UN Geneva Press Briefing: UNEP, ITU, UNICEF, UNHCR, OHCHR, IOM, WHO, UNECE

All right, let’s start. Good morning. Welcome to the press briefing of the Information Service here in Geneva. Today is Tuesday, 10th of November, and I have the pleasure to start by welcoming Kay Williams, who is the head of the Global Framework on Chemical Secretariat. and who is here to tell us a little bit about the first international conference of the UN Global Framework on Chemicals. You have met already Suki, who is the focal point for communication on my right, and I’ll give the floor to Kay now for a short introductory remark. Thank you.

Ms. Thank you very much, and good morning to you all. So next week, from the 16th to the 20th of November, the United Nations Environment Programme will be hosting the first international conference of the Global Framework on Chemicals in Geneva, together with more than over 1,000 participants from governments, industry, the financial sector, and civil society, as well as science and news. For those of you that may be less familiar with the framework, it was adopted in Bonn in 2023 and is a voluntary global agreement that sets out five strategic objectives and 28 targets with a vision to have a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste in the future. So chemicals, as you may be aware, are part of our daily lives. They're in the food we grow, the clothes we wear, and together, the products that we use. And how they're produced, used, and disposed affects our health, our workplaces, and the environment. This is why the Global Framework on Chemicals is so important. It brings together a shared commitment to make chemicals and waste management safer and more sustainable worldwide. So three years on, after the framework was adopted, this conference will examine what has been done. Are the commitments that were made in Bonn translating into action? How will we be able to measure the results? What do we need to move faster? And who will finance the action needed? There are three themes: tracking progress, accelerating action, and investing for impact. The conference will consider several important proposals. This includes a draft measurability framework with global indicators to track progress around the world. It will also look at global implementation programs where we bring all the actors to strengthen national chemicals management action nationally and across economic sectors, including those global value chains. The conference will also consider existing and newly emerging issues of concern, those chemicals that are problem chemicals and that we foresee in the future may well be problem chemicals or groups of chemicals. These are important decisions because they can help us put in place practical tools, partnerships, and those resources needed to turn global commitments into action. We will also have a high-level dialogue on the 18th and 19th of November. There will be 80 senior representatives, including CEOs of the companies, CEOs of NGOs, and ministers and vice ministers. The dialogue will focus on three important areas: transparency across value chain, information on chemicals, scaling up green and sustainable chemistry, and mobilizing public and private investment. So beyond the formal negotiations, there will be an opportunity for practical solutions and to prioritize those actions to make a difference in the future. So in terms of the stories to follow, they will be about how the world -- how will the world measure progress on chemicals and waste? Can safer chemicals become a competitive advantage for industry? And who will finance the transition? And how can new approaches to chemistry and product design help prevent pollution before it happens? So these are there are important human stories as well behind the discussions. There will be people present who have been personally impacted. There will be discussions from workers and communities that have been affected. And the businesses are there that can make the difference. So we invite journalists to join us. Follow these developments and speak directly to the people involved in shaping and implementing these decisions. UN-accredited journalists can register on site at the International Conference Center in Geneva, presenting their valid UN accreditation badge and photo ID. They will have, you will have access to open plenary sessions and selected conference events with the Secretariat media team, and we can help organize with some of the senior representatives from the different constituencies who will be there. Selected sessions will be also live-streamed for those that wish to follow remotely. Our media advisory and frequently asked questions can provide further information, and we encourage you to get in touch with our comms team, including Suhe there, and we look forward to welcoming you next week. Thank you, and happy to take any questions.

Ms. Thank you very much, Kay. Thank you. Is there any question? Yes, Jamie. Almost.

It's only Tuesday, Alison. No, for planning purpose, is there any press briefing, like opening press briefing, closing sessions, closing press briefing? What can we expect here? Ms.

Indeed, I believe that there are. I mean, Suhe will be in charge of all the difference. There's going to be a specific press briefing, I believe, on Tuesday. But over to Suhe.

We won’t have opening press briefing, per se, but we will have a closing press release and media briefing week after the conference, once we have the final outcomes of the conference. Not a week after, but following the conference.

At the end of the conference? Mr.

At the end of the conference, yes. I mean, the last day of the conference.

Mr.

Ideally, that’s what we’re planning, but we will have to see how the negotiation proceedings go as the week progresses. That’s the plan.

Yeah, we have seen that already with the plastic negotiation. You remember, it was 9:00 in the morning after a night of negotiations, so yeah. Christiane.

Yes. Hello, Christiane, German Press Agency. I didn't quite understand. Is there a decision of any kind being taken at the end of a conference, or is this more of a stocktaking?

There will be some – there will be decisions. We will be adopting some global implementation programs. We’ll be adopting some proposed indicators to be able to measure progress for the targets which will be delivered in 2030 and 2035. We’ll also be looking at new ways to scale up financing, as well as reviewing some of the terms of reference of the funds. So yes, there will be some key decisions.

Thank you very much. Nina Larsson, AFP, online.

Yeah, hi. Thank you for taking my question. I was wondering how the decisions are going to be taken. And this is, I understand, a voluntary agreement.

So what impact can you say that any decisions taken here will actually have?

Thank you.

So thank you very much for the question. So yes, we will aim to have all our decisions by consensus. In terms of the fact that it's voluntary, I think this is where it's the advantage is that we can have everybody around the table that can make action happen. So we do not have parties and observers. We actually have everybody that comes to the conference has an equal voice within the conference in terms of the views that it puts forward. So it is very much about partnership, collaboration, taking things forward, working with the willing, and making sure that those people that are moving are creating, I think, that bulk so that we can have a tipping point moving forward. So that's the main advantage of the voluntary. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I don't see other questions, so I hope you will be able to join this important conference. As it has been said, it's also in the media advisory. You just need to go there with your badge and register for the conference. So thank you very much. Okay, thanks, Suki. Dominique? And let's go now to the first of our topics with UNHCR. Dominique Heid is here with Matt. to tell us about the people who flee violence in Nigeria. Go ahead.

Good morning, everybody, and thank you, Alessandra. I'm just back from Diffa in southeast Niger, where both a humanitarian and a protection emergency is unfolding. The silence around this emergency is absolutely deafening. The escalating violence in northern Nigeria is forcing thousands of families and people to flee. They're fleeing to Niger, they're fleeing to Benin. Since January, we're speaking of about 66,000 Nigerians who have fled to neighboring countries, and the overwhelming majority have fled to Niger. The movement continues, with thousands more arriving in October. Just this month, it's over 4,000, but it keeps on they keep on coming forward. This is unfolding across a broader displacement crisis across the region, where conflict, insecurity, and climate shocks have uprooted millions of people. Niger itself already holds more than half a million refugees and asylum seekers alongside with displaced people. And at the border in Nigeria, it's over 4 million internally displaced people in a highly complex patchwork of local tensions. The latest arrivals are placing huge constraints on the local community that's already struggling with insecurity, with the climate shocks I mentioned, and dwindling resources. Niger's authorities have and the host community are showing incredible solidarity. They're providing temporary space. They're opening support in terms of land. But they just can't sustain this response alone. In Difa, where I was, some 23,000 people have arrived since the beginning of the year, and more than two-thirds are children. What struck me there was really the severity of the crisis: high levels of malnutrition, severe malnutrition, children that are emaciated. There is no water or lack of water. The insecurity – the camps are right now makeshift camps. They can only stay there temporarily, and at night, the terror comes again because the people that were – that attacked them in Nigeria are coming during the evening in the makeshift camps also in Niger. So we need to move them very quickly to safer locations. The health care is close to nil in some of the areas. Most of the children have not been vaccinated, neither in Nigeria or in Niger. So a large level of real concerns for these families. In Diffa, I met a woman called Hawa. She's a mother of five. She fled Nigeria because Boko Haram attacked her IDP camp where she was living. She was already displaced inside Nigeria. She told me that she had lost one of her children. She didn't explain to me how, and but she told me that the situation in the settlement where she is is not just dire, it’s dramatic. In order to access water, they have to walk kilometers, and then they can only really get 25 liters a day, which is insufficient for a family. Her husband has left and is not – is nowhere as well, so she’s caring for her four daughters on her own. And she told me how difficult it was to even provide one meal a day for her family without knowing where the next ration would be coming forward with. Families are dependent on one single water point, which is broken. And she was telling me for the elderly, it is impossible for them to actually walk. And just to picture it, it's sand dunes. It's I was wearing flat shoes, and the heat, it was over it was close to 40 degrees, and I could my feet were burning. So for families that are there, that's also an additional an additional burden. And the makeshift shelters, some with holes in their roofs, are the best that they could have. She had to wait one month to actually even get this makeshift shelter. There is no school, no health facility on this site. And Hawa told me as well of all of the sick people, they have to be brought in a chariot, in a wheelbarrow to and carts, thank you, to the closest health center, but they often don't bother because they don't have the funding to actually pay for the healthcare that is needed. And across Difa and Tawa, registration has only recently begun, so we've only been able to start the documentation a few days ago because we got emergency funding coming in. But without that documentation, children don't get access to vaccinations, they don't get access to food distributions in the long run, and we don't understand their protection situation. So you have over 40,000 refugees that have not been registered yet out of the 60-plus I mentioned. Insecurity and climate pressures are making it even worse. In terms of insecurity in the Diffa region, 70 percent of the incidents that are taking place in Niger are happening in Diffa, including armed attacks, clashes, and violence against the civilians have occurred since the beginning of the year. And the climate and the drought that is impacting the region massively, so both the refugees and the host communities Out of 1,000 villages in Difa, about 700 have faced complete lack of grain production, which is putting immense pressure on the food needs of the region. And this is after a terrible rainy season and flooding the year before. So this has serious implications for food security, not only for refugees, but also the communities hosting them. So we're on the ground. We're there with other UN agencies, UNICEF, the World Food Program, UNFPA, and local and international partners. MSF also doing great work. But the response needs to be scaled up. Just to give you an idea, a year ago, we had 45 staff in our office in Difa. We now have only 10, 11, four of which are drivers, and we're not able to meet the needs, and this is also obviously linked to the cuts. We need international support immediately to provide water, food, shelter, health care, and protection, and we are seeking $11.4 million to strengthen the emergency assistance across Niger, Nigeria, and Baiden, and including immediate needs of $2 million. These families want more than emergencies. They this woman, Hawa, asked me, "I just want to know what tomorrow is going to be made of." They want to work. They want to support their children for a better life. But right now, with the emergency at hand, support needs to come immediately. Thank you, Alessandra.

Ms. Thank you very much, Dominique. And yeah, it's really an appalling situation. Do we have any question for UNHCR? Christiane, German News Agency.

Yes, hello. Did you mention Boko Haram? Is this, who is attacking who and are they going across the borders? I think that's what you implied. Can you give us a bit more of an update? And could you also repeat how many refugees are already hosted by Niger? I didn't get that.

Thank you, Christina. So half a million refugees from different countries, including Mali, Nigeria, et cetera, are hosted in Niger, in Niamey. So I was in the southeastern part of Niger at the border with Nigeria, and the refugees were telling me of Boko Haram coming again to attack their internal displacement settlements in Nigeria, burning down entire camps. camps and destroying in them, forcing them to seek refuge in Niger. And I understand that on some evenings they are able to also come in to Niger, and the authorities are doing their utmost, but the insecurity, as I said, is huge. And the number of I said the number of refugees in the country are about over 500 million. Of these ones crossing since April, it's over 60,000.

One 50,000, then not 500 million?

Ms. Sorry, half a million, sorry. Half a million.

Ms. Half a million. Thank you.

I'm used to dealing with money, not nice. Sorry, thanks.

Sorry, let me just follow up on the Boko Haram. Do you know what exactly is happening here? Is this a matter of trying to kill as many people as possible who are not supporting Boko Haram, or what is the point of burning down camps for displaced people?

I asked that same question of the refugees and authorities, and I didn’t actually get an answer, so I don’t really have an answer. We could check again with our Niger office and come back to you if we get a firmer response. What I had like impression, it’s vandalism, it’s youth, but I’m not sure what they’re – if they’re asking for something specific.

Thank you very much. Alex.

Yes, Alexandre Grobois, AFP. Thank you for this briefing. Just a quick question regarding the figures. You mentioned 66,000 Nigerians who fled since the beginning of the year, and then 4,000 in October. Does it mean that we should count a total of 70,000 this year?

Of course, not including the ones that haven’t been registered, of course.

So the 66,000 have fled since the beginning of the year to Niger and to Benin. A very small number, I think it's about 4,000 that have fled to Benin, but I can double-check the number with Matt. But it's 62,000, 64,000 to Niger now. And the numbers are changing by the month, but I would say that that number, it includes the number that came through in October, the 4,000 extra.

That's clear. Okay, so I think there are no other questions. Oh, sorry, Olivia, Reuters.

Hi there, good morning. Thanks very much. If I may actually have two questions, but on a separate topic for UNHCR, if that's okay.

Yeah, I think it's okay because I don't see other hands on Nigeria, so if it's okay with you, Dominique? Yeah? Okay, go ahead, Olivia.

Thank you.

Yeah, I just wanted to ask if UNHCR has any updates on the situation in Taiz and Yemen, but also arrivals into Djibouti. And second question on the situation in the Canary Islands following a large number of people taking boats, taking dangerous crossings to one of the islands in recent days. Thank you.

You want to take that?

I can take that one.

Mr. Yeah, of course.

Certainly in terms of the Canary Islands, I can give you a couple of points there, Olivia. There have been a couple of tragic accidents at sea recently on the Atlantic coast. On the 6th of November, for example, a boat capsized and at least 35 people were killed. have been reported dead, with the bodies recovered, primarily Senegalese, according to reports. And then in addition, earlier in November, seven people died on a boat heading towards Lanzarote. So the situation is extremely concerning in that part of the world, and of course, UNHCR is deeply saddened. by the tragic loss of life off the coast of Senegal, and that's another painful reminder of the dangers people face along the Atlantic route and of the urgent need for collective action to prevent further loss of life. So far during the month of October, 6,200 people have arrived in the Canary Islands aboard 65 boats. and that represents a 417% increase compared to the same month last year, and that is the highest number of monthly arrivals that have been recorded in the Canaries since 2024. So this route is one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world, and people are coming from countries affected by conflict, violence, And instability, and that includes Mali, Burkina Faso, Sudan, and Somalia, as well as a number of other countries in the region. And of course, those arriving include women and a significant number of unaccompanied children and adolescents. We, UNHCR, are continuing to support the Spanish authorities in the implementation of the EU pact on migration and asylum, while also monitoring the situation to help ensure effective access to the territory and to international protection. In terms of Yemen, I don’t have a significant update to give you, Olivier, since we last briefed about the plight of refugees and asylum seekers within the country. The situation in Taiz, I understand, is extremely worrying. Access still remains an acute concern, but we will update you on that as soon as we have any more to add.

I only have an update on the political issues within this group, but not on Taiz. I don't know if UNICEF has any update on Yemen, no? So we will have to or IOM, no? So we'll have to come back to you, Olivier, on Yemen. Thank you very much. So if there are no other questions for UNHCR colleagues, thank you, Dominique. Thank you very much. I'll ask James to come to the podium, James, who is back from Italy, where he is now headquartered. Lucky man. But we have Riccardo here in Geneva who holds the fort, and we are happy to see you.

Thank you very much. Yes, literally just back this morning from Sudan. Good morning, everyone. Drones and drought are closing in on Sudan's children. It is an assault unlike anything Sudan has seen before. In the last week of October, not a single day passed without a drone strike on a power station in Sudan. Up to 15 were hit in the month of October. At the same time, amid all the global warnings about El Niño, the damage has already begun in Sudan. Even if rains arrive late, they cannot undo the damage. The planting window for the cereal harvest has largely closed. But the drones keep coming. Repeated strikes have hit key sites across Sudan’s power grid. Spreading geographically and coming in quick succession, the attacks represent a serious escalation on attacks on civilian infrastructure. Let me explain why, together, drones and drought are so lethal for children. In Sudan, water is power. When a power station is struck, water pumps stop, water treatment stops. Families are forced into expensive and unsafe alternative. Disease spreads. We're again seeing pockets of cholera. The cold chain that keeps vaccines and medicines viable is threatened. Farmers lose irrigation because pumps run on electricity, and there are crippling fuel shortages. Harvests suffer, prices keep rising, and food slips further and further out of reach. A lethal cycle kicks in. At a time when an estimated 825,000 children under the age of five in Sudan are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year, the type that kills. Now, this year in Sudan, two in three child casualties were killed by armed drones. They are bringing war to places that were once safe. People in Sudan talk about three things. They talk about safety, education, and water. Drones are taking all three. In camps last week, I met children whose arms and hands had been blown off in this war. Buri is a teenager. An explosive took both his hands. He lives in a tent. He told me, "I must accept this." He spends the mornings learning online and the afternoons picking grass for animals with stumps for hands. His friends help him. That's Sudan. It's relentless. It's crushing. And still, Sudanese stand up, hold up one another. Now, working side by side, local communities, UNICEF and partners, we treated hundreds of thousands of children for that deadliest form of malnutrition. Helped provide health care to around 2.5 million people, vaccinated millions of children against deadly diseases. We've repaired water systems. We're solarizing water systems, trying to keep water flowing for millions and millions of people. Thus far, it's 8 million people who we've done that for. UNICEF and partners helped millions of children get back into learning, and we've reached around 1.5 million children and families with protection and psychosocial support. But with so many crises happening at once, everything, everything is at breaking point. UNICEF's response in Sudan is just one third funded. Now, people in Sudan are showing remarkable strength, but resilience cannot run on goodwill alone. UNICEF is calling for three things. One. An end to the violence against children and an end to attack on power stations, water systems, and all the civilian structures and infrastructure that children depend on. Second, safe access for humanitarian workers and supplies across conflict lines, for those with influence to protect children and civilians, and for those with influence to stop the flow of weapons that are killing and injuring children. Third, sustained and flexible funding to help keep essential services running. All those things I mentioned, the safe water, solarization, treatment for malnourished children, healthcare, education, protection. For three and a half years, the suffering of Sudan's children has largely been met with silence. So what does it take? Must Sudanese children face an existential threat for the world to take notice? Well, it's here. When the power goes, the water pumps stop. When the rain fails, the food runs out. Sudan's children are now facing both at once. If the world is waiting for something worse, it will be waiting at their graves. Thanks, Alessandra.

Thank you very much, James, for the appalling situation. Questions on Sudan, on the children? Let me see if there's any online. Don't see hands up. So thank you very much, James, to come and brief us after your Ms.

Silence met with silence.

Yeah, really.

Find me another place in the world, people, historically, where we have a drought like El Nino and attacks on water systems. Ukraine has the attacks on electricity systems. They are unparalleled. They repair them as they go. Sudan, that does not happen. El Nino is unprecedented. Anyway.

And the whole plan for humanitarian needs response plan is severely underfunded for all the activities. Mr.

Critically, critically underfunded. Anyway, I will Yes.

We've got a question from Emma.

Thank you for that powerful briefing, James. Just do you have any idea what portion of the electricity network or the water network have been kind of knocked out? Is it worse than it has been at any stage during the war, for example? Thank you. Ms.

It's at its worst now than any stage in the war. It's around a quarter, if I understand well. It's at a quarter of that capacity. So without a doubt, it's at its worst. It would have been at its worst because of the rises in fuel costs. in September, but again, Sudan has never seen an attack on power stations every other day for an entire month. So now is the worst, but you now see those long, long queues. So transport, people can't earn an income, people can't move. People can't afford fuel for any type of irrigation. Hospitals are struggling. So again, it's the attacks on power stations, it's the drought, but you allude to the right point. Emma, the third factor to that is that you have horrific spikes in fuel prices based on the war in Iran, which is the triple impact that Sudanese are suffering to which they have absolutely no control over.

Yeah.

Maybe a question on who is responsible for those drone attacks. Would you say that both sides are actually using drones to attack those facilities and the water pumps?

I think there's lots of documentation on both sides using drones. Obviously, no one would have – given Several years ago, there was a use of suicide drones, which was terrifying to see that in Sudan. Now, in the last year, we see long-range drones and increasing accuracy of those drones. You've seen drones going 1,500 kilometers. So it would be impossible for many people, certainly for humanitarian organizations, to say from whom. But the 15 strikes, at least 15 strikes in October, all hit Sudanese power stations. One would struggle to think if it was in the interest of SAF, of government, to do that.

Nina Larsen.

Yeah, hi. Thank you, James, for the briefing. I was wondering, you mentioned that two-thirds of child casualties were killed by armed drones this year. Do you have any – do you have numbers on that? and indications of where this happened? Thank you. Mr.

Thanks, Neda. So it's two-thirds of – it's actually 80 percent – 80 percent of children killed or wounded by drones. I will get you the exact figure as of two days ago. I'll share it with the briefing – well, I'll follow up the briefing note with that to all correspondents.

Thank you very much, Jim. And as I was saying, The humanitarian needs and response plan for 2026, and we are, as you know, in November, is only 50.4% funded, so we urgently need funds for this, which is probably one of the it's definitely one of the biggest crisis, humanitarian crises in the world. Thank you very much, James. Let me now go to OHCHR. Tameem, welcome. You have a briefing point on Egypt and press freedom that will interest our journalists.

Yes. Thank you, Alessandra. Good morning, everyone. We are witnessing widening assaults on press freedom by Egyptian authorities, including the targeting, persecution, and harassment of independent journalists. These alarming developments must end immediately, and journalists must be able to carry out their essential work free from intimidation and reprisals. Six journalists forming the entire newsroom of the fact-checking website Medsaddash currently remain detained: Mohammed Ashraf Abu Amira, Abdullah Qadri, Islam Barakat, Omar Hilal, Mohammed Mahmoud, and Mohammed Adel. Their lawyers reported that they were subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment, and forced to record fabricated confessions. The chief editor of independent news outlet Mada Masr, Lina Attallah, also faces continuing judicial harassment related to her journalistic work. Convicted by an Egyptian court last month for operating an unlicensed website, Atallah was detained and released following payment of a fine. The court also ordered the closure of the website. She now faces another hearing this week in a different case dating back to 2024, which raises fresh concerns regarding due process and fair trial including obstacles to appeal. We call on Egypt to end all forms of harassment of journalists and media outlets, and to respect and fulfill the right to freedom of expression, including the right to information. Authorities must release all Madsadash reporters and drop charges arising from their legitimate journalistic work. Pending their release, they must be afforded confidential access to lawyers, family contact, necessary health care, and access to medication, and be guaranteed humane conditions of detention. All allegations of torture, ill-treatment, or forced confessions must be promptly investigated and those responsible held to account. The steps taken to suppress the continued work of both Mada and Mada Masr must be overturned. The people of Egypt have the right to read and hear views expressed through these fora on issues of legitimate public concern. Thank you.

Thank you very much, and let me take this opportunity to remind you that, as I’m sure you remember, on the 2nd of November, when we commemorated the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we distributed the statement of the Secretary General who highlighted that in the world, 34 journalists were killed this year, and six out of every seven such murders go unpunished. I’ll open the floor to questions. for OHCHR on this subject. Let me see. Okay, so let me go directly to the platform. Moussa Assi, Mayadeen.

Any question on Egypt?

I don’t see hands up, so Moussa, go ahead.

Alors, bonjour Tamim, ça concerne les manifestations en France. Jusqu'à maintenant, depuis le début de ces manifestations, on a annoncé trois morts, mais les circonstances ne sont pas très claires. On dit qu'il y a un qui est mort à cause du gaz lacrymogène, puis l'autre crise cardiaque, et puis le troisième, je ne sais pas comment. Et aussi, il y a une vingtaine de blessés grièvement. Est-ce que vous avez ouvert des enquêtes concernant cette utilisation de force qu'on a vue? Moi-même, j'ai vu ça à Paris. J'y ai été trois fois pour couvrir ces manifestations. Est-ce que vous êtes en train de voir ce qui se passe là-bas? Est-ce qu'il y a des enquêtes? Vous voulez ouvrir une enquête? Il y a des questions qui sont posées au gouvernement? Merci.

Merci pour cette question, Moussa. En ce qui concerne les manifestations en France et les actes de violence, le Haut-Commissaire a clairement appelé à ce que les auteurs de tous les actes de violence rendent des comptes, et nous avons fait part directement aux autorités de nos préoccupations en matière de droits humains. notamment quant à l'importance d'une intervention proportionnée des forces de l'ordre et à la nécessité de mesures spéciales pour la protection des enfants. Il est important que les griefs les plus généraux, notamment ceux liés à l'égalité et à la qualité de l'accès à l'éducation et aux autres services de base, soient pris en compte et occupent le devant de la scène dans les débats publics sur ce sujet. They should not be instrumentalized by anyone. Thank you.

Thank you. Other questions? Our colleagues on human rights? I don't see... Emma, pardon. I look forward and I don't look behind. Emma, go ahead.

Thank you. It's not about Egypt. It's actually about the closure of Novaya Gazeta in Russia. I'm wondering if you have any comment on that, on the closure, and what do you think the impact will be on freedom of speech in Russia? Thank you.

Mr. Thank you, Emma. I'm afraid I don't have information on this specific issue, but I will need to check with my colleagues and get back to you on that. I just received this from my colleagues. In fact, I was absent at that moment. So the High Commissioner has commented on this issue, and he said he was deeply concerned and saddened by the announcement by this – of the closure by this – of this highly respected and independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. and that it was being forced to close, it is yet another devastating blow of the for the remaining independent media in the Russian Federation. And the High Commissioner said that independent journalism in the country has faced mounting restrictions and pressure for many years, but these have intensified significantly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine through increasingly restrictive legislation and tighter state controls and the harassment and persecution of journalists. Our statement is available online.

Thank you very much. Any other question to Tameem? I don’t see hands up, so thank you very much, Tameem, for this update, and thanks for talking loudly about the need to protect journalists everywhere. So let me go now to Zoe, and Zoe is with me on the podium. We also have online Dr. Andrew Peter Obat, who is the regional Ebola coordinator and who is calling in from Nairobi. Welcome, doctor. And I think you want to start or I give the floor to the doctor already.

Yes, thank you very much. So.

Dr. Andrew Obat is going to tell us about the situation on Ebola and particularly what we are seeing at.

Crossing points. Over to you, Dr. Andrew.

Thank you so much. Today, I would want to really draw attention on a key area that we think is quite important in this Ebola response, and that is the frontline workers at the PoE and also at the point of control, including the mobility corridors that we think are quite important. Often when people think about response, and especially in this context of Ebola, many people tend to think about the hospitals, the treatment center, the isolation wards, and all that. But From what IOM has observed over time, especially in this outbreak, is that we need to think about the mobility corridor. We need to think about the mobility of the population. We need to think about other ground crossing points, the airports. the transit hubs, including also the displacement sites, because the data we have, which I'm going to share soon, shows very well that it is very important for us to look into this key area. IOM conducts what we call population mobility mapping. And often when we do that, we try to make sure that we bring in and prioritize most of the hotspots areas. And we also look into the congregation points like the markets, the bus stations, the worship areas, and including the mobility corridor, just to understand where are people coming from, where are they going? Is it an affected area? Is it not an affected area? And often when we do that, we come up with recommendations to inform the responders in terms of where they need to put most of the resources. I would want to mention here that since the outbreak started, IOM has conducted 55 million screening, and that translates to about 350,000 screenings per day. But this is in DRC and other 11 neighboring countries that IOM is directly supporting the member states to mitigate the outbreak spread to those countries. And I want to bring in also the element that we have seen up to 71 confirmed cases in the transit routes, and that include the point of control, where we include some screening points in those areas where there's informal route. And we are also seeing a number of confirmed cases at the PoE. Now, one thing that has been quite interesting, and that's why we are making our submission today, is that the formal point of entries are important, but we need also to look into the informal point of entries and the informal crossing points within point of control within the country. And in the data we have up to date, 71 cases that have been confirmed in the mobility corridor, 95% have been confirmed in the informal routes, and that shows a very significant figure. Now, the second thing that we have observed also in this ongoing outbreak is that most of the population, and as we know that the population, the community resistance is still high, most of them are using these informal routes that IOM is identifying through the mapping to move the deceased persons. And so far since the outbreak started, we have seen 258 diseased persons that have been intercepted in this informal route. So I would want to bring the attention of everyone here that it is quite important that we look into point of control and to be able to expand our scope in terms of response to make sure that we cover all the informal routes, not only concentrating in the formal ones. Now, IOM roles do not stop only at the point of entry and point of control. We also support the IDP sites, where IOM is currently supporting 67 IDP sites in DRC, and out of the 57 IDP sites, 50 already are in the health zones that is reporting outbreak. So I want to mention that in the context that we have at the moment, IOM is expanding the scope to make sure that we cover all the the important routes, as I mentioned, using the population mobility mapping, but also we're looking into the screening in the informal areas, and this is the discussion that we are currently having with a number of member states to make sure that we expand our screening into the informal areas based on the data that we're seeing, and also to strengthen surveillance and risk communication in those areas. I want to end by saying that The current financial gap that we have is 58 point, 59.8 million US dollars, and we are advocating for more resources to make sure that we expand our scope to other areas. We have developed a rapid response team that can go into the new locations. As of last week, we realized in DRC there were other new locations, health zones that were reporting an outbreak, and we have seen this expanding because because of the community resistance that we have seen, the issues of access, less funding that is available. And that's why if we look at this outbreak compared even to the outbreak in West Africa, the 2014 one, we tried to analyze the data and realize that in the last 166 days, The outbreak in DRC, the one ongoing currently, has up to 2.2 more cases than the one that was in DRC. So, for example, when you look at the deaths and you look at also the cases, the number of cases. So this outbreak is quite more intense, and we are calling upon the donors, the partners to come in so that we make sure that we reinforce the Ebola preparedness. And as we all know that this cannot stop at the point of entry alone, and we must also involve the community and make sure that the mobility corridors and other crossing points are included in the response and so that we mitigate the cross-border infection. I want to stop there, and thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Doctor. Thanks for these updates. It's important to speak about the movement. Yes, please. Go ahead.

Thank you very much. I’m Maeva Chabrier from Kyodo News.

I would like to ask you two precisions more for the numbers. First, you mentioned that you did 55 million screenings. Can I just confirm that it’s in the beginning of the outbreak, and if you could precise, like, the amount, the date? And second, you mentioned that you currently have $59.8 million. If I'm right, and you are advocating for more resources, could you precise how much? And if I may just ask one question more, we also heard that there is another cholera outbreak going on at the same time, or developing at least. Could you precise when you're making these screenings about Ebola, are you also screening other disease? Thank you very much.

Thank you. On cholera, we will hear from the very experts later on, but doctor, maybe you want to answer our colleague of Theodo News.

Yes, thank you so much for that important question. So the 55 million screenings are screenings that have been done across DRC and also the neighboring countries. And then, the 59.8 million US dollar, that is the funding gap. Our total request for multi-country preparedness and response plan, we costed it at 110 million US dollars. And right now, the funding gap is at 59.8 million dollars.

So just in case, for the screening, so you also screen cholera, or you don't, or other illnesses.

Yes. At the moment, we are doing only the Ebola screening. We are not doing the cholera screening. And maybe I don't want to get more technical on this, but you see, with the screening for cholera, it's not something can be done easily at the at the POCs, the point of control, and also at the point of entry, because it involves active sample collections. So what our team does, anyone who is unwell that is passing through the point of control or the point of entry, what we do is to refer them for secondary surveillance and at the nearest health facility for further management.

That's very clear. Thank you very much. Emma, Reuters.

Good morning, Andrew. One quick clarification, please. I didn't hear the number of deceased persons that had passed through and then had been intercepted, sorry, and then 2 broader questions. I would like an update on the Kigonze camp, where dozens of deaths were reported, and then it had to be abandoned after armed groups came in. This is the camp near Bunia. Wondering if you have any updates on the situation there. And then a case as well, and I’m wondering if IOM has any information about it. Given your role in surveillance, it was the wife of the Swiss diplomat in Nigeria who traveled to Uganda when the country was supposed to be Ebola-free. Do you have any information at all about this case and how she caught Ebola on her travels? Thank you.

All right. Thank you so much, Emma, for the good questions. So the deceased persons that have been intercepted in the point of control and point of entry are 258 since the outbreak started. Now, the Kigonsa camp, the information that we have, and I just want to clarify that IOM is not working in this camp. This camp is led by UNHCR. But the information that we had was that the camp was closed for security reasons. And this camp had 1,200 contacts by the time it was being closed. And the partners have been working so hard to make sure that the contacts are identified within the community because there's a very good system of community surveillance as well, which they're using to identify the contacts. So that's all the information I have, but we can cross-check further information with UNHCR. Now, for the Swiss diplomat, the information we have also is that the diplomat is getting treatment. The wife of the diplomat is getting treatment in Switzerland. And so far, there are 66 contacts that were listed by the government of Nigeria, and those 66 contacts are being monitored. So far, there is no confirmed case in Nigeria out of the 66 contacts. So that's information that we have. In terms of how the case got infected, that is not clear for us at the moment. Over.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Andre. I don’t see any other hands up for IOM. So before I leave, thank you very much, Dr. Andrew Mbala, for this update. But before I let Zoe go, Emma, you had asked question on Yemen. I think Zoe may have an update.

It was Olivia.

Okay, sorry. Go ahead. Ms.

Yes, thank you very much, Alessandra. So Olivia did ask from Reuters did ask a question on Yemen, and I have an answer to that now. We are still very concerned about the rapidly evolving situation in Yemen. Our rapid displacement tracking update from the 1st to the 7th of November 2026 shows displacement continuing at significant levels. We saw nearly 16,000 people – that’s 16,000 – newly displaced in just one week, bringing the number experiencing displacement at least once in 2026 to more than 343,000, with Laaj and Tays as the center of the latest movements. So still some very concerning figures there. Thank you, Alessandra.

Thank you very much. I don't know if Olivier is still online, but Emma is here, so Reuters, i think, has taken good notes of your update. Okay. So if there are no other questions for IOM, doctor, thank you very much. Thanks, Doue. And just as a heads up, I think Friday we will have a big spotlight on Ebola, so stay tuned. Thanks again, doctor. Thank you. So let me now welcome our next speakers who are coming from WHO. Christian, welcome. You've brought Dr. Lorenzo Pizzoli. who is the WHO lead for epidemic-prone bacterial diseases, to speak about cholera, and maybe we will have

Let me start.

Pardon me.

Let me start.

You start. Okay. Maybe we can also add to that.

Let me – yeah. Thank you very much, Alessandra. And as Dr. Pozoli gets seated and gets settled here, let me just connect to the what we just heard from our colleagues from IOM, just to underline how critically important these screenings are. and for especially the people to feel safe to go to these screenings, to understand the screenings at the health centers, at the crossings, wherever, as a service, where it gets picked up, whether they are unwell, sick, whether it's Ebola, cholera, as we just hear now, or any other disease, and get actually help and treatment, not to understand it as a rigid sorting out who's allowed to travel or not. That's absolutely not the point. So that's why, again, it's such an important service actually to the people at every point, and that's why travel restrictions have never been a big success, because these informal crossings will then be the ones which are being used. And if those are being monitored and people feel unsafe, then they will use the next informal crossing. So again, just to underline how important these screenings are and to catch cholera to make the transition to my colleague here.

Thank you, Christian, and thanks, everyone. So cholera. Cholera is a disease that shouldn't really exist anymore. In most high-income countries, access to water and sanitation have made this disease history. Unfortunately, as we just heard, it still hits some places in the world where it causes devastating outbreaks, and it can kill within hours. If you have ever been to a cholera treatment center in one of those affected places, you will never forget the cholera cot, which is a hospital bed with a hole in the middle and a bucket underneath. And patients arrive with diarrhea that is so severe, in some cases, that they can barely stand. They are rushed to this cholera treatment center in the cholera court. And the irony is that cholera treatment is very very simple and easy, because we're and inexpensive. We're talking about patients who are dehydrated that needs to be rehydrated as quickly as possible. When you give rehydration, in most cases it's simple oral rehydration salts. Patients recover in one or two days. And WHO still firmly thinks that ending cholera as a public health threat by 2030 is within reach. In 2025, we had, unfortunately, the highest number of deaths reported to WHO, with almost 7,900 deaths. And many of these deaths were happening not in the health centers, but in the communities before they reach health. health care. In 2026, the situation so far seems to be improving. We have 3,000 deaths so far reported until the end of September. This, of course, is 3,000 deaths too many. And nine of them are in Africa. Nine out of ten of them are in Africa, the African continent. This illness is very, it really has different effects or different outcomes depending on the context. Imagine having this diarrhea that often starts as a mild diarrhea in a place where you have access to safe water, a place where you have access to good sanitation or basic sanitation, a place where your health center is just around the corner. you will recover, and you will not progress to that dramatic state that I was describing earlier. But imagine the same mild diarrhea starting in a place where, as we heard in many other examples today, you have no access to clean water, you have no way to dispose of human waste, your village is cut off because of fragility, insecurity from the health centers, or it is probably unreachable because you have to walk days or hours or even days to have care. That mild diarrhea then progresses to what I was describing before, and the outbreaks spread in a way that is uncontrollable. This is obviously exacerbated by climate. Cholera is a climate-sensitive disease. El Niño which causes on one hand floods, facilitating the spread of cholera, and on the other hand, droughts where limiting access to safe water and sanitation is a typical example. And as we are today in the week of COP31, WHO report names water, sanitation, and hygiene as the priority for health and climate. And these are the same actions that help us to prevent and control cholera. So what does it take to eliminate cholera as a public health threat by 2030? Every death of cholera, from cholera, is preventable with the tools that exist today. Key is making them available quickly to the communities that are affected. And the work that we're doing is underway with our partners, especially the Global Task Force on Cholera Control, GTFCC. We are now working towards operationalizing the plan to the last stretch of the Roadmap to Eliminate Cholera by 2030. and focusing on very specific actions. The first one is vaccines and vaccination. In 2025, it was a big year for cholera, and we have deployed 71 million doses of vaccines. This year, the burden has been easing, and we have still deployed 31 million doses of vaccines, but this is good news because There is not anymore a big pressure on the stockpile, and we can use the vaccines that we are not deploying for outbreak response to conduct preventive vaccination, which is ultimately the best use of vaccination. Preventive vaccination have resumed in DRC, have resumed in Mozambique and in Bangladesh as we speak, and more countries will follow. We are working, as my colleague Christian was saying, on Supporting countries with the detection and the screening. The detection is the first step for control, is the first step for surveillance of this epidemic disease. If you don't detect it, you don't confirm it, you're fighting blind. And so we're supporting countries with reinforcing the laboratory capacity. We're supporting countries sending rapid diagnostic tests to get this detection as quickly as possible. Once you detect, of course, you need to save lives, you need to care, you need to provide case management and care to these patients. And we are working with our partners of the Global Task Force on Cholera Control and with our three levels of the organization to bring this care and these simple treatments to the communities that most need them. Ultimately, it's not only about responding, it's also about prevention, and we're working with countries to develop national cholera elimination plans that will ultimately help achieve the cholera elimination goal. And we call to all countries to continue developing these plans, to continue prioritizing the areas where cholera is hitting every year, every season, and as Dabbor showed, we stand with these countries and their partners to support operationalizing these plans. I'll finish with saying that in the long run, water and sanitation is what will end cholera for good. But most of the countries, or many of the countries that are affected by cholera are also hit by conflict and by disruption. So no plans will work if we don't also Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Dr. Pizzolante, for this call. Yeah, Christian Ulrich, German News Agency.

Hello. Which country is most affected? Which country needs most help from WHO? And what happened between 25 and 26, the number of cases came down so much? Thank you.

The countries that are more affected, most affected, one we just mentioned is DRC, where unfortunately we have seen an overlap, not necessarily exactly in the same places, but in the same regions, in the eastern, northern part of DRC. with the Ebola outbreak, and this is a country that is consistently reporting high number of cases. We have in the region also Zambia, who's reporting cases, and it's a significant shares a significant share of the cholera burden, Mozambique, Nigeria. And at the moment, we are seeing also a resurgent of cholera around the Red Sea. Yemen was a country that was severely affected by a cholera outbreak a few years ago, and unfortunately, that never went away, and now we're seeing a resurgence of cholera in Yemen and in the areas surrounding that country. Somalia, Djibouti, and so that's – there's a focus there as well. The Red Sea is a big hotspot, and the areas in central, eastern Africa are the ones that are currently most affected. What has changed? Well, we are working with our partners and the countries are supporting the response to these outbreaks. As I mentioned, we have deployed 71 million doses of cholera vaccines, which surely make a difference. So the collective response is definitely showing its results. But as I said, this is still not enough, and we need to work more to bring all the countries to the elimination goal, which means making sure that cholera is not a public health threat in none of those countries by 2030.

Maybe the caveat about that we’re only early in the maybe to mention the caveat that we’re early and not yet finished with the season and not to overread into this data.

Absolutely. That’s important to say. The data I presented for 2026 is up until the end of September, and indeed, These 3,000 deaths that we’re reporting will unfortunately grow, but we are – it will grow, but probably not to the levels of 2025, which was 7,900 cases, almost 8,000 cases.

Can I add one?

Yes, a follow-up.

Just one additional one: What is the definition of not a public health threat in 2030. Is it a question of numbers, or what exactly is the definition of that?

Yes. The Roadmap for Cholera Elimination sets two important goals for that. One is the reduction globally of deaths by 90 percent, and the other is Having countries that don't report cholera, 20 of our high priority countries, when we set our goal in 2017, not reporting cholera anymore. When we say eliminate cholera as a public health threat, we don't say eliminating cholera as a disease, because this is a disease that is often in the environment, and cholera cases will still occur. When we say it shouldn't be a public health threat, is when there is a cholera case, it should be identified swiftly. it should be controlled and not spreading further in those devastating outbreaks that I was describing at the beginning of my intervention.

Ms. Thank you very much, Dr. Gutschorl. Any other question to WHO? Don't see any. Oh, yes, Emma.

It's on a different topic.

Ms. Yeah, I think you can go ahead, because there's no other hand up, so go ahead, please.

Christian, it's on Gaza. You no doubt saw the reports of the floods in recent days. I'm wondering if you've also seen a spike in waterborne diseases in Gaza as a result of this flooding, and your concerns about the spread of maybe cholera, but other diseases at this time. Thank you.

Okay, thank you very much, Emma. Um, we're looking into having a more detailed briefing next week, so for that purpose, especially on the winterization and what this is bringing with it. Um, but yes, a quick overview, as you also have as a in a summary in the recent uh, disease outbreak news, which is dated 6th November, that's just a few days ago. So, yes, exactly the ones you're mentioning. So the health partners continue to report significant communicable disease risks amid overcrowding, the displacement, the poor sanitation, the recent flooding, the constraints in water and health services. Between 18 and 25 October, so that's already more than a week old data, communicable diseases accounted for 18% of medical consultations. reported by the health cluster partners. Acute respiratory infections were 60% of these reported ones, skin diseases, acute water diarrhea, and the acute water diarrhea accounts for 18%. So an increase in the viable and the probable viral and bacterial meningitis cases has also been observed since September, primarily in the Gaza governorate. And maybe on the context of winterization, just a few words. This is obviously of high priority, and it's a serious concern, an increasing concern. More than 950,000 people are estimated to live in 989 displacement sites at medium or high flood risk, including more than 400,000 people in 451 high-risk sites. So nearly a million people in nearly 1,000 displacement sites at medium or high flood, and 400,000 at more than 400 sites of high risk.

You want to add something?

Just about cholera. Just a correction, because I mentioned Mozambique as one of the highly affected countries. That was my mistake. The most – I just checked our data. The most affected countries are DRC, Yemen, as I was saying, Zambia. And then Nigeria is also a country that at the moment is reporting a high burden, so correction on Mozambique should have not been in that list at the moment.

Ms. Thank you very much. And speaking on Gaza, I’d just like to call your attention to the declaration that was made yesterday by the Deputy Special Coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov. He said, “While the rain is natural, people’s vulnerabilities is human-made.” He described the situation in the Gaza Strip, especially after this flooding, and he called for the urgent lifting of all unnecessary restrictions and delays, including those preventing humanitarian organizations from bringing into Gaza enough vacuum trucks, mobile dewatering pumps, heavy machinery, engine oil, spare parts, tents, tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, blankets, and winter closings. And he called for urgent humanitarian funding without which the humanitarian community will simply not be able to purchase enough supplies. And I think, James, you have an update also on the situation of children in Gaza.

Emma, just to your question, Firstly, it's very important to know how bad things are in Gaza. It's not yet winter. We're not in winter. We're weeks away from winter. So we are way, uh, we are, we are getting unprecedented rain and cold. But, uh, I think very relevant to your question, um, in terms of why the risk of cholera is so heightened and so utterly avoidable. Let me read precisely on Sheikh Radwan, if you're familiar with it. So the Sheikh Radwan stormwater lagoon and pumping station was designed to collect surface drainage and rainwater and pump it out to sea and stop flooding in Gaza City. It's huge and it's critically important, but severely, severely damaged by attacks during the war on that pumping station facility. Now, only two of the six pumps are working and so rainwater that collects here is heavily, heavily contaminated with sewage. It's a result of the damage and the destruction on that sewage and sanitation network. Right now, despite some progress with sewage repairs, Today, the basin is filled with contaminated water and is absolutely at high risk of overflowing. The first heavy rains of winter have, as expected, well, first heavy rains pre-winter have, as expected, only heightened the risk as the water gathers much faster than it can be pumped out. Any overflow would cause a serious public health crisis, particularly impacting children who are highly vulnerable to those waterborne diseases. Here's the kicker. That's why for more than a year, More than a year, UNICEF's been advocating for the repair of the facility and the restoration of critical water and sanitation systems across Gaza. The good news: we've been engaging for a year with Kogat, and at the request of Kogat and the Board of Peace, to develop plans and technical details to recover emergency operations of that stormwater pumping station. Fantastic. Plans are drawn, money's raised, equipment is ready. We've worked with their engineers. But just recently, Kogat rejected the project. Old argument: can't bring in the equipment needed on security grounds. Meanwhile, the basin fills up, sewage seeps into the ground and flows into the sea, affecting communities for hundreds of kilometers around. So toxic sewage could flow into the streets and tents of Gaza City, forcing children and families from their makeshift homes once more, and grossly increasing the threat of disease. We're a bit baffled. Let's do the rehabilitation before this becomes another entirely preventable killer of girls and boys in Gaza.

And speaking of whom, OCHA said that they had received reports of an infant who drowned in the flooding and of three children and at least one woman who were killed when a sand dune collapsed onto their tents. Thousands of families have lost their shelters and belongings. It's really a dire situation. Thank you very much for coming in, James, and tell us about this project. And thanks to Dr. Pizzoli and Christian for the update on cholera. And as we said, we will speak more about Gaza. We will speak more also about Ebola on Friday. So thanks again. Thomas.

Next one.

Thank you very much. So, Thomas, you have – you wanted to tell us about the UN Water Convention just before – one month before the conference itself.

Thank you, Alessandra. Yes, that’s right. Indeed, in one month, governments and international partners will convene for the landmark 2026 UN Water Conference. co-hosted by UAE and Senegal, and held in Abu Dhabi. That’s on the 8th and the 10th of December. Faced with the growing water crisis and as climate change impacts intensify, the governments of Finland and Zambia have launched the 100 Parties Initiative, calling for countries to strengthen cross-border water cooperation by joining and implementing the UN Water Convention. This United Nations treaty as you know by now, but as a reminder, is open to all United Nations member states and provides governments with a clear legal framework for water cooperation, setting out responsibilities and obligations for the sustainable and equitable management of shared waters. With 62 parties worldwide, following the accession of Mauritania just a few weeks ago, momentum is building fast for the UN Water Convention's expansion. The need for cooperation is clear. Transboundary rivers, lakes, and groundwater are shared by 153 countries worldwide. This accounts for over 60% of freshwater flow. Yet less than a third of these countries have operational arrangements in place covering 90% or more of their shared basins. In this context, reinforcing water cooperation offers a foundation to strengthen peace, security, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development more broadly. So in response to these challenges, Finland and Zambia, as co-chairs of the UN Water Conference's interactive dialogue on water for cooperation, have launched the 100 Parties Initiative, aiming to reach 100 parties worldwide to the UN Water Convention by 2030. This initiative is expected to be among the main practical outcomes of the UN Water Conference. Reaching 100 parties by 2030 would send a strong signal of countries' commitment to cooperating over shared waters to strengthen regional stability, climate resilience, water and food security, and peace between neighbors. Joining this international legal framework and intergovernmental platform gives countries the tools and support to turn this into action. I just want to leave you with a couple of facts on water challenges, and we've heard earlier about the health dimensions of the water crisis, especially in the context of climate change from our colleagues in WHO. More than 2 billion people worldwide live in countries under water stress. and 3.6 billion face inadequate access to water at least one month per year. Water-related disasters account for 70% of all disaster-related deaths. Momentum for water cooperation, as you have heard, is growing rapidly as a means to address the complex water crisis. Building on 30 years of successful cooperation in the pan-European region, 21 countries have joined the UN Water Convention to support this cooperation since it opened for accession to all UN member states in 2016. This includes 17 states from Africa, where over 90% of freshwater is in shared basins. This is in addition to states in South Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Thank you. And we, of course, remain available to support you and your colleagues who will be attending the conference in Abu Dhabi.

Thank you very much, Thomas. And just to add that we have sent you quite a few information on the water conference of interest to the press. As Thomas has said, we will, of course, support the participation of media. There will be the SDG Media Zone broadcasting live from the Emirates and spotlighting the conference themes and exploring crucial cross-cutting issues, including AI, gender equality, and agriculture. We’ve also launched – ahead of the conference, we’ve also launched a new challenge on the Act Now campaign of the UN that I’m sure you know well. This challenge is to log 500,000 actions in support of water and the environment. So you can have a look at this and help us spread the word to empower people to take #WaterAction and help advance the SDGs, and we will also publish a Lazy Person's Guide to Saving Waters. You have all this information in your mailboxes. Is there any question to Thomas or on the water conference? We will also put you the name of the colleague in New York who’s able to answer your questions on our side. I don’t see any hands up. So thank you very much, Thomas. But before we leave the environment thing, environment subject, let me just remind you that the Secretary General is participating in the COP 31. He has arrived yesterday in Turkey – in Türkiye, in Antalya, where the conference is taking place until the 20th of November. So the Secretary General will be speaking tomorrow at the opening of the leaders’ segment of the COP 31, and during the week he will be meeting with leaders attending the conference. Today, he has addressed just now an event at the COP presidency on the roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, and we have sent you the statement which has just been read. The key messages from this speech are that transitioning away from fossil fuels is essential to achieving the 1.5 degrees goal and ensuring energy security. The Middle East crisis exposes the economic cost of fossil fuel dependence. Clean energy is the only lasting solution, as said the Secretary General. Countries need concrete national roadmaps backed by finance, technology, and international cooperation. Producers and consumers must work together to manage the transition and avoid economic disruption. And of course, the UN stands ready to support countries in turning commitments into action. And the Secretary General is concluding by saying, it's long past time to stop treating the transition away from fossil fuels as taboo or intractable. Now, here at the COP31, 31st, we must move from discussing the transition to organizing it, financing it, and delivering it. And the Secretary General today, he will have a bilateral meeting with the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. So that is what I wanted to tell you before we leave the climate, the environment issue. No question on this to me or to Thomas. So let's let me finish with a few other announcements. Thank you, Thomas. Thank you very much. So on the human rights committees, the next public meeting of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights will take place next Friday at 5:30. The committee will close its 80th session and issue its final observation on the reports submitted by Eswatini, Pakistan, Mexico, and Austria. I have been asked by our colleagues of ITU to read you this announcement. The Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 of the International Telecommunications Union opened Monday in Doha, Qatar. ITU's highest decision-making body will run through 27th of November. David told us about it last week. Elections for the ITU's five senior leadership positions are scheduled to take place from Thursday, 12th to Friday, 13th November. These include the election for Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, and Directors of the Bureau of Radio Communication, Standardization, and Development. On Monday, 16 November, elections are scheduled for the 48-member ITU of ITU Council and the 12-member Radio Regulations Board. And as you know, the ITU media team, which is in Doha, is reachable at pressinfo@itu.int. Don't hesitate if you need more information on the conference. I also wanted to remind you of the panel on Investing in Sports for a Healthier Future that will be held tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM at the CICG in the context of the World Investment Conference. This panel will look at the issues related to investing. in football in particular, in sports and in football in particular. And for us, I'll be there participating in the panel. It will be an occasion for us to spotlight the UN initiative Football for the Goals that mobilizes the global football community to advance the SDGs through advocacy, community engagement, and measurable actions. And if you want more information on that, let me know, and of course, you are more than welcome. Last but definitely not least, I’d like to remind you that you’ve just received – I think it’s been distributed this morning – the media advisory for the seventh review conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. that’s going to take place at the same dates of the chemical conference that we have spoken about this morning, that is 16th to 20th of November, but it will be here at the Palais, and the presidency will be carried out by Ambassador Julian Turney of Switzerland. We have been speaking a lot about this conference because, especially in connection with the possibility of the fact that they will be speaking a lot about lethal autonomous weapon systems, because the conference will consider the outcome of the group of governmental experts that was established under the convention in 2016 to address these weapon systems and decide on the future work of this issue under the convention. There will be a press conference. at the given by Izumi Nakamitsu, the Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. The press conference will take place here in this press room on Wednesday at 9:00 AM, so Wednesday, 18th November, two days into the conference. And of course, the meetings will be webcast by UNTV Geneva. If you are looking for more resources, there are links in the media advisory, and the accredited media to the Palais, of course, are welcome to cover the events. They – for you, for those who have the registration – the accreditation of UNOG, the permit accreditation to UNOG, there’s no need to register for an additional badge. The others will have to register on the link indicated to the – into the media advisory. And I think this is all I had to ask you. Yes, to tell you. Yes. That's correct.

But the press conference is on the 18th? Ms.

That's correct. Yeah. The Wednesday. Yeah.

And is there any planning for a concluding press conference?

Ms. Not for the moment. There might be coming afterwards. And if you want more information, if you want interviews, or if you want to talk to experts, it's a very complex subject. So when we have spoken with our colleagues We have also considered the possibility of having them giving you some briefings beforehand, but in fact, I think they will be coming to the briefing next Friday to tell you a little bit more about the conference. But also if you need any background information, they are available, so just contact us and we will put you in contact with the colleagues at ODA. But the press conference is scheduled for the Wednesday, yes.

So you are putting us in contact with who exactly?

Ms. The colleagues of the Office of Disarmament Affairs who are serving as secretariat to the conference. Okay. Any other question to me? I don't see any, so thank you very much. I'll see you on Friday, and as I said, we will probably speak quite a lot about Ebola on Friday. And you’ll have more Thursday afternoon, because now I’ve heard you’re very happy with our heads up, so we will give you more information on Thursday afternoon on the Friday briefing. Thank you very much. Bon appetit, and I’ll see you on Friday. Thanks.