to flooding, which could risk another displacement for the families. And what would be the complication if another displacement would be triggered by these conditions in the winter? the complication regarding reaching those families for the humanitarian assistance? Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [56:47]: We will start with Carl. Carl. IOM · Regional Crisis Coordinator [56:57]: Sorry, I was unmuting myself. Good questions. Thank you. As for the current items that we have outside of Gaza, they have been determined to be potentially dual use or detained as a dangerous good. which is unfortunate since it is simply a piece of wood, a tarp, and some basic materials to put those together to make an emergency shelter kit. We do work closely, of course, with authorities to ensure that these items can get into Gaza. But there are many levels where we try to influence, but that influence occasionally is turned away when the items are deemed to be dual use. What will happen without these sort of shelter solutions entering Gaza, we will just see a deterioration in the quality of the shelter which they currently live in. Of course, with the winter period, it will become much colder. And with the rains and the potential for flooding, then we will see the population in even denser locations. So the population density will increase, and then we will see once again in everything from communicable diseases to, of course, the lack of community cohesion. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [58:20]: Thank you very much. I see John Zarocostas. Journalist [58:29]: Yes, good morning. Thank you, Mr. Baker. My question is a follow-up to my colleague, Baze's question. The dual-use materials not allowed by COGAT, does that include the tent material? or just the wood? Does that include, say, the canvas for the tents? IOM · Regional Crisis Coordinator [58:51]: John, we're actually able to move in tent materials like tarps. We're able to move in tents themselves. But those are just simple stuff. A more durable or transitional type of shelter materials, including refugee housing units, and including the emergency shelf kit, is to go to more like the transitional period that you see in other locations around the world. So we do have some access in regards to tarps and in regards to tents, but it is not enough for the scale of the current crisis within Gaza. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [59:29]: Thank you very much. Any other question? I don't see any. So thank you so much. Thanks, Zoe. You have another brief later on, but I'd like now to go to our colleagues of UNHCR. Maybe you want to come to the podium with Eugene. We have-- Yes, please. Yeah, if you don't mind. We have the pleasure to welcome Abdou Raouf Ngonkonde, who is the UNHCR's director of the Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa. Welcome, sir, to tell us about the displacement crisis which is deepening across Central Sahel. Thank you for your patience. And then we will go back. We still have UNICEF on Yemen, and then we are going to hear again from IOM on South Sudan, and finally, definitely not least but last, WHO. Thank you. Please. UNHCR · Director, Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa [1:00:21]: Thanks a lot. I just returned from Mali, Burkina Faso, with the High Commissioner, Dr. Baham Ahmed Sali. And we visited Bamako, Timbuktu, Koro, Ouagadougou, and Kaya. And what we saw on the ground reinforced three clear messages. The pressure in the Sahel is increasing. The dynamics are increasingly regional, but the space for solutions remains. I will brief you, share with you what I saw, what this means for UNHCR. And my first point is that the Sahel is a region of consequence, but unfortunately, the international attention is receding. Reduce engagement now will carry three clear consequences for me. The first one is security, and security and armed group activities are increasingly crossing borders. Security incidents have almost doubled since 2020, weakening state presence constraining access and increasing risk for all the communities, the displaced and the host communities. Second point is on the displacement. Forced displacement across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger has nearly doubled since 2020, reaching around 4 million people. This is putting pressure, growing pressure on asylum system and weak public services, livelihood and social cohesion. Third point, demographic and development. Around 60 65% of the regional population is under 25, yet only around one-third of refugee children have access to primary and secondary education. Without investment in education, skills, jobs, and local systems, Demographic pressure can only reinforce existing fragility. And the implication for us is clear. Protection, inclusion, and economic opportunities are part of the stability agenda in the Central Sahel. Humanitarian action can certainly help create the condition, but it cannot substitute for political engagement, development, investment, and stronger national and local system. What we saw, I will start with Mali, what we saw in Koro at the border area between Mali and Burkina Faso in a small town which is called Koro, what struck me most was the scale of displacement relative to the capacity of the receiving area. Around 85,000 people have arrived in that border area with roughly 100,000 local residents. This is not simply a refugee emergency response. It's a pressure on the entire local system, water, health, education, land, livelihood, and social cohesion. But there is another important dimension. Our protection monitoring data is telling us that people are not leaving just because of generalized insecurity. People are leaving because of attacks that they have witnessed, ultimatum given to the villages, and fear of reprisal as important drivers of the flight. When people are arriving, this is what data is also telling us, almost 30% of registered refugees had agricultural occupation. And this matters for the humanitarian response, but for the resilience response, and for the development response as well. It means that protection and emergency assistance need to be connected from the outset to livelihood, access to land, and market. In Koro, we are therefore trying to move beyond the traditional emergency model towards solutions from the start. The objective, therefore, is to support refugees while also reducing pressure on host communities and strengthening local economy. In Timbuktu, another story, but what we learned there is clear. Return, because there is a strong desire for people to go back to Timbuktu, but return is not only a solution, it's not a solution simply because people cross back. It becomes a real solution when people can access housing, education, basic services, documentation, and economic opportunities. Now, let me just describe you very quickly what we saw in Burkina Faso in a small location, which is called Kaya, maybe one hour drive from Ouagadougou, in a Loda integrated farm. where we saw displaced and host communities are working together around livelihoods, it means that this simple model illustrates something important. Economic inclusion can also be a tool for social cohesion. People are not treated as separate categories competing for limited resources. They participate in the same local economic activity. The challenge is to move... from individual example to scale. And this is where development institutions, financial actors, and the private sector become essential. Across Mali and Burkina Faso, I came away with three conclusions. First, humanitarian needs remain real. People continue to arrive, to return, and move across borders. Second, people are not only recipients of assistance. They are bringing skills, assets, and economic capacity that can contribute to local system, local recovery. of the system. Third, humanitarian action alone cannot deliver sustainable solutions. We need to connect protection with education, documentation, livelihood, finance, market, and local governance. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:05:52]: Thank you very much, sir. Thank you very much for this important briefing. I don't know if there are any questions in the room or online. No questions today, very little questions, but thank you very much for waiting for a briefing on this very critical situation. Thanks a lot. Thanks. Thanks so much. And thanks, Eugene, for this. Ricardo, you I see you. You are connected. Do you want to tell us what you've just learned about Yemen and the children in Yemen, please? Thank you. UNICEF [1:06:27]: Yes, thank you, Alessandra. Good morning. Beyond the immediate dangers of violence and displacement in Yemen, we are seeing deeply worrying signs of a worsening health crisis for children, with alarming levels of malnutrition and a sharp rise in disease outbreaks. Meanwhile, access to health care continues to shrink. More than one in three children recently screened by UNICEF mobile health teams in Yemen was found to be suffering from acute malnutrition. Of the 10,625 children screened across eight governorates between 3rd of September and 5th of October, 3,780 were acutely malnourished. Around 1,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women were also identified as malnourished. And now, disease is spreading. Cholera cases have tripled in just three weeks, while dengue and malaria cases are also rising. This comes as renewed fighting forces families to flee their homes. Since the beginning of September, more than 200,000 people, including an estimated 110,000 children, have been displaced across 10 governorates. Since 3rd of September, UNICEF has verified that 28 children have been killed and 25 injured. Three others are reported missing. In Ties, a UNICEF-supported frontline health worker described families fleeing under gunfire, leaving everything behind and finding themselves without food, water, or shelter. He told us that displacement is driving up malnutrition among children attending his clinic. In his words, access roads are completely severed. Cooking gas, petrol, and diesel are scarce. and basic food items are rapidly running out in local markets. The situation in Thai city is horrible, he said. UNICEF mobile teams have provided around 12,000 health consultations across eight governorates, including for children suffering from diarrhea and respiratory illnesses. Teams are also screening and treating malnutrition, vaccinating children, and supporting pregnant women. For Yemen's children, the fighting is creating a crisis within a crisis. Every new wave of violence makes their chance of survival more precarious, and we need to act now. Thank you very much. Back to you, Alessandra. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:08:53]: Thank you very much. Important to remember, to recall the situation of Yemen, especially when it comes to children. I see John has a question. Journalist [1:09:08]: Yes, good morning. Thank you, Ricardo. I was wondering if you also have some figures for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition that your teams might have picked up in the samples. Thank you. UNICEF [1:09:27]: Hi, John. Sorry, I was trying to unmute. Thank you for your question. Yes, we do have updated figures. I don't have them here in front of me, but I will share them with you bilaterally. We, our rep, country representative in Yemen briefed about two weeks ago, if I'm not mistaken, and his main call was for increased attention on the issue of malnutrition, including severe acute malnutrition. And at the time, we did a small screening with around 1,900 children, and the numbers were very alarming. So I'll share with you bilaterally. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:10:06]: Thank you very much, Ricardo. I don't see other questions for you, so thank you very much for, for connecting on this important issue. Let me now go to, uh, our second briefer from, uh, IOM, uh, Zoe, you wanna come to the podium? Um, we have, um… Vijaya Suri, I hope I pronounce it well, who is the IOM chief of mission in South Sudan, to tell us about the flood water risk rising in South Sudan while funding are indeed lowering. So I'll give you the floor. Suri, you want to start? IOM [1:10:41]: Or -- Yes, thank you very much. So indeed, we have our chief of mission for South Sudan, Vijaya Suri. And she is going to talk about the situation in South Sudan, and particularly for families who have seen protracted displacement. So over to you, Vijaya. IOM · Chief of Mission [1:10:58]: Thank you, and good morning. For more than a decade, thousands of families have been living through protracted displacement across South Sudan. Many have remained displaced since 2013, enduring years of insecurity, flood risks, and uncertainty about seeing how to rebuild their lives. This reality is uniquely true in Benshi that hosts 109,000 IDPs. These people in Benshi who have been displaced are now living in a camp that is surrounded by floodwater. This is a unique feature of any IDP camp because this camp requires for safety and security, for a protective system to maintain the ***** to make sure that water can stay out. It requires continuous pumping to remove accumulated water, while regular maintenance helps keep the ***** standing. All of these efforts is what allows families to keep their shelters, to have access to water points, to have access to shelter and sanitation facilities, as well as other basic services. Today, these defenses are under growing pressure and worsened by the risk of flooding with heavy rains that are expected anytime between now and December. Already, 1.8 kilometers of **** protecting Benue's displacement camp require urgent attention. If these sections are weakened, if they breach, floodwaters could enter the camp. destroying shelters, disrupting essential services, and forcing thousands of families to potentially flee again. There's currently no adequately protected relocation site available to receive them in Bentiu. And this is before accounting for the additional uncertainty posed by the projected El Nino conditions, which could further increase rainfall and increase likelihood of flooding in South Sudan. At the same time, humanitarian operations are facing increasingly severe resource constraints. Funding is becoming more limited, and even as the needs of displaced communities remain high. By the end of November 2026, funding for IOM's critical water, sanitation, and flood protection operations in Bentiu IDP camp and Malakal settlement area will run out. Unless resources are secured, these services will be completely interrupted. For the nearly 150,000 people in Bentiu and Malakal, this means water taps could run dry, thousands of latrines could overflow, drainage pumps could stop operating, and the maintenance of ***** and other flood protection infrastructure could be interrupted. For both communities, the consequences could extend well beyond the immediate loss of services. Flood water could contaminate drinking water sources, increase the spread of disease, and further trigger displacement. An interruption in these services, water, sanitation, and flood protection, could turn an already serious humanitarian situation into a much wider public health and displacement emergency. IOM urgently needs $8.3 million to maintain these services for another 12 months, from December 2026 to December 2027. With this continued funding, we can keep these systems operating and undertake the necessary maintenance needed to reduce the risk of flooding. I'd like to take this opportunity to emphasize that IOM in its capacity as a WASH partner, but also in its capacity as cluster lead for the land settlement and site coordination cluster, is not asking for this funding to maintain displacement camps services indefinitely. We recognize that after more than a decade of displacement, families need opportunities to rebuild their lives, to move on to more sustainable living conditions. Alongside maintaining these essential services, IOM, working with partners, non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, as well as local and state authorities, are working towards more sustainable infrastructure and longer-term solutions to displacement. These longer-term efforts are important and progressive, but they cannot replace the immediate need to protect people from flooding and to maintain access to clean water and sanitation. We cannot allow essential services to stop while longer-term solutions are still being scaled up. The coming weeks are critical. Thousands are at risk of losing essential services when current funding runs out at the end of November. So we are calling on donors and partners to urgently assist to prevent these interruptions, to maintain the critical flood protection infrastructure, and protect the health and safety of displaced communities. For families who have already spent years living in displacement, the immediate priority is to ensure that the water stays out, that clean water keeps flowing, and essential services remain available while lasting solutions are pursued. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:16:29]: Thank you very much, Madam, for this briefing. Let me see if there are any questions in the room or online. I don't see any, so thank you very much for this. Thanks, Zoe. And thanks for your patience for this very long briefing. And I just remind everyone that you were connected from Juba. Last, but as I said, very, very much not least, our colleagues from WHO. Tarik, can you come to the podium with your invitee, please? We have the pleasure to have with us Mark van Ommen, I hope I pronounced it well, head of the Mental Health and Substance Use Unit at WHO to tell us about World Mental Health Day. That's an important subject. Let me put your plate here. Thank you. Please go ahead. WHO · Head, Mental Health and Substance Use Unit [1:17:31]: The theme of tomorrow's World Mental Health Day on October 10 is a lived experience. This day is likely to create much needed change for effective attention to mental health. Why do I say that? Because by putting lived experience at the center of the conversation in countries, communities around the world some for the very first time, will reflect on what meaningful engagement really means. And that reflection is fundamental to much needed change of culture in mental health care. And such care is especially needed when one thinks of psychiatric hospitals. Deinstitutionalization, or DI, as we call it, is a gradual and planned shift from managing people in long-stay psychiatric institutions to supporting them through community-based mental health and social care. So people can live the life they want to live. The goal is dignity, freedom, choice, and the support to live a full life. In mental health, We now have, increasingly, enormous amounts of science. Of course, more is needed. And we increasingly have goodwill for mental health, including from political leaders and UN colleagues. And there will be numerous celebrations of World Mental Health Day. So much progress for a field that used to be neglected. So it's a happy day. Yet at the same time, the paradox is that typically half of countries' mental health budgets remain tied up in institutions that are largely designed for a past era. It's quite shocking. The people in these institutions will not be celebrating World Mental Health Day tomorrow. Listening to people with lived experience is helping us to see a better path. Investing in community-based support, protecting rights, and creating services that people actually want. So today, WHO is focusing on institutions as the elephant in the room in mental health in many countries. By launching a practical guide to the deinstitutionalization, or DI, of psychiatric hospitals, we seek to support countries. We guide them to move from managing people in institutions to caring and supporting people in the community, to live the life that people want to live. Long-term institutional care can separate people from families and communities. from the people and environments most people need for recovery. Long-term institutional care can also expose people to loss of autonomy, neglect, and all too often to coercion and other human rights violations. This guide supports hospital leaders and policymakers to implement deinstitutionalization, or DI, locally. It focuses on adults who have been in psychiatric hospitals for more than six months. It focuses on three areas of action. First, to reduce new admissions and shorten stays. Second, to improve care practices in the hospitals, avoiding coercion, giving people more agency, and personalized care. And so importantly, to enable discharge as a while appropriate supports become available through building community alternatives, such as supported housing, community mental health centers and teams, day care, and care delivered through general hospitals. The guide calls for the meaningful involvement of people with lived experience who have gone through institutional care. You can, they can, and should play a role in defining the problems, setting priorities, designing care alternatives, monitoring implementation, and evaluating outcomes. Of course, WHO recognizes that countries and facilities start from different positions and are in different circumstances. And this is shown by different examples from around the world in the guide. Our purpose is to help identify feasible, high-impact actions that are appropriate to context. This new WHO guide makes clear that advancing deinstitutionalization, or DI, is achievable in all regions across multiple settings. It offers practical, flexible actions that can be adapted to context. It should help and it will guide every country take the next step towards community-based care in line with agreed international human rights law and policy. all with the aim to support people. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:23:18]: Thank you very much, Mr. Van Ommen. Anything you wanted to add, Tarik? WHO · Spokesperson [1:23:23]: No, except that the press release has been shared under embargo yesterday, and it has been posted an hour ago and has been also sent out to our globalist as well. No, so there is no embargo. There is no embargo. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:23:38]: There is no embargo. And also, the Mark's notes have been also shared. WHO · Head, Mental Health and Substance Use Unit [1:23:44]: Oh, that is online. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:23:46]: And this is online. Yeah. Okay. Thank you very much. Okay, so any question to the doctor? I don't know if you are a doctor. Yes, you are. Okay, so any question to WHO here or online? I don't see any hand up. So thank you very much. Thanks for your patience. You've been extremely patient. We really appreciate for this very, very long briefing. Eugene, an announcement from you. I think journalists were waiting because I got a couple of comments in the chat, so. UNHCR [1:24:27]: Let me be very short. Um, just a quick reminder that in case you missed our, uh, media advisory, uh, shared yesterday, uh, UNHCR, uh, UN Refugee Agency's annual, uh, executive… Committee, ExCom, what we call, meetings of our governing body will begin in Geneva on Monday, 12th of October, next Monday, running through Friday, 16th of October. It will take place at the Palais des Nations, at the main assembly hall. Proceedings will start from 10 a.m. Geneva time, Monday, with opening remarks from Barbara Salih, our High Commissioner for Refugees. This will be his first ExCom meeting. as the UNHCR chief. His remarks will be, of course, as usual, distributed to journalists as it delivered. All Palais-accredited journalists can observe the proceeding during the week through a live stream on the UN web TV site, or you can also be present in the main assembly room in person. If you'd like to attend in person, please notify in advance one of our team in Geneva, who can also advise on access and discuss any specific needs. We have shared all the details and the key moment in the media advisory, we will share another one. Happy to share again if needed, please get in touch with us. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:25:52]: And I see John has a question for you, Eugene. Journalist [1:25:54]: Good morning. Can you hear me there? UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:26:04]: Yep. Journalist [1:26:05]: Yes, it's just a logistical question. During the ExCom meetings, for many years, the previous High Commissioner, Mr. Grundy, used to give either at the beginning or at the end a presser. Is the new High Commissioner planning to do this? That would be very helpful for us. Thank you. UNHCR [1:26:25]: For now, it's not planned, but please get in touch with us so if we can find any opportunity for journalists. Thank you. UNIS Geneva · Moderator [1:26:34]: Thank you very much, Eugene. And I don't see other questions, so I have two brief announcements. Bear with me, I've finished. One is on the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which is reviewing the report submitted by Moldova. Next week, the committee will review the report submitted by Paraguay, Togo, Angola, and Cabo Verde after having met with civil society organizations from these four countries on Monday, 12th of October. And the very, very last announcement, it's about the meeting of the UN Forum of Mayors that will take place at the Palais, sorry, at the WIPO headquarters in Geneva on the 12th and 13th of October. It will bring together some 80 city leaders from over 50 countries. And as a unique platform within the United Nations system, this forum, convened by UNECE, as you know, connects local and national authorities with an intergovernmental framework, contributing to a more networked and inclusive multilateralism. This year's theme is "Cities Delivering for a Sustainable Future," and it will focus on the local implementation of key targets of the sustainable development goals. number 11 that, as you all know, is on sustainable cities and communities. So if you don't have any question for me, and I don't see other hands up online, I thank you very much for following this very, very long briefing. You have been really great. Thanks to all the speakers. Thanks to our technicians. Sorry for the technical itch, but thank you for having solved them, my dear colleagues. I think half of you are at the building H for Mr. Turk briefing that unfortunately we could not broadcast live because of technical issues. It was a little bit too last minute, but we have recorded it, and it will be online very soon. And Shabia's reaction that I think, Agnes, you asked is already online. So thank you very much to all of you. Have a nice weekend, and we'll see you next week. Thank you.