UN Geneva Press Briefing: UN, UNHCR, OCHA

So let's start this briefing. Good morning. Today is Friday, 30th of October, and here in Geneva we have our biweekly press briefing. And I'd like to give the floor immediately to our colleague of the Joint Inspection Unit. We have the pleasure to have with us the Executive Secretary, Mika Tapio, to give us a little update on the anniversary of GIU, which is 67 years old. Mika.

Thank you, Alessandra, and good morning, ladies and gentlemen. And thank you for the opportunity to introduce – allow us to introduce the Joint Inspection Unit’s 60th anniversary and our upcoming high-level panel discussion organized to commemorate the anniversary on the 4th of November. which is this coming Wednesday. On that day, the JIU will mark 60 years since its establishment by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966. The JIU remains the only independent external oversight body of the United Nations system. with the system-wide mandate. Rather than focusing on one organization, the JIU examines challenges across participating UN system organizations, identifies common weaknesses and good practices, and recommends improvements in management, governance, accountability, and coordination. This perspective matters because many UN challenges do not stop at organizational boundaries. Over six decades, JIU reviews have helped inform institutional improvements in areas including human resources, administration, governance, accountability, and risk management, just to name a few. For example, our reviews of whistleblower protection and investigation functions in the UN system, highlighted gaps in arrangements for allegations involving executive heads of UN organizations. Subsequent institutional processes in a number of UN organizations have addressed procedures for handling such allegations as a result of JIU recommendations. In multilingualism, The United Nations Strategic Framework issued in 2024 explicitly acknowledges that it was developed in implementation of a recommendation from the JIU's 2020 review. Our work on accessibility for persons with disabilities has likewise informed efforts to make UN conferences and meetings more inclusive. The JIU provides independent analysis and recommendations, while responsibility for decisions and implementation rests with UN organizations, their management, and governing bodies. This distinction is very important because JIU's role is to equip decision-makers with evidence they can use to bring about improvement. The anniversary comes at the pivotal moment. Financial constraints, and growing demands for efficiency and accountability have renewed attention for reform. Hence, the UN80 initiative was launched in 2025. But reforms should not be measured by cost savings and structural change alone. The real questions are whether organizations are indeed becoming more effective, accountability is stronger, resources are better managed, and reforms are delivering their intended results. Independent system-wide oversight can contribute by comparing practices, identifying systemic challenges, and drawing lessons across organizations. We must, however, distinguish between implementing a recommendation and achieving lasting change. Reported implementation does not necessarily mean the underlying problem has been resolved. Stronger follow-up and attention to actual effects are essential for sustainable reform. These questions are at the heart of our anniversary panel, titled From Recommendations to Results: How Independent Systemwide Oversight Contributes to Change. It will take place, as I mentioned earlier, on Wednesday, the 4th of November, from 3:30 PM, that is 15:30, to 5:00 PM, that is 17:00 hours, in the Tempus Room here at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, with online participation available. JIU inspectors, Member States, executive managers, and the wide oversight community will discuss how JIU findings have informed reforms, the responsibilities of Member States and organizational leadership for follow-up of recommendations, and how recommendations can produce lasting improvements, including in the context of the ongoing UN reform. Our purpose is not simply to celebrate a milestone, but to consider how independent external system oversight can strengthen the effectiveness, credibility, and accountability of the UN system in the years ahead as well. Journalists are warmly invited to attend in person or online. Registration details are available on the JIU website, www.unjiu.org. And we would be pleased to facilitate follow-up interviews and provide background material to you. And you will also find a leaflet about the anniversary event right here at the front, as well as a brochure about the JIU. Thank you very much.

Yeah. And thank you very much, Mika. And I also like to add that Solange has just sent you out the media advisory about this event. where you can find not only the information about the event that Mika mentioned, but also the link to the web pages and the contact details of the colleagues who can help you either registering or set up interview as you wish. So let me start with Associated Press. Jamie, you have a question.

Thank you, Mr. Tapia, for coming to see us. I just had two questions. The first is, how much have your services at JIU been used for the UN80 review process, particularly with regard to duplication of staffing and management? And then the second question has to do with the use of AI in recruiting processes. How often are you advised various UN entities to avoid using AI in terms of the recruitment process, particularly with regard to candidates? Thanks.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Thank you very much for the good questions. So our approach to the UN 80 is that we don't review the reform process real time. But we want to make sure that everything we do, all the reviews we do, have a link to the reform, that whatever we do provides some information, evidence for member states and management to take action also on the review. Just to give a few examples, we are just finalizing a report on shared services, which we believe is extremely important for the reform process and coordination in the UN system. We're also looking at data governance. That report is also coming out in the coming weeks. And we are now just about to finalize our program of work for next year, and one of the key criteria is that whereas we're not really looking at the specific work packages or the reform packages in itself, but that all the reviews that we do inform the decision makers on various aspects. On AI used in recruitment, without going into any details here, we've just issued, perhaps a month ago, a report on recruitment in the UN system, and that does talk about AI as well to the extent that it has been used and some of the risks and challenges in that. So I kindly encourage you to download that report on the JIU website, and we'll hopefully have answers for you on that one. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Any other question, Mika, for GIU in the room or on the platform? I don't see any other hand up. So, Mika, thank you very, very much. Have a very positive and fruitful anniversary, and we hope that many journalists will come and cover the event. Thank you very much. Ms. You have invited them too. So let me ask now Dominique to come to the podium. Let’s move to the humanitarian topic of the day. Thank you, Dominique, for being with us. Marti, you want to come here? And because you are here to tell us about the situation of the refugees in the season to come and your winter appeal for them. Thank you.

Ms. Thank you, Alessandra. Good morning, everybody. Needless to say, you all know that winter is fast approaching, and we expect 9 million people across Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, and Lebanon to need additional support to get through the cold months ahead. I’m here today to ask for solidarity, for support from individuals and the private sector to, as I said, show solidarity with the people that are feeling the bite of winter the most, whether they’re refugees or IDPs, in Ukraine, in Syria, in Lebanon, and in Afghanistan. All of us are feeling it. The cost of living is increasing. It's driven by a surge in oil prices and transport prices and food inflation. That hits those of us who are lucky enough to have jobs and live in secure environments, but it has an outsized impact on the most vulnerable people, like refugees, especially during winter. I'm here today to launch our annual annual winter campaign, aiming to raise $50 million from individuals and the private sector. A donation means something very tangible: a heater, blankets, warm clothes, cash to pay for fuel, or tarpaulin and tape to repair a blown-out window. For some, it may avoid taking on more debt or keep their children off the streets and safe in school. A $35 donation can provide a traditional heating device to an Afghan family, and $135 can provide a thermal kit in Ukraine, including a heater and materials to insulate and repair damaged windows. The clearest way to understand really what is at stake is through the voices of some of the people facing these challenges as winter draws in. So behind these figure or the figure I mentioned before of 9 million people, there are individuals like Svetlana, like Yosep and Zahra and Hiam. So I'm just going to take a few minutes to tell you their stories, and their circumstances are all very different. But the questions each family faces as temperatures fall is essentially the same: How do we keep our families warm and safe during this winter? So I'll start with Ukraine. Ukraine is entering its fifth winter of full-scale war. Escalating strikes by drones and ballistic missiles are impacting civilian lives and keeping them up at night and in bomb shelters. Energy blackouts are occurring daily, and there are still some 5.2 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe and around 4 million internally displaced people in the country. And across Ukraine, 10.8 million require humanitarian assistance this year. In Dnipro, my colleagues met Svitlana in her home last winter with her young son Yosep. And this was just after a drone strike had hit their apartment building. Moments just before the drone hit their building, she grabbed her son Yosep and ran outside and then into the basement. When they emerged, their world had been completely shattered. Outside, Svitlana saw pieces of the LEGO set her son was playing with, and together with shattered glass. They had blown up completely the apartment where they'd been living just and playing, and where he had been playing just minutes earlier. When she eventually got back inside, she realized the windows had gone and were shattered to pieces, and that the drone had been lodged into her living room. So Svetlana remembers thinking, "What am I to do? And because there was severe cold outside and I was on my own with my child, where was I supposed to go?" So that's why winter assistance cannot be separated from protection. When a missile or a drone destroys someone's window in January, shelter becomes an immediate protection need and a survival issue. And our ability right now to help is being squeezed at precisely the moment when that help is most needed. Switching to Afghanistan, since September 2023, Afghanistan has received an estimated 6.5 million returns, most of which were involuntary. Many arrived with very little and needed to rebuild their lives from scratch. This has put huge strains on a country already wilting under decades of war and insecurity, and those able to meet their basic needs even before winter has completely plummeted. Zahara is a mother of four. After her husband died, she spent years moving her children from one accommodation to another unstable house, and now to the mountains in Bamiyan. Last winter, she could not afford enough fuel. What she did is she tried to burn anything she could find. She would go shop to shop to ask for cardboard, and she used the cardboard to heat her freezing house so that her children could get warm. What else could she do? The family fell deeper into debt while Zahra struggled simply to put food on the table. Last year, we were able to help build a home for Zahra and her children. It's one of the 4,000 homes that UNHCR has helped to build for vulnerable families in Afghanistan in 2025. I'll finish with Syria. In Syria, the need for a safe home is much the same as we see for anybody else. You know the numbers: an estimated 1.7 million refugees and nearly 1.9 million IDPs have returned to Syria since December 2024, while 15.6 million people inside Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance still. Hiam and her family returned after 13 years living in Lebanon to their home. When they got to their home in Syria, what they found was a home that was completely burnt down. It had been looted, and it was basically in ruins. There were no doors, of course, no windows, no electricity, no water. So for months, Hiam and her children lived under plastic sheeting, including through the rain and cold. And UNHCR was able to support the family and help them rebuild. We helped install doors, windows, and a sink, and slowly, a ruined building started becoming a home again. Almost 5,000 homes were repaired with UNHCR support in Syria last year, but the scale remains enormous. Some 2.4 million people are expected to require winter assistance this year in priority areas. And unfortunately, we expect to reach far less people, and thus, that's why we're asking for more support for this winter campaign. Thank you. Ms.

Thank you very much, Dominik. This is a very dire picture of the situation in all this country, and we really hope your appeal will be listened to. Questions to UNHCR? Robin.

Thank you. Are you anticipating that this fifth winter in Ukraine is going to be harder on people needing shelter assistance, given the pattern of energy strikes that you described? And secondly, on Ukraine, the movement of people from Oleshky, is that something that UNHCR is involved in or is monitoring? Thank you. Ms.

So maybe on the second question, I’ll ask Matt to answer, and then I’ll come back to your first question. Go ahead, Matt.

On the situation in Oleshky, I know that our colleague Jens from OCHA can probably give an update, but from our perspective, we’re also monitoring the situation very closely. The situation is evolving as we speak, and we all know the situation in terms of civilians who are trapped inside that area. Of course, we UNHCR hope that the ceasefire can bring much-needed relief into Oleshky and allow those inside to safely evacuate the area. And we are ready to support as needed if and when people are safely evacuated from that area.

Yes. I mean, obviously, the situation – we’re four years into a large full-scale war. The destruction is massive and, of course, has impact for people to be able to sustain another winter. The attacks on the energy sources also is a real concern for the people. And the people that we are supporting are often the ones that have been left behind because they’re elderly, because they’re disabled. So we do expect this this winter to be harsh and under very challenging conditions.

Ms. Okay, so let me see if there are more questions on the winter issue before we go to I saw your hand, Jamie.

I wanted to just thank you, I wanted to just ask you about – you mentioned Syria. and helping people get back into their homes or refurbishing their homes. The infrastructure is also a major problem beyond just homes in Syria, and I'm just wondering how you articulate your work there with whether it be UNDP or various other agencies that are helping to put together stores and buildings and workplaces and mosques and whatever else they might be doing there. Do you work with them as well? And what role would UNHCR have in that?

Thank you so much. Very good question. I was in Syria, well, last winter in December, and could see exactly what it felt like to be in the cold at that period of the year. And of course, at this point, it's a whole UN country team effort with the government. The government is really also stepping up with the private sector now, and with the shift in sanctions, we will see more help. We're really trying to shift as a UN team to more development and more support in large infrastructure, UNDP being a big partner, but also the private sector coming in, hopefully, to support the needs that are there. The needs are massive. It's the water systems, it's the electricity. So it's felt at all parts of the country. What we usually say at UNHCR is once people have returned, we usually stay about three years to help and the first protection needs. A lot of our work beyond the winter support and these small repairs that we're doing are very much with the cadastrers, with the protection system documentation, and helping that whole system come back to life.

Yumi, Yomiuri Shimbun. Satoko.

Hello.

No, now you can – yeah, you are on. Go ahead, Satoko.

Okay, thank you very much for doing this. You said that this is an annual winter campaign, so could you give us some comparison, please? How much did you ask for the winter campaign last year, for how many people? And how much did you actually receive last year for the winter campaign? Thank you.

Thank you for a very good question. So we have been doing this for the past few years, but what I can tell you is last year, we had our best year, if I can say it that way, in terms of income raised. We raised 47.6 million, and including from companies, foundations, philanthropies. And that was up from 41 million from 20-some million the year before. So what we're seeing is continuous increase in funding for the winter campaign year on, year out, and more and more support from individuals around the world.

John Zarou Costas, France 24 and The Lancet.

Yes, good morning. I was wondering if you have an update. One of your sister agencies put out a press release about 50,000 people fleeing the renewed civil war in Ethiopia. Also, if Tariq or Jens have an update on what's happening in the country in terms of IDPs, casualties, et cetera, that would be great. Thanks very much.

Thank you. I think Matt will be able to give you some updates in a moment, John, if you have patience to wait. You want to add anything, or we'll leave it to Matt afterwards? So any other question to Dominique on the winter issue? Yeah, Ramin.

Thank you. Just to ask, why does the funding from this come from private individuals and companies rather than from state donations? Thank you.

Thank you. We also get contributions from governments, but they come in in unearmarked form and they come in directed, and we do use government sources. But what we find is, obviously, that we can raise more targeted unearmarked income as well as targeted income from individuals and private sector at this time of the year, and that enhances. But we wouldn’t be targeting specifically – governments fund our Global Appeal, while for private and individuals It will be much more targeted campaigns.

Thank you very much, Dovinnik. Let me turn to Matt then. Matt, you're going to answer the question about the refugees, but before, maybe Yemen. Mr.

Yes. Thank you, Alessandro, and good morning, everyone. I've got an update on the situation of refugees and asylum seekers within Yemen. and also a couple of updates on logistics of providing assistance in that region. UNHCR is alarmed at the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis that is facing more than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen as escalating insecurity, economic collapse, depleting resources, and severe humanitarian access constraints leave tens of thousands with nowhere to turn. Even as the conflict is intensifying, thousands continue to risk dangerous sea crossings from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, arriving in a country where insecurity and humanitarian conditions are rapidly deteriorating. The situation is especially alarming in Kharaaz refugee camp in southwestern governorate of Laaj, which is home to around 9,500 refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia. This is located in a government-controlled area some tens of kilometers away from the front line. While no refugee casualties have been verified so far, nearby shelling has disrupted services and led to movement restrictions for those in the camps, which is heightening fear and desperation among families who have already previously fled conflicts, of course. We have managed to distribute food inside the camp in coordination with the local authorities, albeit with some significant difficulties. And health assistance and water provision is being continued. However, many other services have had to be put on hold. Schools have been suspended, legal and documentation services have been interrupted, and of course, the rising price of fuel and staples are making it difficult for refugees to cover their basic needs. Many families are are currently leaving Khara and other areas in the west where humanitarian access is constrained, seeking safety and services in other parts of southern Yemen, including Aden, taking roads used by the fighting parties, which, of course, puts their lives at further risk. Amid this backdrop, the number of refugees seeking support from UNHCR to return to their countries of origin has surged. Since the escalation of the conflict resumed in August, UNHCR has been able to facilitate three flights from Aden to Mogadishu, which has enabled the voluntary return home of some 600 Somali refugees. Over 1,100 others have expressed interest in returning, but continuing shelling of airports and intensifying fighting has dramatically increased the risks to refugees and humanitarians, making those returns particularly difficult. While Yemen has witnessed years of conflict and one of the world's longest-running humanitarian emergencies, sea arrivals to the country never, in fact, stopped during the latest bout of fighting. During the first nine months of 2026, more than 134,000 asylum seekers and migrants were recorded arriving by sea in Yemen, fleeing conflict, persecution, and instability. Across the Horn of Africa, to transit through Yemen to other countries, only to arrive in a place where insecurity and uncertainty are defining their lives. And that number that I gave, 134,000, is a significant increase on a year earlier, some 22%. The human cost remains devastating, and shifting smuggling routes are forcing people into longer and more dangerous journeys to evade maritime security activity. In October, you may remember that at least 139 people reportedly lost their lives at sea off Djibouti while attempting to reach Yemen. At the same time, you may also recall that some 4,200 people have crossed the sea to Djibouti and Somalia, fleeing Yemen since September. So it's an incredibly complicated map of people moving into and out of the country. Now, with over 280,000 Yemenis displaced in the past month and tens of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers struggling to survive, the resources available for them are falling short. Our appeal for Yemen, for our country operation, is only 19 percent funded at the moment. And now I'll just switch to the logistical situation in terms of trying to get assistance through that part of the world, which has also been very much complicated in recent months. Attacks across the Gulf region and disruptions affecting the Bab el-Mandab Strait of Alongside continued volatility around the Strait of Hormuz are increasing pressure on global humanitarian supply chains that millions of people depend upon. UNHCR has been able to secure pro bono transport support for some 11 containers of emergency relief items to go from Dubai to Yemen. although shifting security conditions and logistical constraints are challenging those delivery efforts. Those 11 containers should arrive tomorrow, bringing 3,000 relief kits to over 20,000 people in Yemen. But across the region, it's clear that aid agencies are having to alternate the ports and the transport corridors they use, including now using Khour Faqan, Fujairah, Sorha, Salalah, and Jeddah, which adds delays and uncertainty, as well as costs, to the delivery of humanitarian assistance in that region, but also to Africa as well. And the impact extends far beyond Yemen. Congestion at major regional transshipment hubs is causing delays and backups. The Bab el-Mandab corridor is a critical maritime route linking Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. And our operations in Sudan, Djibouti, and Ethiopia are among those most exposed to the disruptions affecting trade and shipping in the Red Sea. Another aspect is that freight rates have spiked between the third and fourth quarters of 2026. Average sea freight rates for the key routes into Port Sudan increased by approximately one-third for 20-foot containers and one-quarter for 40-foot containers, with some routes experiencing rises of up to 50 percent. And of course, everyone is fully aware of the fact that oil prices have surged in the last year or so. Indeed, since late February, oil prices are up on average around 60 percent. And that adds to the cost of providing humanitarian assistance and moving it from the Middle East to those places where it's desperately needed, particularly in Africa. Where possible, we're continuing to mitigate risks through pre-positioning and preparedness by maintaining emergency stocks in all strategically located regional and global hubs and exploring alternative transport routes and modes and working with logistics partners and donors to preserve our operational flexibility.

Thank you, Matt. Let me see if there are questions on this in the room. Yes, Olivia, Reuters.

Thank you. Thanks for the briefing. Just a question on Yemen. The supplies that you are getting in, Where are they going, and what is the situation in Taiz and your ability to get any supplies in there? And are you seeing any similar difficulties that you're seeing in Taiz in terms of actually getting into places? Is the access issue growing, or is it getting better in any areas? Thank you.

Well, as I mentioned in the briefing update just now, Bringing supplies in has, of course, become much more challenging, and we have been able to do so. We have a consignment arriving tomorrow, and that's coming in overland. And of course, where possible, that assistance will be accelerated and moved into places where we do have access. But the situation in terms of access in the country, and we've briefed on this with other partners in recent weeks is extremely challenging, particularly around Taiz, where the majority of displaced people come from. So when access allows, we do move in that assistance, but it has been challenging, and we’ve been hearing a lot that a number of displaced people have been unable to get to places where we have our supplies and our assistance, and in many cases it’s been too dangerous for us to get to them. So of course, we reinforce that call that we’ve made a number of times for an urgent de-escalation and for the sides, the warring parties, to allow humanitarians access to all areas of the country.

Absolutely. Any other question on that? Let me remind you also that We still have 71 UN staff detained, arbitrarily detained by the UTs, and we continue to call for their immediate release, and of course, also the former staff members of the UN, as well as the civil society and the diplomatic who are also detained. Let not forget them. You had another point, Matt, or.

Yeah, if I can change subject.

Mr. Sure.

I know John was asking earlier about the situation in Moyale. This is a town in southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya, which straddles the border. The situation in that town has in recent days become deeply concerning to us and our humanitarian partners. The local authorities estimate that some 50,000 Ethiopians have recently fled fighting. and have crossed into Kenya via Moyale and surrounding areas. Many of the new arrivals are being accommodated in host or extended families, with hosts and extended families in the town, but there is a congesting, a crowding in public buildings where people are gathering, and we're trying to support them with their basic needs. The county, the local authorities, and the Red Cross have been distributing minimum food rations and hot meals, but they quickly ran out of supplies. There's also been heavy rain, which has been compromising the relief effort, and many people are also living in the open with no cover from the rain. Many of the arrivals are women and children, including small babies and elderly with special nutrition and other needs that are going unaddressed. There are also reports of open defecation, lack of water, communicable diseases, and mosquito swarms. Some people are sheltering close to the border, and they urgently need relocation for their safety and alternative locations to be found. With our partners, we have developed a refugee response plan, which intends to support the local and national response, and that is seeking 9 million U.S. dollars for 50,000 refugees over the next three months, and that is being managed alongside our partners at UNICEF, IOM, and WFP. We are all present on the ground, and we are kickstarting the sectoral responses, including around food, protection, registration, nutrition, water, and shelter.

Thank you very much, Matt. Any further questions to UNHCR? I don’t see hands up on the platform either. So thank you very much. Thanks, Dominique, for coming and updating us on these preparations, and thank Matt for all this preparation. briefing topics you have given us an update on, and maybe I'll ask David to come to the podium. Welcome, David. You have an announcement, too, on your next report.

Thank you. Alison.

Ms. Sure. Sorry. John, I just saw your hand. It was that for UNHCR, I guess.

Yes, my question was also addressed to Tariq and Jens, if they have updates on the fighting in the country in terms of casualties.

Yeah, okay. So let me give the floor to David for his quick update on it's right, you are absolutely right. We forgot your question. Then I'll ask Jens to come to the podium and maybe Tariq, if he's connected, to answer you. But just let's have David quickly on his announcement.

Yes, Alessandra, and with your indulgence, two announcements, if I could. First, that on Tuesday, That's the 3rd of November, ITU will release the next edition of its annual Facts and Figures report. Facts and Figures provides estimates of the number of individuals that are connected to the internet, and this is in support of ITU's strategic goal to support universal and meaningful connectivity. Facts and Figures will report on the progress that is being made to bridge the world's digital divides, including those related to age, gender, and urban-rural living. The report will also have information on issues such as affordability. We hope to have an embargoed version of the report to share. We know the window is tight on that, but we are working feverishly to get something to you. And secondly, just a quick reminder that media accreditation remains open for ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference 2026, taking place from 18 to 23 November. from 9 to 27 November in Doha. If you have colleagues in the region, please have them contact us for information if you like. As a reminder, Plenipotentiary Conference is ITU's highest policy-making body. It will host elections, approve ITU's strategic and financial plans. Some have asked us about some of the key dates, so just a very brief run through on that. The conference, as mentioned, will open on 9 November with the opening ceremony and opening plenary. Elections open on Thursday, the 12th of January. That will include elections for the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General. And on Friday, 13 January, elections for the directors of ITU's three bureaus. On Monday, elections will conclude with the elections for ITU's ITU Council and the Radio Regulations Board. with the idea that, obviously, we can’t predict how elections go, so the timing could shift on that. But those are the intended start dates. Full schedule’s online, and of course, we can be available to you if you have any questions.

Thank you very much, David, for these announcements. John, I don’t know if this question is for David; otherwise, wait a second. Let me see if there’s any question on ITU and the meeting and the report. Not in the room, I see people saying no. So, yeah, I see that John has put his hand down, so it wasn’t for you, David. Thank you very much. Good luck with the meeting. And let’s now go back to John. John, can you repeat your question, please? We’ve got Jens on the podium and Tarik connected. Go ahead.

Yes, I was looking for new data on what’s happening in the country with the renewed civil war. We just had Matt talking about 50,000 people fleeing to neighboring Kenya. Jens could bring us up to speed on what is happening on the humanitarian front inside the country, and same with Tarek in terms of casualties and supplies going to help the wounded and the displaced. Thanks.

Thank you very much. I'll start with Jens maybe, and then we'll hear from Tarek.

Yes. Thank you, John. First, on casualties, we are not tracking that. That would be our human rights colleagues who does that and verifies these numbers, and then we report them on their behalf. But it’s not OCHA or humanitarians tracking that. What we have seen is, of course, concerning with the conflict coming back on. We all remember a few years ago when it went really south in Tigray, and we hope it doesn't get to that. Some aid is coming in, but there are a lot of issues with access. I do expect to have an update on that later in the day, but that will be something for around 6:00 or 7:00 o'clock tonight. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Tariq, for the.

Thank you, John. We also, we don't have numbers on casualties, but I have a report that was sent to us from our colleagues in Ethiopia. It's a week old, but basically it says that security conditions across northern part of the country remain volatile, ongoing facilities, displacement, and restrictions affecting humanitarian operations. When it comes directly to health, Health services continue to operate under significant strain due to unsecurity, limited supplies, staff displacement, and disrupted administration. In Degrade, several mobile health and nutrition teams, services have been suspended due to insecurity, while health services remain constrained in affected areas. So it's really about Tigray, Amhara, and Afar. In Amhara, conflict-related disruptions continue to affect health service delivery, disease surveillance, referrals, and access to essential health services. What WHO is doing? WHO and Ministry of Health continue to coordinate the health response through the health cluster system. WHO coordinate the health response through the incident management system and health cluster mechanism. with 23 staff supporting national operations and 47 WHO personnel deployed across Tigray, Amhara, and Afar. WHO and partners have successfully delivered 71 metric tons of life-saving medical supplies, including intra-agency emergency health kits, cholera kits, reproductive health kits, and NCD kits. We also supported supplies to reach hard-to-access population in Tigray and medical supplies worth over $80,000 in Afar. I will send all these notes, John. Basically, there are these mobile health and nutrition teams that remain. a critical lifeline for vulnerable population, and they are serving seven IDP sites in Shira and Tigray, 10 of them operating in FAR, and 20, those mobile health and nutrition teams are in Amhara. I'll send all these details, John, to you.

Thank you very much, Tarek and Jens, for these updates, and maybe to be followed. Any other questions for our colleagues? Yes? Jamie, go ahead.

A question was raised earlier about Oleshky. So can we go back to that? We're just getting some news in. Apparently it has begun, the process there. What role, if any, does the UN have, and what concerns do you have about the conditions in which it's taking place?

Yes, thank you, Jamie. First, it's important to stress that no official request for UN support has been received, at least not up till this point. So we are, as Matt told us earlier, monitoring very closely. One of those that we monitor, that I monitor, is Dmytro Lubinets, who is the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, and he just a few hours ago tweeted quite a long update on the status of what's going on there. So we are monitoring closely the situation. In terms of commentary, you may have seen the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, tweeted yesterday, and I can just read it out what he said. He said, "Each day this ceasefire holds means hope for civilians in Oleshky. Those wanting to leave must be able to do so safely and voluntarily. Let this pave the way for vital aid to get in and more humanitarian access on both sides of the front line." Absolutely.

Yes, Olivia. Oh, sorry, you had a follow-up.

You mentioned aid getting in. What aid has there been getting into Iliichki, I mean, or by way of the United Nations? I mean, it’s obviously been a pretty difficult situation there, right? What is your sort of footprint regionally, either on the Ukrainian side or the Russian-occupied side?

As I said, we have not officially been asked to support this operation. We are monitoring it closely. When we read those open sources that we all have, it does seem that there is aid lined up. And of course, as Mr. Fletcher says, we hope that aid gets into the civilians who need it in the town.

Olivier.

Thank you. Jens, What is your view, according to OCHA, in terms of whether this complies with the Geneva Conventions, this evacuation of Oleshky? And secondly, why hasn't the UN been asked for support, and is that unusual in a scenario like this?

Yes, on the last bit of your question, I don't know. You have to ask The Ukrainians, primarily because it is their country that this happens in, regardless of who exercises control of the place in question, right? It is the Ukrainian authorities that you will have to ask why they haven't reached out on this particular one. Sorry, what was the first part of your question again?

Is whether you believe that this evacuation is in line with the Geneva Conventions. You spoke there about voluntary return, for example, being required.

What we do know is that we have advocated and will continue to advocate that it is, that all international rules, laws, and practices are upheld during this evacuation. And it does give some It does inspire some confidence that it is the human rights commissioners from Ukraine and from the Russian Federation who are kind of seem to be running this operation on the ground.

Thank you very much, Jens. Okay, so no other question. I'd like to thank you and Tariq for stepping in. A couple of announcements on my side, very quickly. A couple of committees, the one on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, is closing its 93rd session today. As you may remember, they have been examining the reports of Angola, Cape Verde, Cook Island, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Paraguay, Republic of Moldova, and Togo. And on Monday, we will have the opening of the 80th session of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. So that will be – that session will be looking at Austria, Eswatini, Mexico, and Pakistan regarding their implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Two international days for which we have sent you the message of the Secretary General. One is on the 31st of October, tomorrow. It's World Cities Day. But I'd like to call your attention on International Day celebrated – commemorated on the 2nd of November, which is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. So you are directly related to that. And the Secretary General, in his message that we have distributed to you, says that the journalists continue to pay an outrageous price for telling the truth. He says – he gives the figures over the past year, when at least 34 journalists paid the ultimate price for doing their job. Six of every seven Such killings go unpunished, reminds us the Secretary General. And in conflict settings, this rate of impunity goes up as to 100 percent. And this scandal must end, said the Secretary General. He also said that progress is possible. We know that. Since the UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists and the issue of impunity was launched, that was 2012, if you remember, the impunity rate for these crimes in countries not experiencing armed conflicts has come down from 94 percent to 77 percent, but obviously much more needs to be done. And the Secretary General, to conclude on this International Day, we demand justice. When journalists are targeted and their reporting is extinguished, it makes victim of us all. And you have the full statement in your mailboxes. So if there are no other questions for me. for other colleagues connected, and I don't see any. I wish you a very, very good weekend, and I hope you will enjoy seeing around the new uniforms of our guides that have received this gift yesterday from the Fondazione Pistoletto. So if you see people dressed up in green bringing around groups, is because the Italian donation is on, and we have the new uniforms with us, which are really beautiful. I hope you'll see them around. Thank you very much. Have a nice weekend. I'll see you next week. Thank you.