MBN: The Monte Bubbles Network

 May 7

 

 

UN RIGHTS EXPERT VOICES CONCERN ABOUT PRESS FREEDOM IN AZERBAIJAN New York, May 7 2007 12:00AM An independent United Nations human rights expert has voiced concern about press freedom in Azerbaijan while reporting that his recent meetings there offered hope that court decisions which have caused a prevailing sense of fear among journalists will be reviewed. "While the Government and State institutions have expressed a willingness to conduct a more open dialogue with media representatives and international organizations, the media environment is marked by various deficiencies," said Ambeyi Ligabo, the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression, in a statement released in Geneva. He noted that his information indicated the defamation legislation "in not in line with the increasing trend towards decriminalization of related offences, and courts tend to be particularly severe in judging media professionals." During his visit to Azerbaijan in late April, Mr. Ligabo met with President Ilham Aliyev, senior State and government officials, as well as representatives of the media, trade unions and members of the civil society. He also held an exchange of views with members of the diplomatic corps and senior officials of international organizations. He noted that journalists and other media professionals have sometimes been victims of repression, including violence and persecution by some law enforcement officials, and spotlighted the need for measures to create favorable economic conditions "in which the rights to freedom of expression and information can be fully enjoyed." At the same time, Mr. Ligabo said he was encouraged by his official meetings and voiced hope that measures will be taken to review national policies and several courts decisions "which have created a widespread sense of fear and censorship among journalists thus diminishing their editorial freedom." The expert, who acts in an independent personal capacity, will report his findings to the UN Human Rights Council. 2007-05-06 00:00:00.000

 

AMID GROWING CONCERN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, BAN KI-MOON URGES PREVENTIVE ACTION New York, May 7 2007 11:00AM Amid growing global concern about climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged experts meeting in Geneva to address the need for warning systems to mitigate the damage from extreme weather. “At no other time in history have there been so many expectations from the sciences of meteorology and hydrology,” Mr. Ban said in message to the 15th World Meteorological Congress meeting in Geneva. “I urge you to continue your efforts to promote enhanced applications of science and technology, including the use of climate and weather information, and to improve predictions and early warnings on impending weather and climate hazards,” he said. Mr. Ban said the session, which “takes place at a time of unprecedented public awareness of the importance of weather, climate and water and their relation to sustainable development.” He praised the World Meteorological Organization for its work in promoting sustainable development and for its “important role in promoting scientific understanding of the global climate at a time when climate change is rising on the international agenda.” The WMO is a UN specialized agency dealing with the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources. 2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

 

May 4

UN AGENCY LAUNCHES REPATRIATION FOR CONGOLESE REFUGEES RETURNING FROM ZAMBIA New York, May 4 2007 12:00PM As some areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) recover from devastating civil war, the United Nations refugee agency has started to assist the return of Congolese who fled to Zambia, with the first group of 400 starting the long trek yesterday, the agency announced today. “Yesterday, Thursday, we launched a three-year voluntary repatriation programme to help Congolese refugees in Zambia return home to the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” Jennifer Pagonis, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said at a press briefing in Geneva. Ms. Pagonis said that there were approximately 61,000 Congolese in Zambia, and UNHCR, with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Governments concerned, hoped to help 20,000 of those return in 2007. The initial convoy, carrying 414 refugees, drove 400 kilometres from Mwange Refugee Camp in the north of Zambia to the Zambian port of Mpulungu where they spent the night, Ms. Pagonis said. This evening, the refugees are scheduled to board the a chartered ferry and sail some 380 kilometres along Lake Tanganyika to dock at Kalemie in the Congo's Katanga province on Saturday morning. At today’s briefing, Ms. Pagonis made it clear that refugees will only be transported to areas that meet the conditions set by UNHCR. They must be accessible by road, landmines must be cleared and basic services – schools, health clinics and potable water – must be available. In areas of DRC not yet suitable for repatriation, UNHCR is working with the government and other partners to prepare them for returns, she said. Returnees will spend the first days back in the DRC in a reception centre where they will get mine awareness training, HIV/AIDS information and any necessary medical assistance. Before leaving for their home areas, refugees are given food rations, blankets, soap, kitchen items, buckets and a construction kit to assist in rebuilding homes. Later in the year, they will get seeds and farming tools to help them become self-sufficient. With support from the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC), the country last year held landmark presidential and parliamentary elections, the first in more than four decades. Since 2004, some 103,000 Congolese refugees have returned home, but nearly 340,000 remain in neighbouring countries. 2007-05-04 00:00:00.000

 

BAN KI-MOON HAILS NEW UN-BACKED URBAN TRAINING CENTRE IN CHINA New York, May 4 2007 11:00AM As the damage from climate change grows increasingly apparent, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised a new centre in China working to address the environmental impact of large cities. “With this new Centre, Gangwon Province and UN-HABITAT (UN Human Settlements Programme) are joining forces in the cause of sustainable urban development,” Mr. Ban said in a video message for the International Urban Training Centre in Gangwon Province. Pointing to the “increasingly visible” impacts of climate change, he said, “Your mission has never been more important.” Mr. Ban pointed out that while cities are engines of economic growth and cultural innovation, “they also contribute significantly to environmental degradation, through their enormous needs for energy, water and land.” He stressed that in this light, cities must foster better transport systems, better building technologies, better energy use and better urban planning. “The United Nations family is fully committed to this cause -- especially through the work of UN-HABITAT and the United Nations Environment Programme,” he said. “This Centre has a key role to play, by training policymakers, municipal workers, the private sector and civil society.” 2007-05-04 00:00:00.000

BAN KI-MOON SAYS GOOD WORDS ON IRAQ MUST TRANSLATE INTO GOOD DEEDS New York, May 4 2007 11:00AM Expressions of regional and international support for Iraq must be translated into sustained and concrete actions or the violence-wracked country may never know any peace, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told foreign ministers taking part in the international meeting on Iraq this week. “It is precisely because of the difficulty and the daily onslaught of violence that committed collaboration is required,” Mr. Ban said in his address to the foreign ministers, who have gathered in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, for a series of talks and discussions and to help launch the International Compact for Iraq, a five-year plan for peace and development. “I urge you all to do your part in denouncing sectarian violence, strengthening bilateral exchange in the region, and encouraging national dialogue within Iraq.” He called on the ministers – from Iraq’s neighbours, the Security Council’s permanent members and other stakeholder countries – to make sure that the commitments and decisions made and relationships developed this week are backed “by proper follow-up mechanisms.” Yesterday in Sharm-el-Sheikh, world leaders pledged about $30 billion in specific financial commitments to help the Iraqi Government try to implement the Compact. “Now the implementation of the Compact and its component parts will commence in earnest, including the political and security elements,” Mr. Ban said. “This offers an important arena to promote visible, tangible progress.” The Secretary-General warned that the situation across the Middle East, and not just Iraq, was “complex and precarious,” with deep mistrust and political stalemate constraining peace in several countries. “More than ever, our words need to be translated into sustained, concrete progress. Regional and international cooperation in support of Iraq must be one of our top priorities. Without it, the reach of the violence may know no boundaries, and the people of Iraq may know no peace.” Last month in Geneva, the UN held an international conference to mobilize financial aid and other forms of support to help with the immediate needs of the rapidly swelling population of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). In the last year alone, an estimated 750,000 people have fled their homes, taking the number of refugees and IDPs to almost 4 million. Today Mr. Ban reiterated his pledge to have the UN do more for the country, especially in areas “where the Organization has a comparative advantage, such as political facilitation and humanitarian assistance.” He also stressed that stability and security in Iraq will not be obtained through only military means. “Instead, it requires genuine and concerted efforts to promote national reconciliation, reduce sectarian tension, and strengthen national unity from the mountains of Kurdistan to Baghdad and the lands of the two great rivers [Tigris and Euphrates] down to Basra and the marshes in the south.”

 

May 3 

 

BAN KI-MOON VOICES CONCERN OVER IMPASSE IN ETHIOPIA-ERITREA PEACE PROCESS New York, May 2 2007 6:00PM In a new report made public today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern for the stalemate in the dialogue between Ethiopia and Eritrea, calling for a comprehensive implementation of the Algiers Agreements in 2000 which ended the bloody war between the two East African countries. “This impasse continues to be serious source of instability for the two countries, as well as for the wider region,” Mr. Ban said in the report, which covers the period between 21 December 2006 and 31 March 2007. “The situation between the two parties remains unpredictable.” He also said that he is disturbed by the growing tension between the two countries, and urged both sides to cease making inflammatory public statements and also to withdraw their troops from both within and around the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) along the border between the two countries. “Any efforts to improve relations between the parties can be successful only if they demonstrate the political will necessary to overcome the present stalemate,” he said. Additionally, both sides’ “involvement in other complex regional crises” is fuelling tensions, he stated. “The United Nations, and I personally, stand ready to assist the parties in their efforts to achieve the full implementation of the Algiers Agreements,” Mr. Ban said. He announced his intention to continue efforts to persuade both sides to resume negotiations, as well as to consult with other regional and international partners to push the process further along. He is also considering appointing a new Special Representative to head the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, known as UNMEE. Ethiopia has not accepted the binding border delineated in 2002 by the Boundary Commission which awarded Badme, the town that triggered the fierce fighting, to Eritrea, but in his report, the Secretary-General said he was encouraged by the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s recent statements that his Government has accepted the decisions. “However, Ethiopia’s position regarding cooperation with the Boundary Commission in the implementation of the Decision remains a major factor of the current impasse,” he said. Meanwhile, Eritrea is in serious violation of pacts such as the Algiers Agreements and Security Council resolutions due to the ongoing and restrictions the Government has imposed upon UNMEE, he said. “These restrictions have further reduced the monitoring capability of the Mission inside the Temporary Security Zone and have impacted very negatively on its capacity to perform its mandated tasks,” Mr. Ban wrote, pointing out that UNMEE was originally deployed at the invitation of both parties. He added that despite the scaling-back of UNMEE’s military component and the restrictions that it has faced since 2005, the mission “continues to play an important role in encouraging restraint between the parties, and sustaining international commitment to the Algiers Agreements and the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission Delimitation Decision.” Mr. Ban urged both countries to fully cooperate with UNMEE and the Boundary Commission. 2007-05-02 00:00:00.000

 

KOSOVO’S COMMUNITIES REMAIN FAR APART, SAYS HEAD OF UN FACT-FINDING GROUP New York, May 2 2007 6:00PM Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian and Serbian communities continue to lead largely separate existences and have very different outlooks on the future, which means creating an integrated, multi-ethnic society in the province will require “substantial effort,” the head of a Security Council fact-finding mission said today. Briefing the Council on the mission’s six-day trip to Pristina, Belgrade, Brussels and Vienna, Ambassador Johan Verbeke of Belgium said the positions of the two communities on the settlement proposal for Kosovo also remained far apart. The leadership of the Kosovo Albanian community backed the report issued in March by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the future status process Martti Ahtisaari, who said the only viable option for the Serbian province – which the United Nations has administered since 1999 after Yugoslav troops were driven out amid fierce fighting – was a phased process of independence. But the leaders of the Kosovo Serb community, as well as the mission’s interlocutors in Belgrade, remained opposed to independence and wanted further negotiations on the long-term future of Kosovo. Mr. Verbeke said this division was reflected in the communities’ outlook, with Kosovo Albanians optimistic about what it holds and Kosovo Serbs concerned that their rights will not be sufficiently protected. Although the fact-finding mission was impressed with the expressed commitment of Kosovo’s political figures towards creating a more genuinely multi-ethnic society, he said the divisions between communities meant it would still require “substantial effort.” Mr. Verbeke stressed that the mission had been very useful in providing participants with a first-hand perspective of the situation inside Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other groups by about nine to one. 2007-05-02 00:00:00.000

 

LIBERIA: UN HANDS OVER CONTROL OF DIAMOND CERTIFICATION OFFICE TO GOVERNMENT New York, May 2 2007 6:00PM Less than a week after the Security Council lifted its sanctions on the export of “blood diamonds” from Liberia, the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the West African country today handed over a regional diamond certification office to the Government. At a ceremony in Tubmanburg, about 50 kilometres west of the capital Monrovia, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) chief Alan Doss transferred control of the regional office to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. In Monrovia, the Government Diamond Office at the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy was also dedicated today. “These events mark another major milestone in Liberia’s turn away from violence and conflict and its return to the community of law-abiding States,” Mr. Doss said, adding that he hoped the handover in Tubmanburg would help to revitalize the country’s legal diamond industry. On Friday the Council lifted its six-year-old embargo on the export of diamonds from Liberia that was introduced to stop proceeds from the sale of these so-called “blood diamonds” from fuelling wars across West Africa. Council members agreed that Liberia has made enough progress towards establishing the necessary internal controls to satisfy the minimum requirements of the Kimberley Process to justify ending the embargo. But the 15-member body also agreed to review its decision to lift the embargo within 90 days. 2007-05-02 00:00:00.000

 

UN COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION SUPPORTS USE OF DIVERSE MEDIA FOR OUTREACH New York, May 2 2007 7:00PM Representatives of United Nations Member States today urged the world body to keep using a wide array of media and languages to deliver its message of peace, development and rights to the peoples of the world, as the UN Committee on Information continued its 2007 debate at UN Headquarters in New York. "We would like to record our appreciation for the diversity of these activities that have developmental, cultural, and socio-economic impacts," Egypt's representative Amr Kamal Eldin Elsherbini told the session, which opened on Monday with remarks from Committee Chairman Rudolf Christen of Switzerland urging the Organization to use its new technologies to broadcast a clear and coherent message under the new leadership of Under-Secretary-General Kiyotaka Akasaka. Ambassador Ajai Malhotra of India stressed that the "widest possible spectrum" of technologies be utilized for that purpose, from webcasts and podcasts to more traditional forms such as radio and print. "Many countries simultaneously straddle several centuries in technological terms, and it is vital that the product presented by DPI is disseminated through a wide menu of media channels," he said. Israel's deputy permanent representative, Daniel Carmon, marvelled at the fact that meetings held at UN Headquarters can be viewed as they occur anywhere in the world through simultaneous webcasts. Established by the General Assembly in 1978, the Committee examines the UN's public information policies and activities in light of international relations concerns. Consisting of 110 members, it is also tasked with the promotion of a more equitable world communications order to strengthen peace and international understanding. 2007-05-02 00:00:00.000

 

SOMALIA: UN AGENCY STEPS UP AID TO FIRST WAVE OF PEOPLE WHO FLED MOGADISHU New York, May 3 2007 9:00AM The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today said it was stepping up a drive to deliver food to almost 100,000 of the 365,000 people driven from their homes in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, which in recent weeks as seen the worst fighting experienced by the country in 16 years. With the worst clashes having died down, the agency said hopes to soon feed up to 150,000 of the displaced given the urgency of the situation. "We have to help these people now," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. "Women, children and the elderly are sheltering from the rain under trees and cholera is spreading." The agency, which last week reached 32,000 people west of Mogadishu, is expanding its operations further west and south. "Many people left the capital with virtually nothing but the clothes on their backs -- they are now trickling back only to find their homes in ruins," Ms. Sheeran said. "The majority of those who fled the fighting are still suffering in terrible conditions outside the city." On behalf of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), WFP on Wednesday airlifted 14 tons of urgently-needed supply items to Baidoa thanks to a donation from the Italian Government. The blankets, plastic sheeting, water tanks and water purification equipment are now being trucked from Baidoa to Afgoye for distribution to the internally displaced. "With heavy fighting having died down over the past few days and with the cooperation of the Transitional Federal Government, we can now accelerate food distributions and expand into new areas previously cut off," Ms. Sheeran said. The agency is also urgently exploring ways to assist people inside Mogadishu itself. UNHCR estimates 365,000 people have fled Mogadishu -- over a third of the city's population -- since 1 February. Somalia has been wracked by fighting in recent months. The country's Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forc dislodged the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from Mogadishu and much of the country last December. Since then, there has been an upsurge in violence, including with the involvement of clan-based militias, especially in the capital.

 

May 2

 

TOP UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL TO WRAP UP CENTRAL ASIAN TOUR IN TURKMENISTAN New York, May 2 2007 11:00AM On the final leg of her four-country Central Asian tour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour will arrive in Turkmenistan tomorrow to meetings with Government authorities and representatives from various groups. “The visit will provide and opportunity to exchange views on human rights related issues with the Government of Turkmenistan and to engage in discussions about future cooperation and continued dialogue on issues of mutual concern in the region and the country,” according to a press release issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Ashgabat, the country’s capital. During her visit from 3 to 5 May, Ms. Arbour will meet with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov and other officials, representatives of regional and international organizations and diplomats. The 11-day tour marks the High Commissioner’s first visit to the region, and prior to stopping in Turkmenistan, she visited Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. 2007-05-02 00:00:00.000

 

UN HEALTH AGENCY LAUNCHES NINE SOLUTIONS TO SAVE PATIENTS’ LIVES New York, May 2 2007 11:00AM Since mistakes made in health care affect one out of every 10 patients in the world, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a new programme called “Nine patient safety solutions” to reduce the harm done to people during medical treatments. “Implementing these solutions is a way to improve patient safety,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan of the nine effective methods, determined by the agency’s World Alliance for Patient Safety and the Collaborating Centre, to curtail errors made in health care. The solutions are based on interventions and other actions taken in some countries that have reduced harm done to patients, and are aimed at redesigning the processes undertaken to care for patients and improve their safety. The nine solutions are: look-alike, sound-alike medication names; patient identification; communication during patient hand-overs; performance of correct procedure at correct body site; control of concentrated electrolyte solutions; assuring medication accuracy at transitions in care; avoiding catheter and tubing mis-connection; single use of injection devices; and improved hand hygiene to prevent health care-associated infections. “Patient safety is now recognized as a priority by health systems around the world,” said Liam Donaldson, who chairs the Alliance and is England’s Chief Medical Officer. “Clear and succinct actions contained in the nine solutions have proved to be useful in reducing the unacceptably high numbers of medical injuries around the world.” Over the past year, WHO has brought together over 50 recognized leaders and experts in patient safety from around the world to identify and adapt the nine solutions to meet different needs. The solutions were tested in the field in order to gather feedback from leading patient safety organizations, Governments’ health ministries, international professional health organizations and other bodies. 2007-05-02 00:00:00.000

NEPAL: UN ENVOY SAYS ELECTION DELAY SHOULD FURNISH TIME TO ADDRESS CONCERNS New York, May 1 2007 2:00PM The senior United Nations envoy to Nepal today said an announced postponement in Constituent Assembly elections planned for June should offer time to address critical concerns in the country, where a decade-long armed conflict that killed some 13,000 people came to a formal end when the parties signed a peace accord last November. “In my opinion, postponement should not be viewed as a disaster; but neither is it a guarantee of success at a later date,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative, Ian Martin, said in a press statement released in Kathmandu. “I hope that a new date will soon be decided upon by the Interim Government, in consultation with the Election Commission, and that the time available will then be used to address the several critical issues that pose risks to the peace process,” he added. He cautioned that the postponement may prolong the period during which Maoist army personnel remain in cantonment sites. “This makes it urgent to improve conditions which have repeatedly proved to be unsatisfactory for current weather conditions, and certainly cannot withstand the fast-approaching monsoon,” he said, pledging to support this process. Mr. Martin also heads the UN Mission in Nepal which is mandated to support the country’s peace process by monitoring the arms and armed personnel of the former adversaries – the Maoists and the Nepal Army – and by assisting the election. The UN has for weeks been ready to begin the second stage of registration and verification of personnel in the Maoist cantonment sites – a step Mr. Martin said is needed to identify minors who under the agreement must be discharged, and to determine whether personnel were recruited after 25 May 2006 in breach of the ceasefire code of conduct. While the UN has agreed in principle on the form interviews will take, the Maoist leadership “has not agreed to the process commencing until other issues have been addressed,” particularly the improvement of conditions in the cantonments, government remuneration for those registered there, and the formation of the committee envisaged by the Interim Constitution to take responsibility for the future of the Maoist army, he said. At the same time, the envoy emphasized that the obligation of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) to allow verification to proceed is unconditional. “I have made clear to the Maoist leadership that UNMIN cannot accept its linkage to any pre-conditions,” he said. Mr. Martin also pointed out that UNMIN is mandated to assist in monitoring the ceasefire arrangements, together with the monitoring done by Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Noting regular media reports on breaches of agreements, he said this situation “cries out for monitoring which is independent of the political actors themselves,” and voiced hope that UNMIN’s civil affairs officers “will soon be able to work with an independent national monitoring body, as well as with the local peace committees to be established as part of the Common Minimum Programme.” That initiative, agreed by the eight parties, and supported by civil society, aims to help foster confidence in the peace process. He also emphasized the importance of public security. “Building confidence in the peace process at the local level through multi-party dialogue with the support of civil society should provide a context in which the Nepal police can enforce the law impartially and with full respect for human rights,” he said, calling on all parties to respect the rights of citizens to participate in public life and political activity freely and without fear. On Friday, Mr. Martin will brief the Security Council in New York on the peace process in Nepal and UNMIN’s activities. The Council also has before it the Secretary-General’s first report on the mission, which was established three months ago. 2007-05-01 00:00:00.000

 

May 1

 

A DOZEN UN EXPERTS JOINTLY EXPRESS DEEP CONCERN OVER CASUALTIES IN SOMALI CAPITAL

New York, May 1 2007 5:00PM Twelve United Nations experts united to voice their deep concern today about the recent violence in the Somali capital Mogadishu, where hundreds of people have been killed in the latest clashes and hundreds of thousands forced to flee in recent months. “This is the second major escalation in fighting in Mogadishu in the past month alone and we are very concerned that civilian fatalities and casualties will increase in the coming days,” the experts said in a statement calling on warring sides to immediately halt the fighting. Since the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, dislodged the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from the capital and much of the country last December, there has been an upsurge in violence. Clan-based militias have also been involved in the clashes. The break in fighting between warring sides agreed to early this month crumbled when the fighting resumed on 11 April in Mogadishu. Fierce fighting resumed between Ethiopian and Somali forces and insurgents during the past week in Mogadishu, with almost 400 reported to have been killed and 700 more injured, according to the experts. Nearly two-thirds of those killed and wounded are the elderly, women and children. Thousands are trapped in Mogadishu while hundreds of thousands of people have fled the capital since February, adding to the more than 400,000 already displaced within Somalia. “We are also deeply troubled about reports of indiscriminate artillery fire, shelling and car bombs in civilian areas,” the experts said, adding that non-military targets such as hospitals and schools have been bombed. They also noted that the wounded in Mogadishu are being blocked from fleeing or from receiving much-needed humanitarian assistance and protection. “All parties to the conflict must respect applicable international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” they asserted. “We wish to remind all that humanitarian access and safe passage for those civilians fleeing the conflict must be granted.” The experts issuing today’s statement are: the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Ghanim Alnajjar; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston; the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Leandro Despouy; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, John Dugard; the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Ertürk; the Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights in Cambodia, Yash Ghai; the Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes, Okechukwu Ibeanu; the Special Rapporteur on the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Paul Hunt; the Representative of the Secretary General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Walter Kälin; the Special Rapporteur on a! dequate housing, Miloon Kothari; the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Vernor Muñoz Villalobos, and the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler. Yesterday, the Security Council issued a presidential statement in which the 15-member body deplored the civilian casualties from the intensified fighting in Somalia and called on the Government to reach out to all segments of the war-torn country’s society to start a dialogue. The Council also demanded that all sides allow relief aid to reach those in need. 2007-05-01 00:00:00.000

 

CÔTE D’IVOIRE: UN PARTICIPATES IN CEREMONY INTEGRATING FORMER REBELS INTO NATIONAL ARMY New York, May 1 2007 5:00PM Welcoming the willingness of former rival parties to fully implement the peace deal in Côte d’Ivoire, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the West African country participated in a ceremony marking the official integration of former rebels into two brigades. By attending the ceremony yesterday, the mission, known as UNOCI, hoped to shows its eagerness to support the Ouagadougou Peace Accord between President Laurent Gbagbo and Forces Nouvelles Secretary-General Guillaume Soro which commits both sides to abide by free, fair and transparent elections. The deal also calls for the dismantling of the Zone of Confidence, which separates the Government-controlled south from the rebel-held north. The Minister of Defence, Michel Amani N’Guessan, who led the ceremony, thanked UNOCI for its assistance in maintaining the peace, calling on the mission to continue to work with Ivorians to consolidate stability. At the event held in Bangolo, in western Côte d’Ivoire, Mr. Amana also said that mixed brigades are essential and “should not constitute a platform for revenge between former enemy brothers.” Problems “will be progressively resolved, and so will the security situation,” he noted at the ceremony, which was attended by both General Philippe Mangou of the national army, the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) of Côte d’Ivoire, and General Soumaila Bakayoko, of Forces Nouvelles, in a show of solidarity. Participants also visited the locations where the mixed brigades, comprising four UN police officers and 10 people each from FDS and Forces Nouvelles. Mr. Amana also called on both sides to wipe the slate clean of any past grievances and to show tolerance and forgiveness to make the Accord, reached on 4 March, a success. “This agreement came from Ivorians and its failure would not be understood,” he said. UNOCI’s Deputy Force Commander General Elhadji Mouahamadou Kandji and the UN Police Commissioner General Cristian Gerardo Chaumont represented the world body in the ceremony, where the UN flag was replaced by the Ivorian one. The dismantling of the Zone of Confidence kicked off with a ceremony on 16 April, during which a mixed brigade in N’Gattadolikro, in the centre of the country, was installed in the presence of President Gbagbo. UNOCI has nearly 9,000 total uniformed personnel in the country, including 7,850 troops and almost 1,000 police with a mandate to monitor the cessation of hostilities and movements of armed groups, help in disarmament and dismantling of militias and contribute to the security of the operation of identifying the population and registering voters. 2007-05-01 00:00:00.000

 

April 30

PREPARED REMARKS OF AHMED SAEED DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST ON THE SIGNING OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMPACT WITH IRAQ

Nine months ago – on July 27, 2006 – the Government of Iraq and the United Nations announced the launch of the International Compact with Iraq. Under this initiative, the Government of Iraq reached out to key partners in the international community to establish a collaborative process for developing policy commitments to put its economy on a path to self-sufficiency and sustainable growth, while also creating safeguards to protect the most vulnerable groups in its society. The Government of Iraq and the UN established a preparatory group to help develop the Compact, based on best practices and lessons derived from the experiences of other transition economies. Between July and December, Iraq consulted regularly with members of this group, including the World Bank, the IMF, and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, as well as knowledgeable government officials from the Gulf, Europe, and Asia. The U.S. Government also played a strong supporting role. The UAE and Kuwait each hosted preparatory group meetings, and the UN briefed its members on progress under the Compact on September 18, November 13, and March 16. The World Bank and IMF also hosted a Compact briefing during their annual meetings in Singapore in September 2006. The final Compact document was presented at a meeting attended by over seventy countries and institutions and hosted by Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in New York on March 16. It is significant in many respects: The Compact is comprehensive in scope, ranging from commitments to strengthen public expenditure management, to policies designed to improve health, education, and the environment. It is also underpinned by clear, measurable benchmarks. The Compact commits to a number of significant unifying principles, including the adoption of policies to ensure that all Iraqis benefit from the country's vast hydrocarbons resource base, important anti-corruption practices, and the accelerated development of Iraq's private sector. The Compact document was unanimously endorsed by the Cabinet of Ministers last December, establishing a clear consensus on the direction and strategy for realizing Iraq's economic potential. The Compact has been a critical vehicle for Iraq's engagement with its neighbors – preparatory group meetings were hosted in the UAE and Kuwait, and the final signing is in Egypt. The Compact has provided the Iraqi government an opportunity to draw attention to its own very significant economic accomplishments: a sound macroeconomic framework and management of inflation, adherence to the strict criteria of an IMF Stand-By Arrangement and reduction of fuel subsidies, bank restructuring, pension reform, passage of an investment law, and forward movement on hyrdrocarbons legislation and a revenue management law. The next step is for Iraq and the international community to formally endorse this Compact at a Ministerial-level meeting in Sharm el Sheikh on May 3. At this event, participants have been invited to offer their support for the Compact. To be clear, this is not a gap-filling exercise: the international community has not been asked to meet a specific fundraising target. However, they have been asked to provide other forms of support. Chief among them is debt relief. With Iraq's focus on financial sustainability, ridding the balance sheet of Saddam era debts is one of the most important, and prudent steps it can take. It is expected that Saudi Arabia will announce at Sharm el Sheikh a commitment to provide debt relief and that others, including, the UAE, will follow suit. Other countries are expected to offer support in the form of loans, grants, and technical assistance. The United States will also offer a generous bilateral pledge. Secretary Rice will attend the signing, supported by Treasury Deputy Secretary Kimmitt, who is also the President's Special Envoy on the Compact. The UN and Iraq expect the meeting to be attended by over 35 countries and organizations. Ministers will be attending from the UK, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Bulgaria, Poland, China, Korea, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Turkey, and Greece, among others. Other countries, including Russia and Japan, are expected to be represented at senior levels. UNSYG Ban Ki Moon will co-chair the event with Prime Minister Maliki.

HAITI: UN ENVOY HAILS SUCCESSFUL ELECTIONS New York, Apr 30 2007 2:00PM The senior United Nations envoy to Haiti has congratulated the country’s people on the successful conclusion of a number of local, municipal and legislative elections which culminated a three-round process as part of broader efforts to consolidate democracy in the Caribbean country. “After all the reports I have received and what I have witnessed myself today in the field, I wish to congratulate everybody on the excellent collaboration between MINUSTAH and the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP),” Edmond Mulet, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative and head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti said on Sunday. “I also want to point out the very successful cooperation of the MINUSTAH Security Forces and the Haitian National Police and I want to thank them for their professional performance.” More than 300,000 voters in 25 communities exercised their democratic right in 69 voting centres and 770 polling stations to choose their representatives. With logistical and security support provided by MINUSTAH to the CEP and the Haitian National Police, all polling stations opened on time, allowing voters access to the polling booths, the mission said in a news release. Ambassador Mulet visited voting centres in Gressier and Merger, south of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to get a first-hand impression of the situation. There he heard from CEP members and members of the Haitian National Police, UN Police (UNPOL) and the military that the polls were conducted peacefully. “We commend the Haitian people for their demonstrated wish to utilize their democratic voice,” Mr. Mulet said. 2007-04-30 00:00:00.000

New York, Apr 30 2007 2:00PM The senior United Nations envoy to Haiti has congratulated the country’s people on the successful conclusion of a number of local, municipal and legislative elections which culminated a three-round process as part of broader efforts to consolidate democracy in the Caribbean country. “After all the reports I have received and what I have witnessed myself today in the field, I wish to congratulate everybody on the excellent collaboration between MINUSTAH and the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP),” Edmond Mulet, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative and head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti said on Sunday. “I also want to point out the very successful cooperation of the MINUSTAH Security Forces and the Haitian National Police and I want to thank them for their professional performance.” More than 300,000 voters in 25 communities exercised their democratic right in 69 voting centres and 770 polling stations to choose their representatives. With logistical and security support provided by MINUSTAH to the CEP and the Haitian National Police, all polling stations opened on time, allowing voters access to the polling booths, the mission said in a news release. Ambassador Mulet visited voting centres in Gressier and Merger, south of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to get a first-hand impression of the situation. There he heard from CEP members and members of the Haitian National Police, UN Police (UNPOL) and the military that the polls were conducted peacefully. “We commend the Haitian people for their demonstrated wish to utilize their democratic voice,” Mr. Mulet said. 2007-04-30 00:00:00.000

 

LIBERIA: UN ENVOY WELCOMES SECURITY COUNCIL LIFTING OF DIAMOND EMBARGO New York, Apr 30 2007 2:00PM The senior United Nations envoy to Liberia today welcomed the Security Council’s decision to lift its six-year-old ban on the export of diamonds from the country that was introduced to stop proceeds from the sale of these so-called “blood diamonds” from fuelling wars across West Africa. Alan Doss, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Liberia, issued a statement in which he congratulated the country’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her Government for “working hard to meet the conditions required for the termination of the diamond sanctions and for compliance with the Kimberley Process.” Begun in 2000 by Southern African diamond-producing countries, the Kimberley Process led to the adoption in November 2002 of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds, based primarily on national schemes and on internationally-agreed minimum standards. Trafficking in blood diamonds is considered one of the root causes of the civil wars that have plagued Africa, especially in Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone. In his statement Mr. Doss called on the Liberian Government “to further intensify its collaborative work with international partners and national stakeholders to ensure that the diamond certification scheme operates effectively for the benefit of all Liberians, including those communities involved in diamond mining.” On Friday the Council voted unanimously to lift the sanctions, observing that Liberia has made enough progress towards establishing the necessary internal controls to satisfy the minimum requirements of the Kimberley Process. But it also agreed to review, if necessary, its decision to lift the embargo within 90 days. 2007-04-30 00:00:00.000

 

TOP UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL ARRIVES IN KAZAKHSTAN FOR TALKS WITH OFFICIALS New York, Apr 30 2007 12:00PM Continuing an official tour of Central Asia, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour arrived today in Kazakhstan for talks with top officials. On her three-day visit to the country, she will meet with Prime Minister Karim Massimov and other high-level Government officials, as well as with representatives of regional and international organizations, civil society groups and diplomats. “The visit will provide and opportunity to exchange views on human rights related issues with the Government of Kazakhstan and to engage in discussions about future cooperation and continued dialogue on issues of mutual concern in the region and the country in the area of human rights,” according to a press release by her Office. The High Commissioner kicked off her trip – her first to the region – in Kyrgyzstan and then traveled to Tajikistan. She will conclude her tour in Turkmenistan. On her first stop in Kyrgyzstan, she observed the positive direction in which civil society in the country is developing, but voiced concern over issues pertaining to women and reports of ill-treatment of detainees and torture. At the end of her visit in Tajikistan, she noted that while reforms of the justice system – in particular, the areas of law enforcement, criminal procedures and the independence of the judiciary – are ongoing, access to justice remains a major challenge. 2007-04-30 00:00:00.000

 

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION TAKES HEAVY TOLL ON HEALTH, UN AGENCY SAYS New York, Apr 30 2007 12:00PM Indoor air pollution from solid fuels used for cooking and heating are to blame for almost 5 per cent of deaths and disease, affecting mostly women and children, in 21 of the most heavily impacted countries, the United Nations World Health Organization announced today. Worldwide, reliance on solid fuels – including coal and biomass, or wood, dung and crop residues – is one of the 10 biggest threats to public health. Over 3 billion people around the world depend on these fuels, and exposure to indoor air pollution from them has been linked to many diseases, particularly pneumonia among children and chronic respiratory diseases among adults. In the first-ever country-by-country estimates of the heavy toll solid fuel use takes on health, 21 countries – most of which are in Africa – were found to be the most affected. “Solutions are available, and it is our international responsibility to promote the health and well-being of those affected, who are mostly women and children,” said Susanne Weber-Mosdorf, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments. “The prevention potential is enormous.” Approximately 1.2 billion deaths a year in 11 countries – Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tanzania – due to indoor air pollution. Replacing solid fuels with cleaner and more efficient ones, such as biogas, liquefied petroleum gas and kerosene, could largely eliminate the health risk and prevent 1.5 billions deaths yearly around the world. In the short term, promoting more fuel-efficient and cleaner technologies, such as improved cooking stoves, could cut indoor pollution back considerably. In issuing the findings, WHO said governments should be able to use the estimates to set priorities in creating preventive measures and to assess their impact over time. 2007-04-30 00:00:00.000

NEW UN COMMUNICATIONS CHIEF OUTLINES PRIORITIES FOR 2007 New York, Apr 30 2007 4:00PM Delivering his first major policy address since assuming the top United Nations communications post earlier this year, Under-Secretary-General Kiyotaka Akasaka today described efforts to reorient the Department for Public Information (DPI) both structurally and programmatically, and said priority attention would be paid to peace and security, climate change, development and human rights. Mr. Akasaka told the UN Committee on Information, meeting in New York, that DPI aims to reform in a stable manner. “We must build on the gains made in the past, while remaining attentive to the demands of the media, to changes in the Organization’s priorities, and to new and revised mandates given to us by Member States,” he said. “DPI’s future course, like that of the Organization itself, will therefore be guided by a policy of ‘reform with continuity,’” he added, echoing the directive put in place by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon when he took office in January. The Under-Secretary-General said DPI has made “steady progress in meeting its mission,” explaining that its activities are now more strategic. Citing the example of the General Assembly’s 2006 High-level Dialogue on Migration, he said an analysis of the media coverage of that event showed that the key messages on the UN’s role on migration framed by DPI were picked up by journalists more than 90 per cent of the time. He also pointed to the wide reach of the UN’s website, which receives over 50 million unique visits annually. In addition, over 300 million people now have access to UN Radio programmes, many of which are now available on the Internet. Mr. Akasaka also described several new outreach programmes, including one on the Holocaust. “The observance in the General Assembly Hall this year included representatives of various communities who were targeted during the Holocaust, as well as students who will carry their message of tolerance and hope to future generations.” The Department is now focusing on four priority themes: peace and security; climate change; development and the Millennium Development Goals a set of global antipoverty targets; and human rights, he said. Drawing attention to the work of the UN Information Centres operating in various countries, he said: “They give our global messages a local accent – and as a result they bring the UN closer to the people it serves.” Reflecting on his own career path, which included work at several international organizations and led to his appointment in March as Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Mr. Akasaka said he had long been familiar with the UN’s work through his travels. “At each place, I discovered amazing stories of people striving to make lives better. Behind those stories often lay the light footprint of the United Nations and its staff. I always admired the commitment and dedication of those people – the unsung heroes – who stood guard between enemy combatants, built tents for refugees, vaccinated children against deadly diseases, and brought food and water to the needy,” he said. “Now I have the opportunity to tell the story of the United Nations to the whole world. It is an amazing opportunity and a remarkable challenge.” 2007-04-30 00:00:00.000

 

 

April 27

 

UN REFUGEE AGENCY-BACKED WORKSHOP TACKLES ISSUE OF STATELESSNESS IN CENTRAL ASIA New York, Apr 26 2007 1:00PM The United Nations refugee agency has completed a two-day workshop on curbing statelessness in Central Asia, where the disbanding of the Soviet Union and civil wars have resulted in thousands of people not having a fixed nationality. “This is an important event for the countries of the former Soviet Union and the region,” said Tajikistan Government minister Gulchehra Sharipova of the event – mostly funded by the European Union (EU) and attended by 33 Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – held in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe. “We have survived a period of transition and faced many new challenges, including statelessness,” he added. “Tajikistan has seen its full impact; many people had to leave during the war [in the 1990s] and are still facing problems today.” Under international law, a stateless person is defined as someone not considered as a national by any State under its laws. There are at least 20,000 stateless people in Central Asia according to official figures, with more than 10,000 each residing in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, almost 200 in Tajikistan and an unknown number in Turkmenistan. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees however, believes that these numbers do not accurately reflect the situation on the ground. “These numbers are based on the number of people who have been issued stateless certificates by the authorities and do not represent the real scale of the problem,” the agency’s expert on the issue of statelessness, Philippe Leclerc, said. Both Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan said they have taken steps to prevent statelessness by naturalizing refugees living within their borders. But Mr. Leclerc remarked that identifying the stateless is extremely difficult. “Many people live in the rural areas with old Soviet passports issued in 1974,” he said. “They have not all replaced these old passports with documents issued by the newly independent States and only come to know of their problem when they try to travel, seek employment or enroll their children in school.” None of the Central Asian nations are party to the two international agreements on stateless peoples: the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. “UNHCR’s job is to continually remind States of the huge scale of statelessness and to appeal to them to identify these people,” Mr. Leclerc said. A key to preventing statelessness is registering all children and identifying gaps in national laws, such as the inability of women to pass on their citizenship to their children, renouncing one’s nationality without having procured another and the automatic loss of citizenship after long residence abroad. Most participants at the workshop showed interest in launching campaigns in areas heavily populated by the stateless to inform them both of their rights and on how to address their problem. Government representatives also said that their respective countries offer the same rights and benefits – including the right to travel with Government-issued documents but excluding the right to vote and the obligation to perform compulsory military service – to the stateless who have been granted permanent residence as they do to those with citizenship. “The stability of a country depends o the stability of its population,” Mursalnabi Tuyakbayev of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. “I’m happy we could come and learn from each other’s experiences, and I hope we can continue this dialogue regularly.” Zumrat Solieva, who heads Tajikistan’s Citizenship Unit which is part of the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “We are planning a new nationality law and will make sure what we discussed here is taken into consideration.” This workshop is the first in a series of regional activities on bolstering asylum systems in Central Asia set to end this December, and 80 per cent of the project is funded by the EU while UNHCR provides the remaining 20 per cent. 2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

 

UN MOURNS LOSS OF DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL OF ITS TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ARM New York, Apr 26 2007 4:00PM The United Nations today mourned the death of Dirk Jan Bruinsma, the Deputy Secretary-General of the world body’s Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), who passed away at age 56 in The Hague, Netherlands, on 22 April following a brief illness. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mr. Bruisnsma,” his spokesperson Michele Montas said in New York today. “He extends his condolences to Mr. Bruinsma’s family, friends and colleagues.” In a press release, UNCTAD said that “Mr. Bruinsma was instrumental in strengthening the organization, and particularly its work on science and technology, technical cooperation and communications.” The agency also said that Mr. Bruinsma was represented the organization in several international meetings, and was also actively involved in efforts to reform the UN. Before joining UNCTAD last January, he served as the Director-General of Foreign Economic Relations in the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands. He had a strong interest in development cooperation and led his country’s delegation to the economic policy committees of the European Union (EU) and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Prior to entering the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Mr. Bruinsma held positions in the Dutch Ministry of Finance and also worked in the private sector, managing his own consulting firm. Based in Geneva, UNCTAD promotes the integration of developing countries into the world economy, aiming to help shape current policy debates, with a particular focus on ensuring that domestic policies and international action are mutually supportive in bringing about sustainable development. 2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

 

BLUE HELMETS IN HAITI RETURN SCHOOL ONCE USED BY DRUG GANGS TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES New York, Apr 26 2007 5:00PM Brazilian peacekeepers working with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti have handed back to local authorities in a notorious district of the capital a school that was seized from drug gangs earlier this year. The Ecole Nationale de Cité Soleil, from the slum district of the same name, will be rehabilitated with funds from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN spokesperson Michele Montas said today. The hand-over took place during a short ceremony yesterday involving Col. Barrosso Magno, commander of the Mission’s Brazilian contingent, which had been using the site its temporary headquarters. The return of the school “is a sign of change for Cité,” Col. Magno said, referring to the district of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where crime and gang activity has been most rampant in recent decades. MINUSTAH has been working actively with UN Police (UNPOL) and Haitian National Police (PNH) to locate and arrest key gang leaders and to disrupt and reduce their criminal activities. Elected officials in Cité Soleil yesterday also returned to work at the bullet-scarred town hall, which has become functional again, thanks to a joint effort by the Haitian Government, the PNH and the Brazilian contingent in MINUSTAH. 2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

 

April 25

 

RENEWED VIOLENCE UNDERCUTTING MIDDLE EAST DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS – UN OFFICIAL New York, Apr 25 2007 6:00PM Diplomatic initiatives to rejuvenate the Middle East peace process are making some progress, but they are being undermined by the deteriorating security situation on the ground, the United Nations political chief told the Security Council today, urging Israeli and Palestinian leaders to do their utmost to prevent the violence from escalating further. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe told an open Council meeting on the issue that the situation in the region is fragile, capable of either moving forward based on fresh negotiations or becoming caught in a spiral of tit-for-tat violence. “Actions and inactions on the ground remain real obstacles to progress, and have the potential to lead to paralysis or even a rapid deterioration,” Mr. Pascoe said in his statement to the Council debate, which saw the participation of over a dozen speakers. “The renewed violence of the past few days shows how precarious the situation is.” Between 14 March and 17 April, at least 43 Palestinians have been killed, 22 as a result of intra-community fighting and 21 by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). More than 200 other Palestinians and 13 Israelis have also been injured, while 54 rockets and mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Mr. Pascoe called on the Palestinian Authority to take steps to counter the rocket fire and the smuggling of weapons, as well as to implement the internal security plan to restore law and order within Gaza. He added that the UN remains deeply concerned about the fate of the kidnapped British journalist Alan Johnston and reiterated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recent call for his immediate release. Mr. Johnston, who works for the BBC, was abducted on 12 March near his office as he was returning from the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel. Releasing Corporal Gilad Shalit of Israel, who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants last June and taken into Gaza, “is also crucial to forward movement” in the peace process. Mr. Pascoe urged Israel to play its part to calm the situation, especially with its settler community in the West Bank. He noted widespread recent reports that groups of settlers had attacked Palestinian children and a mentally disabled man. Israel continues to construct new housing units in some 75 of its 121 settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, he added, despite the Road Map plan calling for a freeze on settlements. All security measures must be proportionate, the Under-Secretary-General stressed, warning that Israeli operations in Palestinian population centres result almost inevitably in civilian casualties and are “a matter of great concern.” Israeli authorities are also subjecting UN staff members and other humanitarian workers crossing from Gaza into Israel to “increasingly arbitrary treatment” and searching their vehicles and property, including laptop computers, out of sight of UN staff. “This practice violates UN security standards, as well as UN privileges and immunities. We continue to work closely with all relevant Israeli authorities to correct the situation, but with little progress so far.” But Mr. Pascoe said there were some hopeful signs of progress on the political and diplomatic efforts, particularly the face-to-face meeting in Jerusalem on 15 April between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The two men discussed immediate humanitarian and security issues and reportedly also exchanged views on aspects of a future Palestinian State and how and when it could be achieved, Mr. Pascoe said, encouraging the leaders to build on those discussions. He was also heartened by “the greater public awareness of the potential of the Arab Peace Initiative,” adding that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was supporting all regional or international initiatives towards peace in the Middle East. Turning to Lebanon, Mr. Pascoe observed that despite intensive efforts to ease the country’s political stalemate, there has been no breakthrough regarding a national unity government or the formation of a special tribunal to try the suspected killers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. While Lebanon has said it is committed to moving ahead on political and socio-economic reform as agreed, only a small percentage of pledges from international donors have been disbursed so far. Israeli air violations of the Blue Line have continued, as have claims that arms are being transferred into Lebanon in direct breach of the Security Council-imposed embargo. But the total strength of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon has reached 13,000 peacekeepers, and there has been “near total calm” in the area in the past two months. 2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

 

CASUALTY FIGURES CONTINUE TO CLIMB IN IRAQ, UN REPORT ON RIGHTS VIOLATIONS SAYS New York, Apr 25 2007 6:00PM Large-scale indiscriminate killings and targeted assassinations continue to impede efforts to bring lasting stability and security to Iraq, according to the latest United Nations human rights report released today on the strife-torn country, where causalities continue to climb despite recent efforts to stem in the bloodshed. Although Government officials declared a drop in the number of killings in late February after the Baghdad Security Plan was launched, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq says the number of reported casualties rose again in March. UNAMI also voiced concern regarding the handling of suspects arrested as part of the Plan. The new procedures “contained no explicit measures guaranteeing minimum due process rights.” Rather, the report argues, “they authorized arrests without warrants and the interrogation of suspects without placing a time limit on how long they could be held in pre-trial detention.” While UNAMI recognizes the tremendous obstacles the country face in restoring law and order, Iraq “remains bound by both its international treaty obligation and its domestic legislation in taking measures to curb the violence,” the report, covering the period from 1 January to 31 March, says. Making no distinction between civilians and combatants, armed groups directly attack civilians through suicide bombings, abductions and extrajudicial executions. “Such systematic or widespread attacks against a civilian population are tantamount to crimes against humanity and violate the laws of war,” UNAMI says. Building on previous studies, this most recent report says the Government must also address the issue of maintaining long-term stability and security. “In this context, the intimidation of a large segment of the Iraqi population, among them professional groups and law enforcement personnel, and political interference in the affairs of the judiciary, were rife and in need of urgent attention,” it states. While the previous nine human rights reports issued contained statistics on killings, UNAMI regrets that authorities did not allow UNAMI access to the Ministry of Health’s mortality figures for this period. “UNAMI emphasizes again the utmost need for the Iraqi Government to operate in a transparent manner,” the report notes. In New York, a spokesperson for the world body said the UN will still seek official data on fatalities. “The Mission will continue to speak with the Iraqi authorities and urge them to provide the necessary information,” Michele Montas said. Even without the mortality figures at its disposal, UNAMI asserts that there was still a high level of violence during the reporting period, with large-scale killings and assassinations carried out by insurgency groups and militias, among others. February and March saw sectarian violence claim the lives of many civilians, including women and children, in both Shia and Sunni neighbourhoods. On 3 February, around 135 people were killed and 339 injured when a truck loaded with explosives detonated in a busy market in a mostly Shia district of Baghdad. The Mission also expresses concern at the use of terrorism and other forms of inhuman treatment in detention centres, and stresses the need to establish an effective tracking method to account for the location and treatment of those after arrest. Further, UNAMI says that there is a worrying increase in intolerance towards minorities as well as in attempts to muzzle the press. “Across the country, attacks against journalists and media outlets continued, resulting in a high number of casualties among media workers,” it notes. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 730,000 Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes since the al-Askari shrine in Samarra was bombed last February, adding to the approximately 1.2 million others displaced prior to that. Baghdad neighbourhoods have increasingly become split along Shia and Sunni lines, and this trend must be reversed to allow civilians to return to their homes, the Mission says. During the period covered by this new report, UNAMI expanded the areas it monitors to the three northern governorates under the authority of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Although the area’s security situation is stable, there have been reports of impingements of the freedom of expression. Also, the report notes the lack of due process for detainees held on suspicion of involvement in terrorism in the region. “Hundreds have been held for prolonged periods without referral to an investigative judge or charges brought against them,” it says. 2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

 

AFTER MEETING TOP OFFICIALS IN DR CONGO, MIGIRO HEADS TO BRAZZAVILLE New York, Apr 25 2007 6:00PM United Nations Deputy-Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro has wrapped up her visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where she met with top leaders and conveyed a message about the world body’s support for the country as it moves to consolidate peace. Ms. Migiro is now in Brazzaville, capital of the neighbouring Republic of Congo, to attend a meeting of UN Development Programme country directors for Africa. During her stay in the DRC, the Deputy-Secretary-General met with President Joseph Kabila and various political leaders, including members of the opposition. “Her message to all her interlocutors was that the United Nations is prepared to continue working with the Congolese authorities and Congolese people to promote reconciliation and reconstruction,” UN spokesperson Michele Montas told journalists in New York. In another development, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization today called for greater protection of endangered animals in the DRC. Koïchiro Matsuura, in a letter to President Kabila and UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Affairs Jean-Marie Guéhenno, requested that the mandate of the UN mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, be expanded to include the protection of the country’s five World Heritage Sites and several other areas. These sites “are of exceptional importance to the preservation of biodiversity as they are home to some of the world's rarest and most remarkable species, including the bonobo, the closest living relative of the human species, mountain gorillas and okapi, a rare forest giraffe,” the agency said. The presence of armed groups on these sites has made rangers unable to stop the reported killing of hundreds of animals in recent months, according to UNESCO. With MONUC’s support, the DRC held landmark presidential and parliamentary elections, the first such polls in more than four decades, as it recovers from years of brutal civil war and misrule. 2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

 

BRAVING COLD, TEAM RACING TO RAISE MONEY FOR UN REFUGEE AGENCY IN THE LEAD New York, Apr 25 2007 10:00AM Facing bitter cold and encountering polar bears, a British duo seeking to raise almost $500,000 for the United Nations refugee agency leads the Polar Race 2007, as the grueling 640-kilometre endurance race to the North Pole has reached its halfway point. Team Refuge, comprising Jake Morland and James Turner, is leading its nearest rival by almost seven hours after setting out from Canada’s Cornwallis Island earlier this month. “We’ve taken a bit of a battering over the last few days,” said Mr. Morland, who has worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees over the past seven years in places such as Iraq, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and Sudan. Mr. Morland hopes the money his team raises will be earmarked for a special trust fund to cover urgent medical evacuations for refugee children. “Rather than polar bears, the cold has been our biggest concern,” he added. “The thermometer may only read minus 20 but with wind chill that’s closer to minus 65! Just staying warm is a battle!” The team must pull heavy sleds carrying food and other survival items over the frozen arctic, and is learning how to use the sun to navigate and also how to differentiate snow which is safe to melt and drink from snow which is salty from the seawater. The duo is now busy repairing their equipment and resting at a re-supply station on Osborne Island, as they gear up for the second half of their journey. To deal with the demanding challenges of the race, Mr. Turner, teacher and long-time friend of Mr. Morland’s, said that he is dreaming of his arrival back in Ottawa, Canada, after the end of the race next month. “A pint of beer and food that isn’t boil-in-the-bag takes my mind off bruised feet and aching bones,” he said. “It also allows me to open my eyes and enjoy the surroundings.” However, the highlight of the race so far for Team Refuge has been its coming across three polar bears and two Arctic wolves. Recalling a close encounter with a polar bear, Mr. Turner said, “My first thought was surprise, then I yelled, ‘Bear! Bear! Bear!’ The bear and I looked at each other, he sniffed the air, turned and disappeared in to the ice rubble.” He added, “It was close.” Team Refuge, one of six teams competing in the race, is being sponsored by Arch Insurance, a European company, which has given the two men $80,000 to cover the costs of the race, allowing all funds raised by the pair to be donated directly to UNHCR. The public will be able to continue donating to Team Refuge for the rest of this year. The winning team of the Polar Race 2007 will be awarded the Wedgwood Blue Ice Trophy. 2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

 

April 24

 

2008 BEIJING SUMMER OLYMPICS CAN BOOST DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, UN ENVOY SAYS New York, Apr 24 2007 1:00PM Next summer’s Beijing Olympics provides a unique opportunity for the United Nations to promote development and peace-building activities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace said today. Adolf Ogi is scheduled to meet on Thursday with Liu Qi, President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad to discuss its collaboration with the UN. “The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics promises to be an historic event for the world of sports and for people worldwide,” Mr. Ogi said. “The United Nations is increasingly cooperating with the International Olympic Committee on development and peace-building activities, and the Beijing Olympics is a tremendous opportunity as well as a great responsibility.” He met with the Secretary-General last week in Geneva to discuss UN activities in which sport is used to improve education and health, expand economic opportunities and bolster peace. While visiting the Chinese capital, Mr. Ogi will also address the General Association of International Sports Federations and speak at the Beijing Sport University. China is also hosting this year’s Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai and the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. UN agencies are already involved in schemes for next year’s Olympic Games. The UN Environment Programme signed an agreement with Beijing Organizing Committee for a “Green Olympics” that promotes curtailing air, water and noise pollution; environmentally friendly transportation; and the responsible disposal of solid waste. UN Volunteers is coordinating with the Beijing Committee to mobilize 70,000 volunteers for the 2008 Olympic Games and 30,000 for the Paralympics. The UN Children’s Fund is organizing, with the Beijing Committee, a “Youth Camps” project to bring together 800 youth between the ages of 16 and 18 who represent all International Olympic Committee member countries and regions, including 50 living with disabilities. Last November, the General Assembly unanimously approved a three-year plan on sport for development and peace, which invites the UN family, Member States and other partners to utilize sport-based programmes to hasten the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals eight targets for tackling poverty, hunger and other social ills by 2015. 2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

UN RUSHES AID TO DR CONGO AS VIOLENT CLASHES DISPLACE TENS OF THOUSANDS

New York, Apr 24 2007 11:00AM The United Nations World Food Programme and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are rushing aid to mitigate the suffering of tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes after an outbreak of fighting in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In North Kivu province alone, close to 65,000 people have been displaced in recent weeks due to intensified fighting between militias and government forces. Some of the internally displaced people are living in makeshift camps approximately 100 kilometres from the city of Goma in the country’s north-east, while thousands of others are living in the bush – hiding during the day and going to their fields at night. “The latest fighting underlines the need for a strong humanitarian presence in eastern Congo,” said Charles Vincent, WFP’s DRC Country Director, adding that humanitarian agencies play a key role in “assisting those caught up in fighting as well as providing for others who are able to settle down when peace prevails.” To date, WFP has provided over 1,000 metric tonnes of food to 68,000 IDPs in North Kivu. To identify human rights concerns and the needs of IDPs, UNHCR’s rapid monitoring teams have conducted 25 assessments at several hotspots in areas affected by renewed fighting. The agency is discussing reports it has received from victims regarding serious human rights abuses at the hands of armed groups with the DRC’s military and local authorities. As violence rages in the north-eastern portion of the country, which is trying to rebuild after decades of civil war and misrule, nearly 100,000 refugees, including some who fled eight years ago, have been able to return home thanks to stability in other regions. UNHCR is assisting the voluntary return of Congolese refugees from five neighbouring countries, including Tanzania and Burundi. Since the start of the year, a lower-than-expected 8,000 people have returned to their home country, as many refugees are concerned about the difficult living conditions in the DRC. Meanwhile, more than 1.1 million Congolese have been displaced within the DRC by conflict and persecution, and rely on the UN and its partner agencies for aid and protection. “Despite all the country’s troubles, the DRC is at the heart of solutions for long-standing refugee problems throughout Africa’s Great Lakes region,” said Eusebe Hounsokou, UNHCR Representative in the country’s capital, Kinshasa, adding that refugees from Sudan, Angola and Burundi have taken refuge in the DRC. The agency provides returning refugees with help in building mud-brick houses and assists in rebuilding health centres, while WFP distributes a three-month supply of food. 2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

ALMOST 20 DIE AT HANDS OF SMUGGLERS IN FAILED EFFORT TO REACH YEMEN –

UN New York, Apr 24 2007 10:00AM The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today said that at least 18 people died – either by being thrown overboard on the high seas by smugglers or by asphyxiation and dehydration – as they attempted to make the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia to Yemen. Accounts from eyewitnesses and survivors told UNHCR of this latest incident, which occurred on 20 April, the agency’s spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis said in a press briefing in Geneva. The deaths occurred during a voyage of two boats, a smuggling boat and a transport vessel used to transport fish and cattle, carrying 150 people – 80 Ethiopians and 70 Somalis. One boat arrived at the Yemeni port of Buroom, while the other reached Mukalka city, 25 kilometres away. Survivors reported paying the smugglers $100 to cross the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, where authorities have taken 35 Ethiopians into custody. The Somalis, who the Yemeni Government has recognized as refugees, were given food and water before being transferred to UNHCR’s reception centre in Mayfa. In 2006, approximately 26,000 people crossed the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, and 330 died. Another 300 were reported missing as they attempted the perilous journey and are presumed dead. Since the start of this year, over 5,600 people have reached Yemen while at least 200 have died and many are still missing. 2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

 

 April 23

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF EMBARKS ON FOUR-COUNTRY TOUR OF CENTRAL ASIA New York, Apr 23 2007 3:00PM The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) on Tuesday will kick off an 11-day tour of Central Asia with stops in four countries in the region. On the first leg of her trip, Louise Arbour will visit Kyrgyzstan, where she will meet with President Kurmanbek Bakiev and other senior Government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs. She will also hold discussions with representatives from both regional and international organizations, civil society groups and diplomats. The High Commissioner’s stop at the country “aims at increasing her Office’s engagement in the region,” according to a press release issued today of the visit which will give her the opportunity to discuss future cooperation with the Government and other key figures in Kyrgyzstan. “She hopes that the visit will enhance dialogue and technical cooperation between her Office and the Government and people of Kyrgyzstan,” it added. On her tour, Ms. Arbour will also visit Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. 2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

 

ON FIRST AFRICA VISIT, NEW UN AGENCY CHIEF PLEDGES TO OPTIMIZE FOOD PURCHASES New York, Apr 23 2007 3:00PM Making her first trip to Africa since becoming the head of the United Nations World Food Programme earlier this month, Josette Sheeran today called for joint actions to ensure that food aid purchases can help poor farmers to access markets and assist in solving chronic food insecurity. “I am convinced that strategically directed local purchase can benefit not only the hungry, but also poor farmers producing food,” said Ms. Sheeran, speaking to a wide variety of economists, traders and market experts at two round-table discussions in Addis Ababa. “Food security requires access to food and sustainable production of food,” she added. Starting her three-country trip to the Horn of Africa with a visit to the Ethiopian capital’s central grain market, Ms. Sheeran talked with many kinds of business people, from farmers selling a few sacks of wheat carried on the backs of their donkeys to traders dealing in tens of thousands of metric tons. She noted that WFP has a “huge market presence” with its cash-based purchases in Africa. The agency today buys 20 times more in Ethiopia than it did in 1990, last year purchasing $37 million worth of grain from the country. “We’re hoping to take a more strategic look at our purchases to see that we are doing all we can to have the maximum positive impact on development,” the WFP chief said. Ms. Sheeran, who told the grain market experts that her intent in coming to Ethiopia was to “listen and learn,” said WFP is determined to create a “virtuous circle of food security” – from the small-scale farmers to the ultimate beneficiaries of food assistance. She met today with Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse and is scheduled to meet tomorrow with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. On Wednesday, Ms. Sheeran travels to Sudan, where WFP has its largest operation. 2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

 

 

 

COUNTRIES IGNORANT ABOUT THREATS POSED BY TRANSNATIONAL CRIME – UN AGENCY CHIEF New York, Apr 23 2007 5:00PM Law enforcement authorities around the world “operate in an information fog” about transnational organized crime, ignorant of the scope of the threats faced and unable to gauge global trends, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned today, calling on UN Member States to develop a coherent blueprint to deal with the problem. Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa told the opening of the annual session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, meeting in Vienna, that globalization meant activities ranging from money laundering and corruption to cyber-crime, identity theft and deliberate environmental destruction are “not threats that any State can fight alone.” Mr. Costa urged Member States to track organized crime more effectively and provide more detailed information so that policy-makers have the necessary data to develop the most comprehensive response possible. “While the building blocks of a global crime control regime are taking shape, the overall architecture needs to be made more explicit, coherent and results-oriented,” he said. Instruments such as the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime had not reached their full potential, despite the fact there are now 132 parties to the pact. “Its teeth are only starting to nibble on extradition, mutual legal assistance and cross-border judicial cooperation,” and no agreement has been reached yet on monitoring mechanisms or reporting obligations, he said. More generally, although there is widespread anecdotal evidence about anti-crime measures, such as the indictment of corrupt public officials and the breaking up of human trafficking rings, there have been few attempts to systematize the information on a global scale. “At times we cannot even define the enemy we face or assess its strength. We just see the tips of icebergs, or, if you allow me another metaphor, the shadow of dangerous entities. But the actual objects – whether submerged in murky waters or casting dark shadows – remain unfathomable.” But he said he was encouraged by recent initiatives relating to the UN Convention against Corruption, with many promising ideas sponsored by governments as well as multilateral banks and financial institutions. The Commission’s session runs until Friday and will consider a broad range of issues, including criminal justice responses to urban crime, combating the sexual exploitation of children, and strengthening international cooperation against illegal trafficking in timber. 2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

 

WANTED GANG LEADER ARRESTED IN HAITI – UN New York, Apr 23 2007 5:00PM Haitian National Police officers this weekend apprehended a gang leader who had been on the run since late February when law enforcement officials and United Nations peacekeepers seized control of his headquarters in Cité Soleil, the notorious slum area in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The arrest of Belony Pierre, who led a gang in the Bois-Neuf area of Cité Soleil, “marks another significant step forward in the fight against Haiti’s armed gangs,” the Secretary-General’s spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today in New York. Haitian police arrested the suspect in St. Michel de l’Attalaye, 100 kilometres north of Port-au-Prince, and he was transferred immediately to the capital where he faces charges of murder and kidnapping. The UN mission, known as MINUSTAH, assisted in his transfer and subsequent detention at police headquarters in Port-au-Prince by providing additional security. In recent months, MINUSTAH has stepped up efforts to crack down on criminal gangs in violence-ridden Haiti; since the start of the year, more than 400 gang members have been arrested. 2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

 

RELIGIOUS LEADERS CAN TAKE LEAD ON INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE, SAYS BAN KI-MOON New York, Apr 23 2007 5:00PM Religious and community leaders can play a leading role in promoting constructive intercultural dialogue that can help to bridge the widening gulf between peoples and nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a conference on the issue today. In a message to the conference on “The Religious Dimension of Intercultural Dialogue,” held in San Marino, the Secretary-General urged the leaders to use their “tremendous influence… to teach your followers to actively learn about other cultures, societies and religions.” Warning that participants were gathering “at a time of rising intolerance and growing cross-cultural tensions,” exacerbated by events from acts of terrorism to offending statements or publications, Mr. Ban said the divide between communities and countries has the potential to undermine global peace and stability. “Today there is an urgent need to rebuild bridges and to engage in a sustained and constructive intercultural dialogue, one that stresses common values and shared aspirations. People of faith can play a leading role in such an exchange. They can stress the core beliefs and ideals found in all the great faith traditions: compassion, solidarity, respect for life, and kindness towards others.” The message was delivered on Mr. Ban’s behalf by Staffan de Mistura, Director of the UN System Staff College. Mr. Ban’s message added that the San Marino conference would also help the UN’s Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative launched in 2005 with the support of Turkey and Spain to promote understanding between different religious, ethnic and national communities. The Alliance’s High-Level group issued a report late last year calling for a series of measures in education, media, youth and migration to build bridges between different communities and promote a culture of respect. Last week Mr. Ban said he would soon appoint a High Representative to assist him on the issue and to defuse crises that emerge at the intersection of politics and culture. 2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

 

April 20

 

INTENSIFIED FIGHTING IN SOMALI CAPITAL IMPEDES ACCESS TO THOSE IN NEED

 – UN New York, Apr 20 2007 11:00AM Despite their eagerness to help those who have been affected and displaced by violence in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, United Nations agencies today said their efforts are thwarted by the worsening security situation. “We have heard the appeal of Somali civil society to the humanitarian community for more help and we continue to respond, as far as we are able, with supplies and technical support,” said, Christian Balslev-Olesen, Somalia Representative for the UN Children’s Fund “But our access is limited,” he added. “And so we reiterate our call to all parties involved in the conflict to do everything within their power to allow us to reach those who need our assistance the most.” Since the end of last year, violence in the capital has increased since the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, dislodged the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from Mogadishu and much of the rest of the country. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 213,000 people have fled fighting in the capital thus far, while UNICEF reports that hospitals are overflowing with casualties and health clinics are facing a rising number of cases of acute water diarrhoea. “UNICEF warehouses in the capital containing relief supplies cannot be reached due to conflict in the area and the use of Mogadishu airport to bring in further supplies carries its own security risks,” Mr. Balslev-Olesen said. UNHCR today said that it is rushing aid to thousands who have fled Somalia’s capital Mogadishu amid the recent outbreak of fighting. The agency began distributing supplies yesterday to 40,000 displaced people who have fled Mogadishu since February and are currently residing in the small town of Afgooye, 30 kilometres west of the capital, UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva. There was also an explosion yesterday on the main road linking Afgooye – which shelters one fifth of the 213,000 Somalis who are believed to have fled the capital – and Mogadishu, isolating the small town. “There are concerns that with this vital road now cut off, aid agencies will have an even harder time trying to bring supplies from warehouses in Mogadishu for distribution to thousands of displaced people in Afgooye and surrounding areas,” Mr. Redmond said. On its first day of distribution in Afgooye, UNHCR and its Somali non-governmental organization (NGO) partners reached 1,500 families or roughly 9,000 people, all of whom were living outdoors, either under trees or out in the open. By this morning, many had erected makeshift shelters with the plastic sheeting they received yesterday. The agency hopes to reach an additional 500 families or 3,000 people living outdoors. The coming rainy season makes providing shelter for families currently living under trees – who are exposed to the scorching sun, heavy rains and chilly nights – all the more critical. UNHCR is also delivering sleeping mats and mosquito nets to the displaced. This weekend, distribution will continue from stocks that have been flown in from emergency stockpiles in Dubai, including blankets, more plastic sheeting, jerry cans and kitchen sets for almost 20,000 people. “UNHCR plans to airlift more relief supplies from Dubai next week, and to distribute them in Afgooye,” Mr. Redmond said, adding that these additional supplies will cover 15,000 people. On Wednesday, UNHCR sent two truckloads of much-needed relief and medical supplies for Dobley, a small town on the 18 kilometres from Somalia’s border with Kenya. The town is struggling to cope with the recent arrival of 4,000 displaced people as well as with an outbreak of diarrhoea which has killed six children. By yesterday afternoon, supplies had been distributed at an isolation camp the community had set up on the town’s outskirts to curb the spread of the disease, and NGOs report that 50 people have been hospitalized in the makeshift hospital. “Because of security concerns, the UN is unable to work in these parts of Somalia and is providing assistance through Somali NGOs,” Mr. Redmond noted. 2007-04-20 00:00:00.000

BAN KI-MOON DISPATCHES POST-COUP FACT-FINDING MISSION TO FIJI

New York, Apr 20 2007 1:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is sending a fact-finding mission comprising political, electoral, human rights and development experts to Fiji next week to assess the situation in the Pacific island nation in the wake of last December’s coup d’état. Mr. Ban is dispatching the mission in response to the Security Council’s call for the restoration of democracy and a peaceful resolution of political tensions, his spokesperson said in a statement issued today at UN Headquarters in New York. The aim of the mission, which is scheduled to arrive in Fiji on Sunday, “is to gain a first-hand assessment of the situation in Fiji through broad consultations with the interim authorities, representatives of all political parties and civil society,” the statement added. The team is also slated to hold talks with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the resident diplomatic community in the capital, Suva. Led by Jehangir Khan of the UN Department of Political Affairs, the mission will include electoral and political experts, as well as representatives from the UN Development Programme and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights The mission comes after the Secretary-General, the Security Council and other UN officials condemned the military coup on 5 December last year and urged that a peaceful restoration of the democratically elected government take place as soon as possible. Fiji has had four coups since 1987. 2007-04-20 00:00:00.000

 

 April 19

UGANDA: CONCERNED BY MOUNTING VIOLENCE AGAINST CIVILIANS, UN OFFICIAL URGES PROTECTION

New York, Apr 19 2007 10:00AM In a report released today, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour urged the Government of Uganda to curb violence and human rights abuses voiced concern over escalating violence against civilians in Karamoja in the north-east of the country, where almost 70 people have been killed since last November. Between 16 November 2006 and 31 March 2007, “the indiscriminate and excessive use of force” by Government forces, known as UPDF, has lead to the deaths of at least 69 civilians, including women and children, as well as 10 cases of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, the High Commissioner's office (OHCHR) said in a statement released in Geneva. Additionally, 400 cattle and many traditional homesteads, or manyattas, have been destroyed in Karamoja. The High Commissioner also expressed serious concern over a “climate of fear and insecurity” in the area where armed Karimojong have reportedly killed seven UPDF soldiers, eight civilians and almost 300 cattle. Ms. Arbour, who issued a report last November calling on Uganda to end a forced disarmament exercise, deplored the failure of the Government to implement her previous recommendations. Allegations of human rights violations and criminal acts have persisted since the strategy was launched last May. “I call on the Government of Uganda to respect its obligations to protect the human rights of all individuals under its jurisdiction at all times,” Ms. Arbour said, appealing for an end to the indiscriminate and excessive use of force against men, women and children. The High Commissioner added that the country must also “take all necessary measures, including reviewing the ongoing disarmament process, to prevent any further human rights violations in Karamoja,” as well as implementing sustainable development initiatives to bring stability to the region. She also stressed that instead of pursuing a solely military response, the Government should create civilian mechanisms for the legal arrest, detention, prosecution and punishment of armed Karimojong who commit crimes. 2007-04-19 00:00:00.000

 

 

RISING FEARS ABOUT CONSERVATION OF MACHU PICCHU SITE PROMPT UN MISSION

 New York, Apr 19 2007 1:00PM The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is sending a mission next week to the Incan archaeological ruin of Machu Picchu in Peru amid mounting concern about the conservation of the World Heritage Site as tourist numbers increase and urban development encroaches. Starting Monday, the mission will spend eight days visiting Machu Picchu and holding talks with Peruvian Government officials, local community representatives and others to discuss the implementation of the master plan for the site. Mission members will hold workshops with representatives of civil society and local, regional and national institutions to promote the greater participation of local communities in the management of Machu Picchu, which was inscribed as a mixed natural and cultural site on the World Heritage List in 1983. They will also focus on “the uncontrolled urban development” of Aguas Calientes, a town at the foot of Machu Picchu, the impact of a new bridge to the site and plans to develop tourist infrastructure within the protected area, UNESCO said in a press release issued today from its headquarters in Paris. Machu Picchu has become prone to mudslides and fires in recent years, and UNESCO said the mission would monitor the effect on flora and fauna and assess the site’s risk preparedness plan. 2007-04-19 00:00:00.000

 

 

April 18

 

BAN KI-MOON VOICES ‘DEEP CONCERN’ AT REPORTS OF ARMS FLIGHTS INTO DARFUR

 New York, Apr 18 2007 5:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern today at evidence presented to Security Council members of the flying of arms and heavy weapons into the war-torn region of Darfur, a direct violation of a United Nations embargo. Mr. Ban “is especially troubled by reports that private or national aircraft have been illegally provided with UN markings and used for military purposes,” according to a statement released by his spokesperson at UN Headquarters in New York. “If further substantiated, such actions would be in clear violation of international law and in contravention of the UN’s international status.” A senior UN official told journalists today that there had been three sightings recently of planes with illegal UN markings – one over Darfur, one over a Government-controlled area in neighbouring Chad and one over the Central African Republic (CAR). In the statement, Mr. Ban pledged to work closely with the Security Council on the issue, and expected full cooperation from the Sudanese Government and other States “to provide prompt clarification” about the aircraft. Since 2003 more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million others forced to leave their homes to escape fighting between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias and rebel groups. Entire villages have been burned down during the clashes. Concern has mounted recently that the conflict may spill into Chad and the CAR, and earlier this year Mr. Ban described Darfur as the scene of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. On Monday, Mr. Ban and the Council both welcomed Sudan’s announcement confirming that it accepts the entire “heavy support package” of troops, police officers, civilian staff and helicopters which the UN will provide to the existing and overstretched African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Darfur. The heavy support package is the second phase of a three-step plan that is supposed to culminate in a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force of approximately 17,000 troops and 3,000 police officers. This force is to be staffed mainly by Africans. Under the support package, which is expected to cost $300 million over its first six months, the UN will supply more than 2,200 troops, 350 police and 1,100 civilian staff to the AU mission, known as AMIS. Helicopters will also be deployed. The UN is already providing a $21 million “light support package” which includes police advisers, civilian staff, technical support and other resources. 2007-04-18 00:00:00.000

 

MIGIRO URGES ACTION BY ALL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS TO REACH ANTI-POVERTY GOALS

New York, Apr 18 2007 5:00PM Stressing the need to address the disparities in today’s world by striving to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro urged action by all partners to achieve the time-bound anti-poverty targets that were set by world leaders meeting at the United Nations in 2000. ”Midway to the MDG target date of 2015, the world has registered mixed progress towards these targets,” she said in an address at Boston University yesterday, hailing advances in many parts of the world, including a number of Asian countries. While there has also been progress in a number of African States, there is growing poverty in the continent overall, she said. “The reality is that Africa’s current growth, while commendable, is still insufficient when set against the tremendous distance the continent needs to cover.” African governments must continue with institutional reforms that promote good governance and accountability, said Ms. Migiro, a former foreign minister of Tanzania. “They should especially improve transparency in the use of domestic and external development resources.” She praised the efforts of development partners while calling for further action. “Donor nations and development partners should demonstrate leadership by bringing the quality and quantity of their development assistance in line with their stated commitments,” she declared. The Deputy Secretary-General called for a series of measures, including lowering existing trade barriers, agricultural subsidies, and restrictive rules on investment. “Ultimately, progress towards the Millennium Development Goals requires leadership from all sides,” she said, pledging the UN’s full support in this process. Also on Tuesday, Ms. Migiro accepted the Boston University Award, saying she was “humbled and inspired.” She praised the institution’s long-standing ties to Africa. “This university houses one of the oldest African studies programmes in this nation. Its reputation as a centre of teaching and research on Africa is second to none,” she said. 2007-04-18 00:00:00.000

 

OFFICIALS VISIT HAITI AS PART OF UN EFFORTS TO BOOST ECONOMY, STATUS OF WOMEN

 New York, Apr 18 2007 5:00PM Officials from the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Division for the Advancement of Women have arrived in Haiti as part of the world body’s efforts to help the country as it works to consolidate democracy. A delegation from the Ad Hoc Advisory Group of ECOSOC is on a four-day mission to assess Haiti’s economic and social development strategies, according to a news release from the UN Mission in the country (MINUSTAH), which was established in October 2004 after an insurgency forced then President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to go into exile. Led by Canadian Ambassador John McNee, the team is working to evaluate the current situation in Haiti and assess the post-conflict reconstruction challenges faced by the country. Among other tasks, the Group will examine the work of the UN country team and international assistance by all players on the ground, including follow up to recommendations made after it conducted a visit to Haiti in 2005. In another development, a high-level delegation from the Division on the Advancement of Women met today in Port-au-Prince with the senior UN envoy to the country, Mr. Edmond Mulet. This delegation, which arrived on Monday, is in Haiti to work in close collaboration with the Government to implement the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. Haiti, which joined the pact in 1981, is scheduled to report to the committee which monitors it next year. 2007-04-18 00:00:00.000

 

RWANDA ASKS UN COURT TO OVERTURN FRENCH ARREST WARRANTS OVER GENOCIDE

New York, Apr 18 2007 5:00PM Rwanda applied today to the International Court of Justice to quash arrest warrants issued by a French judge last year against senior Rwandan Government and military officials and a request to the United Nations that President Paul Kagame stand trial at the UN war crimes tribunal dealing with the 1994 genocide. The application relates to the downing in Kigali on 6 April 1994 of an aircraft carrying the then presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, an incident that sparked the subsequent genocide in Rwanda. Last November a French judge issued arrest warrants against a series of Rwandan officials, including the Chief of General Staff of its Defence Forces, the Chief of Protocol to the Presidency and the Rwandan Ambassador to India. By issuing those warrants, France is violating international law concerned with international and diplomatic immunities, as well as Rwanda’s sovereignty, and the warrants should be annulled immediately, Rwanda stated in its application. The African nation said the judge’s report was also sent to the UN Secretary-General with the request that Mr. Kagame be brought for trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Such an action means France “has acted in breach of the obligation of each and every State to refrain from intervention in the affairs of other States,” Rwanda argued. The ICJ said in a press release that the application has been sent to the French Government and, in accordance with its rules, no action will be taken by the court unless France consents to ICJ jurisdiction in the case. Estimates vary but some 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, are thought to have been killed by Hutu militias and others over a 100-day period in Rwanda in 1994. 2007-04-18 00:00:00.000

 

April 17

 

UN FOOD AGENCY APPEALS FOR HELP TO AVERT DEEPENING CRISIS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

 New York, Apr 17 2007 11:00AM The United Nations World Food Programme today appealed for increased international donor support to avert a deepening humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR), where hundreds of thousands of people displaced by war and civil conflict are in urgent need of food assistance. “The humanitarian situation in CAR is serious, and getting worse as a result of the violence and conflict spilling over from Darfur,” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. “We need to increase our operations to cover the food needs of 230,000 people in this growing emergency.” The appeal comes ahead of Ms. Sheeran’s visit to Ethiopia, Sudan and Chad next week, where she will assess the impact of the spill-over of the Darfur conflict in neighbouring Sudan for WFP operations in the region. Her visit will follow on the visit to Sudan and the Central African region in early April by Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, who also focussed on the worsening situation in the often-overlooked emergency in CAR. WFP is more than doubling its budget and scaling up its aid operations nearly six-fold to reach 230,000 people within CAR whose lives have been savaged by the ongoing violence. Another 20,000 Central Africans who have fled west into Cameroon are targeted through a new WFP operation, while close to 50,000 refugees are already receiving WFP assistance in camps in southern Chad. Total cost for this humanitarian effort is likely to exceed $50 million. In CAR alone, the newly expanded operation is budgeted at $44 million, but donor contributions to date amount to $14 million. 2007-04-17 00:00:00.000

 

UN MEETING OPENS WITH CALLS FOR GLOBAL SUPPORT TO HELP MILLIONS OF UPROOTED IRAQIS New York, Apr 17 2007 11:00AM Hundreds of concerned participants from governments, aid organizations and United Nations bodies gathered in Geneva today at a conference organized by the UN refugee agency in a bid to find ways to address the humanitarian crisis facing millions of people uprooted by the conflict in Iraq, hearing calls for a sustained, comprehensive and coordinated international response to their plight. “The humanitarian dimension of the problem can no longer be overlooked,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterrestold representatives from more than 60 nations at the opening of a two-day UNHCR conference on the humanitarian needs of nearly 4 million refugees and displaced people in Iraq and surrounding countries. He said their “needs are as obvious as the moral imperative to help.” Urging results from the more than 450 participants from governments and international and non-governmental organizations attending, he said: “All of us – representatives of governments, international organizations and civil society – are now compelled to act.” Mr. Guterres noted that while Iraq probably had the highest media profile of any conflict in the world today, “too little attention has been devoted to the humanitarian tragedy looming in the shadows.” According to UNHCR, the conflict in Iraq has caused the most significant displacement in the Middle East since 1948, with one in eight Iraqis driven from their homes. Some 1.9 million Iraqis are currently displaced inside the country and up to 2 million others have fled abroad. “It is the largest urban caseload UNHCR has ever dealt with,” Mr. Guterres said in a reference to Syria, Jordan and other nearby countries. “But those host communities are straining under this extraordinary burden, while the suffering of the displaced grows by the day.” He added that: “The generosity of host countries must be matched by that of the entire international community.” Many Iraqis were displaced prior to the fall of the previous regime in 2003. Between 2003 and 2005, more than 300,000 Iraqis had returned home to begin rebuilding their lives, he said. But the trend has now dramatically reversed, particularly since the Samarra bombing in February 2006. About 750,000 people are estimated to have fled their homes since that incident, with up to 50,000 more displaced each month. The High Commissioner stressed the humanitarian focus of the meeting, but also noted that humanitarian problems are “symptoms of a disease whose cure can only be political.” 2007-04-17 00:00:00.000

UN GRIEVES FOR SLAIN COLLEAGUES AND CHILDREN IN AFGHANISTAN AFTER DEADLY ATTACKS New York, Apr 17 2007 12:00PM The United Nations mission in Afghanistan today expressed grief over the killing of five of its workers in a roadside bomb blast and also for the deaths of four children and the wounding of four others in a separate explosion at a school. “Intentional attacks on civilians are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the UN will be pursuing full accountability for those who are behind this,” said UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan spokesman Adrian Edwards. “We grieve for our lost colleagues and for the murdered and wounded children and offer our deep sympathies to their families and loved ones.” A remote-controlled explosive device was detonated this morning in the southern city of Kandahar as a UN road convoy was passing, killing an Afghan driver and four Nepalese contractors working with the world body’s Office for Project Services. Separately another explosion occurred at a school in Herat, in the west of the country, killing four children and wounding four others. 2007-04-17 00:00:00.000

 

April 16

UN EXPANDS FIGHT AGAINST POTENTIALLY FATAL CHAGAS DISEASE THAT AFFECTS MILLIONS

 New York, Apr 13 2007 8:00PM The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is joining forces with Bayer HealthCare to expand global efforts aimed at eliminating Chagas, a parasitic disease that affects an estimated 9 million people, mostly children, and which causes the slow swelling of victims’ internal organs and is fatal to around a third of those infected. The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is joining forces with Bayer HealthCare to expand global efforts aimed at eliminating Chagas, a parasitic disease that affects an estimated 9 million people, mostly children, and which causes the slow swelling of victims’ internal organs and is fatal to around a third of those infected. The expanded WHO programme will be supported by funds and free tablets from Bayer HealthCare, which manufactures nifurtimox, a drug used to treat the disease, and these will allow the treatment of an estimated 30,000 patients over a period of five years, the agency said in a press release. “This disease still poses a threat to so many people in Latin America and now that threat has spread to other countries via blood banks lacking adequate screening of infected donors. This provision is indeed an important step towards elimination efforts of Chagas worldwide,” said Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, WHO/PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) Regional Director for the Americas Region. For decades, Chagas disease largely affected people in rural areas of Latin America but blood donations and poor safety in blood banks have led to infections in other countries as some people who may be unaware they carry the infection have donated their blood to the national blood supply. As a result, the disease has now appeared in Europe and various parts of the United States. The disease is caused by the protozoan parasite, which enters the human body though broken skin, and can be passed on either by the bloodfeeding ‘assassin bugs’ that emerge at night to bite and suck blood, through transfusion with infected blood or congenitally from infected mother to foetus. Usually a small sore develops at the bite where the parasite enters the body. Within a few days, fever and swollen lymph nodes may develop. This initial acute phase may cause illness and death, especially in young children. However more commonly, patients enter a symptom-less phase lasting several months or years, during which time parasites are invading most organs of the body, often causing heart, intestinal and oesophageal damage and progressive weakness. In 32 per cent of those infected, fatal damage to the heart and digestive tract occurs during this chronic phase. For therapy, two drugs can be used for the early chronic phase. 2007-04-13 00:00:00.000

 

EXTENDING UN MISSION IN GEORGIA FOR SIX MONTHS, SECURITY COUNCIL URGES DIALOGUE

New York, Apr 13 2007 7:00PM Stressing the need for dialogue between the Government and Abkhaz sides in Georgia, where fighting 14 years ago drove nearly 300,000 people from their homes, the Security Council today extended the United Nations mission in the country for another 6 months until 15 October. In a resolution adopted unanimously, the 15-member body also condemned the attack on villages in the upper Kodori valley on 11-12 March and urged all sides to fully support the ongoing investigation conducted by the Joint Fact Finding Group, which is led by the UN Observer Mission in Georgia “The Security Council… decides to extend the mandate of UNOMIG for a new period terminating on 15 October 2007... [It] stresses that the situation on the ground in the areas of security, return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and rehabilitation and development must be improved and calls on both sides to resume dialogue,” the resolution states. The Council “urges the sides to address seriously each other’s legitimate security concerns, to refrain from any actions which might impede the peace process, and to extend the necessary cooperation to UNOMIG and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) peacekeeping force.” In his latest report on the work of the UN in Georgia, which was released last week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last month’s rocket attacks in the upper Kodori valley were “a major setback”, but added there have been recent signs of progress between the Georgian and Abkhaz sides. Mr. Ban cited the continued joint patrols of the valley by UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force as one example of the progress being made, adding that the patrols had observed no heavy weapons and a reduction in the number of armed personnel since a similar patrol in October last year. UNOMIG was set up in 1993 and expanded in 1994 to verify compliance with a cessation of hostilities and separation of forces accord, with patrols of the Kodori valley a specific part of its mandate. But it stopped patrolling the upper part of the valley in 2003 when four mission members were held hostage. Patrols were resumed after a break of three years last December. 2007-04-13 00:00:00.000

 

BAN KI-MOON SENDS UN LEGAL CHIEF TO LEBANON TO HELP BREAK IMPASSE OVER TRIBUNAL

 New York, Apr 13 2007 7:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he is dispatching the United Nations legal chief to Lebanon on Monday to help the Government and the country’s other political leaders to end their political impasse and set up a special tribunal as soon as possible to try the suspected killers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Nicholas Michel, the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, will “offer his legal assistance… to help their constitutional procedures,” Mr. Ban told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, referring to the parliamentary ratification necessary for the tribunal to enter into force. Mr. Ban said he hoped that Mr. Michel’s trip would help to “clarify all concerns or apprehensions” that might exist about the tribunal. In February, on behalf of the UN, Mr. Michel signed the agreement with Lebanon to set up the tribunal, but the country’s parliamentary forces have been deadlocked and there has been no vote so far on the tribunal agreement. The planned special tribunal in Lebanon will be of “an international character” to deal with the assassination of Mr. Hariri, who was killed along with 22 others in a massive car bombing in downtown Beirut in February 2005. Once it is formally established, it will be up to the tribunal to determine whether other political killings in Lebanon since October 2004 were connected to Mr. Hariri’s assassination and could therefore be dealt with by the tribunal. Mr. Michel told journalists today that his aim during the visit would be to “help the Lebanese parties to talk to each other and to find common ground so that the institutional process can be promoted towards ratification of the agreement.” He stressed that the UN had never tried to impose such a tribunal on the Lebanese, but had responded to an initial request from the country’s authorities for such a court. “So I work in that spirit, in the spirit of an assistance to be brought to the Lebanese authorities, in the spirit of a national dialogue, reconciliation, mutual understanding towards the establishment of the tribunal.” In April 2004 the Security Council set up the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) after an earlier UN mission found that Lebanon’s own inquiry into the Hariri assassination was seriously flawed and that Syria was primarily responsible for the political tensions that preceded the attack. Its mandate runs out next year. Serge Brammertz, the current head of the IIIC, told the Council last September that evidence obtained so far suggests that a young, male suicide bomber, probably non-Lebanese, detonated up to 1,800 kilograms of explosives inside a van to assassinate Mr. Hariri. 2007-04-13 00:00:00.000

 

 

 

April 12

 

TOP UN ENVOY IN IRAQ STRONGLY CONDEMNS ATTACKS IN BAGHDAD

New York, Apr 12 2007 10:00AM The senior United Nations envoy to  today strongly condemned  today’s attacks in Baghdad on the Al-Sarrafiya Bridge and at the Iraqi Parliament, calling on the country’s authorities to apprehend those behind the acts and bring them to justice. The bombings “constituted attacks on the symbols of Iraq’s proud history and hope for its future,” the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq Ashraf Qazi said in a statement. Calling today’s acts “criminal,” he said that they “demonstrated the horrors of wanton violence and the need for enhanced dialogue and national reconciliation.” Mr. Qazi expressed his deep condolences for the families of those killed, and said that he hopes for the speedy recovery of those wounded. 2007-04-12 00:00:00.000

 

April 11

 

RACE TO NORTH POLE BEGINS WITH BRITISH PAIR AIMING TO RAISE FUNDS FOR UN REFUGEE AGENCY

 New York, Apr 11 2007 10:00AM A 640 kilometre race to the North Pole kicked off this week from the last inhabited outpost in northern Canada, with a pair of British adventurers seeking to raise almost $500,000 for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Jack Morland, 31, and James Turner, 30, comprise Team Refuge, which is racing to raise money for UNHCR and has so far has raised $50,000. “We would like to earmark this money for a special trust fund to cover urgent medical evacuations for refugee children,” said Mr. Morland, who has worked for UNHCR over the past seven years in places such as Iraq, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and Sudan. He hopes this fund will act as a “quick access fund for field officers to bypass too much paperwork.” “This is also an opportunity for James and I to use the Polar Race as an excuse to talk to people about the refugee issue,” he added. “We will return to the [United Kingdom] in May to begin a series of talks on the race and refugees at schools, community centres and universities around the country.” Team Refuge, one of six competing in the race, took the early lead on the first day of the endurance race which entails dragging heavy sleds across icy terrain, enduring minus 40-degree Celsius temperatures and constantly looking out for dangerous polar bears. What scares Mr. Morland most is not the polar bears, but instead the bitter temperatures. “The cold is terrifying,” he said. “No sooner have you left the tent than your eyelids freeze together and your bones begin to ache.” However, Mr. Morland and Mr. Turner, a long-time friend and schoolmaster, have trained extensively for the event in the gym and also went on a two-week trip to the Swedish Arctic. The team must carry the essentials for survival – including food, medical supplies, communications equipment and urine flasks so they do not have to leave their tents at night to answer a call of nature – in heavy sleds. Arch Insurance, a European company, has given Team Refuge $80,000 to cover the costs of the race, allowing all funds raised by the pair to be donated directly to UNHCR. The public will be able to continue donating to Team Refuge for the rest of this year. The race is expected to take at least four weeks, and the winning team will be awarded the Wedgwood Blue Ice Trophy. 2007-04-11 00:00:00.000

 

April 10

WORLD HERITAGE LIST SITES AT SERIOUS RISK FROM CLIMATE CHANGE, WARNS UN REPORT

 New York, Apr 10 2007 6:00PM Some of the world¡Çs most renowned natural and cultural sites, from the Great Barrier Reef to Kilimanjaro National Park to the city of Venice, are at serious threat from climate change, to a report released today by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Rising sea levels, melting glaciers, increased risks of flooding and reduced marine and land biodiversity could all have potentially disastrous effects on the 830 sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the report said. UNESCO Director-General Ko«Áchiro Matsuura called for ¡Èan integrated approach to issues of environmental preservation and sustainable development,¡É warning that climate change will constitute an enormous challenge over the next century. The report, which featured 26 case studies, focused on five areas: glaciers, marine biodiversity, terrestrial biodiversity, archaeological sites, and historic cities and settlements. One of the at-risk sites is the Great Barrier Reef, off the north-eastern coast of Australia. The report found that rising sea temperatures and increasing oceanic acidification mean that corals are more and more likely to bleach and turn white, jeopardizing the numerous fish species which rely on the reef. The Italian city of Venice and its surrounding lagoon face the threat of more frequent flooding because of rising sea levels, the report noted, while rising water levels could endanger the historic areas of many other famous cities, including London and Prague. The decorative surfaces of many of the buildings in these cities are considered to be at particular risk. In Tanzania, the rapidly diminishing glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa¡Çs highest peak, could lead to the complete disappearance of its ice fields within the next 15 years. 2007-04-10 00:00:00.000

 

UN HEALTH AGENCY HAILS MOVE TO CUT PRICE OF KEY HIV/AIDS DRUG

 New York, Apr 10 2007 6:00PM The United Nations World Health Organization today welcomed the decision of Abbott Laboratories to reduce the price of a drug which has proved particularly effective as a “second-line” antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV/AIDS. The price of lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r, marketed as Kaletra/Aluvia) has been lowered by Abbott in some low and middle-income countries, where many HIV/AIDS drugs are unaffordable and demand for this medicine is growing. Worldwide the number of people being treated with ART keeps growing in low and middle-income countries. This has caused a rise in the number of people in those nations who have developed resistance to so-called “first-line” treatments, thus boosting demand for second-line ART. In a statement released today, the WHO welcomed Abbott’s decision and said it would continue to work with countries, people living with HIV/AIDS, organizations and the pharmaceutical industry “to find mechanisms that address the immediate need to rapidly increase access and affordability of life-saving drugs, while maintaining the long-term need to foster research and development in innovative medicines.” WHO has pledged to work towards universal access to HIV prevention services and to treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS, all by 2010. 2007-04-10 00:00:00.000

 

UN AGENCY TEAMS UP WITH GLOBAL FOOTBALL BODY AHEAD OF SOUTH AFRICA WORLD CUP

 New York, Apr 10 2007 6:00PM Ahead of the soccer World Cup in South Africa in 2010, the United Nations tourism agency is teaming up with FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) to help promote development, including eliminating poverty and supporting sustainable tourism, across the African continent by using the sport as the driving force. “The World Cup constitutes an opportunity that the countries of the region can seize in order to obtain the maximum socio-economic, promotional and cultural benefits. It should also contribute to strengthening the image of Africa”, said UN World Tourism Organization Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli. Aware of the fact that Africa can benefit from this major event, the heads of FIFA, the UNWTO and the UNWTO ST-EP Foundation (Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty) are preparing a partnership to assist African countries within the framework of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, UNWTO said in a press release. Particularly through its ST-EP programme, UNWTO is working for poverty alleviation, linking its longstanding pursuit of sustainable tourism with the UN Millennium Development Goals MDGs) and its own Global Code of Ethics. The MDGs are a set of globally-agreed time-bound targets aimed at eliminating a host of social ills. The World Cup, through the assistance provided by UNWTO and with travel and tourism as its main thrust, represents an opportunity to promote the whole of Africa to international markets, to reinforce the image of the continent as a safe and significant tourism destination and to help people develop closer relations, the agency said. Earlier this year, the African Union (AU), South Africa and Ethiopia nominated 2007 as the International Year of African Football, an initiative that was welcomed by the UN as part of its global drive linking sport with development. 2007-04-10 00:00:00.000

 

UN MISSION TO SUPPORT HOLDING OF HAITIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS LATER THIS MONTH

New York, Apr 10 2007 6:00PM The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti has announced plans to provide security and logistical support to the Caribbean country’s Provisional Electoral Commission when it holds local mayoral and municipal elections later this month. About 300,000 voters are expected to cast their ballots on 29 April, voting for 73 delegate seats across 10 districts, MINUSTAH spokesperson Sophie Boutaud de la Combe told journalists on Thursday at the weekly press briefing in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. Ms. Boutaud de la Combe urged all eligible Haitians to vote in the polls, which follow successfully staged legislative and local elections last year. MINUSTAH has already provided training, coordinated with the Haitian Government, to thousands of candidates and civilians to help the municipal administrations better manage their affairs, especially in budgetary matters. The mission has been supporting the polling process in Haiti since 7 February 2006, when the presidential and initial round of parliamentary elections were held – the first nationwide voting since an insurgency forced former President Jean- Bertrand Aristide into exile two years before. MINUSTAH peacekeepers are also continuing law-and-order operations, most recently working with the Haitian National Police (HNP) in Port-au-Prince to detain 51 presumed gang members during the past week. The arrests are part of joint efforts to cut crime and improve security in the capital’s most crime-ridden neighbourhoods, where armed gangs have operated for many years. 2007-04-10 00:00:00.000

 

April 9

UN CONDEMNS BLOODY WEEKEND IN AFGHANISTAN; AGENCIES HELP FLOOD VICTIMS

New York, Apr 9 2007 5:00PM The United Nations today condemned separate bloody weekend attacks in Afghanistan, resulting in the killing of seven civilian de-miners and the deaths of six Canadian soldiers belonging to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is helping to bring stability to the war-torn country. On Saturday a convoy of civilian de-mining and security personnel travelling on the Kandahar to Herat road in the south was attacked, leaving seven killed and two wounded and also killing two mine detection dogs. “The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) strongly condemns this attack on individuals who are actively working to improve the lives and safety of the Afghan community,” spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. Separately, a UNAMA spokesperson in the Afghan capital Kabul expressed the world body’s sadness and condolences over the deaths and injuries to the Canadian soldiers, which also occurred in the south of the country. “The commitment and sacrifice of the men and women of the Canadian armed forces, together with all those serving together under NATO-led ISAF command is an inspiration to us all as they continue to play a crucial role in efforts to restore peace in Kandahar, Helmand and all of Afghanistan,” said Aleem Siddique. This latest bloodshed comes after the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom Koenigs spoke out on Sunday against the killing of Afghan journalist Ajmal Naqshbandi, who had been abducted by Taliban extremists early last month, and called for action to apprehend the perpetrators. Also in Afghanistan, UN agencies are continuing to help those affected by flooding in the impoverished country. The UN Children’s Fund the World Food Programme and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are providing emergency assistance, including the pre-positioning by WFP of 350,000 tons of food in five locations around Afghanistan for rapid deployment. In a related development, the World Bank’s Country Director for Afghanistan Alastair McKechnie told reporters in Kabul that while the country faces many challenges, not least of which is poverty and insecurity, progress has been made over the past few years, including much greater access to basic health care and more children in schools. 2007-04-09 00:00:00.000

UN DEMOCRACY FUND’S ADVISORY BOARD TO MEET TOMORROW TO REVIEW FIRST-YEAR PROGRESS

New York, Apr 9 2007 5:00PM The Advisory Board of the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), established to promote and consolidate new and restored democracies with financial and technical help, will meet tomorrow to review the Fund’s progress after its first year of activities and decide on future priorities and policies. UNDEF began its first day of practical work on 6 March last year, although it was established by the Secretary-General in July 2005 and welcomed at that year’s World Summit, which reaffirmed democracy as “a universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural system.” The 2005 World Summit also affirmed that “there is no single model of democracy, and that it does not belong to any country or region”. The Fund complements current UN efforts to promote free and fair elections, human rights, support to civil society, pluralistic media and the rule of law. So far, it has received a total of $61.2 million from 28 countries, with an additional contribution of $4 million firmly pledged by donors. The largest financial contributor is the United States with $18 million, followed by Japan and India. The Secretary-General’s Advisory Board is composed of 17 members, including representatives from the largest Member State contributors to the Fund, those from Member States selected by the Secretary-General to reflect diverse geographical representation, and also representatives from civil society and personal representatives of the Secretary-General. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to address the Board early on Tuesday morning in New York. 2007-04-09 00:00:00.000

UN SENDS DISASTER ASSESSMENT TEAM TO MADAGASCAR IN WAKE OF ANOTHER CYCLONE

 New York, Apr 9 2007 5:00PM The United Nations humanitarian arm has dispatched a five-member disaster assessment and coordination team to Madagascar, where relief operations are under way after the sixth cyclone of the season struck the island nation last week. The team from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will support the UN country team already in Madagascar and the African country’s authorities as they determine what emergency supplies and facilities are needed to avert further deaths and diseases. Madagascar has been battered by six cyclone or tropical storms since December, with tropical storm Jaya striking last week, causing flooding and forcing many inhabitants to seek shelter at higher ground. The city of Maroantsetra in the northeast was isolated by rising waters, and its airport was forced to close temporarily. But OCHA officials said they expect the flood waters to recede relatively quickly now Jaya has passed. The UN Children’s Fund has obtained more than $1.6 million in emergency supplies, although its distribution operations have been hampered by the lack of access to some of the affected areas in the country’s north. The World Food Programme is also helping in efforts to bring aid to areas where it can be reached by cyclone survivors. OCHA said last week that it is most concerned about a possible rise in child and maternal mortality in the wake of the storms because of malnutrition, lack of sanitation and poor access to basic health-care services. Tens of thousands of hectares of rice, the basic food source for the Malagasy, have been destroyed by the floods. The Office described the planned national immunization and preventative health programme for the week beginning 23 April as critical and urged that it be carried out in all areas. The programme includes giving vitamin A to children and pregnant women, as well as offering de-worming treatment and measles vaccinations. 2007-04-09 00:00:00.000

 

SOMALIA: UN AGENCY WELCOMES RELEASE OF HIJACKED SHIP USED TO CARRY FOOD AID

New York, Apr 9 2007 11:00AM Calling on authorities to take action to curb piracy in Somali waters, the United Nations World Food Programme hailed the release of a hijacked ship used for carrying food aid which had been hijacked in February off the coast of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in the northeast of the African country. The MV Rozen and its 12-member crew, comprising six Kenyans and six Sri Lankans, had completed its contract with WFP on 22 February when it dropped off 1,800 metric tons of food from Mombasa in Kenya to Bossaso in Somalia when it was hijacked on 25 February. “WFP welcomes the release after 40 days of the MV Rozen,” said the agency’s Somalia Country Director Peter Goossens, thanking elders in Puntland for their mediation efforts in securing the ship’s release last week. “The treat of piracy however is still very much alive in Somali waters,” Mr. Goossens added, and he urged the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and authorities in Puntland to curtail piracy. News of the ship’s release was delayed due to security concerns. This incident has caused reluctance among shippers to carry cargoes to Somalia, creating delays in delivering much-needed food aid to the country. In 2005, the MV Semlow, the MV Rozen’s sister vessel, was hijacked while carrying WFP food supplies and held for more than 100 days. Another ship contracted by WFP, the MV Miltzow, was hijacked as it was unloading food aid at the Somali port of Merca and held for 33 hours. 2007-04-09 00:00:00.000

 

 

 April 5

AFGHANISTAN: UN FOOD AGENCY RUSHES SUPPLIES TO FEED 60,000 IN WAKE OF FLOODS

New York, Apr 5 2007 10:00AM The United Nations World Food Programme today stepped up assistance to victims of devastating spring floods in Afghanistan, sending 1,000 tonnes of emergency rations to feed 60,000 people for 30 days, but the agency is concerned about those affected who are beyond the reach of immediate help. “We don’t have a lot of time to waste,” said the WFP Afghanistan Country Director Rick Corsino. “It can take quite a while in this country to get food and other assistance to affected people and there are many in desperate need of food, shelter, blankets and medicine.” WFP is worried about flood victims who are stranded in remote – sometimes war-torn – mountainous regions made inaccessible by road destruction, landslides and avalanches. The agency voiced particular concern about the difficulties in sending aid to the heavily impacted southern province of Helmand, where security is a major concern given the frequent clashes between insurgents and Government and international forces. Trucks carrying WFP food have frequently been attacked by anti-Government elements, complicating aid distribution. Although the full death and destruction toll is unknown, the heavy rains which began last month have killed dozens of people and many more domestic livestock, damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and washed away tens of thousands of hectares of cultivated land. The relentless precipitation, coupled with quickly melting winter snow, has also impeded access on the highways linking the capital Kabul to the north and south of the country. The Vice President of Afghanistan has declared 13 of the country’s 34 provinces as disaster areas, and WFP is coordinating with the Government, other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and international military forces to distribute aid. “We have been working very well together to quickly assess the real needs and deliver as much help as we can, and as fast as we can, to those who need it most,” Mr. Corsino. 2007-04-05 00:00:00.000

 

April 4

 

INTERNATIONAL FORCE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC POSSIBLE – UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF

 New York, Apr 4 2007 6:00PM A multi-dimensional international force could be deployed to the troubled northeast of the Central African Republic (CAR) without the approval of neighbouring Chad, which is beset by its own civil strife, the United Nations’ top humanitarian official said today. But John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council that some sort of international presence is also vital in eastern Chad, where hundreds of thousands of refugees from the CAR and Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs), are living. The CAR has said it supports the arrival of an international force to try to stabilize its northeast, where almost 300,000 villagers have become displaced in the past year because of clashes between rebels and Government forces and the torching of numerous towns and villages by rebels. Many Central Africans have been forced to live in the bush out of concerns for their safety if they stay in villages or camps. Mr. Holmes – who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator – later told reporters that Chadian officials have said that while they are willing to have international gendarmes or police in the east of the country, they are not so enthusiastic about a foreign military presence. “The position of the UN, as you know, is that you can’t have one without the other – that military protection is needed,” Mr. Holmes said. He added that there was widespread support within the Security Council for an international force to be deployed in eastern Chad and the CAR, and said he hoped that discussions between Council members and the Chadian Government on this issue advance quickly. The Under-Secretary-General was briefing the Council today on his observations from his recent two-week trip to Sudan, Chad and the CAR, where three separate conflicts are threatening to spill into each other. “The humanitarian situation in all three countries is truly alarming,” Mr. Holmes said, adding that conditions were deteriorating despite the persistent efforts of UN humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Relief operations have become extremely fragile, especially in Darfur, because of increasing direct attacks on aid workers, mainly by rebels. Mr. Holmes stressed to the Council that “in each country the fundamental and crying need is above all for political solutions brought about through dialogue and mediation.” He said there was a clear regional aspect to the conflicts, especially in the spill over from the Darfur crisis to eastern Chad, where hundreds of thousands of Darfur refugees are living in camps. But “there is a clearly internal aspect to each conflict too, tempting though it is for the governments concerned to shift all the blame on to Darfur. In other words, there have to be national solutions in additional to the regional approach.” The worsening situation across the entire north of the CAR has also alarmed the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which yesterday called for more than $5 million in urgent funds to prevent a “humanitarian disaster” from emerging. Four out of every 10 Central African children are malnourished, the abuse of women and children is widespread, and the recruitment of child soldiers is also on the rise, UNICEF warned. In January the Fund launched an appeal for $12 million, but so far it has received just 22 per cent of that amount from donors. 2007-04-04 00:00:00.000

 

CALLING UN’S INTERNAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ‘INEFFECTIVE,’ GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES OVERHAUL

New York, Apr 4 2007 6:00PM The General Assembly today responded to what it termed the “slow, cumbersome, ineffective and lacking in professionalism” United Nations system of internal justice, with its “flawed” administrative review, by mandating the first overhaul since its creation six decades ago with a pledge to redress these problems. “We have taken a significant step forward in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of this Organization by approving the first serious overhaul of the United Nations’ system of administration of justice in 60 years,” declared General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa. She said the Assembly’s members asked for all elements of the new system to be fully functional by January 2009. The President said the UN should model the standards it advocates. “Around the world, the Organization promotes justice and equality and represents the rule of law to its members. The Organization therefore requires a system of justice which is independent, transparent, professional and adequately resourced.” The existing system of internal justice, in place since the late 1940s, was designed for a different era when the Organization had only a few thousand staff in a handful of locations, she said. “Over time, the backlogs and delays have become significant and the independence and credibility of the system seriously compromised.” “The existing system serves no-one well - not the staff, not the managers and ultimately, not the Organization or the Member States,” she said. Describing the changes, she said they will include a stronger informal system aimed at resolving a large number of disputes between staff and managers before they go to “litigation,” a stronger capacity for providing legal assistance and guidance to staff, and a series of measures to improve the accountability of managers and correct faulty decisions. “While understanding that today is only an initial step to this very important reform, it is indeed a crucial step,” she said. The General Assembly’s resolution recognizes that “the current United Nations system of administration of justice is slow, cumbersome, ineffective and lacking in professionalism, and that the current system of administrative review is flawed.” It notes that the “overwhelming majority of individuals serving in the system of administration of justice lack legal training or qualifications.” The Assembly expresses its decision to establish “a new, independent, transparent, professionalized, adequately resourced and decentralized system of administration of justice consistent with the relevant rules of international law and the principles of the rule of law and due process to ensure respect for the rights and obligations of staff members and the accountability of managers and staff members alike.” Among other measures, it formally establishes a Mediation Division within the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman to provide formal mediation services for the UN system, and an Office of the Administration of Justice, headed by a senior management-level official, which will have overall responsibility for the coordination of the United Nations system of administration of justice. The Secretary-General is asked to ensure that the Joint Appeals Boards, the Joint Disciplinary Committees, the United Nations Administrative Tribunal and other bodies, as appropriate, continue to function until the new system is operational with a view to clearing all cases that are before them. The resolution requires the Secretary-General to prepare a series of reports to move forward on the issue which should be presented to the Assembly during the main part of its upcoming session later this year, as well as a report on cost estimates. The resolution draws on the recommendations of a group of experts called the “Redesign Panel” set up to examine the issue. In its July, 2006 report, the Panel concluded that the administration of justice in the UN “fails to meet many basic standards of due process established in international human rights instruments.” This must be corrected, the experts argued, “to avoid the double standard – which currently exists – where the standards of justice that are now generally recognized internationally and that the Organization pursues in its programmatic activities are not met within the Secretariat or the funds and programmes themselves.” 2007-04-04 00:00:00.000

 

UN PROJECT IN HAITI BOOSTS, DIVERSIFIES LOCAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, OFFICIALS SAY

New York, Apr 4 2007 4:00PM A United Nations-backed project is helping local communities in north-eastern Haiti to increase and diversify their agricultural production and reducing poverty in the process, officials involved in the initiative have said. “This local governance experience showed that micro projects can have a real impact on the living conditions of vulnerable communities,” said Joël Boutroue, a UNDP official working in Haiti. Jointly carried out by the UN Capital Development Fund and the UN Development Programme the main goal of the scheme is to help some 200,000 Haitians as part of overall efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals a set of anti-poverty targets established at a 2000 UN Summit. The beneficiaries of the project include residents who now have access to essential basic services that they were long lacking, such as drinkable water, health-care centres, and a better flow of local commodities thanks to rehabilitated roads, according to a UNDP press release. Schools and agricultural facilities were also provided. Commercial benefits included improved pineapple and sugar cane production as well as the introduction of new varieties of mangoes and citrus fruits, the agency said. Mr. Boutroue said the $5.5 million project, which was launched in 2000 and will run through 2010, demonstrated the importance of involving local communities in identifying priority concerns. He called this “a clear indication of their capacity to take charge of themselves” in development activities. Chantal Santelli of the Capital Development Fund said the main challenge is “to be able to mobilize the necessary resources to the set up of the systems of local infrastructures” while ensuring that scarce funds are optimized. 2007-04-04 00:00:00.000

 

ON INTERNATIONAL MINE ACTION DAY, BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR ELIMINATION OF LETHAL DEVICES

New York, Apr 4 2007 9:00AM Hailing the positive steps made towards curbing landmines, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Member States to continue efforts to eliminate the weapons and provide assistance to victims on the occasion of the International Day dedicated to combating the scourge. The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action "is a reminder that millions of people in nearly 80 countries still live in fear of landmines and explosive remnants of war," Mr. Ban said. But thanks to the work of Member States, the UN, non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) and countries affected by mines, "we have made real gains in our mine actions," he said. Mr. Ban urged States which have not yet done so to accede to treaties -- the anti-personnel mine-ban treaty known as the Ottawa Convention, a Protocol to the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities -- that promote the elimination of landmines, address the humanitarian hazards posed by explosive remnants of war and ensure the human rights of all persons, regardless of their disabilities. He also called on the international community to act immediately to address the horrendous humanitarian effects of cluster bombs, which scatter hundreds of smaller bombs, intended to detonate on impact, but of which a significant portion do not. "These indiscriminately kill and maim civilians, just as easily and frequently as landmines do," Mr. Ban noted, lauding the drive by a group of countries to create an international agreement to ban these weapons. Iraq has one of the greatest concentrations of landmines and other explosive remnants of war in the world, due to decades of war and conflict. This poses a "huge threat to the daily lives of the people of Iraq as well as a major hindrance to the implementation of much needed humanitarian relief and development efforts," said Jean-Marie the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for Iraq. Nearly 1.9 million Iraqis are internally displaced, and the risk of injury due to these weapons is even higher now, he said. "We are particularly concerned about children, as well as farmers, desperate to make a living, using contaminated land," he added. The UN is supporting Iraq's national institutions, including the National Mine Authority Action Authority, to establish and implement a sustainable mine clearing programme. The UN Mine Action team for Iraq -- comprising the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) -- is active across the country in surveying contaminated areas, educating the population about mine risk, destroying stockpiles and aiding victims. Currently, 14 UN agencies, programmes, departments and funds are active in mine action services -- including finding and destroying landmines and explosive remnants of war; assisting victims; teaching people methods to remain safe in mine-affected areas; and destroying stockpiles; and encouraging universal participation in international agreements -- in dozens of countries. Events will be held throughout the world to commemorate the International Day. Exhibitions will be held in places such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Eritrea and Switzerland, while a festival in which children will participate will be held in Chechnya. At UN Headquarters, a special photo exhibition on the issue will be unveiled and a mock minefield will be installed to show how the de-mining process works. UNICEF will conduct mine-risk education workshops to the public. 2007-04-04 00:00:00.000

  

April 3

WORLD CEREAL PRODUCTION ON TRACK FOR RECORD CROP IN 2007, UN AGENCY REPORTS

New York, Apr 3 2007 11:00AM World cereal production this year is forecast to increase 4.3 per cent to a record 2.082 billion tonnes, but despite improved food supplies in many needy countries, 33 nations are in a critical situation, mostly due to conflict and adverse weather, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAOreported today. The bulk of the increase is expected in maize, with a bumper crop already being gathered in South America, and a sharp increase in plantings expected in the United States, according to the April issue of FAO’s Crop Prospects and Food Situation report. A significant rise in wheat output is also foreseen, with a recovery in some major exporting countries after weather problems last year. FAO forecasts coarse grains production to rise 5.6 per cent to 1.033 billion tonnes, and wheat to increase 4.8 per cent to about 626 million tonnes. Global rice production could rise marginally to 423 million tonnes in milled terms, about 3 million tonnes more than in 2006. Although the forecast is still highly tentative, cereal production for 82 low-income food-deficit countries could remain around the above-average level of 2006, with cereal imports in the 2006/07 marketing year expected to decline in most regions. In southern Africa, preliminary forecasts put total maize production at 14.8 million tonnes, about the same as last year’s below-average crop. Prospects vary considerably from country to country with significant crop losses due to floods in some areas and reduced yields due to long dry weather spells in others. Maize prices have escalated in South Africa, the region’s main exporting country, where inadequate precipitation will reduce yields. This will affect Swaziland, Lesotho and other dependent markets in the region. Meanwhile, food prices have also risen steeply in Madagascar, due to crop damage from excess rainfall. In eastern Africa, following above-average to bumper first season crops in many countries, record cereal output is confirmed for 2006/07, improving the overall food supply situation. But millions of people there still depend on food aid due to a combination of factors including conflict and adverse weather conditions. Moreover, Rift Valley Fever, which broke out in Kenya in late December, has since emerged in southern Somalia and northern Tanzania, killing hundreds of people and much livestock. This is a further blow to the region’s pastoralists, whose herds had been greatly reduced by a severe multi-year drought. Record maize crops are being gathered in South America, where planted area increased in response to strong demand, largely for ethanol production in the United States. Yields also benefited from favourable weather. A good wheat crop is being harvested in Mexico, the main producing country in Central America and the Caribbean. But in Bolivia, contrary to the favourable regional harvest and food outlook, severe weather, ranging from torrential rains in some parts to drought in others, has caused extensive losses to agriculture, livestock, and other assets, threatening the food security of rural communities. 2007-04-03 00:00:00.000

 

WITH SIXTH CYCLONE ON WAY, UN READIES AID FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN MADAGASCAR

 New York, Apr 3 2007 11:00AM With some 450,000 people in Madagascar already in urgently need of shelter, food, drinking water, medication and school supplies due to five cyclones this season, and a sixth one on the way, United Nations agencies have set up three operational bases to avert further deaths and disease in the world’s fourth largest island. “The main problem is the affected population’s access to healthcare, potable water and sanitation facilities,” UN Children’s Fund country representative Bruno Maes said. “Given the immediate needs of the population, UNICEF is contributing to risk prevention for diseases such as diarrhoea, respiratory infections, measles and malaria. Diseases such as these, can lead to a very high number of casualties given the current situation. An increase in malnutrition is also an exacerbating factor, especially for those who are more vulnerable such as women and young children,” he added. To be in a better position to provide immediate aid, UNICEF and the UN World Food Programme with the support of the Government and their partners, have set up two bases in the northern part of the Indian Ocean country, and a third in the south, which has been struck by floods and also recurrent droughts. “Natural disasters continue hitting Madagascar, affecting hundreds of thousands of people with another cyclone, Jaya, on the way,” Mr. Maes said. Tens of thousands of hectares of rice, the basic food source for the Malagasy, have also been destroyed by floods. The affect of this has been difficult to measure, but with the increased food insecurity and shortage, there is the risk of increased malnutrition. Communication infrastructure, roads, schools and health centres have been badly damaged. UNICEF’s response has been focused on three key areas: health and nutrition; water, hygiene and sanitation; and education. WFP and UNICEF are together conducting regular needs assessments. Logistical operations are also being carried out simultaneously, which allows for effective transportation of food and non-food items to the affected villages that are often in inaccessible areas. These goods include tents, soap, water treatment products, buckets, school supplies, high-protein biscuits, rice, dry vegetables and oil. “UNICEF and its partners have the responsibility to bring back hope to the lives of those families who have lost everything, and help them to return to a normal life, without further delay, including access to basic social services,” Mr. Maes said. According to the UN Development Programme Human Development Report, over 70 per cent of Madagascar’s 18 million people live below the poverty line. 2007-04-03 00:00:00.000

 

GEORGIA: UN PROBE SEEKS FURTHER INFORMATION ON ATTACK ON GOVERNMENT POST

New York, Apr 3 2007 11:00AM A United Nations-led fact-finding team is seeking more information on last month’s attack on a Government position in north-west Georgia where fighting between Government and Abkhaz separatist forces 14 years ago drove nearly 300,000 people from their homes. In an update on its investigation into the 11 March attacks in the upper Kodori valley, the UN Observer Mission in Georgia said all parties had presented useful information and arguments regarding the events, and consensus had been reached on a number of aspects of the incident. The Joint Fact-Finding Group (JFFG), headed by UNOMIG and including representatives from the Georgian Government, the Abkhaz de facto authorities and the Peacekeeping Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) agreed that “further progress requires additional information, which it expects to be provided in the near future,” the mission said. “The Mission hopes that further cooperation by all sides will enable the JFFG to make a substantial contribution to understanding the 11 March incident,” it added. The JFFG conducted two patrols to the upper Kodori valley, travelling extensively. It was afforded full access to security personnel, posts and installations. The patrols examined evidence from ordnance involved in the attack to determine what type of weaponry was involved. In an effort to determine the direction and distance from which the attacks were conducted, the JFFG conducted ‘crater analysis’ of 17 different ground impact sites and inspected the damaged Chkhalta administration building. UNOMIG was set up in 1993 and expanded in 1994 to verify compliance with a cessation of hostilities and separation of forces accord, with patrols of the Kodori valley a specific part of its mandate. But it stopped patrolling the upper part of the valley in 2003 when four mission members were held hostage for a few days by unknown armed elements. In January the Security Council cited the resumption of patrols as a positive development but expressed unease at the continuing tension between the two sides. In a report to the 15-member body that month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that recent violence could escalate and he called on all sides to engage in dialogue. 2007-04-03 00:00:00.000

 

UN CALLS FOR RELEASE OF BBC JOURNALIST KIDNAPPED THREE WEEKS AGO IN GAZA

New York, Apr 3 2007 10:00AM The head of the United Nations body mandated to protect press freedom today called for the release of a BBC journalist abducted in the Palestinian Gaza Strip three weeks ago, deploring the proliferation of hostage-taking involving media professionals. “When a journalist is abducted, the whole of society is taken hostage,” UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura a statement on the 12 March kidnapping of Alan Johnston, who has been living and working in Gaza for several years. “In view of this increasingly disturbing situation, I call on the authorities to do their utmost to obtain his release as quickly as possible. I wish to commend the determination and courage of journalists who continue to do their work despite the growing frequency of such abductions,” he added. “We must all mobilize to put an end to these heinous practices that constitute a serious threat to media professionals and also to freedom of expression. All too many abductions have taken place recently, in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as in Gaza. Not all these kidnappings have ended in bloodshed, but they remain intolerable and must not go unpunished.” According to Reporters Without Borders, 14 foreign journalists have been kidnapped in the Gaza Strip since August 2005, with none of the abductors caught or prosecuted. In Afghanistan, the journalist Adjmal Nasqhbandi is still held hostage whereas the Italian journalist he was accompanying, Daniele Mastrogiacomo, was released by their captors on 18 March, UNESCO said. As to Iraq, there is no news on seven journalists and four assistants who were recently kidnapped there. Over 50 journalists and media employees have been abducted in Iraq since 2003, according to Reporters Without Borders. Mr. Matsuura has repeatedly denounced the murder and harassment of media workers around the world. 2007-04-03 00:00:00.000

 

 

 

April 2

MIGIRO SAYS CREATING JOBS CRUCIAL TO ACHIEVING KEY DEVELOPMENT GOALS BY 2015

 New York, Apr 2 2007 6:00PM Job creation will be vital in efforts to reach the ambitious Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – a set of targets to slash a host of social ills, such as extreme poverty, by 2015, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today. Increasing employment is the “critical link” between economic growth and poverty reduction, she told a meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at UN Headquarters in New York. “Higher economic growth, while important, must not be viewed as an end in itself,” Ms. Migiro said. “For instance, last year’s robust worldwide expansion did not lead to a corresponding reduction in unemployment or poverty. Instead, the number of people living on less than $2 a day actually grew last year to reach 1.37 billion.” Ms. Migiro also noted that unemployment disproportionately affects youth, with that age group representing a quarter of the global working population but nearly half of the unemployed. “Globalization has lifted standards of living for some, but it has left many more on the margins, unable to enjoy its benefits,” she said. “Addressing these disparities is a central tenet of the Millennium Development Goals,” the Deputy Secretary-General added, pointing out that as the target date of 2015 approaches, “the world as a whole still lags in the race to achieve all of these Goals.” ECOSOC, comprised of 54 members elected by the General Assembly, is a body which meets yearly to further economic and social cooperation and development. Its mandate was enhanced in 2005 during the UN World Summit to improve the effectiveness of aid and monitor the implementation of targets, such as the MDGs, agreed upon by Member States. Today’s ECOSOC meeting was a preparatory one for an annual ministerial review, set to take place later this year, which will assess the progress, or lack thereof, that the body has made in reaching objectives such as the MDGs. Ms. Migiro called on the body to remember the ties between agriculture, hunger and poverty, as three out of every four of the world’s poor reside in rural communities. “If we all join hands, we can still meet the 2015 MDG deadline, we can advance against poverty and hunger, and we can build a true partnership for development.” 2007-04-02 00:00:00.000

 

ZIMBABWE: UN EXPERT CALLS FOR HALT TO USE OF LETHAL FORCE AGAINST UNARMED ACTIVISTS

New York, Apr 2 2007 6:00PM An independent United Nations human rights expert today urged the Zimbabwean Government to immediately halt its use of lethal force against unarmed political activists. Philip Alston, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, made his call in a statement which emphasized that the deadly force was a clear violation of international human rights law. “The Government is, in effect, instructing its forces to shoot innocent people, in complete disregard for the right to life,” he said, adding that this “reflects no attempt to balance the rights to political participation and to freedom of expression and association with any legitimate notion of the need to maintain public order.” The Special Rapporteur said particularly troubling fatalities included the killing of Gift Tandare, the shooting of Nickson Magondo and Naison Mashambanhaka at point blank range and the deaths of eight to 10 persons at Harare hospitals from injuries consistent with being beaten by State security agents with blunt instruments. “Full, independent investigations must be undertaken as soon as possible,” he declared. According to international legal standards, military and police officers may use lethal force only when doing so is strictly necessary for self-defence or the defence of another’s life, he said, while governments that order their forces to shoot are violating international human rights law. “Under international law, widespread or systematic attacks against the civilian population are crimes against humanity,” Mr. Alston added. “Members of the police and military who comply with orders to gun down demonstrators will eventually be held to account.” 2007-04-02 00:00:00.000

 

MYANMAR SHOULD ADDRESS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MUSLIM MINORITIES – UN EXPERTS

New York, Apr 2 2007 6:00PM A group of United Nations human rights experts today called on the Government of Myanmar to address discrimination against members of the Muslim minority in North Rakhine state. The 1982 Citizenship Law denies Myanmar citizenship to the members of the Muslim minority in North Rakhine State, generally known as the Rohingyas, according to a joint statement released by six independent human rights experts. This “has seriously curtailed the full exercise of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and led to various discriminatory practices,” the statement said, citing severe restrictions on freedom of movement; various forms of extortion and arbitrary taxation; land confiscation and forced evictions; restricted access to medical care, food and adequate housing; forced labour; and restrictions on marriages. “As a consequence, thousands have fled to neighbouring countries, in turn creating complex humanitarian situations in the region,” said the experts, calling on Myanmar to take urgent measures to eliminate discriminatory practices against the Muslim minority in North Rakhine state, and to ensure that no further discrimination is carried out against members of the community. “We remind the Government of its obligation to protect all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction from any form of discrimination,” they said. The Government was urged to repeal or amend the 1982 Citizenship Law to ensure compliance of its legislation with the country’s international human rights obligations. The statement was issued jointly by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro; the Independent Expert on minority issues, Gay McDougall; the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Doudou Diène; the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari; the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler; and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Paul Hunt. 2007-04-02 00:00:00.000

UNITED NATIONS NEWS