Wednesday, February 26, 2020

COVID-19: More new virus cases outside China than in, ‘no time for complacency’, says UN health agency


Man Yi
A messenger leaves packages at an outdoor drop-off location as he is not allowed to enter buildings during the coronavirus outbreak in China.
    
26 February 2020
Health
The number of new COVID-19, or coronavirus, infections outside China has outpaced those inside the country for the first time, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The sudden increases of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing in Geneva on Wednesday.
He stated that there are now cases linked to Iran in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman and to Italy in Algeria, Austria, Croatia, Germany, Spain and Switzerland.
“Yesterday, a joint team between WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control arrived in Rome to review the public health measures that have been put in place and provide technical support”, he informed, saying that over the weekend a
WHO team will travel to Iran to provide support.
One of the biggest challenges the UN health agency faces is that too many affected countries are still not sharing data with WHO.
“WHO cannot provide appropriate public health guidance without disaggregated data and detailed line lists”, said Mr. Ghebreyesus. “We’re communicating with ministers directly, there is some improvement, and we urge all countries to share this data with WHO immediately”. 

Not a pandemic

The increase in cases outside China has prompted some media and politicians to push for a pandemic to be declared. 
“We should not be too eager to declare a pandemic without a careful and clear-minded analysis of the facts”, he maintained, reminding that WHO has already declared it highest level of alarm: a public health emergency of international concern.
“Using the word pandemic carelessly has no tangible benefit, but it does have significant risk in terms of amplifying unnecessary and unjustified fear and stigma, and paralyzing systems”, he explained. “It may also signal that we can no longer contain the virus, which is not true”. 
The head of WHO maintained that the fight can be won “if we do the right things”. 
While affirming that “we will not hesitate to use the word pandemic if it is an accurate description of the situation”, Mr. Ghebreyesus said that WHO is monitoring the epidemic around the clock and engaging internal and experts on this issue and has witnessed “no sustained and intensive community transmission” of this virus, nor “large-scale severe disease or death”.

Prepare for the worst

China has fewer than 80,000 cases in a population of 1.4 billion people. In the rest of the world, there are 2,790 cases, in a population of 6.3 billion.
“Do not mistake me”, he said, “I am not downplaying the seriousness of the situation, or the potential for this to become a pandemic…every scenario is still on the table”.
The WHO chief spelled out: “The primary objective of all countries with cases must be to contain the virus”, and “all countries, whether they have cases or not, must prepare for a potential pandemic”.
Every country needs to be ready to detect cases early, to isolate patients, trace contacts, provide quality clinical care, prevent hospital outbreaks, and prevent community transmission. And WHO is providing tools to prepare, accordingly.
 
“This is no time for complacency”, he underscored. “This is a time for continued vigilance”.

WHO-China joint mission

As of Wednesday morning, China had reported 78,190 cases to WHO, including 2,718 deaths and reported only 10 new cases outside of Hubei province.
The results of a WHO-China joint mission to assess the rapidly evolving epidemic revealed a range of findings about the transmissibility of the virus, the severity of disease and the impact of the measures taken.

Three priorities

All countries must prioritize protecting health workers.
Communities must safeguard their most at-risk people, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.
 Vulnerable countries must be protected by containing epidemics in countries with the capacity to do so.

posted by Sunny @ February 26, 2020   0 Comments

Friday, February 14, 2020

Amidst protection challenges, Eastern Route outpaces Mediterranean for people leaving Africa


IOM
A Somali woman arrives in Yemen.
    
14 February 2020
Migrants and Refugees
A monthly average of 11,500 people traveling from the Horn of Africa to Yemen last year made the so-called Eastern Route the busiest maritime migration path on earth, the UN migration agency said on Friday. 
Most are unaware of the security situation in Yemen where they face serious protection concerns, including active fighting, or abuses such as kidnapping, torture for ransom, exploitation and trafficking.  
“While tragedies along the Mediterranean routes are well reported, our staff bear witness daily to the abuse suffered by young people from the Horn of Africa at the hands of smugglers and traffickers exploiting  their hopes for a better life,” said Mohammed Abdiker, International Organization for Migration  (IOM) Regional Director for the East and Horn of Africa. 

Eastern route spike

After five years of conflict in Yemen, the Eastern Route has spiked as travelers appear undeterred by the Gulf’s strict immigration policies for undocumented migrants.  
Data collected by IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix revealed that over 138,000 people crossed the Gulf of Aden to Yemen last year, as compared to the more than 110,000 migrants and refugees who crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Europe during that same period.  
And this is the second year in a row that the Eastern Route reported more crossings than the Mediterranean. In 2018, roughly 150,000 people made the journey. 
“To get to Yemen, they crammed about 280 of us into one boat,” a thirty-two-year-old Ethiopian man told IOM in Aden, Yemen. “There was no oxygen, and some people committed suicide by throwing themselves into the sea.”  
An eighteen-year-old Ethiopian migrant said: “We were beaten, tortured, abused and threatened for ransom. My family sent $900 to save my life so I was released.”  

Perilous journey

Those making the perilous journey – crossing deserts and territories controlled by armed groups, with little food or water – either travel in search of economic opportunities or are fleeing insecurity, human rights abuses and adverse living conditions. 
Approximately 92 per cent of those who disembarked in Yemen were Ethiopian nationals, the vast majority of whom aimed to continue to Saudi Arabia.  
Smugglers and traffickers also operate boats from Obock in Djibouti and Bosasso in Somalia. Last year, 38 per cent of migrants arrived from Djibouti and 62 per cent from Somalia. 
The journeys from their home to Saudi Arabia can take months or even longer, depending on whether they stop to work or are detained along the way. 
While IOM works across the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Gulf to provide life-saving emergency support to migrants in need and support development in home communities, the agency maintains that legal pathways for migration are “the most effective protection mechanism for migrants”.
“IOM is committed to supporting all authorities along the Eastern route to better manage migration, ensuring the safety and dignity of migrants”, underscored Mr. Abdiker.
Courtesy:UN News

 

posted by Sunny @ February 14, 2020   0 Comments

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Year-old peace agreement must be implemented for ‘lasting peace’ in Central African Republic


MINUSCA
A busy market scene in the Central African Republic.
    
13 February 2020
Peace and Security
Following a visit to the Central African Republic, a UN independent expert said that everyone must take all measures necessary to effectively implement the peace agreement that was signed in Bangui a year ago.
“The first anniversary of the Khartoum Peace Agreement, celebrated on 6 February, provided an opportunity for all parties to review its implementation, which will lead to a lasting peace”, Yao Agbetse, Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic, said on Thursday.
In pointing out that the agreement allowed armed groups to join the Government, he said it is considered “a symbol of the unification of the Republic”.
“But”, he maintained, “for the agreement to be effective, all parties must sincerely implement its provisions, and justice measures must be taken”.

Minding the security situation

During his visit, Mr. Agbetse took note of ongoing reform of the security sector as well as the beginning of the Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Repatriation (DDRR) process whereby weapons are physically removed from ex-belligerents, armed groups are disbanded, and former combatants are reintegrated into civilian society.
He urged all involved to mobilize the necessary technical and financial resources to implement the nationwide process as early as possible.
Despite the steps already taken to improve the security situation, much remains to be done to prevent a resurgence of violence, keep young people at home, support the peace process, and punish Peace Agreement violations, according to the UN expert.
He observed that despite laudable efforts by local actors, school closures, especially in the countryside, forces children out of the education system, making them vulnerable to human trafficking and recruitment by armed groups.

Transitional justice

Mr. Agbetse called on the National Assembly to promptly adopt several bills required by the Agreement, including on freedom of communication and the creation of a Truth, Justice, Reparation and Reconciliation Commission.
Swift and substantial assistance from international partners is essential – UN expert
Upon being informed of the establishment of transitional justice institutions, he underscored the importance that they be “provided with appropriate resources to carry out their mission”.
“Swift and substantial assistance from international partners is essential,” he said.
He upheld that the international community continue to support the organization of presidential elections within the constitutional time frame, saying “all actors, including political parties and the media, must refrain from any hate speech and avoid inciting hatred”.
“Necessary action for a peaceful election must be taken now," concluded the UN expert.
Mr. Agbetse will present his findings to the UN Human Rights Council during a high-level interactive dialogue scheduled for 18 March.
Independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
Courtesy:UN News

posted by Sunny @ February 13, 2020   0 Comments

Foreign fighters: ‘One of the most serious dimensions’ in global counter-terrorism struggle



UNOCT
Vladimir Voronkov (2nd left), Under-Secretary-General of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, addresses the regional conference in Vienna on challenges posed by foreign terrorist fighters.
    

12 February 2020
Peace and Security
Over the past few years, ISIL and Al-Qaida terrorist fighters have posed an “unprecedented threat to international peace and security”, the UN counter-terrorism chief said on Wednesday in Vienna, at the close of a joint UN- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) regional conference on addressing challenges posed by terrorists who have gone to fight overseas. 
Under-Secretary-General of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, recalled that last week he presented to the Security Council the Secretary-General’s report on the continuing threat posed by ISIL.
“ISIL is resurgent as a covert network in Iraq and Syria”, he said. “Thousands of foreign terrorist fighters remain at large, posing a threat to Iraq, Syria, and the countries they might return or relocate to”. 



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Key conclusions 

Mr. Voronkov stressed that all sessions of the conference underlined the need to further strengthen international, regional and bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation – with many participants highlighting the centrality of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
He highlighted that the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) for implementing the Strategy in Central Asia “could serve as a model for collaboration in other regions”. 
“We are also working closely with the Arab Interior Ministers Council to strengthen Arab countries’ measures to effectively counter terrorism”, using JPOA as a model, he said.
According to the Counter-Terrorism chief, participants stressed the urgent need for gender and age-sensitive programmes to assist children linked with terrorist groups.
As thousands of children remain trapped in Syria and Iraq, facing a multitude of challenges, including rejection and life-long stigmatization, Mr. Voronkov stressed that Member States have “the primary responsibility to address the plight of their nationals, including children trapped in conflict zones”. 
“Children should always be seen as victims and efforts to address their plight should be based on the best interest of the child”, he spelled out.

Disrupt terrorist travels

The need to prevent, detect and disrupt the travel of foreign terrorist fighters, in accordance with international law, was front and centre during discussions as well, drawing attention to the importance of enhancing Member States’ capacities to do so.
“Both the OSCE and the UN are helping countries adopt and use Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record data systems”, he informed those gathered, calling the UN Countering Terrorist Travel Programme “a flagship demonstration” of how the UN system, together with international policing organization INTERPOL and others, are “working as one” to provide tailored, impactful assistance to Member States.
Noting that “the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters is one of the most serious dimensions of the terrorist threat”, Mr. Voronkov concluded by urging Member States to continue working together, through the UN and other platforms, “not only to protect people on their own territory, but extend solidarity and assistance beyond their borders”.

 

posted by Sunny @ February 13, 2020   0 Comments