Oct 23
SECURITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR BOOST TO WOMEN’S ROLE IN PEACE AND SECURITY New York, Oct 23 2007 8:00PM Recognizing the recent progress towards including women in the search for peace, justice and reconciliation, the Security Council today urged countries and the United Nations system to enhance female participation in decision-making and to take specific steps to protect women and girls from gender-based violence during conflicts. In a presidential statement adopted at the end of a day-long open meeting, the Council noted the “constant underrepresentation of women in formal peace processes,” and called for enhancing their role in matters related to the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. The 15-member body also expressed deep concern that gender-based violence, particularly rape, remain “pervasive, and in some situations have become systematic,” despite calls for the protection of women and girls. Opening today’s meeting, which heard from some 60 speakers, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said “there is so much left to do – both for the United Nations and for Member States,” to implement the provisions of resolution 1325 – the landmark document adopted by the Council in 2000 which stresses the importance of giving women equal participation and full involvement in peace and security matters and the need to increase their role in decision-making. Mr. Ban also stressed the need to appoint more women in leadership positions in UN peace operations, and recalled the recent appointment of Ambassador Ellen Margrethe Løj of Denmark to serve as his Special Representative for Liberia. As head of one of the UN’s biggest peacekeeping missions, “she will provide a shining example of the kind of qualities we need in our leaders in the field,” he said. Underscoring the vital need to address violence against women, which he said had reached “hideous and pandemic proportions” in some societies attempting to recover from conflict, the Secretary-General urged the Council to establish a mechanism dedicated to monitoring violence against women and girls. A vital tool in eliminating sexual violence is the UN’s political leadership, through the Secretary-General’s Special Representatives on the ground, as well as the key role played by UN missions in providing preventive, physical protection, for example, through their daily patrols, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Council. “Though this protective role cannot be overstated where it protects even one person, we cannot overlook the reality that we are not present in all locations in need of protection,” stated Jean-Marie Guéhenno, pointing out that the deployment of UN troops alone will not bring an end to rape and other forms of sexual violence and abuses. To address discrimination against women, he stressed that no effort must be spared in putting more women in senior level positions and operational roles in military and policing so as to encourage local women to take on similar roles and ensure the development of a national protection system once the mission leaves. He said it was an “encouraging sign” that the Liberian National Police received three times the usual number of female applicants in the month following the deployment of the all-female police contingent from India to the UN mission in that country (UNMIL) earlier this year. “More women in the police force must be accompanied by a strategy to improve policing as a service equally accessible to women,” Mr. Guéhenno stated. “This in turn requires laws that incorporate women’s rights and a judicial system accessible to victims of sexual violence.” Despite the Council’s repeated condemnation of gender-based violence, and its demands to all parties to conflict to cease such actions, the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women pointed out that sexual violence remains pervasive. “We are at a moment in history when the world should finally be ready to alter the course of human development and renounce all forms of violence by decisively accepting the responsibility to stamp it out,” said Rachel Mayanja. “Today this Council can help accelerate this shift by establishing a dedicated mechanism to monitor the situation of women and girls in conflict and hold parties to conflicts accountable for sexual and gender-based violence,” she stated, echoing the call made by the Secretary-General. She urged all governments, parliaments, international organizations and civil society to join a worldwide campaign on violence against women and girls to be launched by Mr. Ban later this year, saying that “only by acting together can we create more equal relationships and more peaceful societies.” Joanne Sandler, acting Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), told the Council that using resolution 1325 to meaningfully address sexual violence as a method of warfare is “our greatest collective challenge.” “The real measure of effective implementation is not the setting up of systems, plans and processes,” she said. The measure is women’s participation in and contribution to more sustainable peace agreements and post-conflict reconstruction strategies, and better protection of women and girls in conflict zones. “The measure is women and men being secure enough to bring cases of wartime atrocities against women and girls to transitional justice mechanisms,” she said, adding “we have a long way to go.” 2007-10-23 00:00:00.000
AT UN ASSEMBLY, MINISTERS DISCUSS NEW PUSH TO FINANCE DEVELOPMENT New York, Oct 23 2007 6:00PM The future of development financing is under discussion at a High-Level United Nations event in New York that has attracted the participation of ministers, central bank governors, government delegates and representatives of business and civil society, meeting to advance a 2002 agreement made in Monterrey, Mexico. “Progress in implementing the Monterrey Consensus has been mixed,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told at the General Assembly High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, which opened today, referring to the understanding which emerged from the Mexico conference based on developing countries taking primary responsibility for mobilizing domestic resources and developed countries agreeing to promote an environment conducive to this effort. Many developing and low-income countries had experienced stronger economic growth, he said, and official development assistance (ODA) had improved, but the “sustained increase” in assistance needed to meet the targets agreed in Monterrey has not materialized. “Closing the funding gap is essential if we are to alleviate extreme poverty, fight diseases and achieve the other development targets,” Mr. Ban said. The Secretary-General called on developing countries to adopt policies that support sustained economic growth and job creation. Developed countries must increase capital flows, especially to low-income countries, Mr. Ban argued. He called for a swift, development-oriented conclusion to the Doha trade negotiations, a sustainable path of debt repayment for low-income countries and greater participation by developing countries in international financial institutions. “If implemented, existing commitments to finance development are enough to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, even in Africa,” said General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim, who is chairing the meeting. “But each side of the partnership must deliver,” he said. “As developing countries adopt comprehensive national strategies, then donors must deliver on commitments to provide additional assistance to enable them to succeed.” Mr. Kerim called for moving beyond the “simplistic division” of the world into North and South. “We live in a far more complex and integrated global age, with new emerging economic powers and donors as well as private philanthropy in all regions of the world.” The General Assembly President added that the Monterrey Consensus combined the energies of governments, international institutions, faith groups, civil society and the private sector. Mr. Kerim stated that: “If this – the greatest anti-poverty partnership in history – is insufficient to break from ‘business as usual’ many developing countries and campaigners around the world will be left without hope. Global trust will be irredeemably undermined.” On behalf of the group of least developed countries, Bangladesh’s Mirza Md. Azizul Islam said they could not “effectively gain from trade” due to “a wide array” of harmful subsidies, non-tariff-restrictions and artificial standards imposed by importing countries. He called on such countries to provide “duty-free and quota-free market access” for all products from least developed countries. “Monterrey suffers from a serious implementation deficit,” said Pakistan’s Minister for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China. Official development assistance in 2006 had dipped to 0.3 per cent of gross domestic product, down from 0.36 in 2005. Developing countries had little ability to influence financial trends, despite their importance for growth and development. Perversely, to guard against the volatility of financial flows, developing countries had accumulated large reserves that were transferred back to the deficit country, she said. This had helped to enlarge the net financial outflow from developing to developed countries, which had gone from $533 billion in 2005 to $662 billion in 2006. The two-day meeting is addressing the six major areas of the Monterrey Consensus: mobilizing domestic financial resources, mobilizing international resources, international trade, international cooperation for development, external debt, and the coherence of the international monetary, financial and trading systems. The outcome of the current meeting will provide the basis for next year’s Review Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Doha, Qatar. In a related development, Barbara Adams of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) emphasized the importance of promoting gender equality when tackling the problems associated with financing for development. “It’s got to be economic growth plus; it’s not policies only to stimulate economic growth,” she said. Policies must be supported at the international level. “Just generating more resources without looking at the actual flows of how those flows help the society to develop can’t work,” she told a press briefing held at UN Headquarters in conjunction with the General Assembly meeting. She emphasized the need for policies that support gender equality, especially at the macroeconomic level, where decisions are made that “determine and drive how resources are gathered and how resources are allocated within societies.” 2007-10-23 00:00:00.000
WITH NEPAL AT CROSSROADS, BAN KI-MOON URGES PARTIES TO AGREE ON FUTURE STEPS New York, Oct 23 2007 6:00PM The peace process in Nepal is facing unprecedented challenges, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report, urging the parties there to reach agreement on future steps, including a realistic timetable for elections that were to have been held next month but have been postponed to an as yet undetermined date. In his latest report to the Security Council, Mr. Ban says Nepal stands at a crossroads, with the political parties having made significant progress amid persisting and serious difficulties. “The peace process in Nepal is facing its most difficult challenges to date,” he writes. “The second postponement of the Constituent Assembly election has been a major disappointment for the people of Nepal and the international community.” The Secretary-General calls on the parties to “take a hard look at their differences and the underlying weaknesses of the peace process.” In particular, he calls for the Seven-Party Alliance’s members “to set aside their lesser differences and maintain their unity in the interest of the common national agenda.” The past year saw unity among eight key Nepalese parties tested by their failure to carry out agreements, including those covering responsibilities toward cantoned Maoist personnel and the return of properties seized during the 10-year conflict. Given this context, the Secretary-General recommends a review of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and its implementation. “The shortcomings and enduring strengths of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement need to be assessed in order to build on its achievements,” he writes. “The parties need to jointly and expeditiously identify the main issues that are of critical importance for the success of the peace process. They should engage in a debate on these issues, allowing for adequate public participation, and arrive at a broad road map to carry forward the peace process.” The Secretary-General paints a grim picture of the human rights situation in Nepal. “The overall situation has grown more worrying,” he reports, “with increasing violence and instability in parts of the country.” He writes of “real or perceived threats and intimidation” against political parties. At the same time, civilians continue to suffer. “The police have mostly been unable to protect the civilian population and curtail the activities of the groups.” In this environment, the Secretary-General says “it remains to be seen how far political parties will be able to exercise their freedom of assembly and association.” He urges all concerned to protect against abuses. “A pattern of repeated human rights violations and continuing impunity will not only have the cumulative effect of diminishing the prospect of a free and fair electoral process, but could also negatively impact the possibility of a more democratic and inclusive society that many Nepalese hope for,” he warns. The UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) continues to monitor arms and armed personnel “to serve the important purpose of fostering confidence and goodwill,” the report states. In a related development, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal today issued a statement welcoming a recent decision by the country’s cabinet to institute quotas for recruiting women and members of marginalized groups to fill vacant posts in the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force. OHCHR has long urged the police forces and other Government institutions to take steps to make their workforces more inclusive as part of their response to criticisms that they did not act impartially when responding to violence. “Making provisions to include historically marginalized groups in the police forces and other civil services will signal that the commitment to inclusion made by political leaders is indeed genuine. It will also address some current demands of these groups, thus strengthening the peace process as it moves toward Constituent Assembly elections,” said Richard Bennett, OHCHR Representative in Nepal. 2007-10-23 00:00:00.000
UN HEALTH AGENCY PROJECTS DRAMATIC EXPANSION OF FLU VACCINE STOCKS New York, Oct 23 2007 5:00PM The projected supply of influenza vaccines in case of a global pandemic has soared this year, but medical officials should accelerate rather than relax their efforts to prepare for an outbreak, the United Nations World Health Organization warned today. Experts anticipate that the world will be capable of producing 4.5 billion pandemic immunization courses per year by 2010, WHO said in a press release issued at its headquarters in Geneva. This compares to the 100 million courses of vaccine based on the H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) strain that WHO and vaccine manufacturers earlier this year projected could be produced immediately with standard technology. WHO attributed the dramatic surge to a combination of recent scientific advances and increased vaccine manufacturing capacity worldwide. Manufacturers have been able to step up production capacity of trivalent (three viral strains) seasonal influenza vaccines to an estimated 565 million doses, compared to the 350 million doses produced last year. New vaccines also need less antigen – the substance that stimulates an individual’s immune response – in each dose, making it easier to produce more. Marie-Paule Kieny, Director of WHO’s Initiative for Vaccine Research, said “we are beginning to be in a much better position vis-à-vis the threat of an influenza pandemic. However, although this is significant progress, it is still far from the 6.7 billion immunization courses that would be needed in a six-month period to protect the whole world.” Dr. Kieny called for preparations to accelerate, backed by political and financial support, so that the gap between supply and demand can be bridged. 2007-10-23 00:00:00.000
UN AGENCY AIRDROPS EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF INTO FLOOD-RAVAGED UGANDA New York, Oct 23 2007 4:00PM The United Nations World Food Programme has delivered by airdrop enough food for 33,000 people in northern Uganda who have had to leave their homes because of widespread flooding – the first time airdrop food assistance has been used in the Central African country. WFP spokesperson Christiane Berthiaume told reporters today in Geneva that the agency, which started the relief programme two weeks ago, will continue to deliver emergency food supplies by airdrop for another three weeks. It is also delivering food supplies by truck, boat and helicopter to an estimated 183,000 people, particularly in western Uganda, which has also been inundated. In total, more than 480,000 Ugandans have been displaced by the flooding, which were the worst in decades in some areas of the country. Crop planting has been badly hit, and harvests are unlikely before February at the earliest. The latest update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicates that dry weather for much of the past two weeks has led to improved road conditions, although some bridges remain open only to lightweight vehicles. All but eight of 110 schools which had been unable to open for the third term have now re-opened, but school sanitation facilities are still struggling to cope, with many latrines waterlogged. OCHA said it has also been able to reduce the incidence of malaria in those districts where insecticide-treated nets have been widely distributed. But Ms. Berthiaume warned that, since 15 October, WFP has not received any contributions to its appeal for $26 million to help in the relief effort. So far the agency has received just over a fifth of the target amount, forcing it to dig into its stocks used normally to support refugees and those displaced by the ongoing armed conflict in northern Uganda. 2007-10-23 00:00:00.000
MYANMAR: UN ENVOY TO VISIT EARLIER THAN PLANNED New York, Oct 23 2007 3:00PM Myanmar has agreed to allow United Nations Envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who is currently touring regional capitals to garner support ahead of a planned visit to the country in mid-November, to visit even sooner, the spokesperson for the world body announced today. Mr. Gambari “expects to visit Myanmar in the first week of November, as the Myanmar Government agreed to bring forward his standing invitation to the country,” UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York. “While the exact travel dates have yet to be arranged, Mr. Gambari would be going to Myanmar directly from the region, continuing his consultations with key regional countries in the interim,” she added. Dispatched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to consult with regional leaders on how to address the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, Mr. Gambari has met so far with officials in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Special Envoy was in New Delhi today where he met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to whom he delivered a personal message from the Secretary-General. The two leaders had “detailed and substantive discussions” on the UN’s efforts in Myanmar and India’s support in this regard, according to Ms. Montas. Mr. Gambari “has been urging India and other regional countries to actively encourage the Government of Myanmar to continue to cooperate with the Secretary-General’s good offices efforts, including by addressing continuing human rights concerns and by encouraging Myanmar to receive Mr. Gambari as early as possible in order to kick-start a dialogue with the opposition.” The Special Envoy is now on his way to Beijing, where he is scheduled to meet with senior officials before going on to Tokyo for consultations with Japanese counterparts. 2007-10-23 00:00:00.000
Oct 22
UN-BACKED FORUM EXAMINES ROLE OF INFORMATION IN HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS New York, Oct 22 2007 6:00PM Improving humanitarian responses during emergencies through better information is the focus of a United Nations event that kicked off today in Geneva, bringing together governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), scientists, academics, the media and the private sector. Over 300 humanitarian and information specialists are attending the week-long conference, which aims to improve current humanitarian operations through new technology and improved information practices. Hosted by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the meeting will also review progress made since the first Symposium on Best Practices in Humanitarian Information Management and Exchange, held five years ago. Participants will address how information can meet the challenge of today’s humanitarian environment; the impact of citizen journalism and new media in humanitarian reporting and advocacy; and how to improve communications to people in need during an emergency. “The role of information in humanitarian operations cannot be overstated,” stated John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “It is the key element for accurate analysis, which underpins effective coordination, evidence-based advocacy, sound policy and effective action.” Mr. Holmes will be among the keynote speakers at the event, which will also showcase the latest innovative tools and new technologies currently being used in humanitarian operations, such as REDHUM, YouTube, Flickr, Second Life, satellite imagery and blogging. 2007-10-22 00:00:00.000
CONGOLESE WAR CRIMES SUSPECT APPEARS BEFORE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT New York, Oct 22 2007 5:00PM Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga today made his first appearance before the International Criminal Court where he faces charges of murder, sexual enslavement, forcing children to serve as soldiers and other war crimes. The senior commander of the group Force de Résistance Patriotique en Ituri (FRPI), which has been active in fighting in the far east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is only the second suspect to appear before the ICC. Mr. Katanga, who was surrendered to the court last week, is facing three counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of war crimes. During today’s public hearing in The Hague, presiding judge Akua Kuenyehia informed Mr. Katanga of both the charges against him and his rights throughout the court process, including the right to apply for interim release pending trial. Sylvia Steiner has been designated by the ICC’s pre-trial chamber as the single judge in the case, and the hearing to determine whether the charges will be confirmed has been set provisionally for 28 February. Mr. Katanga was also advised to appoint a defence lawyer as soon as possible. Prosecutors said last week that Mr. Katanga – also known as Simba – is personally responsible for a series of brutal crimes in the Ituri region of the DRC, including a massacre in the village of Bogoro in February 2003 in which hundreds of people were killed and many women forced into sexual slavery. Prosecutors allege Mr. Katanga, 29, is responsible for murders, inhumane acts and sexual enslavement at Bogoro, constituting crimes against humanity and war crimes, and for cruel treatment at Bogoro constituting a war crime. They also allege he committed the war crime of using children to participate actively in hostilities, the war crime of launching an attack against civilians and the war crime of pillaging. 2007-10-22 00:00:00.000
LANDMARK UN WOMEN’S CONFERENCE ENDS WITH PLEDGE TO PREVENT MATERNAL DEATHS New York, Oct 22 2007 5:00PM A landmark United Nations-sponsored conference aimed at generating political will and investment to slash maternal deaths has concluded with participants pledging to bolster efforts to improve women’s health. Over 1,800 decision-makers, experts, representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), women’s rights activists and celebrities from over 100 countries attended last week’s three-day Women Deliver event in London, which produced a final statement from the 70 government officials who pledged to make the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of improving maternal health “a high priority on the national, regional and international health agenda.” Their statement called for the “increased commitment of financial and human resources” to prevent maternal deaths and expand heath services. Achieving the MDGs – eight ambitious targets to slash ills such as poverty by 2015 – depends largely on achieving the Goals targeting child mortality and maternal health, it noted. Over the course of the conference, the United Kingdom pledged more than $200 million to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to advance women’s reproductive health globally, while the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced an $11 million plan to distribute new technology to protect against post-delivery blood loss in Nigeria and India. Japan announced its intention to spotlight the importance of global health when it hosts next year’s meeting of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations. In addition, other groups – including the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Foundation, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Exxon/Mobil and GlaxoSmithKline – also made pledges to support the cause. “We need people both on the inside and the outside to figure out how to work together to get these things to happen,” said Helene Gayle, President of CARE, who urged women’s health advocates to work both within governments and as activists. “NGOs can’t do it by themselves,” she said. 2007-10-22 00:00:00.000
SECURITY COUNCIL STRONGLY CONDEMNS DEADLY BOMBINGS IN PAKISTAN New York, Oct 22 2007 2:00PM Strongly condemning last Thursday’s attacks on the convoy of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Karachi, the Security Council today said those behind the “reprehensible act of terrorism” must be brought to justice. In a ">presidential statement read out by Ambassador Leslie K. Christian of Ghana, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month, the Council joined its voice with that of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who spoke out against the blasts in a statement issued Thursday. The Council today underlined the need to bring to justice the “perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism,” which took place just after the former Prime Minister returned to Pakistan after several years in exile, and urged all States to cooperate with the country’s authorities toward this end. “The Security Council expresses its deep sympathy and condolences to the victims of this heinous act of terrorism and their families, and to the people and the Government of Pakistan,” the 15-member body said. The Council also reaffirmed its longstanding position that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.” 2007-10-22 00:00:00.000
UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS ASSASSINATION OF SOMALI RADIO EXECUTIVE New York, Oct 22 2007 9:00AM The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned the assassination of Bashir Nor Gedi the chief executive of a popular radio station. "I am gravely concerned about worsening violence against journalists and media personnel in Somalia who are brave enough to fulfil their professional commitments in such a dangerous environment," said UNESCO chief Koïchiro Matsuura. He condemned the assassination of Bashir Nor Gedi, the acting chairperson of Shabelle Media network was shot by unidentified gunmen in his home on 19 October, according to UNESCO. Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1999, needs more communication, information and debate to consolidate the basis for reconstruction, the UNESCO chief said. "Murderers seeking to muzzle the media are undermining people's inalienable right to think and to decide what is right and what they want." Bashir Nor Gedi was the eighth media person killed in Somalia this year, according to the International Freedom of Expression Exchange network, which also reports that that several senior journalists of the Shabelle radio station have fled Mogadishu following recent attacks. 2007-10-22 00:00:00.000
Oct 20
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED AT TURKISH MOVE ON ATTACKING KURDISH TARGETS IN IRAQ New York, Oct 19 2007 7:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern today about the Turkish Parliament’s decision this week to enable the country’s armed forces to take cross-border military action in Iraq against targets of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). “The Secretary-General strongly urges all sides to demonstrate restraint at this delicate juncture,” his spokesperson said in a statement released at United Nations Headquarters in New York. “He welcomes the affirmation by the Turkish Foreign Minister [Abdullah Gül] that Turkey is open to discussing all problems in Iraq.” The statement added that Mr. Ban calls on the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure that Iraqi territory is not used to mount cross-border attacks against Turkey. “Recent attacks by the PKK inside Turkey have been rightly condemned by the international community,” it noted. 2007-10-19 00:00:00.000
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED AT TURKISH MOVE ON ATTACKING KURDISH TARGETS IN IRAQ New York, Oct 19 2007 7:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern today about the Turkish Parliament’s decision this week to enable the country’s armed forces to take cross-border military action in Iraq against targets of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). “The Secretary-General strongly urges all sides to demonstrate restraint at this delicate juncture,” his spokesperson said in a statement released at United Nations Headquarters in New York. “He welcomes the affirmation by the Turkish Foreign Minister [Abdullah Gül] that Turkey is open to discussing all problems in Iraq.” The statement added that Mr. Ban calls on the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure that Iraqi territory is not used to mount cross-border attacks against Turkey. “Recent attacks by the PKK inside Turkey have been rightly condemned by the international community,” it noted. 2007-10-19 00:00:00.000
HAITI: UN PEACEKEEPERS REBUILD SCHOOL IN TROUBLED NEIGHBOURHOOD OF CAPITAL New York, Oct 19 2007 6:00PM More than 1,500 children in one of the most troubled neighbourhoods of Haiti’s capital are attending classes again after soldiers serving with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) helped to renovate a school building that had been left unusable by the violent activities of armed gangs. At a ceremony yesterday, MINUSTAH officials handed over the keys for the Lycée Jacques Roumain in the Martissant district of Port-au-Prince, which re-opened last month and already has 1,576 students. The school has been renovated, complete with new toilets, fences, a kitchen, repainted buildings and dozens of classroom benches for children, thanks to a joint effort involving MINUSTAH, the UN Children’s Fund the International Organization for Migration and the national education ministry. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided much of the funding for the project, which cost about $1.7 million. Before it was rebuilt, the school had also served as the provisional local base for Haitian National Police (HNP) forces, UN Police (UNPOL) members and a contingent of Sri Lankan blue helmets with MINUSTAH as they tried to restore law and order to Martissant, which has been ravaged in recent years by armed gangs. J. Carter, the head of MINUSTAH’s civil affairs section, said “the school represents an office at the heart of a difficult district. The building is today the tangible symbol of hope for the local population of the district.” He added that the re-opening of the school provides an opportunity for locals to “break the vicious circle of violence and resume a life in security,” noting also that economic activities in Martissant are resuming, local public institutions are functioning again and many displaced people have returned. “It’s a moment of joy and hope because this school and the education that it offers will contribute to building a better future for Haiti.” 2007-10-19 00:00:00.000
CONCERNS OF WORLD’S VULNERABLE COUNTRIES TOP UN ASSEMBLY’S AGENDA: PRESIDENT New York, Oct 19 2007 6:00PM The concerns of the world’s most vulnerable countries, including climate change and the need to reach global anti-poverty targets, top the agenda of the current session of the General Assembly, its president said today. “Both development and the preservation of the environment are of greatest concern to the work of the General Assembly,” Srgjan Kerim told representatives in New York of least developed countries, land-locked developing countries and small island developing States. “The three groups of countries represented here today – almost half of the Member States of the General Assembly – are particularly exposed to economic and environmental challenges.” Mr. Kerim said he would organize a thematic panel bringing together a range of players to discuss climate change early next year, adding that addressing that problem is central to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of targets for tackling various social ills by 2015. “At the mid-point for attainment of the Goals by 2015, I would like to focus the General Assembly’s attention on review of the progress in implementation of the MDGs, to recommitting efforts and resources to reach the agreed targets, and to build consensus for urgent collective action,” he said. Pledging to address these issues in an inclusive and transparent manner, he urged countries to foster “a new climate of mutual trust and cooperation which would strengthen our ability to make meaningful and prompt progress.” 2007-10-19 00:00:00.000
SOMALIA: AID DELIVERY IMPEDED BY ‘SUSPICION’ FROM GOVERNMENT, OTHER PARTIES – UN New York, Oct 19 2007 5:00PM Humanitarian workers in Somalia – where the local head of the United Nations food agency was abducted earlier this week by Government forces – are impeded in their efforts to deliver aid and operate in a climate of “suspicion,” a world body official said today. “The situation is always difficult in Somalia, has always been difficult and is probably going to be still difficult for some time,” said Eric Laroche, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, told reporters in New York. He said that an upswing in violence among the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and other parties has resulted in “suspicion” from all sides towards the work of the humanitarian community in the Horn of Africa nation, which has had no functioning central government since Muhammad Siad Barre’s regime was toppled in 1991. Mr. Laroche pointed out that the most recent example of this occurred on 17 October, when Idris Osman of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) was taken from a UN compound in Mogadishu. According to dozens of uniformed and armed members of the country’s National Security Service (NSS) stormed the Organization’s compound, seized Mr. Osman and took him to a cell at NSS headquarters, where he remains captive. So far, the WFP has not received any explanation for why Mr. Osman – who told two agency officials over the telephone yesterday that he is unharmed – is being detained. Negotiations, Mr. Laroche said today, are at a “standstill,” stressing that this is a particularly difficult period to hold discussions with the Government because Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi is currently out of the country and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and also because of a possible vote of confidence at the Parliament in Baidoa. WFP has suspended its operations in Mogadishu following Mr. Osman’s abduction, after only having resumed delivering food to 75,000 on 15 October. The agency had shut its operations down on 25 June after several fatal shootings. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the incursion and called for Mr. Osman’s “immediate and unconditional release,” noting the Somali Government’s actions are in violation of international agreements. The head of WFP today also deplored Mr. Osman’s detainment. “It has become extremely difficult for us to feed hundreds of thousands of hungry people in Mogadishu and throughout Somalia. We are operating in an environment which is fraught with insecurity: piracy, banditry and widespread violence. We need the government to protect humanitarian workers,” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. Several months ago, the Coordinator visited Afgooye, 30 kilometres west of the capital Mogadishu, where the UN estimated that 100,000 people had been forced to flee the violence. “The Government was saying that that was not acceptable and that was probably a wrong statement which meant that we were not telling the truth,” he said at today’s briefing. “But unfortunately we are saying the truth.” Mr. Laroche said that during his assessment of the area to visit the internally displaced persons (IDPs), he was constantly harassed and told by pro-Government parties, “you should not be here.” Furthermore, he said he was trailed all the way back to the airport at the conclusion of his visit by the intelligence services. Upon visiting the director of the country’s intelligence service, Mr. Laroche said that he was told that “if we go into zones that are not under the TFG control, we are feeding the terrorists.” But, the Coordinator noted, the IDPs he met with in Afgooye – who were mostly women and children – included an orphaned eight-year-old girl who had lost not only her parents and sister, but also her arm. He stressed that “she is not a terrorist.” 2007-10-19 00:00:00.000
UN AGENCY TRANSFERS CONGOLESE DISPLACED IN NORTH KIVU TO SAFER CAMPS New York, Oct 19 2007 8:00AM Reacting to a humanitarian crisis which has driven hundreds of thousands of Congolese from their homes in the volatile North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations refugee agency today announced a new drive to transfer the displaced to safer shelter. Jennifer Pagonis, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva that the Congolese who have been uprooted by violence are being moved "from congested makeshift settlements with very difficult living conditions to a new camp set up by UNHCR which has the essential basic facilities." A first group of 500 people moved from Ndosho -- a makeshift settlement of some 1,000 people with no drinking water or basic sanitation -- to the new camp at Buhimba six kilometres west of Goma, the main town in the area, she said. Buhimba is the second camp developed by UNHCR for IDPs in the Mugunga area and it can accommodate more than 10,000 people. Bulengo, the first camp, reached its capacity of 10,000 IDPs at the end of September. Meanwhile, displaced people continuing to arrive at sites around Goma. Aid agencies estimate over 370,000 IDPs have been displaced in North Kivu since December 2006. "We fear many IDPs remain in areas inaccessible to humanitarian agencies as people continue to flee insecurity and fighting between the government forces, renegade troops and rebels in many parts of North Kivu," said Ms. Pagonis. "We are working closely with the authorities to identify additional sites." 2007-10-19 00:00:00.000
GLOBAL UN ANTI-POVERTY EVENT SHATTERS RECORD BY DRAWING NEARLY 39 MILLION PEOPLE New York, Oct 18 2007 6:00PM From universities and schools to soccer stadiums and parliaments, a record-breaking 38.8 million people around the world this week participated in the United Nations-led Stand Up against Poverty campaign, calling on international leaders to deliver on their pledge to end extreme poverty by 2015. “It was extraordinary,” Kiyotaka Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Public Information, told reporters in New York, describing the sheer number of individuals who decided to “stand up and speak out” against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals – the ambitious targets the world has set itself for slashing poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy by 2015. More than 6,000 events were held in 110 countries during the 24-hour period from 16 to 17 October as part of the global campaign, led by the United Nations Millennium Campaign, an inter-agency initiative, in partnership with the Global Call to Action and a range of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based groups and civil society. Among this year’s 38.8 million – which broke last year’s Guinness World Record of 23.5 million – were nearly 900 UN staff, diplomats and representatives of NGOs, who gathered yesterday on the lawn of the UN Headquarters complex in New York led by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. More than 300,000 students in Cairo also took part in the campaign, as did 472,000 children attending schools run by the UN agency providing aid to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon (known as UNRWA). Soccer fans in Brazil and Japan, as well as parliamentarians in Australia, were also among the participants. “We are very happy to see this enormous number of people taking part in this campaign… to enhance the understanding and the realization of the MDGs, particularly to halve the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015,” Mr. Akasaka stated. The largest number of participants was in Asia (nearly 28 million), followed by Africa (7.5 million), the Arab region (2.5 million) and Latin America (734,000). Mandy Kibel, Deputy Director of Communications for the UN Millennium Campaign, pointed out that the majority of participants were in the poorest countries. “What Stand Up did was to give them the opportunity to find voice on issues that matter to them. “Stand Up essentially recognizes that there are people who are living in poverty who want to be able to speak for themselves, they want to find their own voice, and they want to address not us at the UN but their own governments and say ‘we have expectations that you deliver on the promises that you made.’” The UN Millennium Campaign was established by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan in recognition of the need to engage all actors in society in the attainment of the MDGs. “The recognition was that these Goals will never be achieved at the United Nations,” Ms. Kibel stated. “It’s only when citizens – civilians of specific countries – begin to say that they want to see these Goals achieved that we have any chance whatsoever of moving closer to the goal of ending poverty by 2015.” 2007-10-18 00:00:00.000
INCENTIVES MIGHT LEAD MYANMAR TO ‘DO THE RIGHT THING’ – UN ENVOY New York, Oct 18 2007 5:00PM Continuing his consultations with Myanmar’s regional partners, United Nations Envoy Ibrahim Gambari has suggested that incentives, along with strong encouragement, might persuade authorities in the South-East Asian nation to move towards democratization and reconciliation. Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, Mr. Gambari said that European and other countries have been stepping up pressure on Yangon, “but also leaving room in effect for incentives to encourage the authorities to go along the path to making a stable, democratic Myanmar with full respect for human rights.” He added that the “strong encouragement of the authorities in Myanmar to do the right thing” could be accompanied by incentives as well. “The world is not just there to punish Myanmar, but to see that there is engagement to address the root causes of discontent,” he stated, following his meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda. Mr. Gambari and Indonesia’s leaders discussed how members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can, together with the UN, engage Myanmar authorities “so that the goals that we both share come together sooner rather than later.” Jakarta is the third stop on a six-nation tour for the Special Envoy, who has been dispatched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to consult with regional leaders on how to address the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. He arrived in the Indonesia capital following talks with officials in Thailand and Malaysia. Mr. Gambari now heads to India, China and Japan for further consultations, ahead of a planned return to Myanmar next month. 2007-10-18 00:00:00.000
RWANDAN ON RUN FROM UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL ARRESTED IN FRANCE New York, Oct 18 2007 2:00PM French authorities have arrested a Rwandan national and former public official who had been on the run from the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up after the 1994 genocide in the African country. Dominique Ntawukuriryayo, who faces charges over a notorious massacre in which up to 25,000 Tutsis were killed over a five-day period, was detained earlier this week by French police in the town of Carcassonne, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today. She said he is expected to be transferred to Paris and then into the custody of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in the next few days. Mr. Ntawukuriryayo – who was a sub-prefect of Gisagara in the southern Rwandan province of Butare in 1994 – faces three charges: genocide, complicity in genocide, and directly inciting the public to carry out the genocide. The indictment against him focuses on several acts, including a massacre at Kabuye hill in late April 1994, when the sub-prefect is alleged to have ordered many thousand Tutsis who had gathered at Gisagara market to move to the nearby hill, where he promised they would be protected and fed. Those who did not agree to go to the hill were chased and forced to do so. The indictment then alleges that gendarmes and communal policemen soon surrounded Kabuye hill and started shooting at the Tutsis, killing most, and that Mr. Ntawukuriryayo personally rounded up some gendarmes to carry out the killings and collected the necessary ammunition to use in the attacks. In total, as many as 25,000 people were killed at Kabuye hill between 21 April and 25 April 1994. Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered, mostly by machete or club, across Rwanda in less than 100 days starting in early April 1994. Later that year the Security Council established the ICTR to deal with the worst cases. 2007-10-18 00:00:00.000
CONGOLESE WAR CRIMES SUSPECT TURNED OVER TO INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT New York, Oct 18 2007 10:00AM The International Criminal Court today announced that suspected war criminal Germain Katanga, former senior commander of the militia group Force de Résistance Patriotique en Ituri (FRPI) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was surrendered to its detention centre at The Hague. The latest suspect joined Congolese suspect Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, who will be tried on crimes relating to the recruitment of children as soldiers in what is widely viewed as a milestone in international attempts to fight immunity on the issue. In a statement today, ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said more action can be expected. "We are selecting a third case. The DRC is still engulfed in violence. There is forced displacement of people, sexual violence of shocking brutality, and killings. It must stop. Perpetrators must know they will be prosecuted. The ICC is at work in the DRC." In sealed documents submitted to the judges on 22 June, the Office of the Prosecutor presented evidence against Germain Katanga and charged him with three counts of Crimes against Humanity and six counts of War Crimes. "Today we are prosecuting Germain Katanga, leader of a militia group and who we allege is personally responsible for the brutal crimes his forces committed," said Fatou Bensouda, Deputy Prosecutor in charge of the Prosecution of the case. "His name will forever be associated with the name of Bogoro: an ordinary village, which he ordered fighters under his command to 'wipe out.' Hundreds were slaughtered. Women were forced into sexual slavery." Between January 2002 and December 2003, more than 8,000 civilians died and more than half a million people were displaced from their homes in Ituri as a result of this conflict. In today's statement, the Prosecutor said evidence will show how civilians were the target of massive crimes in the course of the conflict in the Ituri region of the DRC between the FRPI forces of Germain Kat groups. The charges include the attack on Bogoro on the morning of 24 February 2003, members of Germain Katanga's militia entered the village and began an indiscriminate killing spree, the ICC said. At least 200 civilians died in the attack, while survivors were imprisoned in a building filled with corpses. Women were abducted and sexually enslaved. The village was pillaged by the FRPI forces. The Prosecutor alleges that Germain Katanga is responsible for Murders, Inhumane acts and Sexual Enslavement at Bogoro village, constituting Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes, and for Cruel Treatment at Bogoro village constituting a War Crime. The Prosecution's evidence will also show that Germain Katanga committed the War Crime of using Children to Participate Actively in Hostilities, the War Crime of launching an Attack against the Civilian Population of Bogoro village and the War Crime of Pillaging the village of Bogoro. Also known as "Simba," the 29-year old suspect in 2003 emerged as the top commander of a group which began calling itself the FRPI, the ICC said. Later in 2003, he assumed the title of FRPI President. On 11 December 2004, he was appointed to the rank of General in the DRC Army. He was then arrested by the DRC authorities early March 2005, together with eight other militiamen from various Ituri armed groups, in relation to an attack against peacekeepers serving with the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC) in Ituri on 25 February 2005 in which nine peacekeepers were killed, and sent to the CPRK detention centre in Kinshasa. The Office of the Prosecutor began investigating crimes committed in the DRC in June 2004. The Prosecution's first case in the DRC is against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for the crimes of enlisting and conscripting children under 15 and using them to participate actively in armed hostilities in Ituri. The Court's Pretrial Chamber I has confirmed the charges against him; he will be the first person to stand trial at the ICC. 2007-10-18 00:00:00.000
UN OFFICIALS, FORMER CHILD SOLDIER CALL FOR BOLSTERED EFFORTS TO PROTECT CHILDREN New York, Oct 17 2007 7:00PM On the tenth anniversary of a groundbreaking study on the impact of armed conflict on children, two top United Nations officials and a former Sierra Leonean child soldier today appealed for greater efforts to protect children and noted that much work remains to be done. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict; Hilde Johnson, Deputy Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund and Ishmael Beah, now a youth activist and author of “Long Way Gone,” briefed reporters in New York on a new report chronicling progress made in the past decade and challenges that remain to be tackled. Ms. Coomaraswamy said that since the release of the landmark study by Graça Machel, then first lady of Mozambique, the “nature of conflict has changed,” manifested in increasing low-intensity intra-State conflicts, terrorism and counter-terrorism and the blurring of lines between armed conflict and criminal activity. Despite the rise of global networks to address the issue of the “brutal consequences” – such as child recruitment and sexual violence – that children bear, “still a lot more needs to be done,” she pointed out. The Special Representative said the progress has been made in the past 10 years, especially in the fight against impunity and war crimes with regard to children and armed conflict. In 2005, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1612, which established a mechanism to monitor grave violations by both governments and insurgents, focusing especially on such crimes as the recruitment of child soldiers. Despite the adoption of several key legal instruments, “the reality on the ground… is still incredibly difficult for very, very many children,” Ms. Johnson told reporters. She said that last year, over 18 million children were driven from their homes by conflict, and more than 43 million children in 30 conflict-affected States did not attend school. Regarding the use of rape and sexual violence as a war tactic, Ms. Johnson said that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), recent figures show that one-third of all rape victims are children. The new report recommends that impunity against perpetrators of “heinous crimes” ends and that children are protected against sexual violence and against being recruited as soldiers, instead being helped to demobilize and reintegrate into civilian life. The Deputy Executive Director said that the study also underscores the need for children “to play a key part in defining their own future and in being a part of these processes.” Also speaking at the briefing, Mr. Beah – who was a child soldier from the age of 13 until UNICEF removed him from the fighting – highlighted the importance of giving children a voice. He welcomed the simultaneous launch today of a parallel youth report entitled “Will You Listen: Young Voices from Conflict Zones.” “In my experience, one of the mistakes that I felt was made during the rehabilitation process was that it wasn’t very community-oriented,” Mr. Beah said. “I grew up in a place where there was a very strong sense of community, so when you demobilize a child and focus only on them, the community becomes upset because they’re left out.” He also voiced hope that great strides will be made in the next decade to combat the scourge of children being impacted by armed conflict. “What I would like to stress is, though, is that I hope come another 10 years we won’t be having a discussion again about what to implement but rather what we’ve implemented and how we can actually celebrate successes rather than speak more about challenges that remain,” he said. 2007-10-17 00:00:00.000
UN OFFICIALS, FORMER CHILD SOLDIER CALL FOR BOLSTERED EFFORTS TO PROTECT CHILDREN New York, Oct 17 2007 7:00PM On the tenth anniversary of a groundbreaking study on the impact of armed conflict on children, two top United Nations officials and a former Sierra Leonean child soldier today appealed for greater efforts to protect children and noted that much work remains to be done. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict; Hilde Johnson, Deputy Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund and Ishmael Beah, now a youth activist and author of “Long Way Gone,” briefed reporters in New York on a new report chronicling progress made in the past decade and challenges that remain to be tackled. Ms. Coomaraswamy said that since the release of the landmark study by Graça Machel, then first lady of Mozambique, the “nature of conflict has changed,” manifested in increasing low-intensity intra-State conflicts, terrorism and counter-terrorism and the blurring of lines between armed conflict and criminal activity. Despite the rise of global networks to address the issue of the “brutal consequences” – such as child recruitment and sexual violence – that children bear, “still a lot more needs to be done,” she pointed out. The Special Representative said the progress has been made in the past 10 years, especially in the fight against impunity and war crimes with regard to children and armed conflict. In 2005, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1612, which established a mechanism to monitor grave violations by both governments and insurgents, focusing especially on such crimes as the recruitment of child soldiers. Despite the adoption of several key legal instruments, “the reality on the ground… is still incredibly difficult for very, very many children,” Ms. Johnson told reporters. She said that last year, over 18 million children were driven from their homes by conflict, and more than 43 million children in 30 conflict-affected States did not attend school. Regarding the use of rape and sexual violence as a war tactic, Ms. Johnson said that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), recent figures show that one-third of all rape victims are children. The new report recommends that impunity against perpetrators of “heinous crimes” ends and that children are protected against sexual violence and against being recruited as soldiers, instead being helped to demobilize and reintegrate into civilian life. The Deputy Executive Director said that the study also underscores the need for children “to play a key part in defining their own future and in being a part of these processes.” Also speaking at the briefing, Mr. Beah – who was a child soldier from the age of 13 until UNICEF removed him from the fighting – highlighted the importance of giving children a voice. He welcomed the simultaneous launch today of a parallel youth report entitled “Will You Listen: Young Voices from Conflict Zones.” “In my experience, one of the mistakes that I felt was made during the rehabilitation process was that it wasn’t very community-oriented,” Mr. Beah said. “I grew up in a place where there was a very strong sense of community, so when you demobilize a child and focus only on them, the community becomes upset because they’re left out.” He also voiced hope that great strides will be made in the next decade to combat the scourge of children being impacted by armed conflict. “What I would like to stress is, though, is that I hope come another 10 years we won’t be having a discussion again about what to implement but rather what we’ve implemented and how we can actually celebrate successes rather than speak more about challenges that remain,” he said. 2007-10-17 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON REPORTS DECLINE IN IRAQ VIOLENCE, PLANS STEPPED UP UN ROLE New York, Oct 17 2007 5:00PM A new report on Iraq by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sees a moment of opportunity for achieving progress amid declining violence, and envisages an expanded United Nations role in support of this goal. September witnessed the lowest level of Iraqi casualties in 2007, according to Mr. Ban’s latest report to the Security Council on the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq released today. “There is now an opportunity that should not be missed,” declares Mr. Ban. He attributes the declining attacks to the ceasefire by the Mahdi Army and adds that the Sunni insurgent allegiance against Al-Qaida “holds significant political potential as well.” The challenge ahead is to focus on transforming the more positive military developments into a basis for national reconciliation, according to the report, which acknowledges the devastation caused by “ongoing daily attacks, continued high levels of displacement and political gridlock.” While the Iraqi people are chiefly responsible for achieving this transformation, Mr. Ban pledges the UN’s readiness “to assist them to that end.” The Secretary-General welcomes the expansion by the Council of UNAMI’s mandate and says the UN is “vigorously planning practical and immediate steps” to carry it out. Last month, following a high-level meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, Mr. Ban announced that there would be a “modest” increase in the number of UN staff in Iraq as soon as facilities were ready to accommodate them in safety and security. Specifically, he said there would an increase in the staffing level in Erbil, and that the UN was considering adding a presence in Basra. In today’s report, he says the UN had increased the staff ceiling in Baghdad and Erbil, adding, “I am also considering ways to improve outreach to the provinces, including the re-establishment of a small United Nations presence in Basra.” At a press briefing in New York, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe said that the ceiling for international civilian staff in Baghdad has been raised from 65 to 85, while there are now 30 international staff in Erbil. The report says the UN is “prepared to do more” to advance an inclusive political dialogue and stands ready to assist in the successful completion of the constitutional review and in drafting key constitutionally mandated legislation. It also underscores the need for international support to bolster UN efforts to carry out the demanding tasks ahead. At the same time, Mr. Ban repeats his long-standing call for the constructive engagement of Iraq’s neighbouring countries, and those in the region. “Regional cooperation must reinforce the efforts made by leaders inside the country and avoid exacerbating tensions,” he cautions. “Political compromise and genuine attempts to work across ethnic, sectarian, and political lines are needed now more than ever,” says Mr. Ban. 2007-10-17 00:00:00.000
DARFUR: UN FOOD AGENCY DECRIES KILLING OF THREE CONTRACT TRUCK DRIVERS New York, Oct 17 2007 4:00PM The United Nations World Food Programme today decried the killing of three truck drivers who were shot to death while working for the agency in the violence-wracked Darfur region in Sudan. “WFP is deeply saddened and shocked by the killings of these brave men, who knew the dangers they were facing but continued to work tirelessly to alleviate suffering and bring food to the hungry in Darfur,” said Kenro Oshidari, the agency’s Sudan representative. WFP, which employs 20,000 contract drivers and their assistants in Darfur, has no information on who is responsible for the killings. The three men worked for the Abbarci trucking company in Darfur, where the agency has its largest operation worldwide and distributes food to some 3 million people. Two of the men were killed yesterday while returning to the city of El Obeid in South Darfur state after delivering supplies. This is the same Darfur region where 10 African Union (AU) peacekeepers were recently killed. Meanwhile, the third man was killed last Friday, 12 October, during the Muslim holiday of Eid, in South Darfur on the road between Nyala, the state capital, and the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. During the incident, 25 bags of grain were looted from the truck. The UN remains “seriously concerned about the safety of civilians throughout Darfur,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York today. Rising insecurity in Darfur has lead to increased attacks against civilians, aid workers and AU troops. This is detrimental to the civilian population and is also impeding crucial life-saving aid programmes when they are most needed, she added. More than 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur and at least 2.2 million others forced to flee their homes because of fighting between the rebels, Government forces and allied militia known as the Janjaweed. Some 4.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and nearly 90,000 civilians have fled recent violence in Haskanita and Muhajariya. Earlier this year the Security Council authorized the creation of a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force, known as UNAMID, to try to quell the violence. The operation – set to become the world’s largest peacekeeping operation – is scheduled to take over from the existing AU mission by the start of next year. 2007-10-17 00:00:00.000
ETHIOPIAN INSTITUTE AND SLOVAK ECOLOGIST SHARE UN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE New York, Oct 17 2007 2:00PM The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization today jointly awarded an environmental preservation prize to an Ethiopian biodiversity institute and a Slovak ecologist. The 2007 Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation will be shared by the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (IBC) and Julius Oszlányi, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura announced at the agency’s headquarters in Paris. The laureates were chosen following the recommendations of the Bureau of the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme, which met last month to make its decision. UNESCO said in a press statement that the IBC was being recognized for its efforts to set up systems to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of Ethiopia’s biodiversity and to share equitably the costs and benefits derived from that biodiversity. Founded in 1976, the Institute has set up community gene banks for hundreds of crop varieties, including wheat, sorghum and millet. It has distributed almost 80,000 seed samples from its reserves for research purposes and it has also conducted surveys and inventories of medicinal plants, forests and aquatic resources. Dr. Oszlányi, the Director of the Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, was cited for his contributions to interdisciplinary ecological research programmes, especially in forest biodiversity conservation and biosphere reserves. He has also promoted the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, including the 1998 creation of East Carpathians, the first reserve to be spread across three countries – Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine. The $30,000 prize, awarded every two years since 1991, is funded by a donation from Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said of Oman and can be awarded to an individual, group of people, institute or other type of organization. 2007-10-17 00:00:00.000
NEW UNESCO-LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PACT PUTS RARE MATERIALS ON INTERNET FOR PUBLIC New York, Oct 17 2007 8:00AM The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United States Library of Congress today signed a pact paving the way for the creation of a World Digital Library which will digitize rare materials from libraries and other cultural institutions globally and make them available free on the Internet. Manuscripts, maps, books, musical scores, sound recordings, films, prints and photographs will all be available online thanks to the agreement signed at UNESCO's Paris Headquarters by the agency's Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, Abdul Waheed Khan, and the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington. The agency said in a news release that the prototype for the initiative was developed by the Library of Congress and UNESCO with five other partner institutions: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the National Library of Egypt, the National Library of Brazil, the National Library of Russia, and the Russian State Library. The prototype functions in the UN's six official languages -- Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish -- as well as in Portuguese. It features search and browse by place, time, topic, and contributing institution. "We are very pleased to build on the excellent partnership that we have long enjoyed with the Library of Congress to work in innovative ways to preserve and make accessible the memory of the world," said UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura. "We look forward to continuing and deepening our collaboration with UNESCO," said Mr Billington, "and to working with the Organization and its staff to ensure that libraries, archives, and museums from around the world join with us in making their cultural treasures accessible online." A key aspect of the project is to build digital library capabilities in developing countries, so that all countries and all regions can participate and be represented in the World Digital Lib 2007-10-17 00:00:00.000
GREEK AMBASSADOR ELECTED PRESIDENT OF UNESCO GENERAL CONFERENCE New York, Oct 16 2007 6:00PM Greece’s Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was unanimously elected in Paris today as the President of the 34th session of the body’s General Conference. “UNESCO must not be a statue but a sentinel, a watchtower,” George N. Anastassopoulos – who has had a distinguished career as a journalist, government spokesperson and member of the European Parliament – said in his address to the Conference. “Its ethics must be the ethics of the future… There is much we will be able to do if we unite in supporting a stronger UNESCO.” Opening the Conference, outgoing President Musa Bin Jafaar Bin Hassan of Oman voiced hope that UNESCO becomes more audacious and more precise in defining its objectives, adding that “education constitutes the greatest challenge.” The General Conference – composed of representatives of the Organization’s 193 Member States and six Associate Members – determines UNESCO’s policies and main lines of work meets every two years, and its 34th session wraps up on 3 November. 2007-10-16 00:00:00.000
ACQUITTAL OF BOSNIAN MUSLIM EX-ARMY COMMANDER UPHELD BY UN TRIBUNAL New York, Oct 16 2007 5:00PM The United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia today upheld the acquittal of a former deputy army commander for the Bosnian Muslim forces during the Balkan wars on charges related to a massacre of 13 Bosnian Croat civilians in September 1993. The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sitting in The Hague, found that the trial chamber was correct in November 2005 to acquit Sefer Halilović. Mr. Halilović, 55, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of command responsibility in the murders committed by Bosnian Muslim troops in the village of Grabovica, about 30 kilometres north of Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 1993. He served as chief of the main staff of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time, and prosecutors alleged that he was the commander of a military operation known as Neretva-93 that led to the killings in Grabovica by troops billeted in the village. But the appeals chamber said prosecutors had failed to show that it was not reasonable of the trial chamber to find that Mr. Halilović did not have the required degree of “effective control” over the troops to establish his superior responsibility under the law. Meanwhile, the ICTY’s Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte addressed the European Union’s General Affairs and External Relations Council yesterday, saying that although Serbia has provided some required documents and archives, its overall cooperation does not match its stated commitments to the Tribunal. Full access to some crucial archives has been denied so far, while a number of important documents have not yet been provided, she said. She also criticized Serbia’s efforts to secure the arrest and extradition of the four remaining fugitives from the ICTY: Ratko Mladić, Radovan Karadžić, Goran Hadžić and Stojan Župljanin. “I confirm that the situation today is better than it was a year ago,” Ms. Del Ponte said. “However, cooperation is still too slow and not yet sufficient. The fact that Ratko Mladić is still at large after all the promises and declarations that have been made over the years clearly demonstrates that fact.” Mr. Karadžić, 62, the former Bosnian Serb president, and Mr. Mladić, 65, the former military chief, each face numerous charges, including genocide, extermination, murder, persecutions, deportation, taking of hostages and inflicting terror on civilians. Mr. Hadžić, 49, is charged with murder, persecutions, torture, cruel treatment and other war crimes and crimes against humanity related to his role as president of a self-proclaimed breakaway state of rebel Serbs in southern Croatia during the early 1990s. Mr. Župljanin, 56, has been indicted on many counts, including murder, torture, forcible transfers and the wanton destruction of towns and villages. He served in the senior leadership in the Autonomous Region of Krajina, part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an area that became notorious for its treatment of non-Serbs. 2007-10-16 00:00:00.000
RECENT ARRESTS IN MYANMAR ‘EXTREMELY DISTURBING,’ SAYS UN ENVOY New York, Oct 16 2007 4:00PM The United Nations Special Envoy to Myanmar today urged the Government to halt the use of force against dissidents, calling recent reports of arrests, interrogations and intimidation “extremely disturbing.” The reports “run counter to the spirit of mutual engagement between the United Nations and Myanmar,” Mr. Gambari said today at a joint press conference in Bangkok with Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram. “These actions must stop at once.” Thailand is the first stop on a six-nation tour for the Special Envoy, who was dispatched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to meet with Myanmar’s regional partners about the situation in the troubled South-East Asian nation. Mr. Gambari reiterated the UN’s call on the Myanmar Government to release all political detainees, including those arrested during the demonstrations, and to allow access by Red Cross officials to those in detention. He said during his trip he will raise with Myanmar’s regional partners the UN’s serious concerns at the continuing reports of human rights violations in the wake of the recent demonstrations, a point made by the Security Council in a statement issued last week strongly deploring the Government’s use of force. The envoy noted steps taken by the Government in recent days, including easing – though not lifting completely – the curfew currently in place, appointing a liaison officer to start dialogue between the Government and the opposition, and the removal of the military from the streets. At the same time, Mr. Gambari warned that these actions could be damaged by continued reports of actions “detrimental” to national reconciliation and to overall peace and prosperity in Myanmar. In seeking to change the behaviour of the regime, he stressed that “all those who have influence in that process ought to be engaged.” Mr. Gambari’s current diplomatic tour aims to achieve this ahead of his return to Myanmar next month. “The sustained and active support of the region, through the strong voice and engagement of regional partners, has to be there in order for Myanmar to move forward,” he stated. Following his visit to Thailand, the Special Envoy will head to Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China and Japan. 2007-10-16 00:00:00.000
UN TEAM HEADS TO TOKELAU FOR SECOND REFERENDUM ON SELF-GOVERNMENT New York, Oct 16 2007 3:00PM A five-member team of United Nations observers is heading to Tokelau, a group of three small atolls in the Pacific Ocean, to monitor a referendum next week on whether the territory should have self-government in free association with New Zealand. UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today that voting in the referendum on Tokelau, a Non-Self-Governing Territory that has been administered by New Zealand since 1926, will take place from this Saturday until 24 October. It will be the second such referendum: the first took place in February 2006, when 60 per cent of Tokelauan voters supported the option for self-government in free association with New Zealand. This did not meet the two-thirds majority required by Tokelau’s representative body, known as the General Fono. The UN monitoring team comprises: Ambassador Robert Aisi of Papua New Guinea, a representative of the Special Committee on Decolonization; an official from the Department of Political Affairs’ Decolonization Unit; two officials of the Department’s Electoral Assistance Division; and an official with the Department of Public Information. A similar team observed last year’s referendum, and deemed the election process to be credible and reflecting the will of the people of Tokelau, which has a population of about 1,500. Since then the General Fono decided to hold a second referendum on the same basis, and to conduct a detailed process of engagement with Tokelauans – including those communities living in Hawaii, American Samoa, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand – to ensure that all fully understood the issues involved in the vote. If Tokelauans achieve the two-thirds majority during this referendum, a date will then be set for a “day of self-government.” This will probably be in mid-2008 to allow New Zealand enough time to make the necessary legislative amendments. There are currently 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories remaining on the UN’s decolonization list, compared to 72 such territories when the Organization was established in 1945. The last Non-Self-Governing Territory that exercised the right to self-determination was East Timor, now known as Timor-Leste, which gained its independence in 2002. 2007-10-16 00:00:00.000
Oct 12.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT URGES ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE New York, Oct 12 2007 8:00PM The world's island States and most vulnerable developing countries are waiting for concrete measures to deal with climate change, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim said today. Addressing the Rotary Club of Mulheim, Germany, Mr. Kerim said it was vital that participants at the major summit on climate change taking place in Bali in December develop a new regime for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other contributors to global warming. A reduction in emissions is particularly important for island and poor nations, who have for "around 20 years heard enough solemn speeches" on the subject but witnessed few results, he said. Mr. Kerim stressed the need for the entire United Nations system, including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), to work more closely together in the fight against climate change. He also said the General Assembly continues to have a valuable role as a forum for the 192 Member States to debate ideas and the best ways to respond, adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change. Mr. Kerim said the inter-connected nature of the world made the UN more essential than ever, but he added that it must ensure, by way of continuous reform, that it is as effective as possible in dealing with the biggest global questions. As General Assembly President, he said he hoped it would become more of an interactive forum between States, rather than one in which countries use "pre-fabricated statements" to engage in "ritual monologues." Yesterday, Mr. Kerim was in the Belgian capital, Brussels, for meetings with European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poetering and the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana. The meetings focused on the priority themes of the Assembly this session: climate change, countering terrorism, finance for development, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG reform. 2007-10-12 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON HAILS NOBEL LAUREATES AL GORE, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE New York, Oct 12 2007 9:00AM United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed the awarding of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and urged governments to build on the momentum they have generated by adopting a new set of binding commitments to contain greenhouse gas emissions. In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban paid tribute to Mr. Gore's "exceptional commitment and conviction, as an example of the crucial role that individuals and civil society can play in encouraging multilateral responses to global issues." His spokesperson said Mr. Ban "rejoices with the IPCC, and its co-sponsors, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization." Mr. Ban, who has made addressing climate change a key priority of his administration, pointed out that the IPCC's "lucid and well-documented findings" helped to establish "beyond doubt that climate change is happening, and that much of it is caused by human activity." This led to "unprecedented momentum for action on climate change around the world, and recognition of the UN as the forum for reaching agreement on it," he said. The Secretary-General, who last month convened summit-level talks on the issue in New York to jump-start diplomatic action on climate change, called for industrialized and developing countries alike to commit themselves to a real breakthrough at the critical Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali in December. That meeting will serve to hammer out a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, which contains legally binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions but will expire in 2012. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner also praised the decision of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, saying it "has today made it clear that combating climate change is a central peace and security policy for the 21st century." H public attention on the issue of global warming while outlining the enormous risks but also the enormous opportunities confronting the world." Mr. Steiner emphasized the importance of building on the momentum they have helped to build through "negotiations on a decisive, post 2012 emissions reduction agreement" at the Bali meeting. Established in the late 1980s by UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization of the UN, the IPCC and its more than 2,000 scientists and experts have grappled with the science; the likely impacts of climate change and the economics. The IPCC has "outlined the impacts, from the melting off glaciers in the Himalayas to more frequent and devastating floods in New York to Bangladesh?impacts, not in some far away future but in the life-time of people reading and hearing the announcement off the Peace Prize Committee," Mr. Steiner said. He noted that the IPCC has also calculated the price of peace and stability on this planet at perhaps 0.1 per cent of global GDP a year for 30 years for combating climate change and avoiding instability, rising tensions and conflict. "The IPCC, in validating the climate science, represents one of the most important contributions the UN has made in its history to humanity and its current and future choices," declared Mr. Steiner. He recalled that UNEP earlier this year named Mr. Gore a UNEP Champion of the Earth for "making environmental protection a pillar of his public service and for educating the world on the dangers posed by rising greenhouse gas emissions." With this prize, the IPCC joins the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN peacekeeping, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UN mediator Ralph Bunche, secretaries-general Dag Hammarskjöld and Kofi Annan as well as the United Nations itself as Nobel laureates in the UN family. 2007-10-12 00:00:00.000
SECURITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR ‘GENUINE’ DIALOGUE IN MYANMAR TO ACHIEVE RECONCILIATION New York, Oct 11 2007 7:00PM Strongly deploring Myanmar’s recent use of violence against peaceful protesters, the Security Council today underscored the need for dialogue between the Government and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to accelerate its national reconciliation process. In a presidential statement read by Ambassador Leslie K. Christian of Ghana, which hold the rotating Council presidency this month, the Council called on authorities and other parties to “work together towards a de-escalation of the situation and a peaceful solution.” Last week, the Council was briefed by Ibrahim Gambari, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, after returning from a visit to Myanmar, the scene of what the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro characterized as a “brutal crackdown” against peaceful demonstrations led by monks. The Government must take steps for a “genuine dialogue” with Ms. Suu Kyi – a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has been under house arrest for four years and has spent 11 of the past 17 years in detention – and “all concerned parties and ethnic groups in order to achieve an inclusive national reconciliation with the direct support of the United Nations,” the Council said today. It also stressed the importance of releasing all political prisoners and remaining detainees. Emphasizing that “the future of Myanmar lies with its people,” the 15-member body called on authorities to take necessary steps to address the people’s concerns. Earlier this month, both Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Mr. Gambari welcomed news that Senior General Than Shwe has is prepared to meet Ms. Suu Kyi, albeit with certain conditions. “The Security Council welcomes the Government of Myanmar’s public commitment to work with the United Nations and the appointment of a liaison officer with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” Mr. Christian said today. However, the Council also highlighted the importance that “such commitments are followed by action.” Mr. Gambari has been invited back to Myanmar by authorities, and the Council voiced its support for a return visit as quickly as possible to “facilitate concrete actions and tangible results.” The body also urged the Government and other parties to cooperate fully with the Special Adviser and to consider his proposals and recommendations seriously. In a related development, the Secretary-General today dispatched Mr. Gambari to the region, where he will hold consultations in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China and Japan, with a view to returning to Myanmar shortly thereafter. 2007-10-11 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON UNVEILS JUDICIAL SELECTION PANEL FOR HARIRI TRIBUNAL IN LEBANON New York, Oct 11 2007 6:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the composition of a selection panel to recommend to him the names of judges and chief prosecutor to work on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is being set up to prosecute the suspected killers of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. Mr. Ban sent a letter to the Security Council President informing him of his intention to appoint Judge Mohamed Amin El Mahdi, Judge Erik Møse and Nicolas Michel to the selection panel, according to a statement released by the Secretary-General’s spokesperson. Judge El Mahdi formerly served on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Judge Møse currently serves as a presiding judge with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Mr. Michel is the UN Legal Counsel and Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs. Today’s statement stressed that Mr. Ban remained committed to setting up the Tribunal in a timely manner and that he continues to believe the court “will contribute to ending impunity in Lebanon for the crimes under its jurisdiction.” The Tribunal is being set up 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 court to determine whether other political killings in Lebanon since October 2004 were connected to the assassination of Mr. Hariri and could therefore be dealt with by the Tribunal. The selection panel is tasked with recommending to Mr. Ban the names of the four Lebanese judges and seven international judges who should serve on the court, as well as its chief prosecutor. According to the Tribunal’s statute, the chambers will consist of one international pre-trial judge; three judges to serve in the trial chamber (one Lebanese and two international); five judges to serve in the appeals chamber (two Lebanese and three international); and two alternate judges (one Lebanese and one international). The judges of the trial chamber and those of the appeals chamber will then each elect a presiding judge to conduct the proceedings in their chamber, with the presiding judge of the appeals chamber serving as president of the Tribunal. 2007-10-11 00:00:00.000
PRIVATE SECTOR SHOULD LEAD FIGHT ON CLIMATE CHANGE, BAN KI-MOON SAYS New York, Oct 11 2007 5:00PM The private sector should take the lead on tackling the challenges posed by climate change, from investing in clean new technologies to encouraging countries and industries to make the necessary adaptations to change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told business leaders in Washington today. Speaking to the United States Chamber of Commerce this afternoon, Mr. Ban said the role played by US businesses would prove particularly vital given their financial resources and historic leadership in technological innovation. “We can promote economic growth, spur development and respond to climate change – this is not an either/or proposition,” he said. “Your ability to determine investment flows gives you great influence over the pace of innovation, technological change and adaptation.” The Secretary-General called on business leaders to develop “innovative market mechanisms” as a means of combating climate change, particularly the perils raised by greenhouse gas emissions. “I hope you will approach the carbon market as a major economic opening, one that has tripled in size $30 billion in just the past year alone. An expanded and improved carbon market is an essential part of the solution.” The carbon market is a mechanism allowing companies to trade emissions credits in order to ensure that mandated caps are met. Climate change is also the focus of two other speeches that Mr. Ban is giving during his two-day visit to Washington that ends tomorrow. Tonight he is expected to tell the National Association of Evangelicals that tackling climate change and global warming is a “moral imperative and a defining issue of our era.” Mr. Ban will warn that the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide are in jeopardy from climate change. “Without a strong global effort against global warming, we will fail in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the implicit human right to economic justice and development,” he said, referring to a set of antipoverty targets which leaders at a 2000 UN summit said should be reached by 2015. The Secretary-General is also due to address the staff of the US Peace Corps tomorrow before returning to UN Headquarters in New York. 2007-10-11 00:00:00.000
DARFUR: UN ENVOY WARNS SURGE IN VIOLENCE MUST END AHEAD OF PEACE TALKS New York, Oct 11 2007 4:00PM The United Nations Special Envoy to Darfur today called for an end to the “vicious cycle of violence” engulfing the war-torn Sudanese region ahead of major peace talks later this month, warning that any delay to the negotiations between the Government and the rebels would only lead to further bloodshed. After a week of meetings with key regional figures, Jan Eliasson told a press conference in Khartoum that the talks – which he is co-convening with his African Union counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim – will start as scheduled on 27 October in neighbouring Libya. But he stressed the need for all sides to refrain from violence to ensure there is an environment conducive to talks set up to try to end the conflict that has raged across Darfur, an arid and impoverished region in western Sudan, since 2003. More than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others forced to flee their homes because of fighting between the rebels, Government forces and allied militia known as the Janjaweed. In recent weeks there has been a spike in violence in Darfur, particularly in South Darfur state, and Mr. Eliasson voiced deep concern at the security situation and the recent escalation of Sudanese military activity. He said the mediation process was staying on course ahead of the Libya talks, adding that any delay to those talks would be tragic and cause more bloodshed. The envoy also expressed hope that the talks’ first outcome would be to produce a formal declaration of a cessation of hostilities once the political negotiations are under way. Invitations to rebel groups and civil society representatives to participate in the talks are expected to be issued in the next few days, Mr. Eliasson said. This week, Mr. Eliasson has met with senior Sudanese Government officials and representatives of Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and Libya, and today he characterized the meetings as positive and successful. Also speaking at the press conference, the AU’s Sam Ibok, who is a senior adviser to Mr. Salim, said the Libya talks will be as inclusive as possible to ensure that there is broad-based public support of the peace process. He added that no party will be allowed to “shoot its way to the talks,” stressing that violence must end before the negotiations begin. 2007-10-11 00:00:00.000
Oct 11
UN-BACKED MEETING CHARTS COURSE FOR HELPING OLDER PERSONS IN ASIA-PACIFIC REGION New York, Oct 11 2007 5:00PM Over 100 representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations and academia from 26 Asian and Pacific countries along with United Nations officials have forged a document on helping the region’s large population of older persons. Delegates attending a meeting organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Macao, China, today adopted an “Outcome Document” outlining specific measures aimed at ensuring income security in old age, raising public awareness of the benefits of active ageing, and generating inter-generational solidarity. “One of the critical issues to be addressed is finding ways to match the desire of many older persons to remain productive with the actual employment opportunities available for them. Many countries also recognize the impact of modernization, migration and changing family structures on families’ ability to care for older persons,” said Keiko Osaki, Chief of ESCAP’s Population and Social Integration Section. “Universal social security coverage is virtually non-existent in the region and wherever it exists, its sustainability is being questioned,” she said. The Macao Outcome Document urges governments in the region to ensure sustainable and adequate retirement income and to raise awareness among younger generations about life-long preparation for old age and retirement, including in the areas of health and financial security. It underscores the need for data collection, research and studies focused on elderly issues. Acknowledging the specific context of the Asian and Pacific region and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the Macao Outcome Document encourages the establishment of training programmes to further strengthen the capacities of informal caregivers and promotes the concept of “ageing in place” through the development of age-friendly physical environments. The Document also urges governments to promote social and economic equalities for all ages so that older persons, especially women living in poverty, have universal access to health care. Home to over 60 per cent of the world population, the Asian and Pacific region now accounts for 410 million older persons. This number is expected to increase to 733 million in 2025 and to a staggering 1.3 billion by 2050. “It is essential for governments in the region to start planning ahead for the socio-economic implications of ageing societies, with the understanding of the changing demands and needs of the future elderly population,” said Thelma Kay, Director of ESCAP’s Emerging Social Issues Division. Over the next 45 years, Asians aged 60 and older will triple in number, to 1.3 billion, and grow from 10 per cent to 25 per cent of the population, due to falling fertility and rising life expectancy, according to the UN Population Fund which estimates that Japan’s over-60 population will grow from 28 per cent today to 44 per cent by 2050. This demographic shift is occurring most rapidly in East Asia, where older persons will outnumber children under 15 by 2008, the agency said. Garimela Giridhar, Director of UNFPA’s Technical Services Team for East and South-East Asia, said the agency is working in a number of Asian countries to advocate anti-discriminatory legislation, promote data collection and analysis, and encourage families and communities to support older people. The three-day meeting in Macao reviewed the progress made in Asia and the Pacific in carrying out the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, a landmark document adopted five years ago at the Second World Assembly on Ageing. 2007-10-11 00:00:00.000
SECRETARY-GENERAL DISPATCHES MYANMAR ENVOY TO MEET WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS New York, Oct 11 2007 3:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced that he is sending his Special Adviser on Myanmar back to the region this weekend to meet with regional partners about the situation in the troubled South-East Asian nation. Ibrahim Gambari recently returned from a visit to Myanmar, where the Government used force – what the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro characterized as a “brutal crackdown” – against peaceful demonstrations led by monks. According to a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson, the Special Adviser will start his consultations in Thailand next Monday morning before visiting Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China and Japan, with a view to returning to Myanmar shortly thereafter. In a related development, the Security Council issued a presidential statement today strongly deploring the Government’s use of force against the demonstrators. The 15-member body urged authorities to take major steps towards inclusive national reconciliation and underscored the importance of dialogue between the Government and the opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. 2007-10-11 00:00:00.000
UN REFUGEE AGENCY WORKS TO REGISTER DISPLACED CONGOLESE FLEEING NORTH KIVU New York, Oct 11 2007 3:00PM The United Nations refugee agency is working to register displaced people fleeing confrontations between the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and troops of ex-General Laurent Nkunda in the volatile North Kivu province, where human rights abuses such as rape are reportedly on the rise. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported today that it has started registration of all internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the five camp sites in the Mugunga area some 15 kilometres west of Goma. Over 27,500 internally displaced have been identified. This represents just a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of Congolese who have fled North Kivu; many are staying with host families while others are in districts not yet reached by relief workers. Once access for humanitarian personnel to displacement zones improves, registrations at other IDP sites may be possible, the agency said in a news release. “This registration has long been awaited. Once the operation is completed, the displaced registration lists will be available to partner UN agencies and NGOs [non-governmental organizations] to distribute food and other assistance goods in the Mugunga IDP sites,” said UNHCR Representative Eusèbe Hounsokou, who is overseeing the operations from Kinshasa. Armed confrontations in the area intensified on 7 October and since then a trickle of newly displaced people have been arriving in the IDP sites close to Goma. “Displaced report severe violations by armed groups, such as pillaging and destruction of houses, killings of civilians, recruitment of children into armed groups and cases of rape,” the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC said. The mission cited statistics showing 351 cases of rape have been reported in North Kivu during September 2007, which represents a 60 per cent increase from the prior month. Survivors of rape among the new IDP arrivals are referred to specialist organizations for medical treatment and psycho-social support. “UNHCR remains highly concerned that a further intensification of fighting may lead to the new displacement of tens of thousands of civilians,” Mr. Hounsokou added. In New York, a UN spokesperson reported that humanitarian convoys have tried to deliver food and supplies to areas where the fighting is taking place, but many have been forced to delay operations because of insecurity. Meanwhile, the Force Commander of MONUC, General Babacar Gaye, estimated that there are 700,000 displaced people in the province and emphasized the mission’s focus is on resolving the crisis. “MONUC is very conscious in this situation of the consequences for the population,” he said in an interview published by the mission. “We are coordinating with the humanitarians, and we give our support in terms of security in the displaced persons zones.” The mission is also conscious of what the DRC’s Armed Forces, known as FARDC, are doing on the ground, he added. “We give the FARDC a certain support, in particular in the medical evacuation of their wounded, to transport their reinforcements and their ammunition. But our number one concern really remains that a fast solution is found to a situation which risks becoming a drama of a bigger scale.” He said MONUC would be ready to absorb the forces of Mr. Nkunda in “brassage,” its retraining programme for ex-combatants to form a part of integrated FARDC brigades. “The decision to send 500 men for brassage was made by Nkunda, but unfortunately it has not been carried out on the ground,” he said. “We are ready to fully engage in this process.” 2007-10-11 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON URGES RESTRAINT BY ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA AS TENSIONS RISE New York, Oct 11 2007 3:00PM Voicing his concern at escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the two East African neighbours to show maximum restraint and abide by the accords that ended their border war seven years ago. Of particular concern are “recent shooting incidents, as well as the building up of military forces in the border area,” according to a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson. The Secretary-General called on the two countries to exercise “utmost restraint,” maintain their commitment to the Algiers Agreements – the pacts which ended the border war in 2000 – and preserve the integrity of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ), where the UN has deployed a peacekeeping mission known as UNMEE. He also urged them to facilitate the implementation of the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) regarding the demarcation of their border. In 2002 the Commission handed down a final and binding decision awarding Badme, the town that triggered fighting between the two countries from 1998 to 2000, to Eritrea. 2007-10-11 00:00:00.000
UN FUND TO HELP OVER 100,000 BANGLADESHI WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS New York, Oct 11 2007 1:00PM A new United Nations-backed development project will help nearly 120,000 Bangladeshi microentrepreneurs – 90 per cent of whom are women – expand their small enterprises and develop new ones. The UN International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) will provide a $35 million for the nearly $60 million Finance for Enterprise Development and Employment Creation Project. The main participants in the initiative will be current successful microcredit borrowers whose businesses are crucial for the growth of the rural economy, and the project also hopes that some 200,000 jobs for extremely poor people will be created the newly-bolstered small businesses. “The microenterprises create vital jobs for much poorer people who live well below the poverty line and often don’t have adequate housing or enough to eat,” said Nigel Brett, IFAD’s country programme manager for Bangladesh. “They often lack the confidence and ability to risk taking a microcredit loan to start an enterprise and would rather find employment in small local businesses.” Although the project will be national in scope, it will target rural areas. It will train microentrepreneurs to manage their businesses more effectively and teach them how to boost the value of their products throughout the market chain, from the purchase of raw materials to the sale of finished products. IFAD has supported 24 programmes and projects benefiting 8 million households in Bangladesh to date with loans totaling $424 million. The operations have worked to improve rural small entrepreneurs’ access to markets and credit and to increase women’s economic opportunities. 2007-10-11 00:00:00.000
ARMS CONTINUE TO FLOW INTO DARFUR, SECURITY COUNCIL EXPERT PANEL FINDS New York, Oct 10 2007 7:00PM The Sudanese Government and rebel groups in Darfur continue to violate the Security Council arms embargo, sending heavy weapons, small arms, ammunition and other military equipment into the war-torn region over the past year, a panel of experts set up to monitor the ban says in a new report. The panel finds that the Government has shipped arms and equipment – including military airplanes and helicopters – by air into the airports of Darfur’s three provincial capitals, El Fasher, Nyala and El Geneina. This occurred even though the Government did not submit any requests for approval or exemption to the Security Council committee set up in 2005 as part of the arms embargo, the report states, covering the period from the end of September last year to the end of August this year. Government warplanes also made numerous offensive overflights in Darfur, and engaged in aerial bombardments, although the panel notes that the frequency of aerial attacks has declined since April. Several non-State armed groups have also received weapons, including assault rifles, rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns, that were bought in an unnamed country and then transported through Eritrea and later Chad to reach the rebels in Darfur, which lies on Sudan’s western flank. The panel says it is still awaiting responses from several Member States concerning that shipment, as well as other shipments to non-State armed groups. It reiterates its earlier recommendation to expand the arms embargo to cover Sudan’s entire territory and issues a fresh recommendation calling for a ban on the sale and supply of arms and related materiel to non-State armed groups located in or operating from neighbouring Chad. Turning to the targeted financial and travel-related sanctions, the panel states that the Sudanese and Chadian Governments have failed to fully implement the resolutions relating to the ban, such as by monitoring the financial accounts of individuals named by the Council. The panel also finds that both the Sudanese Government and Darfur’s major rebel groups have impeded the peace process, whether by conducting ongoing hostilities, placing lengthy pre-conditions on participating in peace talks or by failing to disarm other groups under their control. Several rebel groups, including the National Redemption Front (NRF) and the Minni Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) have also actively targeted the African Union peacekeeping mission currently operating in Darfur. For its part, the Government had used white aircraft in many of its offensive overflights in Darfur, including in at least one instance a plane with “UN” markings. All sides, including local Arab tribal militia, are not enforcing any accountability for breaches of the laws and rules of war, while the panel states that rape is being widely used as an instrument of warfare. 2007-10-10 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON HOLDS FIRST TALKS WITH HEAD OF GUATEMALAN PROBE INTO ARMED GROUPS New York, Oct 10 2007 7:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has held his first talks with the head of an independent body recently set up with the help of the United Nations to investigate the presence and activities of illegal armed groups in Guatemala. Mr. Ban met with Carlos Castresana Fernández at UN Headquarters in New York yesterday, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters. Mr. Castresana told the Secretary-General that the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (known by its Spanish initials as CICIG) is still in its preparatory phase and is likely to start operating by the beginning of January next year. Ms. Montas said Mr. Ban voiced his full support for the work of the Commission and thanked Mr. Castresana for accepting the post. CICIG was established under an agreement between the UN and the Guatemalan Government that came into effect on 4 September. An independent, non-UN body, the Commission will be able to conduct its own investigations and also help local institutions, particularly the Office of the Public Prosecutor. One of the Commission’s tasks is to recommend public policies and any legal or institutional measures for eradicating illegal armed groups and preventing their re-emergence. The costs are expected to be borne by voluntary contributions from the international community. Over three decades of conflict in Guatemala ended with the signing of peace accords in December of 1996, but concern has been mounting in recent years that illegal security groups and clandestine security organizations have continued to operate with impunity, conducting criminal activities and violating human rights. 2007-10-10 00:00:00.000
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION HAS NEVER BEEN MORE PRESSING, SAYS BAN KI-MOON New York, Oct 10 2007 6:00PM With recent calamities such as floods, storms, and droughts serving as a reminder of the devastating effects of natural hazards, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the need to engage fully in disaster risk reduction has never been more pressing. “We have a moral, social and economic obligation to act now in building resilient communities and nations,” Mr. Ban states in a message marking the International Day for Disaster Reduction, observed annually on 10 October. Declaring that “disaster reduction is everybody’s business,” he urges governments, civil society and the private sector, international financial institutions and other international organizations to invest in disaster reduction. Mr. Ban also cites the importance of stepping up implementation of the Hyogo Framework – a plan of action adopted by States nearly three years ago to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards. Disaster reduction is about stronger building codes, sound land-use planning, better early warning systems, environmental management and evacuation plans and, above all, education, he states. “It is about making communities and individuals aware of their risk to natural hazards and how they can reduce their vulnerability,” the Secretary-General adds. Last year the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction launched a global awareness campaign entitled “Disaster risk reduction begins at schools,” which emphasizes the key role that education can play in teaching children about the hazards that they face around their communities. Sálvano Briceño, Director of the ISDR Secretariat, noted that children are among the most vulnerable groups in society to disasters. However, success stories from the campaign show that children can play an active part in disaster risk reduction. On the occasion of the International Day, the ISDR has issued a new publication – entitled “Towards a Culture of Prevention: Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School” – which provides 35 practical examples of how to improve school safety. “Too many children are dying because they are not educated to live with disasters or because they are attending classes in unsafe buildings. Making schools safer must be the priority of every government in a disaster-prone country,” Mr. Briceño said. 2007-10-10 00:00:00.000
PREVENTING MASS ATROCITIES ‘SACRED CALLING’ FOR UN AND THE WORLD – BAN KI-MOON New York, Oct 10 2007 6:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for the entire United Nations system to be empowered to shoulder the responsibility of preventing mass atrocities, which he deemed one of the “most sacred callings” of the world body and the international community. “We must bring all our resources to bear: early warning, technical assistance, peacemaking, diplomacy, and, if ultimately necessary, military strength,” he said in a message to a conference on the prevention of atrocities, organized by the UN University and the International Crisis Group, in New York. The Secretary-General noted that the UN has not always lived up to this task. “The killing fields of Rwanda, Cambodia and the Balkans stand silent witness to the brutality that passed unchecked by an international system lacking both the will and the vision to act,” Mr. Ban said. Stating that “we can, and we must, do better,” he emphasized the need to work with Member States to give real meaning to the promise that is the Responsibility to Protect, a concept enshrined in the 2005 Outcome Document adopted by leaders from across the world attending the UN summit. Sometimes referred to as “R2P,” the doctrine holds States responsible for protecting their own populations – and the international community for doing so if States fail to live up to the obligations. The Secretary-General added that by examining how the UN acts to prevent mass atrocities, the conference can help the world body improve its functioning and streamline its response. “Indeed, I hope that your guidance can help ensure that the United Nations is never again found wanting in the face of the gravest crimes against humanity,” he said. In May, Mr. Ban appointed Sudanese diplomat Francis Deng as his Special Representative for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities with the mandate of collecting information on serious violations of human rights that could lead to genocide and to bring potential genocidal situations to the attention of the Security Council. More recently, the Secretary-General has informed the Council of his intention to appoint Professor Edward Luck to the newly created position of Special Adviser for the Responsibility to Protect. 2007-10-10 00:00:00.000
NEW UN SURVEY REVEALS SURGE IN MYANMAR’S OPIUM PRODUCTION New York, Oct 10 2007 5:00PM A report released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime shows that while a decades-long eradication drive had slashed opium production in South-East Asia, cultivation in Myanmar has risen by nearly 30 per cent this year. Presenting the 2007 report on opium cultivation in South-East Asia, UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said that while the so-called Golden Triangle – comprising Laos, Myanmar and Thailand – is no longer a major supplier of opium, the situation in Myanmar is “extremely alarming.” Thailand has been opium-free for almost 20 years and Laos has cut opium production by 94 per cent in less than a decade, according to the report. At the same time, opium cultivation rose by 29 per cent – and production by 46 per cent – in 2007 in Myanmar, thereby solidifying the country’s position as the world’s second largest opium producer after Afghanistan. The report revealed that opium cultivation is highly concentrated in one area of the Myanmar, namely South and East Shan states, which accounts for 90 per cent of all opium grown in the country, Mr. Costa said. In addition, there has been a “dangerous switch” in drug production away from opium to a significant increase in methamphetamines which lead to greater profits than that generated by opium. He called for strengthening controls to prevent precursors from getting into Myanmar and for more forceful anti-corruption measures. It is also important for the international community to assist farmers so they can find alternative sources of income and thus abandon opium production, he added. 2007-10-10 00:00:00.000
CHILDREN MUST BETTER EDUCATED TO MINIMIZE DISASTER RISKS – UN New York, Oct 9 2007 6:00PM On the eve of the International Day for Disaster Reduction, a top United Nations official today stressed the necessity of improving children’s disaster preparedness and bolstering their safety in the classroom. “Too many children are dying because they are not educated to live with disasters or because they are attending classes in unsafe buildings. Making schools safer must be the priority of every government in a disaster-prone country,” said Sálvano Briceño, Director of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction “Disaster risk reduction has no cost compared to the loss of a school full of children buried alive in a mudslide or crushed by a falling building.” Speaking to reporters in New York, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said that the Day is especially timely since “more people are threatened by these natural hazards and disasters and extreme weather events than at any time in history.” In the past three decades, the number of disasters triggered by natural hazards – increasingly a result of climate change – has tripled, he said. “The number of people affected has roughly been doubling every ten years, and that’s a trend which is now accelerating, and this means in effect that five times more people are likely to be affected in any one year than a generation ago.” The ISDR today issued a new publication – entitled “Towards a Culture of Prevention: Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School” – which gives 35 practical examples of how to improve school safety. Good examples of projects to prepare children for natural hazards can be found in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mozambique, Costa Rica, France Madagascar, the Philippines, Iran, Tanzania and Peru, while India, Japan and Nepal’s safety initiatives can be replicated globally. “Teaching our children today is empowering the next generation to address disaster risk more effectively tomorrow,” Mr. Briceño said. To introduce children to basic concepts in disaster risk reduction, the French, Spanish, Chinese and Russian language versions of “Stop Disaster,” an online game, were launched today. In the game, which was released in English last year, players are presented with disaster scenarios and must reduce its risk with a given budget. ISDR’s efforts to educate children are part of its larger “Disaster Risk Education Begins at School” campaign focusing on improving the safety of school buildings and integrating disaster risk reduction into school curricula. The campaign kicked off last year with the support of UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the non-governmental organization (NGO) ActionAid International and other partners. To commemorate the Day, ISDR is convening a roundtable discussion in Geneva to identify how to build on the campaign’s results. Other events celebrating the Day will take place in Brussels, Belgium; Kobe, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; and Panama. 2007-10-09 00:00:00.000
TWO FORMER MILITIA LEADERS JAILED BY UN-BACKED TRIBUNAL IN SIERRA LEONE New York, Oct 9 2007 6:00PM The United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone today sentenced two former leaders of a pro-Government militia to jail over war crimes they committed during the country’s prolonged civil war in the 1990s. Moinina Fofana, who was convicted on 2 August on charges of murder, cruel treatment, pillage and collective punishments, was given a six-year prison term by the SCSL, which sits in the capital, Freetown. Allieu Kondewa, who was convicted on the same charges and also on a count of recruiting child combatants, received an eight-year sentence. At the trials, prosecutors said Mr. Fofana served as National Director of War for the Civil Defence Forces (CDF) while Mr. Kondewa acted as the militia’s “High Priest.” The case against a third accused CDF leader, Sam Hinga Norman, ended after he died in February. During Sierra Leone’s civil war the CDF, comprised of various tribally-based traditional hunters, supported the Government against rebel groups, including the Revolutionary United Front and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). Prosecutors had asked for longer terms of imprisonment for Mr. Fofana and Mr. Kondewa but Justice Benjamin Itoe, the presiding judge, said today that several mitigating factors meant shorter terms were warranted. These included the efforts of the CDF to restore the democratically elected government of Sierra Leone, which the court said had contributing to re-establishing the rule of law in the West African nation. The SCSL is mandated to try those bearing the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitarian and Sierra Leonean law within the country’s borders since 30 November 1996. It is the second international war crimes tribunal established in Africa. 2007-10-09 00:00:00.000
UN-BACKED ASIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE TO LOOK INTO IMPACTS OF POPULATION AGEING New York, Oct 9 2007 5:00PM Government officials and representatives from more than two dozen Asian-Pacific nations have gathered in Macao, China, to discuss regional progress in addressing the challenges posed by population ageing at a United Nations-sponsored conference. “This meeting provides an opportunity for governments and civil society to review and appraise the results of their work on ageing issues, exchange information and experience, and identify priorities for the future,” said Thelma Kay, Director of the Emerging Social Issues Division of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Participants will review developments made in addressing the graying of populations since 2002, when the landmark Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, which called for new attitudes, policies and practices across all levels to tap into the potential of older persons, was adopted. “Recognizing the many social and economic implications of the ageing process, governments in the region today have accorded higher attention to ageing issues and many embarked on developing their own national plans and policies for older persons” in the past five years, Ms. Kay noted. In Asia and the Pacific, the number of older persons is surging, estimate to grow from 410 million this year to 733 million in 2025 and 1.3 billion in 2050. As a percentage of the total population, they will comprise 15 per cent in 2025 and up to 25 per cent in 2050, a massive increase from 10 per cent currently. In his message marking the International Day of Older Persons on 1 October, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that “population ageing brings significant economic and social challenges, for developed and developing countries alike.” As a result, “finding ways to provide economic support for a growing number of older persons, through sustainable pension programmes and new social protection measures, is a daunting task, particularly in developing countries,” he added. 2007-10-09 00:00:00.000
Sept 28
WORLD LEADERS REALIZE URGENCY OF COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE – BAN KI-MOON New York, Sep 28 2007 8:00PM This week’s historic high-level meeting on climate change has galvanized world leaders to take urgent action to stem global warning, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The discussion convened by Mr. Ban at UN Headquarters in New York drew more than 80 heads of State or government, making it the largest-ever gathering on the issue, which he has identified as one of his top priorities. “I sensed something remarkable happening, something transformative – a sea-change, whereby leaders showed themselves willing to put aside blame for the past and pose to themselves more forward-looking questions,” he wrote in an op-ed published in yesterday’s International Herald Tribune“Where do we go from here? What can we do, together, in the future?” As it stands today, climate change has two main facets, the Secretary-General noted. On the one hand, science has proven that human activity is at the root of the increased severity of extreme weather, while on the other, the world has realized the magnitude of the problem and has finally taken a firm stand to fight it. With climate change expected to be responsible for devastation ranging from dramatic water shortages for half a billion people to the desertification of most of northern China, Mr. Ban noted the fear voiced by the Micronesian leader that his country will sink under the rising seas. “How do we explain this to our people, to future generations, that we have nothing for them,” President Emanuel Mori asked. Looking on the bright side, the Secretary-General pointed out that Brazil told participants at the meeting in New York that it has slashed Amazon basin deforestation by half, that India is dedicating two per cent of its annual GDP to controlling floods and food security programmes and that California is blazing the trail in both the political and business realms to tackle climate change. Countries will seek their own methods to combat climate change, but “the important thing is that all agree: national policies should be coordinated within the United Nations, so that our work together is complimentary and mutually enforcing,” he said. Additionally, Mr. Ban said there is a shared sense of the necessity to address climate change now. It is no longer purely an environmental concern, but a political one. “This represents a turning point, with enormous implications,” he noted. The gathering has generated international momentum for the major climate change summit to be held in December in Bali, Indonesia, the Secretary-General said. That meeting seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012. “We need a breakthrough – an agreement to launch negotiations for a comprehensive climate change deal that all nations can embrace. It will be difficult but I am optimistic. We are in a different place, today, than yesterday,” Mr. Ban stated. “Our job is to translate the spirit of New York into deeds in Bali.” 2007-09-28 00:00:00.000
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES MERIT INCREASED REPRESENTATION ON SECURITY COUNCIL – CHINA New York, Sep 28 2007 7:00PM Developing countries deserve greater representation on the United Nations Security Council, the Foreign Minister of China, one of five permanent members on that body, said today. Yang Jiechi told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate that reform proposals should be based on the widest possible consensus. “Security Council reform should prioritize increasing the representation of developing countries and give small- and medium-sized countries more opportunities to participate in decision-making,” he said. He also called for the UN Human Rights Council to build on its recent reforms “and become a platform for dialogue and cooperation rather than an arena of political confrontation.” On the issue of climate change, he said China is “adopting a series of laws and regulations and setting goals of reducing energy intensity and increasing forest cover.” He pledged that China would “take an active part in international cooperation in climate change and play its part in protecting the global climate.” The Foreign Minister also said China is committed to “a proper settlement of the Darfur issue” and would send a military engineering unit to join the peacekeeping effort there. 2007-09-28 00:00:00.000
UN-BACKED SUMMIT SUPPORTS GREATER INVESTMENTS TO STAMP OUT CERVICAL CANCER New York, Sep 28 2007 7:00PM Participants at a United Nations-sponsored conference in Brussels have called for increased investment in vaccination, screening and treatment to eliminate cervical cancer, a preventable disease that kills 250,000 women annually – 80 per cent of them in developing countries. The International Conference on the Fight against Cervical Cancer, convened by the UN Development Fund for Women and the European Commission, brought together women leaders, policymakers, pharmaceutical companies, private sector representatives and health professionals to discuss the prevention of cervical cancer. Participants at the two-day meeting called on the pharmaceutical industry, donors and Governments to explore innovative partnerships to increase investment in vaccines and screening programmes. Vaccine manufacturers at the conference committed to tiered pricing schemes, aimed at making vaccines affordable and available in developing countries. “The low priority accorded the health of women and girls is a manifestation of gender inequality,” Acting UNIFEM Executive Director Joanne Sandler said. “We have a huge chance here, to demonstrate that the health of women and girls matters.” Cervical cancer is caused by the Human Pappillioma Virus (HPV) – a common sexually transmitted disease – and primarily strikes women between the ages of 35 and 50. 2007-09-28 00:00:00.000
SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF PANEL OF EXPERTS ON DARFUR ARMS EMBARGO New York, Sep 28 2007 7:00PM The Security Council today decided to extend the mandate of the panel of experts set up to monitor an arms embargo in the strife-torn Darfur region of Sudan. The 15-member body unanimously adopted a resolution to lengthen until 15 October 2008 the mandate of the group, which was established in March 2005 to help monitor the implementation of the arms embargo imposed by Council resolutions, and inform the sanctions committee about individuals who impede the peace process, violate international law or are responsible for offensive military overflights. The panel was also tasked with monitoring the implementation of targeted individual financial and travel sanctions, and developing new recommendations to present to the Council. Today’s resolution requested that the panel coordinate its activities with the UN–African Union (AU) hybrid peacekeeping force – to be known as UNAMID – scheduled to take over from the existing AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) by the end of this year. At full deployment, UNAMID will be the world’s largest peacekeeping operation, with some 26,000 troops and police officers. Since fighting erupted between rebel groups, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias in 2003, UN officials have repeatedly described Darfur as the scene of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. More than 200,000 people have been killed and the conflict has spilled into neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR). Also today, Council members were briefed by the chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé, who underscored the importance of the ties between his organization and the UN. He pointed out that the OSCE and the UN work together in such areas as conflict prevention, crisis management, reconstruction, the fight against terrorism, protection of minorities and environmental security. “The United Nations and the OSCE are linked by their determination to strengthen a rules-based international order based on the respect for human rights and on cooperation on matters pertaining to security among States,” Mr. Moratinos noted. Regarding Kosovo, he said that the OSCE has remained neutral regarding the future status of the Serbian province which has been administered by the UN since 1999. “Impartiality, however, does not mean being non-committal,” he stated. Despite the fact that the OSCE is not directly participating in the status negotiations, it does contribute in the field “in order to create necessary conditions for the implementation” of the coming settlement. He also lauded the UN Alliance of Civilizations – created to bridge the divide between Islam and the West – as a “good instrument for managing and addressing diversity in the areas of youth, education, migration and the media,” as the OSCE is also dedicated to promoting “diverse and pluralistic societies” as part of its commitment to bolster democracy in all societies and States. 2007-09-28 00:00:00.000
MIGIRO URGES BOOST IN DONOR FUNDING TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH New York, Sep 28 2007 6:00PM Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro has called on donor nations to keep their development aid promises, citing the lack of funding as a major reason for the slow progress in reducing maternal and child mortality. “That in the last two decades little progress has been made on maternal and newborn health in many developing countries is a sombre commentary on the global village we live in,” Ms. Migiro told a gathering in New York on Wednesday in support of a new global push to achieve the internationally agreed development targets related to health. Noting that 300 children and 5 mothers in labour will die in the time it took her to address the event, she stressed that achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 – which call for a reduction in child deaths of two thirds compared to 1990 and a reduction in maternal mortality of three quarters, both by 2015 – “is without any doubts one of the most urgent tasks before us.” Lack of funding, along with inadequate health systems, is a main reason for the slow progress in improving maternal and child health, she said. “It is a simple fact that the poorest countries, especially African and least developed countries, are not in a position to pay for their healthcare costs.” While using existing resources more efficiently and improving health delivery systems are important, she stressed increased donor funding and improved aid effectiveness as key to successfully fighting maternal and child mortality. 2007-09-28 00:00:00.
TURKISH LEADER SAYS UN OFFERS SOLE PLATFORM FOR ENDING CYPRUS PROBLEM New York, Sep 28 2007 6:00PM The United Nations remains the only platform for resolving the Cyprus problem, Turkey’s Prime Minister told the General Assembly today as he called on the members of the international community to remove all of their restrictions on Turkish Cypriots as soon as possible. Recep Tayyíp Erdogan said there has been no recent progress towards a settlement of the Cyprus problem “due to the intransigence of the Greek Cypriot side. This clearly attests to the need to urgently resume comprehensive negotiations under an expedited process within a given timeframe.” Mr. Erdogan said that at a meeting on 5 September, “President Talat of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus proposed to resume without further delay substantial negotiations to reach a comprehensive settlement by the end of 2008. This proposal, however, was rejected by the Greek Cypriot side. Should a solution be genuinely sought on the island, this proposal merits serious consideration. “The international community should not only support the will displayed by the Turkish side to reach a comprehensive settlement, but also encourage the Greek Cypriot side to be more forthcoming in this regard.” The Prime Minister said a comprehensive settlement is only possible “under the good offices mission of the UN Secretary-General on the basis of the well established UN parameters.” On 8 July last year, the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities signed an accord setting out the necessary framework for a political process designed to lead to the resumption of full-fledged negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary-General’s good offices, but the negotiations have not yet begun. Mr. Erdogan also noted that, in a May 2004 report, the previous UN Secretary-General called for the lifting of all restrictions imposed on the Turkish Cypriots, and that the current UN chief, Ban Ki-moon, has since stood by those conclusions. Yet, “the unjust restrictions… which have no legal or moral premise continue with no end in sight,” he said, calling for their immediate removal. 2007-09-28 00:00:00.000
UNAIDS PLEDGES TO ‘MAKE THE MONEY WORK’ FOR GLOBAL FUND TO COMBAT DISEASE New York, Sep 28 2007 4:00PM Stressing the world body’s commitment to “make the money work” to ensure the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is as effective and beneficial as possible, the head of the lead United Nations agency tasked with responding to the pandemic called for a large-scale AIDS response now. “There are so many challenges facing the developing world that some may ask why fighting HIV is a priority,” Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS said at the Fund’s pledging conference in Berlin, Germany, where world leaders have announced their contributions for the next three years. The answer is three-fold, he said. “The cost in lives has been tremendous, the cost of saving lives will only increase as time goes on without an adequate response, and, finally, responding to AIDS is essential in order to address every other development issue worldwide.” He drew attention to the role the Organization can play in the fight against AIDS. “The United Nations’ technical expertise, its experience coordinating with countries, and its understanding of working with civil society are key contributors to the work of the Global Fund.” At the meeting, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised the past efforts of the Global Fund, which has received contributions of over $11 billion from more than 60 Governments, private foundations, corporations and individuals. After five years, “we have a fund that is highly successful in spending money to save lives,” he said, adding that “money channelled through the Global Fund is money invested wisely.” Also addressing participants, German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to countries worldwide to make the battle against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria a priority, underscoring the need to boost coordination between bilateral and multilateral programmes. The Fund needs between $12 billion to 18 billion for the period 2008-2010 to support existing grants and finance urgently needed programmes to tackle AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. 2007-09-28 00:00:00.000
ISLAND NATIONS TELL UN POWERFUL STATES MUST SHOW LEADERSHIP ON CLIMATE CHANGE New York, Sep 28 2007 4:00PM The greatest burden in the global fight against climate change should be borne by the world’s powerful countries, which are also often the leading producers of greenhouse gas emissions, the leaders of several island nations told the General Assembly today. Addressing the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, the representatives also called on affluent nations to increase their level of spending towards an adaptation fund to help the most vulnerable States adjust their economies and infrastructure to cope with the impact of global warming. “Obviously we have failed badly as custodians of the planet and its future,” Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi said, adding it was imperative that a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions be devised “that is effective, binding, capable of swift implementation and universally owned and respected by the 192 UN Member States.” Mr. Malielegaoi called on “those Member States of our Organization in position of world leadership to lead the charge in finding and implementing solutions.” Winston Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said the collective response to climate change “represents a monumental test of the political will and courage of humanity in general, but especially of the political leaders of the most powerful countries.” He also urged greater spending on the adaptation fund, noting that small island States were among the most vulnerable in the world – to natural disasters as much as climate change. “Because of our size and the nature of our primary economic activity, the infrastructure of an entire country can be destroyed by, for example, the passage of a single hurricane,” he said. Marshall Islands’ President Kessai H. Note echoed the call for increased spending to help small and poor nations adapt. “While we are committed to playing our part, strong leadership is required by the major industrialized countries,” the President of the Pacific island nation said. Mr. Note called on the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases to ratify the Kyoto Protocol immediately, warning that his country faced dire consequences unless urgent action was taken. “I find no pride in having coined the term ‘ecological refugee’ – it is my deepest hope that no one – and certainly no one in the Marshall Islands, will have to bear that title,” he added. Stephenson King, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, said it was important to work within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) when devising solutions. Mr. King stressed “that the large producers of greenhouse gases must bear the responsibility for the damage being caused to the global environment, and in particular to the vulnerable countries whose sustainability and very existence are increasingly threatened by their actions.” 2007-09-28 00:00:00.000
Sept 27
SECURITY COUNCIL URGES FREE AND TIMELY ELECTION OF NEW LEBANESE PRESIDENT New York, Sep 27 2007 5:00PM The United Nations Security Council today called for a free and timely presidential election in Lebanon, which was scheduled to be held this week but has been postponed until later next month. In a statement read out to the press by Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France, which holds the Council’s rotating presidency for this month, the 15-member body urged that the election be held “in conformity with the Lebanese constitutional norms and schedules and without any foreign interference.” The Council also appealed for the election to be held in “an atmosphere free of violence, fear and intimidation, in particular against the representatives of the Lebanese people and institutions.” Last week, the Council strongly condemned the killing of parliamentarian Antoine Ghanem in a car bomb attack in the capital, Beirut. In today’s statement, the Council said it looks forward for “the Parliament to proceed, as appropriate, to the election of the President.” 2007-09-27 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES MYANMAR’S DECISION TO RECEIVE UN ENVOY New York, Sep 27 2007 5:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that he is pleased that the Government of Myanmar has agreed to a visit by his Special Envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, who has been dispatched to the region in response to the deteriorating situation in the country. Mr. Ban, in a statement released by his spokesperson, called on the authorities to engage in a constructive dialogue with Mr. Gambari, who will begin his visit on 29 September, and “to commit to a path of peaceful and inclusive national reconciliation.” Myanmar has recently witnessed a wave of peaceful demonstrations, which began last month in protest against a surge in fuel prices and more recently have included many of the country’s monks. Noting reports of the use of force and of arrests and beatings, Mr. Ban has repeatedly urged Myanmar’s authorities to respond to the protests with the utmost restraint. His calls have been echoed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and members of the UN Security Council. 2007-09-27 00:00:00.000
UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL SENTENCES TWO FORMER SENIOR YUGOSLAV OFFICERS New York, Sep 27 2007 3:00PM Two former senior officers of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) were sentenced today by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for their roles in the executions of non-Serbs in Ovcara. Mile Mrkšic was sentenced to prison for 20 years for aiding and abetting the murder, torture and cruel treatment of 194 non-Serb prisoners of war taken from a hospital in Vukovar after the Croatian city fell to JNA and Serb paramilitary forces in November 1991. As Army colonel, he commanded all Serb forces – including JNA, Territorial Defence and paramilitary forces – in the Vukovar area at the time of the crimes. Convicted of aiding and abetting the cruel treatment of prisoners, Veselin Šljivancanin, who served as a JNA major and headed the security organ of both the Guard’s Motorized Brigade and Operational Group South at the time, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. Meanwhile, a third JNA member who was indicted along with Mr. Mrkšic and Mr. Šljivancanin, Miroslav Radic, was acquitted of all charges. According to the indictment, in late November 1991 – following the brutal siege and sustained artillery attack on Vukovar – JNA and Serb paramilitary forces under the command or supervision of Mrkšic, Radic and Šljivancanin, removed about 260 non-Serb individuals from the Vukovar Hospital where they had sought refuge. The prisoners were transported to a farm building in Ovcara, where they were beaten, tortured and eventually murdered. The three men were charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes for their alleged participation in a joint criminal enterprise aiming to murder and mistreat prisoners, as well as their personal and command responsibility for the torture and executions. The Tribunal’s Trial Chamber cited evidence from exhumations of the Ovcara mass grave and subsequent autopsies identifying 192 non-Serb victims named in the indictment. The ICTY held its first hearing in November 1994, and since then, has indicted 161 persons and proceedings have been completed in the cases of 108 accused. No further indictments will be issued, and the Tribunal is scheduled to complete its mission by the end of 2010. 2007-09-27 00:00:00.000
MORE SPORTS STARS TEAM UP WITH UN AGENCIES TO FIGHT POVERTY, HIV/AIDS New York, Sep 27 2007 3:00PM More renowned sports figures are teaming up with United Nations agencies to help fight poverty, hunger and disease. Russian tennis champion Maria Sharapova, named a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) earlier this year, has recruited United States basketball star LeBron James to “Team Up Against Poverty” on a new UNDP advertisement to garner support for achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals, which seek to slash poverty, hunger, infant and maternal mortality and a host of other ills by 2015. The awareness and fund-raising advertisements features celebrities from the world of sports, arts, fashion or business portrayed in teams of two by the world’s greatest professional photographers. Fifty celebrities, including UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors and soccer greats Ronaldo and Zidane, have already agreed to participate and are undertaking specific anti-poverty activities. The advertisements have been produced thanks to photographers, celebrities and advertising agencies who are donating their time and talent for the fight against poverty. Hundreds of newspapers and magazines have already published them worldwide. World-renowned photographers who have joined the campaign include Dominique Issermann, Peter Lindbergh, Sarah Moon, Satoshi Saikusa, Christian Moser, Ferdinando Scianna, Javier Vallhonrat, the late Jeanloup Sieff and Sebastiao Salgado. Meanwhile the UN Children’s Fund and Futbol Club Barcelona have renewed the second year of their five year partnership with the handing over of this season’s team jersey bearing the UNICEF name and a pledge to give a further 1.5 million Euros for children. In 2006 FC Barcelona donated 1.5 million Euros to UNICEF. These funds were used to help children affected by AIDS in Swaziland, the country with the highest estimated HIV rate in the world. “The assistance from Barcelona is a timely investment in the national response to the HIV epidemic,” UNICEF Representative in Swaziland Jama Gulaid said. “It is already touching the lives of Swazi children in multiple ways - improving access to prevention, rapid diagnosis of HIV, live-skills education through sports, birth registration, water, and sanitation.” UNICEF in Swaziland used the funds to acquire laboratory equipment for testing blood samples and drugs for prophylaxis and anti-retroviral treatment. A community mobilization campaign was launched to improve use of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission services and 23 new Neighbourhood Care Points were established to help protect more than 1,000 orphans and vulnerable children. The Care Points are like a home away from home where children receive psycho–social support, nutrition, non-formal education and basic health care. Additionally, they make orphaned and vulnerable children visible by creating awareness about their needs among community members, service providers, national leaders, civil society and international donors. The funds have also been used to train 885 community members as care givers to work in the Care Points. Some 5,000 school children have also had training in Life-skills Education and Sports and taken part in sports activities in 68 schools. The aid from these athletes is but the latest in a whole series of collaboration between UN agencies and world sport, which has seen the Cricket World Cup batting against HIV/AIDS, the European Swimming League in “a race against time” to prevent deaths from unclean water, and similar initiatives with the International Rugby Board, American football stars, marathon runners and Formula One auto racers. 2007-09-27 00:00:00.000
TIMORESE PRESIDENT CALLS ON UN TO STAY ON TO HELP COUNTRY STABILIZE New York, Sep 27 2007 3:00PM Applauding the efforts so far of the United Nations to bring peace and stability to the South-East Asian country, Timor-Leste’s President today called on the world body to extend its engagement there to help strengthen national institutions and ensure that democracy takes root. José Ramos-Horta told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate that the presence of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste after the deadly violence of April and May last year had helped the nation achieve “significant progress.” Presidential and legislative elections held earlier this year were largely free of violence or irregularities, he said, and security sector reform has also begun. But the President acknowledged that the recent outbreak of violence from supporters of Fretilin, the former ruling party, after the new government was announced, showed that “the relative tranquility prevailing in the country is a precarious one.” The events of last year were also “a crisis of our own making and for which we must take full responsibility,” he said, adding that his country realized it needs to make every effort to stand on its own feet. “We hope that the UN will consider a longer-term engagement with us to further stabilize the situation, strengthen our national institutions and consolidate peace and democracy,” he said. “As the situation progresses, we hope that the Peacebuilding Commission will consider placing Timor-Leste on its agenda as a follow-up to UNMIT.” The Peacebuilding Commission was established by the UN last year to prevent countries emerging from conflict from sliding back into chaos or war. It focuses on projects that help with reconstruction, institution-building and sustainable development. 2007-09-27 00:00:00.000
UN MISSION REPORTS MORE ATTACKS ON AID WORKERS IN SOUTH DARFUR New York, Sep 27 2007 4:00PM The United Nations Mission in Sudan reports that aid workers continue to be victims of attacks, including several carjackings, in the south of the violence-wracked Darfur region. In one incident, the driver of a vehicle belonging to an international non-governmental organization (NGO) was tied up and beaten. He is now being treated at a UN clinic in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state. A UN convoy was also attacked the same day. The latest incidents follow last week’s attack in South Darfur in which a convoy of aid workers was ambushed and shot at by unknown gunmen. Two of eight staff members of the NGO World Vision International travelling in the convoy were shot in the head, while a third staff member was struck in the arm. The other five were hit by glass fragments and shrapnel. All eight survived the attack. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs attacks against the relief community have increased by 150 per cent in the past year, threatening the lifeline to an ever-increasing number of displaced and conflict-affected people. There are some 13,000 relief workers in Darfur trying to reach a total of four million people affected by the fighting which began four years ago between the Sudanese Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias and rebel groups. Meanwhile, in West Darfur, as part of continuing efforts to reduce the risk of water-borne diseases following recent floods, the UN Children’s Fund has taken part in hygiene promotion campaigns in several camps, and has also provided anti-malaria medicines and mosquito nets. 2007-09-27 00:00:00.000
SUBSTANTIAL EFFORTS NEEDED TO AVOID GLOBAL ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN – BAN KI-MOON New York, Sep 27 2007 2:00PM Addressing the largest bloc of developing countries at the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for substantial efforts to avoid a worldwide economic recession, warning that the group’s members are likely to be the worst affected by any global slowdown. Mr. Ban noted that volatility in financial markets has become a source of growing concern recently, and instability and uncertainty in the global economy are being “imported to the developing world.” In remarks to the annual ministerial meeting of the Group of 77 developing countries and China – commonly known as the “G77” – Mr. Ban said that while actions such as the injection of liquidity can calm financial markets temporarily, they will not resolve the underlying problem of global economic imbalances. He called on the international community to enhance its support for the efforts of developing countries, particularly as they seek to reduce poverty, which is “critical to improving the lives and livelihoods of the billions of people this Group represents.” Poverty reduction, which is at the core of the UN development agenda, is also at the heart of the global development targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Mr. Ban stated, adding that the partnership between developing and developed countries forms the “pact that forms the lifeblood of the goals.” Noting that an “implementation gap remains, between promises and delivery,” the Secretary-General called for reversing the decline in official development assistance (ODA), as well as reforming the global trade policy. “We must ensure an early conclusion of the Doha round of trade talks, with a meaningful development package. We must operationalize ‘aid for trade.’” Mr. Ban also highlighted the need to ensure adequate participation of developing nations, especially low-income countries, in global decision-making, noting that “inequitable and unjustifiable governance arrangements still characterize crucial international institutions.” In addition, the Secretary-General urged the members of the Group to confront the global challenge of climate change, adding that “global warming must not be allowed to undermine our hard-won development gains.” 2007-09-27 00:00:00.000
COMPETITION FOR OIL AND GAS RESERVES HEATING UP, SAYS UN TRADE BODY New York, Sep 27 2007 11:00AM The emergence of new players in the global market and shifts in the policies of gas and oil producers means that traditional conglomerates from industrialized nations are facing increasing competition in the race to access the world’s reserves, the United Nations agency on trade and development issues said today. With crude oil prices staying well above $70 a barrel, traditional transnational corporations are losing bargaining power to oil-producing countries “eager to use climbing demand to capture a larger share of the rents,”to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The agency draws attention to “large imbalances” in global consumption, production and reserves of oil and gas, such as the fact that developed countries consume more than half of global oil and gas output, while they account for only a quarter of production. Moreover, less than 8 per cent of the world’s remaining proved reserves of oil and gas are found in these countries. As many as 21 of the top 25 countries ranked in 2005 by total remaining proved reserves were developing or transition economies. In addition, data suggests that resources in developed countries are being depleted more than 10 times faster that that of developing and transition economies, which means that the former will have to rely increasingly on oil and gas imported from the latter. Competition for oil and gas resources is becoming more complex, according to UNCTAD, due to changes in government policies in producing nations. Some developing countries with large reserves, such as Kuwait, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, do not allow foreign participation in oil and gas extraction. Others permit foreign investment but are facing embargoes applied by the home countries of companies, such as in the case of those from the United States which are not allowed to invest in Iran or Sudan. Also affecting competition is the entry of new corporations based in developing and transition economies, including Kuwait Petroleum, Lukoil (Russia), Petrobras (Brazil) and Petronas (Malaysia), who are already among the main foreign investors in selected oil and gas producing countries and operate alongside traditional companies from the developed countries such as British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron. 2007-09-27 00:00:00.
Sept 26
TOP UN OFFICIAL IN DR CONGO VISITS KANANGA TO ASSESS SECURITY, EBOLA SITUATION New York, Sep 26 2007 3:00PM Concerned over the political and security situation on the ground, as well the threat to United Nations staff posed by the deadly Ebola virus, the world body’s top official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has just concluded a visit to the city of Kananga in the western Kasai province. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN mission (MONUC) William Lacy Swing impressed upon local officials during his visit to the province yesterday that the decision to move UN troops to the DRC’s troubled eastern region is only for the short term. “The temporary withdrawal of MONUC military from Kananga was a strategic decision to fulfil military requirements elsewhere, but I will not cease making pleas for financial backers to come to the aid of Congo and Kasai Occidental,” he noted. The province’s Governor Trésor Kapuku underscored MONUC’s crucial role in bringing economic prosperity to the area. “If these efforts by MONUC are reduced now, it will have a counter-productive effect for the future of the province,” he said. Mr. Swing presented the Governor with 367 mattresses to be distributed to area hospitals through MONUC’s Quick Impact Projects programme. “One knows one’s friends in times of difficulty,” Governor Kapuku said, expressing his gratitude. Later, Mr. Swing attended a town hall meeting at which MONUC staff aired their concerns regarding the recent Ebola outbreak and security issues. The Special Representative assured UN staff that upon returning to the capital Kinshasa, he will establish a commission to seek out immediate solutions to these issues. Last week, the UN announced that of some 400 cases of illness and 170 deaths reported since April in the Kasai Occidental province, nine cases of the virus, which causes death in 50 to 90 per cent of cases, have been confirmed. 2007-09-26 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON DISPATCHES MYANMAR ENVOY TO REGION AMID CONTINUING TENSIONS New York, Sep 26 2007 3:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today he is sending his Special Envoy dealing with Myanmar to the region in response to the deteriorating situation in the Asian nation, and once again urged authorities there to respond to the ongoing peaceful protests with utmost restraint. Noting reports of the use of force and of arrests and beatings, Mr. Ban called again on authorities “to exercise utmost restraint toward the peaceful demonstrations taking place, as such action can only undermine the prospects for peace, prosperity and stability in Myanmar,” in a statement issued by his spokesperson. The Secretary-General also called on the senior leadership of the country to cooperate fully with the mission of his Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari “in order to take advantage of the willingness of the United Nations to assist in the process of national reconciliation through dialogue.” While the Myanmar Government has not yet accepted Mr. Gambari’s mission, UN Spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York that “he will stay in the region, and as soon as he gets the green light he will proceed.” Mr. Gambari is scheduled to update the Security Council this afternoon on the latest developments in Myanmar, where demonstrations began last month to protest a surge in fuel prices. More recently, the demonstrators have included many of the country’s monks. Briefing the 15-member body last week, he stressed that recent events are a clear setback for the country. Also expressing concern about the well-being and safety of the demonstrators, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today urged the Myanmar authorities to allow the peaceful expression of dissent in the country and to abide by international human rights law in their response to the current widespread peaceful street protests. “The use of excessive force and all forms of arbitrary detention of peaceful protesters are strictly prohibited under international law,” she said. The High Commissioner also expressed her continuing concern for those who have been detained during recent weeks, and for the welfare of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. 2007-09-26 00:00:00.000
IVORIAN LEADER URGES UN ASSEMBLY TO PARTIALLY END ARMS EMBARGO New York, Sep 26 2007 3:00PM The President of Côte d’Ivoire today called for a partial lifting of the arms embargo against his country, which in 2002 split between a rebel-held north and Government-controlled south, telling the General Assembly that the territory is now reunited. President Laurent Gbagbo said that as Côte d’Ivoire emerges from crisis, it needs the support of the international community more than ever to build peace and stability within its borders and in the West African region. Given the climate of calm now prevailing, he asked the UN to revise downward its security rating, saying that “phase III no longer reflects reality.” The UN uses different ‘phases’ to indicate the level of safety for staff; phase III requires relocation. Declaring that Côte d’Ivoire is “reunified” and that the State must restore law and order throughout the country, he called for a partial lifting of the weapons embargo so that the country can “carry out its task of protecting people and goods.” He said sanctions remain on individuals who have “put heart and soul into seeking peace,” and asked the UN lift those measures as they applied to three individuals: Charles Goudé Ble, Eugène Djue and Kouakou Fofie. President Gbagbo also sought international funding to support actions related directly to resolving the country’s crisis through peacebuilding. “Côte d’Ivoire requires international aid to strengthen the basis for a more robust economic recovery in the long-term,” he said, pointing out that the conflict caused extensive damage to infrastructure which must be rebuilt. He emphasized the importance of holding free and fair elections, calling this the “culmination” of the peace process. “We must organize elections quickly in order to confer legitimacy on those who are exercising State power,” he said. Drawing on his own experience in negotiating an end to the impasse in Côte d’Ivoire, the President said the United Nations should provide support to local solutions to conflict situations. 2007-09-26 00:00:00.000
HAITI’S PRESIDENT CREDITS UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION WITH HELPING TO FOSTER STABILITY New York, Sep 26 2007 3:00PM The President of Haiti today credited the United Nations Stabilization Mission in his country (MINUSTAH) with promoting stability in the country and said recent gains will be consolidated into a more secure future for its people. Addressing the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate, René Préval noted that Haiti is all too frequently on the UN’s agenda because of its problems of insecurity and political unrest. “I am speaking on behalf of a country that somewhat hasty analysis describes as a ‘failed State,’” he said. “Haiti is on the way to bidding farewell to that State slowly, patiently yet with determination,” he said, noting that organized armed gangs that had wreaked violence on the population have been dismantled, and there are no longer ‘no-go’ zones too dangerous to enter. Inflation has dipped below 10 per cent, while gross domestic product (GDP) is up after 10 years of decline, he added. Peace, he stressed, is an essential condition to enable the country’s political forces to “put an end to their endless quarrels.” Anticipating a one-year extension of MINUSTAH, he said this move would be “quite timely” and served as a reminder that gains in Haiti – including the victory over insecurity, the holding of democratic elections, improved governance and a strengthened judicial system – were made possible “in large part due to the efforts undertaken by the UN force in the country.” The country’s national police, he added, “although young, inexperienced and ill-equipped, has been courageous and determined in the battle against insecurity, but the support of MINUSTAH at its side has been greatly appreciated.” Voicing gratitude to the UN, the Security Council and friendly countries that have helped Haiti, he said the country’s people continue to see the presence of foreign armed forces on their soil as a “wound with respect to their national sovereignty.” At the same time, he stressed that “in practical terms this is the only formula that is realistic and available at this time that enables Haitians to restore freedom and live in peace.” He said it was up to Haitian people to benefit from the period of calm, regroup and reconsider the future with a positive vision while the country strengthens its cohesion, modernizes its judicial system and improves its ability to take action in favour of economic recovery and sustainable development. 2007-09-26 00:00:00.000
TURKMEN LEADER WELCOMES PLANNED UN REGIONAL DIPLOMACY CENTRE IN CENTRAL ASIA New York, Sep 26 2007 2:00PM Plans by the United Nations to set up a preventive diplomacy centre in Central Asia represent a milestone in the world body’s efforts to bring peace and stability to the region, Turkmenistan’s President told the General Assembly today. Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov said his country was certain that the work of the centre – which is expected to be established in Ashgabat, the Turkmen capital, later this year – could be “a strong positive force in resolving the problems our region faces.” Vowing to “do everything necessary to make the centre’s work effective and fruitful,” the President told the annual high-level debate that cooperation with the UN was the critical element in Turkmenistan’s wider foreign policy. “This is most apparent in regional matters, where it is the participation of the United Nations and its specialized agencies that promotes convergence of approaches of States to issues, [and the] creation of a favourable political, diplomatic and legal environment for their resolution by joint effort.” The principles enshrined in the UN Charter “should continue to serve as the moral and legal pillar of the international order,” and all UN reforms should take account of this, he said. Mr. Berdimukhamedov also called for the Security Council’s structure to change and for better and closer relations between the Council and the General Assembly. 2007-09-26 00:00:00.000
Sept 25
UN MERCENARY EXPERTS VOICE CONCERN OVER INDISCRIMINATE SHOOTINGS IN IRAQ New York, Sep 25 2007 2:00PM The United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries today expressed its concern over the 16 September “indiscriminate” shooting – claiming the lives of more than 10 Iraqi civilians – in a heavily-populated Baghdad neighbourhood involving a foreign private security company. In a statement, the Working Group, comprising five independent experts serving in their personal capacities, welcomed investigations in progress to bring to light the facts of this and other reported killings of Iraqi civilians by foreign private security company employees. The experts noted that “in a number of situations of low intensity armed conflict or post-conflict these private security companies have been given immunity through bilateral Government agreements or decrees – immunity which in many cases becomes a sort of impunity.” Cautioning against the dangers of privatization and the internationalization of the use of violence, the Working Group stressed Member States’ responsibilities under international law to effectively regulate and control the behaviour of private military and security guards. The military assistance, consultancy and security services offered by private companies at the global level must not violate human rights, the experts said, recommending that the Governments of the countries where these companies are incorporated or registered and the nations where they operate join forces to create mechanisms to control their activities. Today’s statement also called on States to accede to the International Convention against the Use, Recruitment, Financing and Training of Mercenaries. The Working Group, which was established in 2005 to monitor the impact of the activities of private military and security companies on the enjoyment of human rights, is led by Chairperson-Rapporteur José Luis Gómez del Prado of Spain. The other experts are: Najat al-Hajjaji of Libya, Amada Benavides de Pérez of Colombia, Alexander Nikitin of the Russian Federation and Shaista Shameem of Fiji. 2007-09-25 00:00:00.000
FRENCH PRESIDENT URGES UN TO FORGE ‘NEW DEAL’ BASED ON JUSTICE New York, Sep 25 2007 2:00PM French President Nicolas Sarkozy today urged national leaders attending the annual high-level debate of the United Nations General Assembly to forge a “new deal” that will ensure justice for all. “What the world needs now is a new state of mind,” President Sarkozy told the Assembly. “We need a genuine, global new deal.” This must be based on the notion that “the common goods that belong to all of humankind must be the common responsibility of all of us,” he said, appealing to the UN to work to ensure that all people have access to resources, water, energy, food, medicine and knowledge. “I appeal solemnly to the United Nations to tackle the question of a fairer distribution of profits, of the earnings from commodities and raw materials and the benefits of new technologies,” he said, adding that the UN must also “tackle the issue of introducing more morality into financial capitalism so as to place it more at the service of development.” The President said justice, globally, requires a State for the Palestinian people, as well as the right of the people of Israel to live in security. “Justice means a return for the Lebanese people to the plentitude of freedom, independence and sovereignty” and for the Iraqi people “reconciliation and democracy.” Justice, he stressed, “means the same chances of success for each poor child in the world as for each rich one.” He urged strong action against the proliferation of nuclear arms, referring in particular to Iran. The country, he said, is entitled to nuclear power for civilian purposes. “But,” he added, “if we allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, we would incur unacceptable risk to stability in the region and the world.” The issue, he said, could only be resolved “by combining firmness with dialogue.” President Sarkozy called for respect for diversity, national identities, religion, beliefs and cultures. “Attachment to one’s faith, to one’s language and culture, and to one’s way of life, thought and belief – all this is natural, legitimate and profoundly human,” he said. “To deny that is to sow the seeds of humiliation. It stokes the fires of the very nationalism, fanaticism and terrorism we claim to be fighting.” A “clash of civilizations,” he said, “will not be averted by forcing everyone to think and believe alike; cultural and religious diversity must be accepted everywhere and by all.” The UN, he said, embodies no one religious belief or ideology. “It embodies what is universal in all ideologies, all religions, all beliefs… which is why it is the only place in the world where all people can speak to one another and understand each other.” 2007-09-25 00:00:00.000
US PRESIDENT VOICES SUPPORT FOR STRONG UN TO MEET GLOBAL CHALLENGES New York, Sep 25 2007 1:00PM United States President George W. Bush today told the General Assembly that he supports a “strong and vibrant” United Nations empowered to carry out the shared goals of the world body and its host country, from addressing global pandemics to stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to dealing with climate change. “As America works with the United Nations to alleviate immediate human needs, we are also coming together to address long-term challenges,” President Bush told the annual high-level general debate. “Together, we are preparing for pandemics that could cause death and suffering on a global scale. Together, we are working to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. And together, we are confronting the challenges of energy security, environmental quality, and climate change.” President Bush voiced appreciation for “the discussions on climate change led by the Secretary-General last night,” when the two attended a dinner that capped a day of events devoted to galvanizing the international community on the issue. The US President, whose speech ranged over numerous global crises from hunger to violence in the Middle East, said resolving those problems “cannot be achieved overnight – and they cannot be achieved without reform of this vital institution.” “The United States is committed to a strong and vibrant United Nations,” he declared. He paid tribute to the UN’s “noble efforts” to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need. “Today, more than half the world’s food assistance comes from America,” said the US President, announcing plans “to alleviate hunger under which America would purchase the crops of local farmers in Africa and other places – rather than shipping in food from the developed world.” The aim would be to “help build up local agriculture and break the cycle of famine in the developing world,” he said. President Bush also announced a series of measures against Myanmar, referring to the country by its former name. “The United States will tighten economic sanctions on the leaders of the regime and their financial backers. We will impose an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights – as well as their family members. We will continue to support the efforts of humanitarian groups working to alleviate suffering in Burma,” he said. “I urge the United Nations and all nations to use their diplomatic and economic leverage to help the Burmese people reclaim their freedom.” The President addressed the political situations in Cuba, Zimbabwe and elsewhere, and called for action to help those living in the Darfur region of Sudan, where “many are losing their lives to genocide.” The UN, he said, must “live up to its promise to promptly deploy peacekeeping forces to Darfur.” On poverty, he said the UN “provides vital economic assistance designed to help developing nations grow their economies and reach their potential.” He called for global economic measures, saying “the best way to lift people out of poverty is through trade and investment.” Open markets “ignite growth, encourage investment, increase transparency, strengthen the rule of law, and help countries help themselves,” he said, calling for a successful conclusion to the Doha round of trade talks. “A successful Doha outcome would mean real and substantial openings in agriculture, goods, and services – and real and substantial reductions in trade-distorting subsidies,” he said. President Bush spoke out against “the failures of the Human Rights Council,” saying it had been “silent on repression by regimes from Havana and Caracas to Pyongyang and Tehran – while focusing its criticism excessively on Israel.” The UN, he said, must reform the Human Rights Council in order “to be credible on human rights in the world.” The US, a permanent member of the Security Council, supports reform of that body, he said. “We believe that Japan is well qualified for permanent membership on the Security Council, and that other emerging powers should be considered as well.” The President pledged US leadership toward achieving “a world where opportunity crosses every border.” “This is the founding conviction of my country. It is the promise that established this body,” he said. 2007-09-25 00:00:00.000
SECURITY COUNCIL APPROVES UN PRESENCE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CHAD New York, Sep 25 2007 1:00PM The Security Council today established a United Nations-mandated, multidimensional presence, which will include European Union military forces, in eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR) to help protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian aid to thousands of people uprooted due to insecurity in the two countries and neighbouring Sudan. Deeply concerned about the humanitarian threat posed by armed groups on the borders of the Sudan’s troubled Darfur region, the 15-member body set up, for a period of one year, the UN presence “intended to help create the security conditions conducive to a voluntary, secure and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons.” In doing so, it also approved the deployment of an EU military force, also for a period of one year, with the authority to “take all necessary measures” in support of the UN presence. The UN presence will include a UN Mission – to be known by its acronym MINURCAT – with civilian staff, focusing on the areas of civil affairs, human rights, the rule of law and mission support. It will be headquartered in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena. In the resolution passed unanimously today, the Council also endorsed the establishment of a new unit of Chad’s police to maintain law and order in refugee camps and areas with large numbers of displaced civilians in the eastern part of the country. According to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on the situation in Chad and the CAR, the humanitarian situation “has shown no signs of improving” since February, with more than 400,000 refugees and IDPs as a result of the fighting and an estimated 700,000 others in host communities also affected. Mr. Ban wrote that the deployment of a UN-mandated multidimensional presence in Chad and the CAR – both of which have been beset by widespread population displacement because of clashes between rebels and Government forces – “could have a significant positive impact on the security situation there.” The Council has already authorized deployment of a 26,000-strong joint UN-African Union force (to be known as UNAMID) to suppress ongoing violence in Darfur, which has had a spillover effect on the region. The Secretary-General added in his report that a lasting solution to the region’s crises, including the violence and suffering engulfing Darfur, is only possible through inclusive political agreements. 2007-09-25 00:00:00.000
CONGOLESE RETURNS FROM TANZANIA THREATENED BY LACK OF FOOD – UN REFUGEE AGENCY New York, Sep 25 2007 1:00PM Serious food shortages are threatening the voluntary return of Congolese refugees from camps in western Tanzania, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ). The agency has successfully been assisting refugees return to South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for over two years by ferrying them across Lake Tanganyika from Kigoma in Tanzania to Baraka in the DRC. But this programme was plunged into uncertainty after an announcement by the UN World Food Programme that it does not have sufficient supplies to feed some 16,000 Congolese expected to return to their home country by the end of this year. “If we do not receive more food, we will be forced to suspend repatriation from Tanzania,” said Magatte Guisse, who heads UNHCR’s office in Baraka, a small DRC town on the western shores of Lake Tanganyika. “”This will be a big blow to what has been a very successful operation.” In the past two weeks, Congolese repatriating from Tanzania have received only half the rations – including maize, beans, vegetable, oil and salt – generally distributed to refugees upon their arrival in Baraka. Instead of receiving a three-month supply, they are only given enough food to meet needs for six weeks. Of the 54,000 Congolese who have returned to the DRC via the Kigoma-Baraka route, UNHCR has assisted almost 40,000 of them. Additionally, WFP cautioned that UNHCR’s repatriation programmes in other regions of the DRC will also be impeded unless more food stocks can be procured. The two agencies are considering diverting food stocks from countries which host Congolese refugees, such as Tanzania and Zambia. UNHCR said food support is essential for the refugees’ reintegration, as many fled their home country more than a decade ago. While most returning to South Kivu take up farming, they need assistance in feeding their families before their first harvest. Meanwhile, schools in the Fizi district of South Kivu are overwhelmed by the deluge of pupils enrolling at local schools, due largely to the fact that refugees returning to the area were staying in lowland areas to avoid the violence between Government forces and rebels in other parts of the province. “Our classes are so crowded that teachers have no room to move about,” said Sumaili Nyongolo, head teacher at Mama Yemo Primary School in Fizi. “Pupils are sitting right under the blackboard.” Some 16,000 refugees, including 6,400 children, are predicted to return to South Kivu’s Fizi and Uvira districts by the end of this year, and UNHCR fears that some Congolese may delay their repatriation for fear of not getting their children into school in the area. Humanitarian agencies and Government officials are seeking means to accommodate the surge in the number of schoolchildren by looking into the possibility of double shifts and the construction of additional classrooms and new schools. In a related development, a senior UN official in the DRC visited Bunia in Ituri province in north-eastern DRC in a bid to end the impasse in the third phase of the disarmament, demobilization and reinsertion (DDR) programme. While 4,665 combatants registered for the initiative, only 1,331 – including 258 women – have disarmed thus far. “After all the years of disarmament, it must now be completed,” Ross Mountain, the Secretary-General Deputy Special Representative, told the leaders of three armed groups participating in the programme. “Plans for stabilization and the revival of the economy are ready, and Ituri could be a beacon of development in the DRC,” he said, stressing the programme’s impending deadline on 30 September. 2007-09-25 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON ADVOCATES ‘STRONGER UN FOR A BETTER WORLD’ New York, Sep 25 2007 11:00AM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened his first annual debate of the General Assembly this morning with a call to global leaders to back his efforts to bolster the United Nations in the interests of the world. “Our changing world needs a stronger UN,” Mr. Ban declared in a wide-ranging speech. “My vision is an administration focused on results—efficient, directed, pragmatic and accountable, an administration representing excellence, integrity and pride in serving the global good.” He acknowledged the need for a fresh approach, and, borrowing from the theme of a high-level event he convened yesterday to address the problems caused by greenhouse gas emissions, said: “We need an internal climate change at the UN.” The Secretary-General, who since taking office in January has emphasized results over rhetoric, called for more attention “to getting things done.” He pointed to early successes in re-organizing peacekeeping operations and pledged to “continue the effort by strengthening the Department of Political Affairs.” The stakes, he pointed out, are high. “Well-planned and executed preventive diplomacy can save many lives and forestall many tragedies.” Addressing global hotspots, the Secretary-General pledged to “leave no stone unturned to end the tragedy in Darfur,” calling on the Government of Sudan to honour its pledge to join comprehensive peace talks and implement a ceasefire. “The crisis in Darfur grew from many causes. Any enduring solution must address all of them — security, politics, resources, water, humanitarian and development issues. There, as elsewhere, we must deal with root causes of conflict, however complex and entangled.” On the Middle East, he called for an end to violence, an end to occupation, the creation of a Palestinian State at peace with itself and Israel, and a comprehensive regional peace between Israel and the Arab world. “With renewed leadership from the Arab world and the United States, coupled with the efforts of Quartet Representative Tony Blair, the elements for a renewed push for peace are being brought together,” he said. The Quartet comprises the UN, European Union, Russian Federation and US. “We also sincerely hope that the Lebanese people through national reconciliation will be able to restore political and social stability by electing their new president in accordance with their constitutional process,” said Mr. Ban. He said the UN has an important role in promoting political negotiation and national reconciliation in Iraq, as well as in providing humanitarian assistance to the country’s people. The Secretary-General also called for stepped-up efforts to deal with drug trafficking and the financing of terrorism in Afghanistan. He repeated his call on the authorities in Myanmar “to exercise utmost restraint, to engage without delay in dialogue with all the relevant parties to the national reconciliation process on the issues of concern to the people of Myanmar.” Pointing to recent progress on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Mr. Ban, a former foreign minister of the Republic of Korea, voiced hope that the forthcoming inter-Korean Summit “will create a historic momentum, to bring peace, security, and eventually a peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.” He voiced confidence in reaching a negotiated solution with Iran over its nuclear capabilities. “Our ultimate goal remains the complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction.” The Secretary-General also called for global action to address climate change, noting that yesterday’s high-level event generated agreement on the need to move forward. “Now is the time for action,” he declared. Evaluating progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals – a series of anti-poverty targets set at the UN in 2000 – he painted a mixed picture and called for efforts to help those most in need. “Our Millennium Goals remain achievable—so long as we help the poorest nations break free of the traps that ensnare them.” The Secretary-General also said the UN Human Rights Council must “live up to its responsibilities as the torchbearer for human rights consistently and equitably around the world.” Mr. Ban, who since last week has been conducting intensive diplomatic activities on key global issues and crises, offered a ringing endorsement of multilateralism. “An increasingly interdependent world recognizes that the challenges of tomorrow are best dealt with through the UN. Indeed, they can only be dealt with through the UN,” he said. Some 193 speakers are expected to participate in this year’s general debate, including more than 70 heads of State and nearly 30 heads of government. The debate is scheduled to continue until 3 October. Today’s opening of the Assembly’s general debate follows high-level meetings in recent days on climate change, the Darfur conflict, Iraq, Afghanistan and the situation in the Middle East, and further meetings on critical issues, such as the permanent future status of Kosovo, are scheduled to be held this week. The Secretary-General is also expected to conduct bilateral meetings with over 100 heads of State or government or ministers during the next two weeks. 2007-09-25 00:00:00.000
Sept 24
UN CLIMATE CHANGE EXPERT STRESSES DANGERS OF INACTION New York, Sep 24 2007 5:00PM A top United Nations climate change expert today underscored the dangers of inaction by global leaders in reversing global warming at a gathering of heads of state and government and other top officials at the world body’s headquarters in New York. Rajendra K. Pachauri, the Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned in an address at the opening of the high-level meeting that some one billion people could be impacted by global warming, which will threaten the water supply of people in South Asia, China and Africa. In the 20th century, the increase in average temperature was 0.74 degrees Centigrade, but the IPCC projects that in this century, the temperature will surge by between 1.8-4 degrees Centigrade. The resulting melting of glaciers threatens the supply of water, which could impact some 500 million people in South Asia, 250 million people in China and between 75-250 million affected in Africa, Mr. Pachauri noted. “Some regions are more vulnerable than others,” he said. Small island nations will become even impacted by sea level rise, storm surges, cyclones and ultimately submergence, while Asian cities situated in mega-deltas, many of which are densely populated, are also increasingly prone to damage. Climate change could also have dire consequences for plant and animal species, 20 to 30 per cent of which are in danger of extinction if increases in global average temperature exceed 1.5-2.5 degrees centigrade. While adaptation is inevitable, it alone is not sufficient to stem climate change, Mr. Pachauri said. “We need to bring about mitigation actions to start in the short term even when benefits may arise only in a few decades.” The costs of mitigation are significantly lower than earlier anticipated, he said. If the concentration of gases could be stabilized at 45-490 parts per million of carbon dioxide equivalent and thus limit the equilibrium to 2-2.4 degrees centigrade, then mitigation would only cost the world less than three per cent of the gross domestic product in 2030. The time is up for inaction, the IPCC Chair said, calling for new policies to be adopted including technology development, a carbon pricing framework and investment in energy infrastructure. The fourth instalment of the IPCC working group reports is due to be released in November, Mr. Pachauri told the meeting’s participants. This publication is expected to be a synthesis report and the most “policy-relevant” in the series. 2007-09-24 00:00:00.000
YOUTH COALITION CHALLENGES UN MEETING TO TAKE STAND ON CLIMATE CHANGE New York, Sep 24 2007 3:00PM A representative of environmental youth groups today challenged global leaders gathered at the United Nations to take decisive action to curb the threat posed by climate change. “I have nothing but my future ahead of me and you have nothing but my future to protect,” Catherine Gauthier, 18, told heads of State or government or other top officials from over 150 nations, the largest-ever gathering of its kind on climate change. “I challenge you to show true leadership,” she said. A timetable of targets is indispensable in combating climate change, Ms. Gauthier noted. “A short-term target without a long-term goal is short-sighted,” she explained. “A long-term target without a short-term goal is prone to procrastination and political manoeuvring – I should know, I only do my homework the night before it’s due.” Speaking on behalf of Greenpeace Solar Generation, the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, Environnement Jeunesse, SustainUS and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Ms. Gauthier said that many will hold their elected leaders accountable for missteps taken in addressing climate change. “I turned 18 this year and am now among the many that will vote for the climate.” She also stated her high expectations for the major upcoming summit in Bali, Indonesia, in December, which seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012. “It can be no small step, next step, inch forward,” she said. “Bali must mark the watershed of a new phase in the Kyoto Framework.” 2007-09-24 00:00:00.000
UN TO OFFSET CARBON EMISSIONS FROM LANDMARK HIGH-LEVEL CLIMATE CHANGE MEETING New York, Sep 24 2007 3:00PM The United Nations will substantially offset the carbon emissions – estimated at approximately 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide – resulting from today’s high-level climate change meeting, which has brought together heads of State and government as well as other senior officials from over 150 nations. The emissions primarily stem from the use of energy for the meeting, as well as the travel of UN staff and participants, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. A small-scale hydroelectric project in Intibuca, Honduras, near the city of La Esperanza, will offset carbon emissions from today’s meeting. Since 2005, the site has been registered as a clean development mechanism (CDM), a system which allows projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries to earn certified emission reduction credits, engage the business world and create low-cost opportunities to cut back emissions. The Honduras project, which is at the site of an abandoned hydropower plant, offers power stability to the electric grid in the surrounding area, and also provides significant local social and environmental benefits, such as supplying electricity to rural areas, reducing dependency on firewood, increasing local employment and bolstering reforestation. It also provides such benefits as roads maintenance and repairs as the project obtains economical stability; provision of water for a few households in the immediate vicinity of the project; first aid training; greater engagement of women in work life and community issues and efforts to engage the communities; and the municipality authorities to better manage the environment and the area as a whole, including waste management. Offsetting carbon emissions from today’s gathering of leaders has a price tag of $15,800 being supported by the UN Foundation, which was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. 2007-09-24 00:00:00.000
MYANMAR PROTESTS SHOULD SPUR NATIONAL DIALOGUE, BAN KI-MOON SAYS New York, Sep 24 2007 2:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he hoped the recent wave of peaceful protests in Myanmar will spur dialogue between the Government and all relevant parties on promoting national reconciliation, the restoration of democracy and full respect for human rights in the Asian nation. “The Secretary-General hopes that the Government will seize this opportunity to engage without delay in dialogue with all the relevant parties to the national reconciliation process on the issues of concern to the people of Myanmar,” his spokesperson said in a statement. Mr. Ban also expressed his commitment to “continue to intensify his assistance in this process with a view to promoting national reconciliation, the restoration of democracy and full respect for human rights in Myanmar.” The Secretary-General is closely following events in the country, where demonstrations began last month in protest at a surge in fuel prices and the protesters have included many of the country’s monks. “He commends the peaceful approach the demonstrators are using to press their interests, and he calls upon the Myanmar authorities to continue to exercise restraint,” the statement added. Last week, Mr. Ban’s Special Envoy for Myanmar emphasized that the latest events are a clear setback for the country. Briefing the UN Security Council, Ibrahim Gambari said “we have no choice but to persevere” through the Secretary-General’s good offices and work with all relevant parties to try to “move events in the right direction.” 2007-09-24 00:00:00.000
TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE A MORAL OBLIGATION, GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT
SAYS
New York, Sep 24 2007 12:00PM
In addition to the incontrovertible scientific data, there is an
ethical dimension to combating climate change, General Assembly President Srgjan
Kerim said today in an address at the historic meeting on the issue at
United Nations Headquarters in New York.
“The science is clear; it is unequivocal,” said Mr. Kerim, who has
chosen “Responding to Climate Change” as the theme for this
year’s general debate which kicks off tomorrow.
“Beyond the impact on ecosystems, economics and communities
everywhere, we have a moral obligation to our fellow human beings,” he added.
Along with last month’s General Assembly thematic debate on climate
change and the general debate, today’s landmark event – marking the
largest-ever gathering of world leaders on the issue – will serve as
a guide for the upcoming negotiations
scheduled to take place in Bali, Indonesia, in December, Mr. Kerim noted.
That meeting seeks to determine future action on mitigation,
adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change
for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the
current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in
2012.
Solutions to the problem must be global in scope, with all countries,
cities, towns and communities having a stake, the President said.
“What we need now is a stocktake, a clear vision of the way forward
and a strategy to get us there together,” he said, proposing the
creation of a comprehensive road map to lead the way forward for both the UN
and its Member States in addressing climate change.
Beyond Bali, Mr. Kerim stated his intention to convene a General
Assembly thematic debate early next year to reach a global consensus –
bringing together the expertise of the UN, civil society, the private
sector and academics – on how to stem climate change.
“We all agree that climate change is unquestionably the biggest
challenge facing humanity in the 21st century,” he said. “There is no
more time to waste. The momentum we have now must not be lost.”
2007-09-24 00:00:00.000
FILM STAR RUPERT EVERETT VISITS RUSSIA AS UN ENVOY ON HIV/AIDS New York, Sep 24 2007 11:00AM Rupert Everett, the actor who is a Special Representative of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS is on a four-day visit to Russia to learn what is being done to reverse the spread of the epidemic in a country where the number of those living with HIV is officially put at 386,000, but is widely believed to be up to 1.1 million. “This trip is special to me – I want to help UNAIDS raise awareness about how HIV affects the most vulnerable groups in our society,” said Mr. Everett, known for several acclaimed films including “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “Another Country.” “Often HIV is linked with other diseases such as TB and those affected are often discriminated against.” Mr. Everett, who will visit specific AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) projects in St. Petersburg and Moscow, has for many years been active in AIDS response, but this is his first official trip with UNAIDS since being appointed a Special Representative on World AIDS Day last December. He will be accompanied by UNAIDS Regional Director Bertil Lindblad and Programme Coordinator Lisa Carty. Mr. Lindblad underlined the importance of celebrity support in the AIDS response and in particular how Mr. Everett’s visit to Russia will help draw attention to the problems in the region. “People in the public eye like Rupert Everett can inspire and motivate others to unite against AIDS,” he said. Worldwide more than 39.5 million people are estimated to be living with HIV. In 2006, 2.9 million people died of AIDS. 2007-09-24 00:00:00.000
UN-FUNDED INITIATIVE SEEKS TO INCREASE MARKET ACCESS FOR UGANDAN FARMERS New York, Sep 24 2007 11:00AM Farmers in Uganda will soon have better access to local markets where they can sell their goods, thereby helping to increase incomes, enhance economic growth and reduce poverty, thanks to a new programme backed by the United Nations fund tasked with boosting agricultural development. Lack of access to roads and the small number of processing facilities has made it difficult for farmers in rural Uganda to sell their products. A new programme funded partially by a $15 million loan from the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development will help redress that situation for some 8.8 million people – some 35 per cent of Ugandans. “This programme will improve roads so that transit time and unpredictability is reduced,” said Marian Bradley, IFAD’s country programme manager for Uganda. “With better roads and markets, transaction costs will be lower and productivity and competitiveness will increase. Prices for farm produce will also rise, and that will mean higher household incomes and improved standards of living,” she added. The programme will ensure that small farmers and their communities participate in selecting infrastructure projects and in rehabilitation and construction work, in an effort to promote local ownership of the initiative. In line with the Government’s Plan for Modernization of Agriculture, IFAD has recently revised its strategy in Uganda. “Our approach now includes promoting strong civil society organizations and community-based development, and improving the capacity of households and communities to increase their integration into markets,” Ms. Bradley stated. More than 2.2 million people have benefited from IFAD’s 22-year partnership with Uganda. The Fund has helped finance 11 projects, including five ongoing ones, with some $178 million in loans. 2007-09-24 00:00:00.000
FLOOD VICTIMS IN SUDAN MOUNT BY 100,000 TO WELL OVER HALF MILLION, UN REPORTS New York, Sep 24 2007 11:00AM With the number of flood victims in rising by at least another 100,000 to well over half a million, United Nations agencies and their partners are putting contingency measures into effect to respond to the emergency despite a $19 million funding shortfall. “We have worked closely with all partners, including Government and non-governmental organizations to ensure that contingency plans were in place,” UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Ameerah Haq said. “We were therefore in a position to respond to this new wave effectively.” Most of the new damage is located in the state of Southern Kordofan, located in Central Sudan, east of South Darfur. At least 15,000 homes there were destroyed or damaged, affecting at least 75,000 people, of whom some 30,000 are now estimated to be homeless. Over 20 people were killed and some 65 injured. The damage to local livelihoods and the economy is also huge, with over 13,000 livestock lost. “We had based our response planning on an assumption that, in addition to 410,000 people already affected by the end of August, up to an additional 215,000 people could be affected by new flooding after then, potentially totalling up to 625,000 for the emergency,” said John Clarke, a UN official at the forefront of the response. Across all of northern Sudan, the UN is now providing clean water, mainly through chlorination, to 2.2 million people, to prevent deadly waterborne epidemics, and this is believed to be a factor in the lower number of cases of acute water diarrhoea than in previous years, despite the fact that this year’s flooding, according to numerous sources, has been the worst in living memory. Since mid-April, 1,323 suspected cases of acute water diarrhoea were reported in the state of Gedaref, leading to 68 known deaths; while the 2006 outbreak, lasting from April to November, led to more than 9,000 cases throughout northern Sudan. The UN launched a Flash Appeal last month for $20.2 million to fund the ongoing response, but only $1 million has so far been received. 2007-09-24 00:00:00.000
Sept 21
FIGHTING IN COLOMBIA DISPLACES MORE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, UN REPORTS New York, Sep 21 2007 1:00PM More than 1,000 indigenous Colombians have taken refuge in a school to escape fighting between the army and an irregular armed group, the latest victims of more than 40 years of conflict which has uprooted 3 million people and has recently had a disproportionate effect on the country’s original inhabitants, the United Nations reported today. “Armed combat, presence of irregular groups, targeted killings and landmines all contribute to the rising trend of forced displacement,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond said of the latest incident involving 1,018 Awá in southern Colombia, almost half of them children under16. The local authorities have delivered food for the past three days, a doctor is on site and UNHCR has offered to meet the needs in water, sanitation and accommodation, Mr. Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva. The area is part of the department of Nariño, which in recent years has suffered some of the worst violence in Colombia. Since the start of 2007, there have been 18 cases of mass displacement involving more than 50 people moving at one time within Nariño, forcing more than 10,000 people out of their homes. The four decades of conflict between Government forces, leftist guerrillas, rightist paramilitaries and criminal gangs has not only affected the south of the Andean country. Over the past year the violence has also uprooted indigenous communities in north-western Chocó region near the border with Panama. UNHCR has repeatedly warned that some indigenous communities, displaced from land to which they are tied by their culture and traditions, are in danger of disappearing altogether. Under the UNGuiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the State has a special duty to prevent the forced displacement of indigenous people and others with a special relation to the land and Colombia’s Constitutional Court is holding a hearing today to seek more information from the Government on measures to protect indigenous people. Indigenous representatives from all over Colombia, including the Awás, are to present the situation in each community, and at the Court’s invitation UNHCR will take part. Last year, the Court found that there were “persistent gaps” in specific attention to the rights of indigenous people, which could put at risk the cultural survival of displaced communities. There are 87 different indigenous groups in Colombia, making up 3 per cent of the population of 42 million. They comprise one of the richest and most varied indigenous heritages in the world. 2007-09-21 00:00:00.000
SCHOOLS LEAVE OUT 14 MILLION CHILDREN IN EX-SOVIET UNION, EASTERN EUROPE EACH YEAR - UN New York, Sep 21 2007 1:00PM The education systems in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States comprising the now-independent former Soviet republics are excluding more than 14 million children each year in a region formerly known for its high-quality education, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “This situation will lead to intergenerational cycles of poverty, and undermine the capacity of governments to develop globally competitive economies based on skilled labour rather than cheap labour,” UNICEF’s regional director Maria Calivis warned at this week’s release of a new report – Education for Some, more than Others. In spite of the economic recovery and increased public expenditure on education in many countries over the past decade, most national education systems are struggling to provide universal education, the study concludes. A key indicator was that there are an estimated 2.4 million ‘missing children’ of primary-school age and almost 12 million missing secondary-school children who should be in school but are not. Ms. Calivis said that meant more than 14 million children entered adult life every year without any kind of formal education or school diploma and this in a region largely known for its former high levels of access, quality and equality in education. The report found that public expenditure on education reinforced rather than counteracted social, ethnic and economic inequalities in access to and completion of basic education. Family background, mainly parents’ income but also education, had increasingly become a determinant in enrolment and attendance, particularly at pre-school level. Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Tajikistan, countries with low economic indicators, had the lowest attendance rates, less than 50 per cent for upper high school, and in some instances less than 30 per cent for pre-school. The situation of the Roma children and gender inequality were also major issues in some countries. In three with the largest Roma communities – Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania – only a tiny proportion of Roma have any schooling beyond primary, compared to non-Roma. Roma educational attainment ranges from 10 per cent to 35 per cent in secondary school while only 1 per cent of Roma across the region attended higher education. The report also shows that no country was achieving equal representation of girls in basic education but the numbers were close, 95 girls to 100 boys on average. The most striking aspect of the figures was the feminization of higher education throughout the region. Girls outnumbered boys, in most cases significantly, in all countries except Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Only Turkey and Tajikistan were in trouble to meet the Millennium Development Goal of eliminating gender disparity at all levels of education by 2015. The report calls for governments to substantially increase spending on education to at least 6 per cent of their gross domestic product as against a regional average of 3 to 4 per cent, and move from a distribution of public expenditure that reinforces inequality to one that counteracts inequality. 2007-09-21 00:00:00.000
SUDDEN EXPULSION OF IRANIAN REFUGEES FROM TURKEY ALARMS UN AGENCY New York, Sep 21 2007 1:00PM The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today that it has raised serious concerns with the Turkish Government about its expulsion last month of five Iranians to northern Iraq. UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva that the agency had received confirmation that the five people were expelled on 22 August – even though they were recognized in Turkey by UNHCR under its mandate. The Iranians were sent to the Iraqi city of Erbil, where they spent almost a month in detention. The refugees have just been released. “UNHCR is concerned that no due process of law was followed prior to the expulsion and that UNHCR was not given any prior information of the authorities’ intention to expel these persons or of the expulsion itself,” Mr. Redmond said. “To forcibly send persons to Iraq’s northern governorates if they do not originate from there is contrary to UNHCR’s guidelines. The security situation in northern Iraq, although relatively calm compared to the rest of Iraq, is still tense and unpredictable.” Mr. Redmond added that unless sufficient safeguards are taken, the expulsion of refugees under the mandate of UNHCR may breach the principle of non-refoulement, which is enshrined in the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. Non-refoulement refers to the right of a refugee or asylum-seeker whose case has not yet been fully assessed to not be sent to a country where his or her life or liberty could be at risk. 2007-09-21 00:00:00.000
FROM BELL RINGING IN NEW YORK TO BATTLE SCARRED AFGHANISTAN, UN MARKS PEACE DAY New York, Sep 21 2007 12:00PM From the ritual ringing of a bell at its stately Headquarters in New York to the furthest flung trenches of warfare across the world, where a record number of more than 100,000 peacekeepers are struggling to restore stability, the United Nations system today marked the annual International Day of Peace with fervent appeals for an end to violence. “Peace is the highest calling of the United Nations - and for me personally,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared on the lawn in front of the towering UN Headquarters as he stood facing the Peace Bell, a gift from Japan cast from the pennies donated by children from 60 nations, before driving the ringing beam into it three times. “Peace defines our mission. It drives our discourse. And it draws together all of our world wide work, from peacekeeping and preventive diplomacy to promoting human rights and development,” he added. The International Day of Peace was first established by the UN General Assembly in 1981 as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. The General Assembly called for people around the world to use the Day as an opportunity to promote the resolution of conflict and to observe a cessation of hostilities during it. UN staff throughout the world are observing a minute of silence in the name of peace. Three UN Messengers of Peace stood at Mr. Ban’s side at the ceremony – Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas, wildlife researcher and conservationist Jane Goodall and holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. A half a world away in Afghanistan, which has seen an upsurge in violence, thousands of people rallied behind the country’s biggest-ever peace effort, even as fighting continued in the south. From Kandahar to Kunduz, from Herat to Jalalabad, peace events were taking place, and on a scale never seen before in the country, the UN Assistance Mission in Afganistan said. “You can’t hear about all that’s happening and not feel moved by it,” UNAMA Deputy Special Representative Bo Asplund said. “Today is an achievement for all people of this country. The demand for peace is overwhelming.” Although Peace Day is marked each year on 21 September, this year in Afghanistan it has been the special focus of a two-month campaign in which UNAMA teamed up with Jeremy Gilley, founder of Peace One Day, actor Jude Law, and the UN Children’s Fund to promote it. Scores of groups have joined in, including businesses, civil society, government, international donors, UN agencies, politicians, Afghan celebrities and performers, schools, municipal and regional authorities, and individual citizens. Even warring factions promised to honour the Day by putting down their weapons so that 1.3 million children can be vaccinated against polio, with more than 10,000 vaccinators visiting areas in southern and eastern regions as part of the National Immunization Days organized by UNICEF, the UN World Health Organization and the Health Ministry. In his speech, Mr. Ban referred to Afghanistan and other global crises. “In countless communities across the world, peace remains an elusive goal,” he said. “From the displaced person camps of Chad and Darfur [Sudan] to the byways of Baghdad, the quest for peace is strewn with setbacks and suffering. “Over the next few days [during the General Assembly annual General Debate], I will be convening high-level meetings on Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, to seek to advance our quest for peace in those troubled lands. And I will be convening a high-level event on climate change. If we are to build enduring peace around the world, we need to protect the one and only planet we all share,” he added. Today was the first time Mr. Ban has presided over the International Day of Peace and ever since he took office on 1 January this year he has made mitigating and reversing the impact of global warming a priority of his stewardship as the world’s top diplomat. Following his speech and a minute of silence, the Japanese choir Tarumi Violinists performed and the UN Singers sang a “Song of Peace.” Mr. Ban then attended the annual Student Observance at UN Headquarters, where 700 middle and high school students, including refugees from Peru and Sudan, exchanged views on the theme “Peace: A Climate of Change” via video conference with young people at the UN missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon and Sudan. “Around me, I can see the next generation of scientists, business leaders, politicians, journalists, artists and civil society activists – perhaps even a future Secretary-General of the United Nations,” he told the youngsters. “In all of you, I can see the future of the United Nations, and of our world. Your energy and idealism make that future look bright. “By participating in this International Day of Peace, you are demonstrating that you already know better that to repeat the mistakes of the past. You will choose to talk rather than fight. You will listen rather than shout. You will cooperate rather than condemn. You will protect our environment rather than over-exploit it.” 2007-09-21 00:00:00.000
UN HEALTH AGENCY STRESSES NEED TO ENSURE SAFETY OF CHILDREN’S MEDICINES New York, Sep 21 2007 12:00PM The lack of thorough and reliable clinical data on the way medicines affect children, particularly side effects, requires strengthened safety monitoring and vigilance of medicinal products, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) warned today. “We need to learn more about the way children’s bodies react to medicines so we can improve global child health,” WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals Howard Zucker said as the Agency released a new report – Promoting Safety of Medicines for Children. “That’s why it’s extremely important to keep track of potential side effects in child populations. Ultimately, this will save lives and build up a knowledge base for the future,” he added of the study, which is intended for policy-makers, manufacturers, medicines control bodies and researchers. It gives an overview of the problem and offers solutions on how best to address side effects from medicines in children through improved reporting systems and collaboration between governments, regulatory authorities, research institutions and the pharmaceutical industry, and is part of a broad effort WHO is initiating to expand children’s access to quality-assured, safe and effective medicines. A large proportion of side effects or adverse reactions to medicines in the adult population are due to irrational use or human error and are therefore preventable. In the case of children, even more factors come into play. The main challenge is the lack of clinical data, resulting in fewer medicines being developed, produced and marketed specifically for children. Often, children are given medicines that have only been tested in adults and are not officially approved for use in child populations. Non-availability of appropriate paediatric formulations forces health care providers to resort to administering portions of crushed or dissolved tablets or the powder contained inside a capsule without any specific indication of the required dosage. For that reason, according to the report, potentially harmful medication errors may be three times more common in children than in adults. An appropriate format or structure for a child's medicine is also important. Small children sometimes choke or asphyxiate while trying to swallow big tablets. For instance, earlier this year four children under 36 months died from choking on albendazole tablets during a de-worming campaign in Ethiopia. In another example, side effects associated with antiretroviral medicines have been reported to occur in up to 30 per cent of HIV-infected children. Most of those side effects could be reversed by modifying the dosage or changing to an alternative medicine. The study proposes that all countries establish national and regional monitoring systems for the detection of serious adverse reactions and medical errors in children. When such reporting systems exist, it is crucial that manufacturers follow up on adverse reactions to their products once they are on the market. In addition, regulatory authorities need to make an effort to refine the science of clinical trials in children, create an active post-marketing surveillance programme and develop public databases of up to date information about efficacy and safety in paediatric medicines. To assist countries, WHO will publish an official List of Essential Medicines for Children, continue to create awareness in countries and in the research community on the urgent need to monitor use of medicines in children, identify research gaps in children’s medicines, and create protocols to monitor adverse effects for child-specific medicine. 2007-09-21 00:00:00.000
MORE UN OFFICIALS VOICE CONCERN AT ISRAEL’S DECLARATION OF GAZA AS ‘HOSTILE TERRITORY’ New York, Sep 21 2007 10:00AM United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has voiced grave concern over Israel’s decision to declare the Gaza Strip a “hostile territory” and to announce military action, additional restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from the area, and reductions in the supply of fuel and electricity. “The implementation of such measures would impose an unbearable burden on the civilian population of Gaza, which has already paid a heavy price from daily violence, isolation and deprivation,” Ms. Arbour said in a statement released last night. She condemned once again the indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel and urged Israel to exercise restraint, recalling that it has the obligation under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect its population without employing disproportionate means. She also recalled that international law prohibits reprisals and collective punishment. Ms. Arbour’s statement was the latest expression of concern by UN officials. On Wednesday, when the Israel decision was announced, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the 1.4 million people in Gaza, including the old, the young and the sick, who are already suffering from the impact of prolonged closure, should not be punished for the unacceptable actions of militants and extremists. Yesterday, the Bureau of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People voiced “great alarm” and called on Israel to reverse the move. “We consider this decision to be a violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, and yet another form of collective punishment of the Palestinian people, which, if implemented, is bound to substantially worsen the already deplorable living conditions of the civilian population in the occupied Gaza Strip,” it "said in a statement. It reiterated its position condemning “the killing of innocent civilians by both sides, including Israeli military operations and the firing of rockets and mortar rounds by Palestinian groups. Such attacks by both sides must be stopped immediately, and those responsible must be brought to justice,” it added. It warned that the decision “may considerably complicate current efforts of the international community to revitalize the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and prevent the Palestinian Authority from promoting and marshalling public support for dialogue towards peace. Nobody, including the Israeli people, will benefit from such a scenario,” it added. 2007-09-21 00:00:00.000
Sept 18
UN AGENCIES LAUNCH $85-MILLION APPEAL TO AID 2.2 MILLION IRAQI REFUGEES New York, Sep 18 2007 2:00PM United Nations humanitarian agencies today launched a joint $84.8-million appeal to meet the health and nutrition needs of an estimated 2.2 million Iraqis who have fled the ongoing violence and instability in their homeland to neighbouring countries. The funds are required to support host governments in meeting the health and nutrition needs of the refugees until the end of next year. The appeal emphasizes the basic health needs of displaced Iraqis in neighbouring countries, in particular Syria and Jordan which host about 1.5 million and 750,000 Iraqis respectively. The large numbers of people who have arrived over the past year put an enormous strain on the already overstretched public services and pose major challenges to host governments as well as local and international organizations. “The health needs of more than 2 million displaced Iraqis should not be ignored,” said the World Health Organization which launched the appeal together with the UN Children’s Fund UN Population Fund UN High Commissioner for Refugee and World Food Programme “Many are survivors of violence and have serious medical conditions. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi displaced children need to keep on track with their vaccination programme. This requires an enormous coordinated effort between governments, UN agencies and NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and significant financial support from the international community,” it added in a news release. In Syria alone, hundreds of Iraqi amputees need prostheses and thousands of cancer patients and trauma victims need specialized treatment. Access to hospital care is limited. Gaps have arisen in the national health information and disease surveillance systems, which increase the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. The displaced population also needs reproductive and child health services, while the deteriorating purchasing power of Iraqis may also lead to rising malnutrition rates, the agencies said. “Over the past year, the countries in the region have been very generous in keeping their borders open and have made a very substantial contribution to the health and nutrition needs of the displaced Iraqis,” WHO said. “But the burden on their health systems has become overwhelming and requires immediate and urgent support from the international community.” A recent assessment in Syria found that 62 per cent of household heads were unemployed, while 35.8 per cent worked in private jobs, and that 45.4 per cent of Iraqi refugee families can be classified as poor or extremely poor. It also showed that the majority of families live in shared accommodation, leading to overcrowding with increased the risk of the spread of infection, especially among elderly and young. 2007-09-18 00:00:00.000
NEW UN ENVOY FOR SOMALIA ARRIVES IN REGION, URGING EFFORTS TO REBUILD COUNTRY New York, Sep 18 2007 1:00PM The new United Nations envoy for Somalia has arrived in the region with a call to the conflict-torn country’s political, business and religious elite both at home and abroad to rebuild a nation that has not had a functioning central government for 16 years. “The humanitarian and human rights situations, the worst on the continent, are unacceptable,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, who until this month headed the UN Office in West Africa. “Somalis are a great people with a long history, sharing the same culture, language and religion. Few countries in Africa can claim such an advantageous inheritance. “Somalia does not deserve to be an international case study on how to manage conflict. On the contrary, it should become again a responsible and active member of the regional and international community.” He called on the elite to rise beyond personnel and other short-term considerations, and to come together to rebuild the country. “Somalis should find in their long history the strength and courage to consolidate the process that will lead to renewed unity and pride,” he said. This week, Mr. Ould Abdallah will meet with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and listen “to all Somalis without any preconceived ideas or views.” Hostilities in the Horn of Africa country flared up again last year, culminating in the expulsion in December from Mogadishu, the capital, of Islamist groups by the TFG, backed by Ethiopian troops. Since then hundreds of thousands of people have been uprooted by continued fighting. According to recent UN figures, 340,000 people, or roughly one-third of Mogadishu’s population, have fled the city. 2007-09-18 00:00:00.000
RELIEF EFFORT STEPS UP IN NORTHERN GHANA AFTER FLOODS STRIKE REGION,
SAYS UN
New York, Sep 18 2007 1:00PM
United Nations emergency staff today set up a humanitarian coordination
centre in northern Ghana to help with relief efforts in the wake of
floods that have killed at least 20 people, destroyed numerous roads,
bridges and schools, and inundated vital cropland.
The centre was established in Tamale, the capital of Northern region,
soon after the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination
team arrived
in the town to assist the Government as it determines how best to
respond to the flooding, which has struck across West Africa after a week of
torrential rains late last month.
UN officials are also taking part in a three-day joint assessment
mission with Government officials and representatives of national and
international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to the most affected
areas in Ghana’s Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions.
The mission, which started yesterday, includes the UN Resident
Coordinator in Ghana and staff from the UN Children’s Fund
, the World Food Programme
the UN Population Fund
and the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Today five teams are assessing areas of the
Northern region by road and by air.
About 260,000 Ghanaians have been affected by the floods, according to
OCHA, which
reports that at least nine bridges have collapsed and the water supply
systems in many areas have been destroyed, along with roads and schools.
An unknown number of crops and livestock have also been lost.
OCHA reports that a major concern is the possible outbreak of
waterborne diseases after cases of diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera were
diagnosed in the Upper East region, close to the border with Burkina Faso and
Togo.
The Ghanaian Government has declared a state of emergency in the three
most affected regions and begun distributing relief items to the flood
victims while deploying naval equipment and personnel to help with the
ferrying of people and goods to and from those areas cut off by the
high waters.
OCHA said UN humanitarian agencies were still evaluating the most
effective means of ensuring the delivery and distribution of emergency
supplies, including food, tents, blankets, tarpaulins, water purification
supplies, generators, jerry cans, mosquito nets and mobile sanitary
facilities.
In total, some 200 people have been killed and 650,000 others have lost
their homes because of the West African floods, which have hit 17
countries.
2007-09-18 00:00:00.000
UN-BACKED PROJECT TO BOOST SAFETY, SECURITY IN VITAL MALACCA SHIPPING LANE New York, Sep 18 2007 12:00PM The navigational safety, security and environmental protection of the Straits of Malacca, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes in a region rife with piracy and fears of terrorism, are set to be enhanced by the first-ever type of cooperative mechanism envisaged by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The voluntary “Co-operative Mechanism,” cemented at a meeting convened by the UN International Maritime Organization and hosted by Singapore will enable the three littoral States (Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore), user States and the shipping industry to exchange views, jointly undertake projects and make monetary contributions. “I view the Co-operative Mechanism as a milestone breakthrough in the efforts of all parties in enhancing safety and environmental protection through the Straits,” IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos said. At the same time, he said the mechanism’s launch should not be viewed as the end of the road. “Rather, we should view it as an opportunity to maintain, even strengthen, the already established channel of communication among all parties concerned, thus facilitating a meaningful dialogue for the accomplishment of all objectives set.” Fears of terrorism at sea have risen in recent years. As for piracy, the IMO reported three such acts in the Straits of Malacca for the first quarter of 2007, down from five in the previous quarter. In the surrounding Indian Ocean there were 17 incidents, up from 14. The Co-operative Mechanism consists of three components: a forum for regular dialogue; a committee to coordinate and manage specific projects; and a fund to receive and manage financial contributions. The Singapore meeting saw widespread support for projects to enhance safety and environmental protection, including responding to incidents involving hazardous and noxious substances, equipping small ships with navigational transponders and establishing a tide, current and wind measurement system. Other projects include replacement and maintenance of navigational aids damaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. 2007-09-18 00:00:00.000
UN IRAQ ENVOY REVIEWS RECONSTRUCTION OPTIONS FOR BOMB-DEVASTATED SINJAR REGION New York, Sep 18 2007 12:00PM The top United Nations official in Iraq has taken a first-hand look at the devastation in the northern Sinjar region where coordinated bombings on a single day last month killed hundreds of people and left many more wounded, reviewing several long-term reconstruction options. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Ashraf Qazi visited the town of Al Qahtaniyah to talk to the survivors. Accompanied by staff members from the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and UN agencies, he met with the Governor and Deputy Governor of Mosul, the town mayor and a large section of the Yezidi population that had been directly affected by the attacks. He listened to their complaints, discussed their most urgent needs and examined ways in which the UN could help them. He then addressed a town hall meeting in the presence of the municipal council, tribal sheiks and notables representing the stricken areas. Mr. Qazi discussed with them UN emergency humanitarian assistance that had already been distributed and long-term reconstruction options, including the possibility of relocating citizens back to their original villages from which they had been forcibly removed. 2007-09-18 00:00:00.000
Sept 17
UN OFFICIALS SEE PROGRESS IN ELIMINATING LANDMINES BUT URGE FURTHER ACTION New York, Sep 17 2007 5:00PM On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty, over a dozen United Nations officials have joined their voices to hail progress in reducing these weapons while urging greater action to eliminate them. In a joint statement issued by the heads of UN departments, agencies, funds and programmes that are members of the UN Mine Action Team, 14 officials said the steady decline in casualty rates, the return of formerly mined areas to productive civilian use and the destruction of tens of millions of these indiscriminate weapons are “encouraging” developments. “The Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty is a testament to what can be achieved when the international community works collectively to tackle a grave humanitarian and development challenge,” the officials said. The UN Mine Action Team of organizations collectively pledged to exert all possible efforts to assist mine-affected countries in meeting their obligations to clear mined areas, assist victims, destroy stockpiled mines, and educate all people about the dangers of mines and explosive remnants of war. “Mine-affected countries themselves should also do everything in their power to meet their obligations. We call on those in a position to do so to support all aspects of mine action for as long as it takes to finish the job,” the officials said. Tomorrow’s anniversary coincides with the opening of the General Assembly’s sixty-second session, and the statement urges participants to “rise to the challenge of protecting the rights of the estimated 400,000 people who have survived mine and explosive remnant of war accidents.” They also called on all States to ratify the new Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to develop a legally binding instrument prohibiting cluster munitions “that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.” The statement was endorsed by Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO); Kemal Dervis, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP); Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); High Representative Sergio de Queiroz Duarte of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs; Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guéhenno of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations; António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees; John Holmes, Emergency Relief Coordinator; Jan Mattsson, Executive Director of the Office for Project Services; Rachel N. Mayanja, Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women; Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP); Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF); and Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank. “As the world reflects on the progress made by mine-affected countries in the past 10 years, we also look forward to the next decade, envisioning a world free from the suffering caused by anti-personnel mines,” they said. At a press conference earlier this year, Mr. Guéhenno estimated that up to 20,000 people each year are killed by landmines, some dating from conflicts that have long ended. Officially known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, the pact is also known as the Ottawa treaty for the city where it was signed on 18 September 1997. 2007-09-17 00:00:00.000
NEPAL: UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL CONDEMNS KILLINGS, URGES HALT TO VIOLENCE New York, Sep 17 2007 3:00PM Urging tolerance and calling on the population to desist from further violence, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees today condemned the killings of a local leader and a member of the Armed Police Force in south-central Nepal. The police officer was killed in a wave of violence triggered by the death of Mohit Khan, a local leader in Kapilvatsu, and there have been unconfirmed reports of more murders and rising ethnic tensions. Shops have been attacked, cars and homes have been burned and at least one mosque was destroyed by fire. “We appeal to the population to abide by the curfew imposed by local authorities and to respect places of worship while law enforcement agencies investigate the murder of Mr. Khan,” said OHCHR-Nepal Representative Richard Bennett. “Cool heads are needed; violence simply undermines the genuine efforts to bring about durable peace during this transition period.” OHCHR-Nepal recommends that the authorities of the Himalayan nation take immediate steps to provide humanitarian assistance to the many people who have been uprooted by the violence. 2007-09-17 00:00:00.000
UN TRIBUNAL ON RWANDAN GENOCIDE HEARS ARGUMENTS ON SENTENCING OF FORMER MAYOR New York, Sep 17 2007 3:00PM Prosecutors at the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the Rwandan genocide today urged its judges to sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment a former mayor who has pleaded guilty to a charge of extermination as a crime against humanity. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda sitting in Arusha, Tanzania, heard closing arguments from both prosecutors and defence lawyers in the case of Juvénal Rugambarara, who served as mayor of Bicumbi commune in Kigali-Rural Prefecture from September 1993 to April 1994. The prosecution said a prison sentence of not less than 12 years was appropriate, while the defence team argued for a more lenient sentence, calling five character witnesses to say that he had saved many Tutsis during the genocide. Judges Asoka de Silva (presiding), Taghrid Hikmet and Seon Ki Park will announce their decision at a date to be fixed. In July Mr. Rugambarara made the guilty plea after two years of negotiations with prosecutors, who agreed to withdraw eight other charges that included genocide, torture and rape. During a hearing that month he also apologized for his actions in the genocide. “I pay sincere tribute to all the innocent victims of the shameful cowardice and humbly bow and plead for forgiveness from the bottom of my heart… I solemnly pledge to join the rallying cry of those who say ‘never again,’” he said at the time. The ICTR found that Mr. Rugambarara – who worked as a medical officer for much of his adult life – failed as mayor to take the necessary and reasonable measures to establish an investigation into the killings committed in Bicumbi commune during the genocide or to apprehend and punish the perpetrators. Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered, mostly by machete or club, across Rwanda in less than 100 days starting in early April 1994. Later that year the Security Council established the ICTR to deal with the worst cases. 2007-09-17 00:00:00.000
PACIFIC OCEAN COUNTRIES TAKE PART IN UN MEETING ON TSUNAMI PREPARATIONS New York, Sep 17 2007 3:00PM Experts from countries bordering the Pacific Ocean are gathering in Ecuador this week for a United Nations-organized meeting to assess the state of preparations in the region, home to most of the world’s tsunamis, to predict and deal with any future killer waves. The four-day meeting of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System, starting today in Guayaquil, will hear reports from participating nations about what they are doing to be ready for a potential tsunami. The group’s members will also examine the progress – through improved seismic data, sea-level measurements and deep-ocean tsunami detection – towards strengthening the regional response to any tsunami and to reducing any public risks. The Pacific Ocean, which covers a third of Earth’s surface, is particularly vulnerable to tsunamis because it is surrounded by a series of mountain chains, deep-ocean trenches and arcs of islands that are known for the frequency and strength of earthquakes. In 1979, the so-called Tumaco earthquake in South America triggered a tsunami that killed 200 people on the coast of Colombia. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System (PWTS), which has been in place since 1965, now serves 26 countries with rapid information on approaching tsunamis, public awareness campaigns and advice on how to mitigate the impact of these natural disasters. This week’s meeting has been arranged by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 2007-09-17 00:00:00.000
RECENT SURGE IN DARFUR VIOLENCE THREATENS PEACE TALKS, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL New York, Sep 17 2007 3:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed deep concern at the recent surge in fighting across the war-torn Darfur region in Sudan, warning that it jeopardizes the chances of success of the peace talks being held next month to try to end the conflict. “The Secretary-General strongly urges all parties to show restraint and cease all military action in order to create a positive atmosphere for the envisaged political negotiations,” his spokesperson said in a statement. He cited last week’s attacks in the town of Hashkanita when, according to reports of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), aerial bombardments involving helicopter gunships and military clashes on the ground caused the deaths of many civilians. Mr. Ban also referred to the attacks last month that took place in Adilla, South Darfur, and Wad Banda, in the neighbouring Kordofan region. “The Secretary-General is alarmed by the fact that the reported attacks took place in spite of the signing of a joint communiqué on 6 September, during the Secretary-General’s visit to Sudan, in which the Government of Sudan committed to a full cessation of hostilities in Darfur in the lead-up to the political negotiations,” the statement said. Those negotiations between the Sudanese Government and the Darfur rebels, scheduled to begin in Libya on 27 October, will be led by the UN and AU envoys to Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim. More than 200,000 Darfurians have been killed and at least 2.2 million others forced to flee their homes since 2003 because of the fighting between rebels, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militia groups. In July the Security Council authorized the establishment of the first hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force (to be known as UNAMID) to take over from AMIS and try to quell the violence in Darfur, an arid and impoverished region on Sudan’s western flank. Today’s statement by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson was released as the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reported that a vehicle belonging to a non-governmental organization (NGO) was carjacked by two armed men in North Darfur state over the weekend. The armed men forced the driver and 10 other staff members of the NGO out of the vehicle. In a separate incident in South Darfur state, two men stopped a three-vehicle UN-NGO convoy and robbed passengers in one vehicle of their satellite phones, mobile phones and money before allowing them to escape unharmed. The other two vehicles were able to turn around and escape. 2007-09-17 00:00:00.000
PROJECTS THAT IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF FOSSIL FUELS TO RECEIVE BOOST – UN New York, Sep 17 2007 2:00PM Projects boosting the burning efficiency of fossil fuels are now eligible to be registered under the United Nations-backed Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and contribute to sustainable development to earn certified emission reduction credits (CERs). The CDM Executive Board, which made this decision, has also approved a way to monitor emissions from these types of projects. “Fossil fuel will remain a big part of the world’s energy mix for decades to come,” said Hans Jürgen Stehr, the Board’s chair. “It’s essential that we burn that fuel as efficiently as possible.” In reaching its conclusion, the Board faced a challenge in finding a means to prevent these projects from inadvertently prolonging the use of fossil fuel or competing against renewable sources of energy. The Board overcame this hurdle by establishing a feature limiting the number of CERs that can be earned and then by limiting the number of projects eligible for registration in a given country based on the percentage of fossil fuel covered by projects used. There are now almost 800 CDM projects registered in nearly 50 countries. These projects, and the more than 1,300 others awaiting registration, will generate 2.2 billion CERs, each equivalent to one ton of carbon dioxide, by 2012. That is also the year that the Kyoto Protocol, the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, will expire. A major summit will be held in Bali, Indonesia, this December to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the Protocol’s conclusion. In July, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that countries must agree to a successor pact to Kyoto three years before its expiration to be ready for ratification to allow them to make it law in time. In a related development, top UN climate change and environment officials underscored the ties between the international treaty protecting the world’s climate, the Kyoto Protocol, and the global agreement to preserve the Earth’s ozone layer. “The Montreal Protocol is successfully assisting in the repair and recovery of the ozone layer. The Kyoto Protocol is tackling perhaps the greatest challenge of our generation – climate change,” said UN Environment Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner. “However, what is also emerging in 2007, and emerging with ever greater clarity, is that both treaties are mutually supportive across several key fronts.” According to a new report by a Montreal Protocol panel to be released shortly, Kyoto’s CDM is the only reliable means available currently to prevent emissions of the potent HFC-23 greenhouse gas in the short term. It was agreed by those participating in the Kyoto Protocol in 2005 that the CDM should not result in an HCFC-22, which is a gas regulated under the Montreal Protocol. “The Parties to the Kyoto Protocol have been guided by the dual objective of safeguarding the climate and protecting the ozone layer when shaping climate action,” noted Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Representatives from almost 200 governments are in Montreal, Canada, on the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol, and will discuss a recently-released UNEP report which details the benefits of accelerating the phase-out of HCFCs, chemicals used to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are more damaging to ozone. Under the Montreal Protocol, HCFCs – which are widely used in refrigeration systems and air conditioners – are scheduled to be eliminated in developing countries in 2030 and in developing ones in 2040. But the new study points to the advantages of pushing the dates forward by a decade. Global greenhouse emissions could be slashed by more than 3.5 per cent, and the report notes that speeding up the transition to HCFC alternatives could stimulate technological advances as well as return ozone levels to health pre-1980 levels several years earlier. 2007-09-17 00:00:00.000
SECRETARY-GENERAL PLEDGES UN SUPPORT TO SIERRA LEONE’S PRESIDENT-ELECT New York, Sep 17 2007 2:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged continuing support for Sierra Leone following the announcement of the opposition victory in presidential elections, the first since United Nations peacekeepers left in 2005 after helping to bring peace and stability to the West African country that was torn asunder by a brutal 10-year civil war. In a statement issued by his spokesperson Mr. Ban commended all Sierra Leonean parties and their supporters “for exercising patience and restraint” during the tallying of votes in the 8 September poll, in which Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People’s Congress Party received 54.6 per cent and incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People’s Party obtained 45.4 per cent of the total valid votes cast. The final result was announced today. Mr. Ban extended his warm congratulations to Mr. Koroma and also commended the National Electoral Commission and Sierra Leone’s security agencies for the professional and efficient manner in which they performed their duties during the period, which saw two rounds of voting since neither of the top candidates received sufficient votes to be elected outright. “The Secretary-General wishes to assure the newly elected government of Sierra Leone of the continued support of the United Nations as the country continues to move towards durable political stability and sustainable economic development,” the statement concluded. The presidential and parliamentary elections were Sierra Leone’s second since the end of the civil war in 2002, and the first since the withdrawal of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). Since then assistance has been channelled through the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL), which today announced one more example of UN aid with the handing over of audio-visual equipment and computers to the Voice of Children Project (VOC), managed by the Office. Presiding at the hand-over ceremony, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador Fabrienne Demal, a Belgian pop star popularly known as Axelle Red, praised the children for their courage and enthusiasm and advised them to take their newly acquired journalistic skills seriously. The Voice of Children project is regarded internationally as a highly successful communications tool for stimulating critical discussion among children in peace consolidation environments. It was launched as a non-profit public service radio facility for and by the children of Sierra Leone on the issues that affect their lives most intimately. 2007-09-17 00:00:00.000
NUCLEAR TEST BAN PACT’S ANNIVERSARY SHOULD SPARK PUSH FOR RATIFICATION – BAN KI-MOON New York, Sep 17 2007 1:00PM As the eleventh anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty approaches, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on participants at a meeting in Vienna designed to foster its entry into force to intensify efforts toward this goal. Next week’s milestone “will not be a time for celebration, but for re-dedication to the noble work that lies ahead in achieving the Treaty’s entry into force,” Mr. Ban said. “Persistent efforts on the part of States and civil society will be required in order to achieve that historic goal,” he added in a message to the Fifth Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT, which was delivered by Sergio Duarte, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. The Treaty, which would outlaw all nuclear tests, moves the international community “towards the larger goals of ridding the world of nuclear weapons and preventing their proliferation,” he said. Mr. Ban said the Treaty’s Preparatory Commission has made “significant advances” in preparing for the establishment of the future CTBT Organization and the Treaty’s verification regime. The pact has been signed by 177 States, with 140 ratifications, including 34 of the 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty, whose ratification is essential for its entry into force. “I call upon those States that have not signed or ratified the CTBT to do so as soon as possible, especially States whose ratification is needed for the Treaty’s entry into force. I also urge States to maintain their moratoria on all types of nuclear explosions and to refrain from acts that would defeat the object and purpose of the Treaty,” the Secretary-General said. The 44 States listed in Annex 2 to the Treaty and required for its entry into force all have nuclear power or research reactors. Of those, the 10 that have not ratified the CTBT are China, the United States, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), India, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel, Indonesia, Iran and Colombia. The 34 key States which have already ratified CTBT are: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Viet Nam. 2007-09-17 00:00:00.000
Sept 13
UN OFFICIAL URGES INTENSIFIED ACTION AGAINST OZONE-DEPLETING SUBSTANCES New York, Sep 13 2007 6:00PM As representatives from almost 200 Governments prepare to gather next week in Montreal, Canada on the 20th anniversary of the United Nations-backed treaty to protect the world’s ozone layer, a senior UN official today called for intensified action to eliminate the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which damage it. In September 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed upon, and up to 191 States who are party to the treaty will attend a five-day conference kicking off on 17 September. “The Montreal Protocol is without doubt one of the most successful multilateral treaties ever and I look forward to celebrating, in mid-September, two decades of achievement in the Canadian city where it was born,” said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme Participants will discuss a recently-released UNEP report which details the benefits of accelerating the phase-out of HCFCs, chemicals used to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are more damaging to ozone. Under the Montreal Protocol, HCFCs – which are widely used in refrigeration systems and air conditioners – are scheduled to be eliminated in developing countries in 2030 and in developing ones in 2040. However, the new study points to the advantages of pushing the dates forward by a decade. Global greenhouse emissions could be slashed by more than 3.5 per cent, and the report notes that speeding up the transition to HCFC alternatives could stimulate technological advances as well as return ozone levels to health pre-1980 levels several years earlier. The Montreal Protocol’s “success story is far from over with new and wide-ranging chapters still to be written,” Mr. Steiner said. “Indeed if governments adopt accelerated action on HCFCs, we can look forward to not only a faster recovery of the ozone layer, but a further important contribution to the climate change challenge.” Events celebrating the 20th anniversary of the treaty will include special seminars and award ceremonies t recognize the achievements in raising awareness about ozone and the Montreal Protocol. The celebration comes in advance of a high-level meeting on climate change to be convened in New York by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 24 September. It is hoped these meetings will set the stage for the upcoming major December summit in Bali, Indonesia, which seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012. 2007-09-13 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON DONATES AWARD MONEY TO UN AGENCY HELPING SLUM DWELLERS IN KENYA New York, Sep 13 2007 5:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will donate $100,000 he was awarded today by the Pony Chung Scholarship Foundation to help a United Nations agency working to better conditions in a slum in Kenya, a spokesperson for the world body announced. Mr. Ban was recognized by the Foundation, which was established by the Hyundai Corporation, with the Pony Chung Innovation Award given to individuals who bring about innovative and effective changes in the realm of politics, economics, society and culture. “The award includes a monetary prize of $100,000, all of which the Secretary-General has had transferred to UN-HABITAT,” the UN Human Settlements Programme, spokesperson Michele Montas told a press briefing. “The money will be used for skills training for poor youth in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, which the Secretary-General visited on his first trip after taking office,” she noted. During the January visit to that slum – one of the largest on the African continent – Mr. Ban urged residents not to lose hope and pledged to work harder than ever to eradicate global poverty and other social ills. “I feel very much humbled by what I am seeing now. That makes me resolve again my firm commitment to work for the improvement of the living conditions, education, water, sanitation, housing – all these are the challenges which we must overcome,” Mr. Ban said. The Secretary-General was selected for the award in December 2006 for his accomplishments while he served in the Government of the Republic of Korea. 2007-09-13 00:00:00.000
SUDANESE CHILDREN STILL ENDURING GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS – UN REPORT New York, Sep 13 2007 5:00PM Sudanese children continue to face grave violations of their human rights, from being recruited and used by armed forces and groups to suffering rape or sexual abuse at their hands, according to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on children and armed conflict in the African country. Mr. Ban says the situation in general for Sudanese children “is showing small signs of improvement,” but cases of killings, abductions and rapes are still being recorded and the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region means there is limited humanitarian access to children at risk. The Secretary-General urges all the parties to the Darfur conflict – where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others made homeless – “to take concrete steps” to protect the rights of children in the war-torn and impoverished region on Sudan’s western flank. Given that, the report welcomes the action plan on child recruitment and reintegration that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reached with the Minawi wing of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), the faction of the rebel group that signed the Darfur Peace Agreement with the Sudanese Government last year. But he calls on the signatories to the agreement to carry it out immediately so that child soldiers can be released and allowed to reintegrate with their families. In the report Mr. Ban voices deep concern that “sexual violence against women and girls continues with impunity throughout the country,” and especially in Darfur, where rebel groups have been fighting Government forces and allied Janjaweed militia since 2003. He calls on Khartoum to step up its efforts to enforce the rule of law, including by establishing child and women protection units within the police force and by training social workers and judicial officials. In the south, where a comprehensive peace agreement in January 2005 ended a 21-year civil war, Mr. Ban says rights violations are more of an inter-communal nature, resulting from years of conflict and the consequent breakdown of the rule of law. He urges both the Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan, which were formed following the peace accord, to end the recruitment and use of children in their armed forces in line with the provisions of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict – which Sudan has ratified. The two Governments should also undertake an independent verification exercise with the support of UNICEF and the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to assess and identify those children currently in the armed forces or their allied groups and to set up a regular monitoring system, Mr. Ban says. He also reiterates previously expressed concerns that children continue to be systematically abducted or kidnapped in both the south and in Darfur, and urges the Government and armed groups to end that practice immediately. 2007-09-13 00:00:00.000
BOLSTERED EFFORTS CRUCIAL TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE AND STABILITY IN BURUNDI – UN New York, Sep 13 2007 3:00PM Intensified efforts are crucial to consolidate peace in Burundi and thwart a relapse into violence and chaos, the leader of a United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) fact-finding mission to the small Central African nation, which suffered decades of ethnic conflict pitting the Hutu majority against the Tutsi minority, said today. Ambassador Johan L. Løvald, Permanent Representative of Norway, visited Burundi for the fourth time in less than a year from 5-7 September on behalf of the PBC, which was created to prevent countries emerging from civil war and other conflicts from sliding back into bloodshed. He told reporters in New York that his latest mission had three objectives: to see first-hand the political and security situation, to identify how the PBC’s work can aid both national and regional groups; and to meet with Government officials and others on a strategic framework devised by the Burundian Government in May to mobilize financial and political support to overcome the internal challenges threatening the country’s long-term recovery. Mr. Løvald voiced concern that there is a “general sense of uncertainty” on issues including the deadlock in the country’s Parliament, a troubling budgetary situation and the suspension of the work of the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism of the 2006 ceasefire between the Government and the Palipehutu- FNL. “However, I left Bujumbura with a sense that the Government and national partners are determined to deal with the issues that are causing the current political crisis, with the support of the international community,” the Ambassador noted. Established in 2005 by parallel General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, the PBC focuses on reconstruction, institution-building and the promotion of sustainable development in post-conflict countries. The 31-member body, which operates in conjunction with several of the UN’s principal organs – namely the GA, the Council and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) – also recognizes the importance of individual countries spearheading efforts to consolidate peace within their own borders. Burundi, which has been the victim of violent coups and political instability since gaining independence in 1962, was the first country to receive financial support from the Peacebuilding Fund, established from voluntary contributions to aid countries which have recently emerged from war from slipping back into conflict. Launched last year, it is a multi-year standing trust fund that has an initial funding target of $250 million and thus far has collected deposits worth $143.9 million from dozens of donor countries. 2007-09-13 00:00:00.000
UNITED NATIONS ADOPTS DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES New York, Sep 13 2007 3:00PM The General Assembly today adopted a landmark declaration outlining the rights of the world’s estimated 370 million indigenous people and outlawing discrimination against them – a move that followed more than two decades of debate. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been approved after 143 Member States voted in favour, 11 abstained and four – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States – voted against the text. A non-binding text, the Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues. The Declaration emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations. It also prohibits discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them, and their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own visions of economic and social development. General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour have all welcomed today’s adoption. Sheikha Haya said “the importance of this document for indigenous peoples and, more broadly, for the human rights agenda, cannot be underestimated. By adopting the Declaration, we are also taking another major step forward towards the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.” But she warned that “even with this progress, indigenous peoples still face marginalization, extreme poverty and other human rights violations. They are often dragged into conflicts and land disputes that threaten their way of life and very survival; and, suffer from a lack of access to health care and education.” In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban described the Declaration’s adoption as “a historic moment when UN Member States and indigenous peoples have reconciled with their painful histories and are resolved to move forward together on the path of human rights, justice and development for all.” He called on governments and civil society to ensure that the Declaration’s vision becomes a reality by working to integrate indigenous rights into their policies and programmes. Ms. Arbour noted that the Declaration has been “a long time coming. But the hard work and perseverance of indigenous peoples and their friends and supporters in the international community has finally borne fruit in the most comprehensive statement to date of indigenous peoples’ rights.” The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues estimates there are more than 370 million indigenous people in some 70 countries worldwide. Members of the Forum said earlier this year that the Declaration creates no new rights and does not place indigenous peoples in a special category. 2007-09-13 00:00:00.000
UN TO LAUNCH $17-MILLION APPEAL TO FEED 100,000 NICARAGUAN HURRICANE VICTIMS New York, Sep 13 2007 11:00AM The United Nations World Food Programme said today that it plans to launch a $17-million emergency appeal for 100,000 hurricane victims in Nicaragua, as rescue crews reported that they were stunned by the intensity of the destruction wrought along the impoverished country’s northern coast. “The victims of this catastrophe are among the poorest and most vulnerable people, not just in Nicaragua but in the whole Latin American region,” WFP Country Director William Hart said of the last week’s landfall of Hurricane Felix. “As our staff arrive with supplies, it is clear they have been left with literally nothing. Everything is destroyed and their lives are in pieces. What we are discovering as we visit these remote areas is a desperate swathe of humanity that has been invisible to the outside world, and which now more than ever needs the help of outsiders,” he said. Initial reports indicate that of the almost 10,000 homes affected by the violent Category 5 hurricane, 80 per cent were completely destroyed. Almost 5,200 wells were contaminated and 6,000 latrines destroyed. Diarrhoea among children is increasing and heavy rainfall is creating unsanitary conditions that have raised fears of worsening health conditions. “The numbers of people seriously affected continues to grow while at the same time, as more information comes in from this remote region, we realize just how violent and destructive Hurricane Felix really was,” Mr. Hart said. “Not only have entire villages up and down the coast been pummelled and flattened into the ground, but extensive damage has also been reported among those living as much as 100 kilometres back from the coastline.” Hurricane Felix also ripped out large quantities of coconut, banana and mango trees, depriving inhabitants of basic foods. The upcoming harvest of rice and other vital crops has been lost, and due to salt water damage to fields it is expected that December’s harvest may be lost or severely reduced. Under the six-month WFP emergency operation, which is part of a consolidated appeal of UN agencies being announced today, WFP will provide a general distribution of emergency rations for the first three months, followed by food support for rehabilitation activities. These activities are likely to be extended for an additional period once a more detailed assessment of the region’s needs is completed. Meanwhile, WFP emergency feeding operations continue. Over the weekend, two ships carrying a combined total of 151 metric tons of food (enough for 15,000 people for 20 days) arrived in the battered coastal port of Bilwi (formerly Puerto Cabezas) after a two-day journey along the Escondido River. Bilwi has been cut off from overland transport after a key bridge was destroyed by Felix. About 14 tons of the food (enough to feed 1,550 for 18 days) was then transported by two United States Air Force helicopters to the town of Raiti, one of more than 100 Miskito Indian communities along the coast. Without the helicopters, which have established an air bridge in the area, the journey would have taken over a week. Yesterday the UN Children’s Fund said it was seeking over $2 million in relief aid over the next six months for the hurricane victims. 2007-09-13 00:00:00.000
UN FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER ON EARTH RECEIVES SPACE-AGE HELP IN RAISING AWARENESS New York, Sep 13 2007 11:00AM The United Nations battle against hunger on Earth will receive reinforcements from space today when Intelsat, the world’s leading satellite services provider, will use its global network to distribute two concerts in a campaign to help reduce the number of hungry people on the planet. This is the ninth consecutive year that Intelsat is distributing UN Food and Agriculture Organization )TeleFood concerts, awareness-raising events that have mobilized resources for hundreds of community-based, hunger-fighting projects. To date, TeleFood has generated close to $21 million in donations and funded 2,400 projects in 132 countries. “Intelsat’s generosity and years of support have helped FAO to maximize the impact of the TeleFood message, by enabling global awareness of these events,” FAO Assistant Director-General for knowledge and communications Lorraine Williams said. “TeleFood has made it possible for FAO to share information in the more than 100 countries around the world which have benefited from roughly 2,400 hunger-fighting projects." “Millions of people have, as a result of the reach of satellite technology, participated in the drive to eradicate hunger by donating generously to support TeleFood projects.” The two concerts, “Musica vs. Hambre” in Asunción, Paraguay and the “TeleFood Cuba” concert in Havana, Cuba, held respectively on 21 September and 11 November 2006, gathered an impressive line-up of world class performers in support of the TeleFood Campaign. Entertainment stars and other celebrities included Ronan Keating, Paul Young, Noa (Paraguay), the late Compay Segundo, Chucho Valdés and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (Cuba). TeleFood is FAO’s annual campaign of broadcasts, concerts and other events around the world aimed at reaching out and raising awareness about hunger. “Intelsat is pleased to support the UN in this and the UN’s other communications requirements around the world,” Intelsat Vice President for Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Dianne VanBeber said, noting that with 52 satellites serving over 200 countries and territories the company is ideally suited to distribute global programming such as the FAO TeleFood concerts. 2007-09-13 00:00:00.000
Sept 12
UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG CHIEF WELCOMES IRAN’S AGREEMENT TO ADDRESS OUTSTANDING ISSUES New York, Sep 12 2007 6:00PM The head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today welcomed Iran’s agreement on a timeline to address all outstanding issues relating to its nuclear programme. IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters in Vienna, where the agency’s 35-member Board of Governors is meeting this week, that the August agreement, the first such work plan Iran has consented to, is “an important step in the right direction.” Repeating his call for a “double time-out” in both of all enrichment-related activities and of sanctions, he said that “the earlier we move from confrontation and distrust, to dialogue and confidence-building, the better for Iran and for the international community.” In his most recent report regarding Iran, Mr. ElBaradei said that while the IAEA is able to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in the country, the agency still cannot verify certain portions pertaining to the scope and nature of the Iranian nuclear programme. Regarding the work plan, the report noted that “if Iran finally addresses the long outstanding verification issues, the Agency should be in a position to reconstruct the history of Iran’s nuclear programme.” It also called on the country to fully comply with the IAEA as well as provide access to all necessary documents and individuals. “Contrary to the decisions of the Security Council, Iran has not suspended its enrichment related activities, having continued with the operation of PFEP [Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant], and with the construction and operation of FEP [Fuel Enrichment Plant],” Mr. ElBaradei noted. “Iran is also continuing with its construction of the IR-40 reactor and operation of the Heavy Water Production Plant.” Iran’s nuclear programme has been a matter of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that it had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Last December, the Security Council adopted a resolution banning trade with Iran in all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to the country's enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. It tightened the measures in March, banning arms sales and expanding the freeze on assets. 2007-09-12 00:00:00.000
DESERTIFICATION, CLIMATE CHANGE COMBINE TO THREATEN DEVELOPMENT – BAN KI-MOON New York, Sep 12 2007 5:00PM The linked scourges of desertification and climate change are impeding the achievement of key development targets, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today. The “twin threats” of desertification and climate change “pose unrivalled challenges to humanity,” he said in a message to the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in running from 3-14 September in Madrid. “They demand an unprecedented response from all of us.” Desertification and climate change, which he characterized as “two major manifestations of the same problem,” also are obstacles to reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the series of eight anti-poverty targets, by 2015. Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have contributed to global warming, he noted, while shifting weather patterns could potentially aggravate desertification, drought and food security for people living in dry areas, especially in Africa. The Secretary-General said that global warming can also lead to increased poverty, forced migration and vulnerability to conflict in regions impacted by extreme weather events. “Conversely, concerted efforts to combat desertification – by reclaiming degraded land, combating soil loss and restoring vegetation – can help curb greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the resilience of affected countries and build their capacity to adapt to climate change,” he said. Mr. Ban voiced hope that both the Conference, which is meeting in its eighth session, and a high-level informal dialogue on climate change scheduled for 24 September in New York will set the stage for the upcoming major December summit in Bali, Indonesia. That meeting seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012. Last week, the Secretary-General appointed Luc Gnacadja, a former environment minister from Benin, as the UNCCD’s new Executive Secretary. He will succeed Hama Arba Diallo of Burkina Faso, who resigned on 19 June. 2007-09-12 00:00:00.000
UN ANNOUNCES AWARDS TELECAST FOR MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS New York, Sep 12 2007 5:00PM The United Nations will organize a telecast next year to promote the Millennium Development Goals officials announced today as internationally renowned musician and producer Nile Rodgers presented General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa with a special award in recognition of her work in promoting the set of global anti-poverty targets. The MDG Festival, planned for June 2008, will feature high-profile international celebrities and entertainers and will present awards for outstanding achievements by businesses, governments, civic organizations and members of the development community, organizers told reporters at a press briefing in New York. Grammy Awards producer and lifetime achievement award winner Nile Rodgers, who will produce the event, said it would serve to highlight the importance and possibility of accomplishing the internationally agreed goals by 2015. “It will create greater awareness and commitment to the MDGs by the general public, by schools and by the business community,” he said. Receiving the award in special recognition of her important work in promoting the MDGs, Sheikha Haya urged action to achieve reach the Goals. “The situation is serious, but there is hope. Our common purpose must be to build a global alliance – a global partnership – a truly lasting political consensus to achieve the MDGs on time. This is truly the greatest gift that we could give to humanity.” Also speaking at the press briefing, Ambassador Francis Lorenzo of the Dominican Republic emphasized the need for joint action. Bringing together civil society, the private sector and governments “is the only way we can achieve the Millennium Development Goals,” he said. A focal point of the campaign in the next several months will be a website for global networking where applicants and nominees for awards can post videos, photo galleries and achievements. A panel of judges from UN agencies, independent foundations and other experts will review applications and the general public will be able to vote and make donations to nominees online. Stressing that the MDGs form “the basis of our economic and social planning for the coming years,” Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy of Madagascar said the Festival “will be a great opportunity for all countries to show what they are doing.” “It will be entertaining and informative. It will be a project hat should give a lot of horsepower to this effort,” said Mr. Rodgers, whose work ranges across the years, from 1978’s “Le Freak,” which hit No. 1 and became Warner Brothers’ biggest selling single of all time, to collaborations with artists like David Bowie and Madonna in the 1980s, Mariah Carey in the 1990s, and Joss Stone during the current decade. “I can promise you that there’s something coming that’s going to be wonderful and great, spiritually rewarding, very, very entertaining. It’s going to be good stuff,” he said. 2007-09-12 00:00:00.000
SERBIAN TENNIS ACES APPOINTED NATIONAL AMBASSADORS FOR UNICEF New York, Sep 12 2007 5:00PM Two of the rising stars of women’s tennis, Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, have been appointed national ambassadors for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to help promote the rights of children and young people in their homeland. The inauguration ceremonies for Ms. Jankovic and Ms. Ivanovic will take place in the Belgrade in the coming weeks, UNICEF said in a press release issued on Monday. As national ambassadors, Ms. Jankovic will take a special interest in adolescents and young people and the promotion of their rights, while Ms. Ivanovic will focus on the fields of education and child protection. Ranked three in the world, Ms. Jankovic has won four titles this year and reached the semi-finals of the French Open and the quarter-finals of the US Open. Ms. Ivanovic, who is ranked sixth, has won two titles and reached the final of the French Open and the semi-finals at Wimbledon. The tennis stars join the retired basketball player Aleksandar “Sasha” Djordjevic and the film director Emir Kusturica as UNICEF national ambassadors in Serbia. 2007-09-12 00:00:00.000
SECRETARY-GENERAL MOVES TO SET UP JUDGES’ SELECTION PANEL FOR LEBANON TRIBUNAL New York, Sep 12 2007 4:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he has begun the process of establishing a selection panel to recommend to him the names of judges to serve on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is being set up to prosecute those responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri. In his latest report on the progress of the Tribunal, Mr. Ban says the selection panel will be formed and take up its work by next month, and he expects to be able to appoint the judges – after receiving the panel’s recommendations – by the end of the year. The selection panel will comprise two judges, either sitting or retired from an international tribunal, and a representative of the Secretary-General. The Lebanese Government has already forwarded a list of the 12 judges proposed by the country’s Supreme Council of the Judiciary, and Mr. Ban says the list will remain sealed until the selection process of all judges starts. UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel sent a letter to all Member States last month asking them to submit candidates for Tribunal judges by no later than 24 September. According to the Tribunal’s statute, the chambers will consist of one international pre-trial judge; three judges to serve in the trial chamber (one Lebanese and two international); five judges to serve in the appeals chamber (two Lebanese and three international); and two alternate judges (one Lebanese and one international). The judges of the trial chamber and those of the appeals chamber will then each elect a presiding judge to conduct the proceedings in their chamber, with the presiding judge of the appeals chamber serving as president of the Tribunal. Mr. Ban notes in the report that 51 per cent of the costs of the Tribunal will be met by voluntary contributions from UN Member States, with the remaining 49 per cent to be funded by the Lebanese Government. The UN Secretariat has created a trust fund to receive contributions from the world’s countries. Mr. Michel led a delegation to the Netherlands last month to visit possible sites for the Tribunal and to hold talks with Dutch authorities on the measures necessary to establish the court’s seat, according to the report. The Tribunal is being set up 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 court 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. 2007-09-12 00:00:00.000
SECRETARY-GENERAL ALARMED BY DEADLY AIR, GROUND ATTACK ON SOUTH DARFUR TOWN New York, Sep 12 2007 4:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed deep concern at the Sudanese Government’s “brutal aerial and ground attack” on a South Darfur town that has left at least 25 civilians dead and took place just days after the United Nations chief visited the war-torn region. Mr. Ban told the Security Council that the attack indicated that “we must all renew our strong appeals to the parties to show restraint in the lead-up to political negotiations in October” that are being held to try to resolve the conflict that has engulfed Darfur since 2003. The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) – which is operating in Darfur until the hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID) takes over next year – reported that fierce fighting took place yesterday afternoon after an aerial and ground attack on Haskanita in South Darfur State. In a closed-door briefing on his visit to Sudan, Chad and Libya, which ended at the weekend, Mr. Ban said the attack was an apparent retaliation for an attack by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on the Wad Banda military base on 29 August. JEM is one of the rebel groups that did not sign last year’s Darfur Peace Agreement with the Government. More than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others have had to leave their homes because of the Darfur conflict between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militia and the rebel groups. An estimated 4 million Darfurians depend on humanitarian aid. Mr. Ban said that although his trip to the region had brought “good progress,” particularly the announcement that political negotiations between the Government and rebels will take place in Libya on 27 October, “I will not say that we have had any successes yet.” The Secretary-General said the UN is moving quickly to establish a trust fund to support the peace process and other assistance measures, and he told Council members that he will soon appeal to Member States to contribute to that fund. “Now is the time to redouble our efforts, to move with even more speed to make good on commitments and the positive momentum we have generated so that we can finally, with the Sudanese people, see an end to the suffering and insecurity in Darfur.” 2007-09-12 00:00:00.000
Sept 11
FIERCE CLASHES IN SOUTH DARFUR TOWN ALARM UN MISSION IN SUDAN New York, Sep 11 2007 6:00PM Grave reports have emerged of fresh fighting between Sudanese Government armed forces and Darfur rebel groups in the south of the war-torn region, the United Nations Mission in Sudan reported today, raising alarm about the timing of attacks, which came on the heels of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to the country. UNMIS said the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) – which is operating in Darfur until the hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID) takes over next year – reported that fierce fighting took place yesterday afternoon in the town of Haskanita in South Darfur state. The reports indicate that the violence between Government forces and rebels occurred close to the AMIS military group site in Haskanita, forcing mission personnel there to take cover and local civilians to seek refuge around the camp. A statement from AMIS noted that while the details of the clashes have not yet been properly investigated, there is clear evidence of heavy fighting – including the use of helicopter gunships. “Given the critical stage of the peace process, the forthcoming negotiations in Libya and the commitments made by all parties to uphold the ceasefire, the nature, scale and timing of these attacks is astonishing,” according to the statement. “It is particularly alarming that these developments should take place so soon after the visit of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the positive atmosphere which it created.” AMIS is mandated to monitor the ceasefire between the Government and the rebels in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others forced to flee their homes since 2003. UNMIS also reported that four armed men shot and wounded an internally displaced persons (IDP) in the Kalma camp in South Darfur yesterday, while a boy from the Fur tribe was reportedly beaten by several armed men in the same camp. On Sunday, a group of 20 women from an IDP camp in Zalingei in West Darfur were briefly detained by an Arab militia while fetching fire wood, but they were later released. 2007-09-11 00:00:00.000
RECENT ECONOMIC GROWTH IN AFRICA SHOULD BE MORE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED – UN ENVOY New York, Sep 11 2007 6:00PM The recent economic growth among Africa’s poorest countries has been confined mainly to those nations with rich mineral resources and has not yet translated to a substantial reduction in poverty, the United Nations envoy for those nations said today as he pledged to spearhead efforts to better distribute the emerging wealth. Cheikh Sidi Diarra, who was appointed in July as the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, told his first press conference at UN Headquarters in New York that extreme poverty remains stubbornly high in the world’s most vulnerable nations. Nearly half of the estimated 760 million people in the 50 States classed as least developing countries (LDCs) live in extreme poverty, or on less than $1 per day, he said. Mr. Diarra said the situation was harshest in sub-Saharan Africa, home to 34 of the 50 LDCs and the only region in the world where the percentage of people living in extreme poverty rose in the two decades until 2001. Although many countries in that region are enjoying solid economic growth and receiving greater amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI), they are still concentrated in the countries with high amounts of mineral resources. Mr. Diarra said the growth needs to be more evenly spread and he called on developed nations to play their part by helping poor countries improve their infrastructure and expand their export trade. The envoy also promised to focus on efforts to encourage good governance in LDCs, which he stressed was a critical factor in ensuring they make economic and social progress. 2007-09-11 00:00:00.000
FORMER HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER TO LEAD PANEL ON UNDP WORK IN DPR KOREA New York, Sep 11 2007 3:00PM The United Nations Development Programme announced the members of a panel, to be led by the former Prime Minister of Hungary, that will look into the agency’s activities in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The new panel will complement the work of the UN Board of Auditors, which since January, at the request of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has been examining UN activities in DPRK following media allegations that funds used by UN agencies to help in humanitarian efforts in the country were being channelled improperly to the Government in Pyongyang, including to its nuclear programme. That inquiry into the operations of UNDP, UNFPA, the UN Children’s Fund and the UN Office for Project Services is now preparing to enter its second phase after the first phase found there had been no large-scale or systematic diversion of UN funds. But the Board of Auditors has also noted that the second phase will not cover the full range of allegations and issues raised specifically about UNDP’s work in the DPRK. In response, the agency announced last month that it would set up an independent inquiry to examine allegations not being investigated by the Board of Auditors, and today named the members: Miklos Németh, the former Prime Minister of Hungary and a current member to the Advisory Council of Transparency International; Chander Mohan Vasudev, formerly Permanent Secretary of Public Expenditure in the Indian Ministry of Finance, and Mary Ann Wyrsch, former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees who is also currently the Chair of UNDP’s Audit Advisory Committee. “UNDP is determined to leave no stone unturned in getting answers to all of the allegations that have been raised about its operations in DPRK, and is confident that the combination of the UNBOA process and the external review will do so,” the agency said in a statement. The aim is to complete a report by the end of this year, the agency said. Speaking to reporters in New York, UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis voiced hope that this deadline would be met. “We expect that that will be feasible” depending on how the work goes, he said. Asked why UNDP maintains that the UN Ethics Office does not have jurisdiction over the agency’s staff members and whether the review would cover the complaints of three who have come forward seeking whistleblower protection, Mr. Dervis said the terms of reference will focus on the DPRK issue. “We cannot have an open-ended process that any issue that comes up will be covered by this review.” Mr. Dervis said all staff should have measures to seek protection against retaliation and pointed out that UNDP has a hotline for this purpose, as well as an ombudsman. He added that UNDP wants to harmonize procedures across the UN system. Another correspondent said “numerous staff” have voiced dissatisfaction with the justice system and asked why UNDP did not simply allow the Ethics Office to handle the cases “I’m not precluding anything,” Mr. Dervis replied, while stressing that further discussion is required. “We want to be agile, we want to be efficient, we want to be focused on results and so whatever we do in terms of the overall procedures – yes to harmonization, yes to working together, yes to economy of resources but no to simply adopting Secretariat rules or to simply merging the funds and programmes into the Secretariat.” 2007-09-11 00:00:00.000
GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT INAUGURATES BAHRAINI EXHIBITION AT UN HEADQUARTERS New York, Sep 11 2007 3:00PM The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, has inaugurated a week-long exhibition at UN Headquarters in New York on development in Bahrain, to mark the award the UN-Habitat award the country’s prime minister, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa. The exhibition, organized by the Mission of Bahrain to the UN and dubbed “Bahrain: Making policy a reality, meeting the millennium challenges,” features the Middle Eastern country’s efforts to preserve the environment through responsible urban planning. “Development is indispensable for advancement, prosperity and safeguarding the future. It is a fundamental human right that we must all strive to protect and promote,” Sheikha Haya said. In implementing initiatives in the pursuit of development, “the needs of the poor must be paramount, for poverty, just like unemployment and illiteracy, reinforces the foundation upon which tension, fanaticism and violence thrive,” she added. 2007-09-11 00:00:00.000
UNICEF ENVOY ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO SPOTLIGHTS RIGHTS OF CHILDREN IN BENIN New York, Sep 11 2007 2:00PM The singer and United Nations Children’s Fund Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo is touring her home country of Benin this week to raise awareness about the rights of children, spotlighting the importance of education and protection from exploitation and trafficking. During her four-day trip, which began yesterday, Ms. Kidjo will take part in the launch of Benin’s girls’ education campaign, visit schools and meet with both women’s groups and child victims of human trafficking. UNICEF said Ms. Kidjo’s trip is designed to help raise the awareness of decision-makers in Benin about the rights of children, particularly that girls need to attend school and complete their primary education. The visit should also highlight the importance of rehabilitating children who have been trafficked or exploited. Ms. Kidjo, an internationally renowned singer and songwriter, became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in July 2002. Other ambassadors include the British soccer player David Beckham, the Brazilian photojournalist Sebastião Salgado, the American actress Jessica Lange, the Greek singer Nana Mouskouri and the Chinese pianist Lang Lang. 2007-09-11 00:00:00.000
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CONGOLESE REFUGEES STILL ON UGANDAN SIDE OF BORDER, UN REPORTS New York, Sep 11 2007 12:00PM Some 25,000 to 30,000 Congolese refugees remain on the Ugandan side of the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after fleeing last week’s escalation in fighting among the Congolese army, renegade troops and rebels, the United Nations refugee agency reported today. “They are staying close to the border, keen to go back as soon as the situation improves,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmondtold a news briefing in Geneva, noting that the situation in the DRC’s strife-torn North Kivu province has somewhat calmed since last Friday. UN agencies reported then that the upsurge in fighting was hampering efforts to deliver food aid to tens of thousands of people driven from their homes, but Mr. Redmond said the calm had allowed UNHCR to improve support for some of the estimated 35,000 internally displaced people stranded in the Mugunga area, 15 kilometres west of Goma, the capital of North Kivu. Fearing an outbreak of cholera because of congestion and a lack of adequate sanitation, water and health facilities, Ugandan authorities have asked the Congolese to either move to the UNHCR-supported Nyakabanda reception centre some 20 kilometres inside Uganda or return to the DRC, Mr. Redmond said. Inside North Kivu, some IDPs from the Sake area are reported to have returned during daylight, mainly to check their houses, amid deployment of UN Mission in the DRC peacekeepers. But most IDPs from Sake and Masisi district continue to put up makeshift huts in the Mugunga area, awaiting more information on security conditions. On Friday, UNHCR set up the new Bulengo camp for IDPs together with the UN Children’s Fund and non-governmental organization partners and hundreds of displaced have moved from makeshift, overcrowded sites and a nearby school complex to the new camp. The new site can accommodate some 25,000 people under minimum humanitarian standards. Hundreds of families have already started constructing shelters. “We are planning to transfer pregnant women and children by truck from makeshift camps to the new site,” Mr. Redmond said. “We remain concerned with limited access to other areas in Masisi and Rutshuru districts due to the tense security situation. We fear only a small part of the recent displacement in the North Kivu may be known and that there are other sites where humanitarian assistance has not reached.” Since December new IDPs in North Kivu are estimated to have surpassed 220,000 and the number continues to grow. In total, there are more than 640,000 IDPs in this eastern DRC province. The eastern DRC remains the most violent area of the vast country, where MONUC has overseen the transition from a six-year civil war to gradual stabilization elsewhere. On the other side of Uganda, the first two of 40 IDP camps are to be closed today in the northern Lango region as a result of the improved security situation, ongoing peace talks between the Government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and generally improved freedom of movement, Mr. Redmond reported. Estimates are that some 92 per cent of some 466,000 IDPs in the region at the height of the displacement in 2005 have returned. The camps were established between 2002 and 2004. But the situation is different in the Acholi region where 63 per cent of some 1.1 million IDPs remain in the camps. “With the continuation of peace talks and continually improving security we expect to see more IDPs return to their homes,” Mr. Redmond said. At the peak of displacement in 2005, there were 242 camps hosting 1.85 million IDPs. As of the end of June, 539,550 IDPs had returned home and some 916,000 remain in the camps. Another 381,000 moved to the new sites closer to their homes. 2007-09-11 00:00:00.000
Sept 10
IMMEDIATE ACTION CRUCIAL TO TACKLE AFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING, UN OFFICIAL WARNS New York, Sep 10 2007 1:00PM A senior United Nations official today called for action not only to tackle the causes of global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also to cope with its effects such as the increasing vulnerability of agriculture which places developing countries especially at risk. Abnormal changes in air temperature and rainfall and the increasing frequency and intensity of drought and floods have long-term implications for the viability and productivity of world agro-ecosystems, UN Food and Agriculture Organization Assistant Director General Alexander Müller told over 140 world experts convened in Rome for a workshop on Adaptation Planning and Strategies. “FAO is already actively assisting its members, particularly developing countries, to enhance their capacity to confront the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture, forests and fisheries,” Mr. Müller said, noting that this means helping people to adapt their agricultural systems to changed conditions and specific stresses. This involves providing creative solutions and alternative approaches, such as introducing crop varieties that can tolerate heat and water stress, he added, calling for greater attention to forecasting extreme events and trends by collecting data and developing tools to produce on-hand information for adapting countries’ agriculture. Ways must be found to build up the resilience of people and of food production systems, he said, noting that agriculture – the sector most affected by changes in climate patterns – will be increasingly vulnerable in the future. Especially at risk are developing countries, which are highly dependent on agriculture and have fewer resources and options to combat damage from climate change. In the short term, as the global average temperature rises 1-3º Celsius, industrialized countries may well gain in food production potential, but at lower latitudes, especially in subsistence sectors, marginal, semi-arid and sub-humid regions where rain-fed agriculture is the norm, crop potential will most probably decline even with a minimal rise in global temperature, according to FAO. Agriculture is both culprit and victim when it comes to climate change. It is estimated that the livestock sector alone accounts for 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while deforestation is responsible for 18 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions. According to FAO, introducing improved livestock management and crop practices, coupled with adaptive management of forests, could have a very significant impact. Adopting land-use practices such as conservation agriculture would also help to maintain significant amounts of carbon in the soil. Rice production is another major source of greenhouse gas emissions. It is perhaps the main source of anthropogenic methane, with some 50 to 100 million metric tons per year emitted from the world’s 130 million hectares of rice paddies, the agency said. At the same time adverse and extreme weather conditions can jeopardize rice crop production, which feeds more than half the world’s population. A major benefit could be achieved by introducing different and improved rice varieties with greater salinity tolerance. These were successfully used by FAO to expedite the recovery of production in areas damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The rapid transition toward greater use of biofuels could also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so long as food security and environmental considerations are taken into account, FAO said. The workshop has been organized by the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and is part of a series of meetings to assess strategies to cope with the effects of global warming. 2007-09-10 00:00:00.000
MYANMAR: UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CALLS FOR RELEASE OF PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS New York, Sep 10 2007 1:00PM Voicing mounting concern over the detention of peaceful demonstrators in Myanmar, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today called on the Government to release them immediately. In a statement issued last Friday, Louise Arbour urged the authorities to uphold freedom of expression and association and engage with Myanmar’s civil society, rather than suppress dissent.” She also noted that “there will be no progress in Myanmar’s political transition unless people have space to express their views openly and peacefully.” Since 19 August when citizens started protesting against a surge in fuel prices, more than 150 people have been arrested, she said, expressing dismay at the violence utilized by “agents of the State” against some protestors, including monks. Late last month, the High Commissioner urged the authorities to “engage in consultation and dialogue with the demonstrators on their concerns.” Stressing that freedoms of expression and association are “touchstones of human rights,” Ms. Arbour said that allowing greater space for citizens to express their views and discontent will be essential in fostering the way towards a democratic transition and reconciliation in the South-East Asian nation. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Adviser on Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari, in a press conference last week, ">characterized the Government’s response to the protests as a “setback for Myanmar.” He added that Myanmar’s actions “are all the more disappointing as they not only have the effect of calling into question the stated commitment to democratization and national reconciliation by the authorities, but also make it more difficult to maintain support, international support, for engagement with Myanmar at a time when we believe strongly that the country needs international assistance in addressing the many pressing challenges, from political and human rights issues to humanitarian and socio-economic problems.” 2007-09-10 00:00:00.000
MILLIONS AT RISK OF EXPOSURE TO CHOLERA IN NORTHERN IRAQ, UN HEALTH AGENCY WARNS New York, Sep 10 2007 1:00PM More than 7,000 cases of acute diarrhoea have so far been reported in the cholera epidemic in northern Iraq, putting over 2.8 million people at risk from exposure to the infectious and sometimes fatal disease, according to the United Nations health agency. The UN World Health Organization ) is taking emergency measures to help the Kurdistan authorities in Sulemaniya, Kirkuk and Erbil provinces contain the epidemic. Ten people are so far reported to have died. “We still need different materials to control this pandemic such as drugs and medical supplies, diagnostic and enteric disease bacteriology kits, water testing kits, awareness and communications tools and equipment,” WHO Technical officer Omer Mekki said. “We are doing our best effort to lead the UN emergency aid in north Iraq.” All evidence suggests that transmission is still circulating. It is unclear what caused the outbreak, but initial investigation show some evidence that, in Sulemaniya, polluted water that residents were forced to rely on due to a shortage of drinking water may have been to blame. In Kirkuk, cracked water pipes allowed contamination by sewage, and because of the close geographic proximity the outbreak spread to Erbil, Dr. Mekki said. WHO is providing technical assistance to the health authorities for risk assessment, strengthening surveillance system and improving coordination through a multi-sectoral operations room in health, water and environment in the provincial ministry of health. The agency has also helped in standardizing case management, mobilizing medical and other essential supplies as well as in organizing social mobilization and health education campaigns where more than 10,000 posters distributed. The continuous movement of people and cargo, bad sanitary conditions and high temperatures may increase the possibility of spreading the disease rapidly to other areas such as Baghdad and the central provinces, Dr. Al- Gasseer warned. The WHO-Iraq office has ordered 10 emergency diarrhoea disease kits to pre-position adequate quantities of essential drugs as well as other medical and laboratory supplies in all hospitals and health centres. In addition, two truck loads of intravenous fluids and antibiotics are to be sent Erbil. Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It causes watery diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given. About 80 to 90 per cent of cases are mild or moderate and are difficult to distinguish clinically from other types of acute diarrhoea. Less than 20 per cent of ill people develop typical cholera with signs of moderate or severe dehydration. 2007-09-10 00:00:00.000
MARTYRDOM CULTURE’ NOT MAJOR CAUSE OF AFGHAN SUICIDE ATTACKS, UN REPORTS New York, Sep 10 2007 12:00PM Suicide attackers in Afghanistan, including children, are being coerced or duped into carrying out such operations, and seemed to be motivated by a variety of grievances such as foreign occupation, anger over civilian casualties and humiliation rather than a “martyrdom culture,” according to a new United Nations report. “Based on what we’ve found you can say we are puncturing a few popular myths,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Tom Koenigs said of the study carried out by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). “The Afghan suicide attacker is not crazed, fanatical or brainwashed. Some are recruited in madrassas, but many are not. Of those we’ve seen most are young, poor, uneducated, and easily influenced.” Released yesterday on the anniversary of Afghanistan’s first-known suicide attack, the 9 September 2001 slaying of commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, and just days before the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the study presents data and analysis and includes interviews with more than two dozen failed and alleged suicide attackers. It is the most detailed so far into the phenomenon in Afghanistan. It notes a sevenfold increase in suicide attacks in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2006 and a continuing though slower rise in 2007. Its recommendations include immediate efforts to diminish perceptions of a foreign military occupation, and political steps to reduce the insurgents’ support base by meeting the demands of the population, cutting corruption, overseeing fair judicial processes and providing basic public services. “Unlike other conflict areas wherein suicide attacks are commonly used, Afghanistan fortunately has yet to develop a robust “martyrdom culture,” which simultaneously celebrates the attacker and helps forge a justifying narrative for the attacks as in other theatres,” according to the study, Suicide Attacks in Afghanistan (2001-2007 – “In fact, in Afghanistan it is rare that one can identify, much less celebrate, the attacker and his deed. Not all attackers seem to be truly ideologically committed, based upon the highly limited data garnered for this study. While suicide attackers in Afghanistan may have been inspired by such attacks in Iraq and neighbouring Pakistan, Afghanistan has been spared sectarian violence despite having a relatively large Shi’a population as discussed in this report,” it says. The study calls on all forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations to reduce civilian casualties and “conscientiously work to uphold the dignity and honour of Afghans, to avoid provoking outrage in the population and a ready supply of volunteers for jihad.” Afghan national security forces must be supported increasingly to assume responsibility for providing more effective security, and the means must be found to engage other Muslim countries to support security and reconstruction in Afghanistan. The cross-border dimension of suicide attacks in Afghanistan must also be addressed by bolstering Pakistani support to eliminate domestic enablers for the insurgency in Afghanistan and address militancy within its own borders, the study states. Previous research has noted the low effectiveness of Afghan suicide attackers, who in some cases succeed in blowing up only themselves. UNAMA’s findings affirm this but also point to a possible explanation, that coercion and misrepresentation on the part of terrorist training and recruitment networks mean attackers are often ill-prepared for their missions and unaware of the consequences. 2007-09-10 00:00:00.000
UN ATOMIC WATCHDOG HELPS PROTECT AGAINST NUCLEAR TERRORISM AT BEIJING OLYMPICS New York, Sep 10 2007 11:00AM The United Nations atomic watchdog agency is providing expertise to support the security of major public events against the threat of nuclear terrorism, including ongoing preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. “The Agency’s nuclear security work has clearly improved overall nuclear security,” UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told the agency’s Board of Governors meeting in Vienna on his latest report on nuclear security and protection against nuclear terrorism. “But much remains to be done in shaping the nuclear security framework, in building up-to-date security systems and in dealing with the legacy of past lax security. This is not a problem that can be solved overnight; it takes time and resources to achieve a sustainable, internationally acceptable baseline level of nuclear security,” he said. Expertise for protection at major events is just one of element is the IAEA’s arsenal of measures. The Agency already provided support in the preparations of July’s Pan American Games in Brazil. Mr. ElBaradei noted that over the past 12 months the IAEA continued to expand Member State participation in the Illicit Trafficking Database and that nuclear security training had been provided to some 1,650 individuals from 90 countries. The Agency assisted in improving physical protection at facilities in nine States. “More than 900 items of security related equipment were supplied to Member States, including border detection equipment for 29 countries,” he said. “Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plans were completed in 38 countries, and the agreed activities have been planned or are being implemented in each of the States concerned.” The international community has taken on board a variety of international instruments relevant to nuclear security and he welcomed the rapid entry into force of the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. “However, progress on ratifying the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material remains slow,” he stressed, noting that only 11 of 128 States Parties had so far accepted the Amendment. The Agency is foreseen as playing an important role in implementing these instruments. “To that end, we have started an effort to provide nuclear security guidance that would facilitate implementation,” Mr. ElBaradei said. “This and other programme changes entail transitioning from a situation in which strengthening nuclear security has been addressed as an ad hoc reaction to the prevailing threat of nuclear terrorism to a situation in which nuclear security will be addressed in a normative, sustainable manner.” 2007-09-10 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON URGES DARFUR PARTIES TO FOSTER POSITIVE CLIMATE FOR PEACE TALKS New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today in Libya called on all parties to the conflict in the Sudanese region of Darfur to create a climate conducive to successful peace negotiations to be held next month in Tripoli. In a statement released in the Libyan capital, where Mr. Ban is wrapping up a three-nation trip that also took him to Sudan and Chad, the Secretary-General set out a series of measures required to address the conflict that has engulfed Darfur since 2003, killing over 200,000 people and driving an additional 2.2 million from their homes. He urged all parties "to declare their serious commitment to achieve a political solution to the Darfur crisis; to create a security environment in Darfur conducive to negotiations; to participate in and commit to the outcome of the negotiation effort; and to cease all hostilities immediately." Mr. Ban further stressed the need for an end to violence and insecurity, a strengthened ceasefire supported by the incoming UN-African Union peacekeeping force, to be known as UNAMID, as well as an improvement in the humanitarian situation and better prospects for development and recovery for the people of Darfur. The peace negotiations will begin in Libya under the lead of the AU-UN Special Envoys on 27 October. The envoys, Jan Eliasson representing the UN and Salim Ahmed Salim for the AU, "will continue to work in close coordination with the countries of the region and ensure that the concerns of civil society, representatives of internally displaced persons, women's groups and tribal leaders are channeled into the negotiation process," Mr. Ban said today. During his visit to Sudan, Chad and Libya, the Secretary-General received "strong endorsement" for the upcoming negotiations, according to the statement. 2007-09-09 00:00:00.000
UN MEETING ON SECURITY IN CENTRAL AFRICA WRAPS UP New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM The illicit arms trade, violence in individual Central African countries and other pressing concerns were among the issues addressed at a United Nations meeting on the region’s security concerns which concluded today in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Topics conferred on by participants at its 26th ministerial meeting of the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa – whose prime objective is to promote peace and security in the sub-region – included the situation on the ground in Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “Despite encouraging progress, Central Africa’s political, security and socio-economic situation remains worrying,” according to a press release issued by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, which organized the five-day conference. Regarding Burundi, attendees discussed compliance with the ceasefire agreement, while they voiced concern over the violence in the Kivus and the militia and armed groups’ repeated violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The group welcomed the deployment of a joint UN-European Union (EU) force in north-eastern CAR and eastern Chad, as well as the Joint Communiqué signed between Rwanda and the DRC. The topic of controlling small arms and light weapons in the area, known as the “Initiative of Sao Tome,” was also discussed. The 11 States members of the Committee are: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Congo, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Principe. Representatives from several UN entities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were also in attendance. 2007-09-07 00:00:00.000
Sept 6
UN FORCE COMMANDER URGES CEASEFIRE IN VOLATILE EASTERN DR CONGO New York, Sep 6 2007 7:00PM With violence flaring in the volatile eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a senior United Nations military official based in the country today called for a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement to the conflict which has pit government troops against faction leader Laurent Nkunda. Speaking at a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York, Major-General Babacar Gaye, Force Commander of the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), said the situation is extremely complex and warned that it requires a “very measured response.” He said the fighting has potential wider implications for the subregion, characterizing General Nkunda as a self-styled leader of the Tutsi community, which is present on both sides of the DRC-Rwanda border. “Laurent Nkunda considers himself a spokesman and protector of the Tutsi community, of whom one part are refugees in Rwanda, and the return of these refugees is the first thing he is demanding of the Government,” explained Mr. Gaye. Their return, he added, must be predicated on a settlement of the situation in northern Kivu. This, in turn, requires attention to the overall security sector reform, he stressed, pointing out that “it is the weakness of the Congolese State which makes it difficult to extend its authority to all parts of northern Kivu, which has led Laurent Nkunda to progressively fill the void the State has left.” He recalled that mixed brigades were a temporary solution to a confrontation that existed between forces loyal to General Nkunda and Government units. About three weeks ago to the northeast of Goma, MONUC had to intervene to avoid a confrontation between a Nkunda battalion and a Government battalion. “When we saw this trend happening within the other mixed brigades we understood that the conditions were there for a confrontation,” said the Force Commander. Maj.-Gen. Gaye said from what he had learned, Laurent Nkunda “is outstretching his hand to soldiers that were his prisoners as well as to negotiate with the Government.” For its part, MONUC would help that process, he said. “There should immediately be a ceasefire and a negotiated solution because clearly the first victims of these confrontations are the civilian populations.” The Force Commander said it is desirable to have a negotiated solution “to avoid having insecurity become endemic in northern Kivu.” On what MONUC has done, he stressed that it had for three months reinforced its North Kivu brigade with an additional battalion while increasing its mobile operations and providing “measured support” to the Congolese Army, known by its French acronym FARDC. Asked about the role of Rwanda, he said “obviously Rwanda to my opinion will never accept that they are providing support on an official basis to Laurent Nkunda but the reality is that because the Tutsi community is living on both side of the borders you may have people who are coming on their own to support Laurent Nkunda. But there is no indication that there is an intervention.” In a separate development, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes was in South Kivu Province today, where he met recently internally displaced persons (IDPs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Mr. Holmes also went to the General Referral Hospital of Panzi. Dr. Denis Mukwege, head of the hospital, described widespread sexual violence, with victims often publicly raped by multiple perpetrators frequently in front of their families and communities. One-third of the survivors are shot or stabbed in their genitals and therefore require complex surgical procedures. In the first six months of this year in South Kivu alone, 4,500 cases of sexual violence have been reported, but the real number is many times higher. “I am not the same person now as I was when I walked in here – I have heard stories today that go beyond the imagination,” Mr. Holmes said. “I cannot find the words to describe what I have heard today. The only thing I can say is never again. I will remember these stories for the rest of my life.” On Friday, he is scheduled to travel to North Kivu Province, where fighting has displaced more than 10,000 civilians since 27 August, according to OCHA. Since December 2006, North Kivu has been ravaged by violent clashes leading to the displacement of more than 224,000 people. 2007-09-06 00:00:00.000
INDIGENOUS LEADERS VOICE HOPE THAT UN ASSEMBLY WILL SOON ADOPT RIGHTS DECLARATION New York, Sep 6 2007 6:00PM Indigenous leaders today expressed hope that the United Nations General Assembly next week will adopt a declaration outlining their rights and outlawing discrimination against them. Although the UN Human Rights Council endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – which has been drafted and debated for more than two decades – last June, the Assembly deferred action after some Member States raised concerns. A majority of the 16 members of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, an advisory body, have agreed to endorse a recently amended draft declaration for adoption by the General Assembly, Victoria Tauli-Corpus, who serves as Chair of the Forum and as the Co-coordinator of the Asia Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus on the declaration, told reporters in New York. “We think that this is a historical milestone if it is going to be adopted, and hopefully we would like it to be adopted by consensus. It is a historical milestone, too, for the indigenous peoples who have been doing this work for more than 22 years,” said Ms. Tauli-Corpus, who belongs to the Kankanaey-Igorot people of the Cordillera region in the Phillippines. She noted that States have a “historical obligation and a moral obligation” to adopt the declaration, which she characterized as a “key instrument and tool for raising awareness on indigenous peoples’ situations and indigenous peoples’ rights.” The General Assembly is expected to consider the adoption of the Declaration on 13 September before the conclusion of its current session the following day. This May at the Forum’s annual session, Ms. Tauli-Corpuz said that there was a widespread misunderstanding that the declaration places indigenous peoples in a special category. “The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – it’s really an instrument that interprets international human rights law in so far as it applies to indigenous peoples,” she said. “So it’s not a document, it’s not a declaration that creates new rights.” The declaration emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations. The text prohibits discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them, as well as their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own visions of economic and social development. 2007-09-06 00:00:00.000
LIBERIA: UN MISSION DRAWDOWN DESIGNED TO FOSTER STABILITY, ENVOY SAYS New York, Sep 6 2007 6:00PM The planned drawdown of the United Nations Mission in Liberia is designed to foster stability in the country, which has consolidated democracy in recent years following a devastating civil war, the world body’s senior envoy there said today. Addressing the Security Council in New York, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative, Alan Doss, said the proposed reduction of the mission’s military and police components was “designed to minimize threats to territorial integrity and to deal with any serious disruption” to Liberia’s internal stability. At the same time, he cautioned that security in the country remains a paramount concern. The Secretary-General’s latest report recommends that the drawdown of the military component be undertaken in three stages in “a gradual manner to avoid creating instability,” Mr. Doss told the closed-door meeting, according to a news release from UNMIL. This should provide the “time and space needed for Liberia to address these challenges and for the Government to progressively assume full responsibility for national security,” he noted. The Government of Liberia must also reinforce its ongoing efforts to promote reconciliation, develop accountable and effective security forces, carry out economic reforms and tackle corruption, as well as strengthen the rule of law, promote social equity and the rights of women and children, and consolidate national control over natural resources, the envoy stressed. The Secretary-General has recommended that the drawdown for both the military and police component take place in multiple stages from the current level of 15,200, with 9,750 remaining on the ground by the end of 2010. Mr. Doss also informed the Council that the Government was working with UNMIL and the UN country team to tackle the prevalence of gender-based violence, especially rape, which was one of the “most frequently committed serious crimes in Liberia.” On the critical aspect of job creation, Mr. Doss said UNMIL had worked with other agencies and the Government on joint road rehabilitation programmes, creating about 31,000 temporary jobs for mainly unskilled workers, including ex-combatants, in rural areas. Plans were also underway to complete the reintegration programme to prepare former fighters for work, he noted. UNMIL was established in September 2003 to support the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the peace process; protect UN staff, facilities and civilians; bolster humanitarian and human rights activities; and assist in national security reform, including national police training and formation of a new, restructured military. 2007-09-06 00:00:00.000
TOP UN OFFICIALS IN AFRICA TO BE RESHUFFLED New York, Sep 6 2007 5:00PM Three top United Nations officials in Africa will switch posts to allow the world body to address issues on the continent, especially in Somalia and the Central African Republic (CAR), it was announced today. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has proposed, in an exchange of letters with the Security Council, that Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, who currently heads the UN Office in West Africa, be appointed as his Special Representative for Somalia. Mr. Ban also suggested upgrading the position to that of Under-Secretary-General. Meanwhile, the current Special Representative for Somalia François Lonsény Fall would be reassigned to head the UN Peacebuilding Support Office in the CAR. General Lamine Cissé, who now heads that Office, would in turn temporarily be officer-in-charge of the UN Office in West Africa, Mr. Ould Abdallah’s current post. “These are changes aimed at ensuring that the United Nations is doing its utmost to rise to a number of challenges and opportunities it faces in several key arenas in Africa – particularly Somalia and the Central African Republic,” UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York. 2007-09-06 00:00:00.000
UN CULTURE AGENCY CELEBRATES LIFE OF POET, PHILOSOPHER AND SPIRITUAL LEADER RUMI New York, Sep 6 2007 4:00PM A demonstration of Sufi dancing, an exhibition of manuscripts, books and paintings, and an international seminar of scholars are among the events being held today by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the birth of the poet, philosopher and Muslim spiritual leader Mawlana Jalal-ud-Din Balkhi-Rumi. UNESCO said it would issue a commemorative medal in honour of the man known also as Rumi as part of the day-long programme being held at its headquarters in Paris. Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey have helped organize the festivities. Born in 1207 in Balkh in what is now Afghanistan, Rumi is the author of the renowned Mathnawi or “Rhyming Couplets.” After being exiled, he spent most of his life in Konya, which is in present-day Turkey. Since his death in 1273, Rumi has come to be considered one of the greatest Sufi masters. In a press statement UNESCO said today’s seminar brings together eminent scholars and philosophers from Member States to discuss themes relating to the thought, message and universality of Rumi. A performance of Sufi dancing by troupes from Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey will also take place, while the exhibition of books, manuscripts and paintings relating to Rumi will remain on display until 14 September. 2007-09-06 00:00:00.000
Sept 5
BAN KI-MOON REPORTS ‘STEADY PROGRESS’ TOWARDS DEPLOYING HYBRID FORCE IN DARFUR New York, Sep 5 2007 6:00PM The United Nations is making “steady progress” towards setting up its landmark hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur with the African Union (AU), but complex logistical challenges lie ahead and Member States need to provide military contributions before further benchmarks for deployment can be met, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on the mission says. The report on the deployment of the force, known as UNAMID, notes that the UN and AU have established a multidisciplinary transition team in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state and the future headquarters of the mission. The team has already begun implementing deployment plans on the ground. But given the nature of Darfur, a vast, impoverished and remote region on Sudan’s western flank, “enormously complex logistical operations” are still necessary before deployment, Mr. Ban writes. The construction of safe accommodation and office facilities for UNAMID staff that meet UN safety standards will be critical, he states, adding that so too will be the transfer of equipment and assets from the existing AU mission in Darfur, known as AMIS. Mr. Ban stresses that UN Member States must now step up and urgently provide the outstanding military contributions that are necessary for UNAMID to fulfil its mandate. The Security Council authorized the creation of UNAMID on 31 July in a resolution that called for a force of nearly 20,000 military personnel and more than 6,000 police officers. It will be the largest peacekeeping force in the world. The force is being sent in to try to quell the violence in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.2 million others forced to leave their homes since 2003 because of fighting among rebel groups, Government forces and allied militia known as the Janjaweed. Violence has erupted again in recent weeks, and in his report Mr. Ban voices deep concern about the deadly clashes between tribes in South Darfur state, attacks against local police in South Darfur and Government attacks against villages in North Darfur and South Darfur, all in the past month. The Secretary-General also calls on the Sudanese Government to facilitate expeditious land acquisitions so that UNAMID can construct staff accommodation and to ensure smooth visa arrangements for visits of delegations from UNAMID troop and police contributors. Last month, a three-day joint planning session of the UN and AU concluded that it is vital “to create an early and visible improvement in the security situation in Darfur” as authority transfers from AMIS to UNAMID to ensure that public confidence in the new mission is enhanced from the start. To achieve that, the UN and AU have agreed to deploy an early-effect capability in Darfur ahead of the transfer of authority date of 1 January next year. The capability will include one infantry battalion, four reserve companies, up to 60 liaison officers and military aviation resources, as well as one formed police unit and 40 individual police officers. 2007-09-05 00:00:00.000
RECENT STEPS BY GOVERNMENT OF MYANMAR ARE ‘SETBACK’ TO DEMOCRACY – UN ENVOY New York, Sep 5 2007 6:00PM The recent crackdown by Myanmar’s Government after peaceful protests over fuel prices is a setback for the country and has the effect of calling into question the Government’s commitment to democratization, the United Nations envoy to the country said today as he detailed plans to visit Myanmar again as early as next month. Speaking to reporters in New York, Special Adviser on Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari reiterated the call of UN officials for the Government to release all of its political detainees, including those people arrested in the past few weeks as a result of the demonstrations over the surge in fuel prices. “These incidents of recent times cannot be seen in any other way than a setback for Myanmar,” Mr. Gambari said, referring to the Government’s response to the protests. “They are all the more disappointing as they not only have the effect of calling into question the stated commitment to democratization and national reconciliation by the authorities, but also make it more difficult to maintain support, international support, for engagement with Myanmar at a time when we believe strongly that the country needs international assistance in addressing the many pressing challenges, from political and human rights issues to humanitarian and socio-economic problems.” Mr. Gambari also described the National Convention process, the first step under the road map outlined by the Government for political reform, as flawed given that it excluded opponents of the Government. “We strongly believe that there should be opportunities in the period ahead to improve on the outcome of the document of this Convention [which concluded yesterday] in ways that are more inclusive, more participatory and more transparent,” he said, adding that some provisions adopted at the Convention “would seemingly run counter to the objectives of national reconciliation and democratization.” Mr. Gambari, who has held extensive consultations in capitals across Asia, Europe and North America since assuming his post earlier this year, said he expects his next visit to Myanmar – for which he has a standing invitation from the Government – could took place by mid-October. “The expectations of the UN and of the international community are very clear and they require concrete results from Myanmar. I will continue to carry that message.” The Special Adviser noted that the UN is the only international actor to maintain a face-to-face dialogue with Myanmar’s top leaders and with Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who remains under hose arrest. For three years, there was no dialogue between the international community and Myanmar. He stressed that the UN is “moving very systematically to line up the support of the international community” to ensure that all key countries are working together to spur Myanmar to make progress, and it is making use of the Secretary-General’s good offices to pursue peace. Mr. Gambari also said the UN is focusing its efforts on a much broader range of issues than before – not only the release of political prisoners, but also questions of humanitarian access and progress towards implementing the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in health and education. “We feel that the broader the agenda, the higher the likelihood of finding common ground in order to make progress where progress can be made and demonstrated.” 2007-09-05 00:00:00.000
GREEK CYPRIOT AND TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADERS DISCUSS COMPREHENSIVE SETTLEMENT – UN New York, Sep 5 2007 6:00PM Greek Cypriot leader H.E. Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader H.E. Mehmet Ali Talat discussed issues leading to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem during a United Nations-sponsored meeting today. According to a press statement issued by the world body’s peacekeeping mission in Cyprus ), Mr. Papadopoulos and Mr. Talat held their discussion “in a constructive atmosphere” at the official residence of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus in the UN Protected Area in Nicosia. They also agreed on the need for the “earliest start of the process,” as well as on continuing their contact through the UN and meeting again when appropriate. The decision to hold today’s meeting was reached by Rasit Pertev and Tasos Tzionis, the principal aides to the two leaders, who held a 45-minute meeting last month at UNFICYP headquarters in the presence of Wlodek Cibor, the Mission’s Senior Adviser. 2007-09-05 00:00:00.000
SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA LEAD TALKS AT UN MEETING New York, Sep 5 2007 5:00PM An initiative to control the trade of small arms and light weapons in Central Africa and a planned code of conduct for the region’s armed and security forces are expected to top the agenda at a United Nations-sponsored security meeting taking place in Yaoundé, Cameroon, this week. The latest ministerial meeting of the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa will also consider recent security and geopolitical developments among its member states, while a special conference on cross-border security issues will take place as well. A press release from the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs said the meeting participants will examine the so-called São Tomé Initiative for setting up a legal instrument to control the profusion of small arms and light weapons in a region that has long been beset by deadly conflict. The Committee, which meets twice a year at the ministerial level, was established by the UN Secretary-General in May 1992. Its membership comprises all 11 countries in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) – Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and São Tomé and Príncipe. The participants at this week’s meeting, which began on Monday and is scheduled to run until Friday, include representatives of the UN peacekeeping or political missions in the DRC, the CAR and Burundi. 2007-09-05 00:00:00.000
COOPERATION WITH CIVIL SOCIETY CRUCIAL TO TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE, UN OFFICIALS SAY New York, Sep 5 2007 4:00PM Top United Nations officials underscored the necessity of the partnership between the world body and civil society in addressing climate change at a non-governmental organization (NGO) conference which kicked off in New York today. While Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has identified climate change as one of his top priorities, “we also understand that this is not a challenge for the UN alone,” Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro told over 2,000 NGO and civil society representatives gathered at UN Headquarters. Confronting climate change “requires a truly global effort; an effort that draws together governments, the private sector and civil society in one sustained push for change,” she said at the opening of the three-day gathering with the theme “Climate change: how it impacts us all.” The effort to halt climate change presents remarkable opportunities to implement a new sustainable development process; promote cleaner business, industries and jobs; make better and wiser use of limited natural resources; and re-invest in depleted natural capital, Ms. Migiro said. “In short, combating climate change presents an opportunity to break with the past, to look anew at the way we operate, the way we do business and the way we relate to each other, now and in the future.” General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa also noted that tackling climate change requires “a radical change of behaviour and consciousness,” and the effort can only succeed “if it is home-based” and engages communities “in identifying the actions and responses that are most suited to their particular circumstance.” Civil society can contribute greatly and most effectively if it fosters awareness and persisting in developing inventive initiatives at the grassroots level which inspire people to work towards a solution, she added. “The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization, but it draws its strength and inspiration from the support of civil society worldwide,” she said. Sheikha Haya, in her last address to the NGO community during her tenure as GA President, highlighted the fact that climate change affects all countries, as its effects “know no boundaries,” and must be addressed in the context of the international development agenda. Today’s opening session also heard from Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyotaka Akasaka and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner, among other officials. 2007-09-05 00:00:00.000
Sept. 4
BAN KI-MOON BACKS EFFORTS FOR MORE INNOVATIVE FORMS OF FINANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT New York, Sep 4 2007 4:00PM Finding new flows of development finance is crucial if the world is to meet its ambitious series of anti-poverty goals by the target date of 2015, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told a meeting of an international group of rich and poor nations set up to promote more innovative ways of financing. In a video message to the meeting of the Leading Group on Solidarity Levies to Fund Development, held in Seoul, Mr. Ban noted the continuing funding gap in the campaign to achieve the Millennium Development Goals “Closing this gap is essential if we are to alleviate extreme poverty, fight diseases and achieve the other development targets,” he said. “It is vital that the momentum be maintained and that new funding initiatives be encouraged.” The world’s nations agreed in 2000 to work towards the MDGs, a set of eight targets for ameliorating major social and economic ills. In his message today, Mr. Ban cited the air ticket solidarity levy, the international finance facility for immunization and the advanced market commitments pilot programme as recent examples of creative alternatives in the area of financing for development. He told the Leading Group that their gathering “provides a unique opportunity to take stock of the progress made to date in these and other initiatives. It also allows you to exchange experiences and lessons learned as we move forward in achieving the internationally agreed development goals.” Established last year, the Leading Group has at least 40 member countries and observer members, and includes both developed and developing nations.
UN-BACKED REPORT SPOTLIGHTS OBSTACLES FACED BY AFGHAN RETURNEES New York, Sep 4 2007 3:00PM Many Afghans returning to their homeland face a number of major challenges, including a lack of employment, health care, education and housing, according to an assessment carried out with the support of the United Nations refugee agency. The findings are contained in “Economic and Social Rights in Afghanistan II,” the second report of its kind by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC). The vast majority – over 85 per cent – of the more than 11,000 Afghans interviewed listed job opportunities, access to safe drinking water, improvement of health and education facilities, and housing as their top priorities for the future. “Despite all efforts made by the Government, this report shows that Afghanistan needs more time to reach sustainable reintegration for those who have come home,” said Salvatore Lombardo, UNHCR’s representative in Afghanistan. In particular, the study found chronic food shortages among those interviewed, and more than half said they did not have access to safe drinking water, while 60 per cent were living on less than $1 a day. One third of respondents said their children were not attending school, with distance and security concerns cited for girls and the need to work for boys. The lack of housing was not only a key obstacle for those choosing to return but also a main cause of dissatisfaction after their homecoming. In response to the findings, the AIHRC is urging the Afghan Government to focus more on the situation of vulnerable groups, including returnees who have to rebuild their lives after spending years in exile. “Full integration of returnees and a permanent peace closely and directly depend on the realization of economic, social and cultural rights,” stated AIHRC Chair Sima Samar. 2007-09-04 00:00:00.000
UN ENVOY ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT BEGINS VISIT TO CÔTE D’IVOIRE New York, Sep 4 2007 3:00PM The United Nations human rights envoy tasked with protecting the rights of children caught up in armed conflict today began a visit to Côte d’Ivoire to assess the situation in the divided West African country. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, will focus particularly on the follow-up of action plans aimed at releasing children from armed groups and reintegrating them into their communities, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters. Ms. Coomaraswamy will also examine the issue of sexual violence against children in the aftermath of the conflict in Côte d’Ivoire, which has been split between the Government-controlled south and the Forces Nouvelles-held north since 2002. The Special Representative was invited to Côte d’Ivoire by the Government, Ms. Montas added. The UN peacekeeping mission to the country (known as UNOCI) is helping to implement a disarmament process in Côte d’Ivoire as part of a peace deal signed by the country’s leaders in Ouagadougou, capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso, in March. The pact calls, among other steps, for: creating a new transitional government; organizing free and fair presidential elections; merging the Forces Nouvelles and the national defence and security forces through the establishment of an integrated command centre; dismantling the militias, disarming ex-combatants and enrolling them in civil services programmes; and replacing the “zone of confidence” separating north and south with a green line to be monitored by UNOCI. Last year, a report from the UN Secretary-General found that Côte d’Ivoire was one of at least 12 countries where children are recruited to serve as either government soldiers, rebel gunmen or militia members. 2007-09-04 00:00:00.000
THOUSANDS MORE CIVILIANS FLEE NEW CLASHES IN EASTERN DR CONGO, UN REPORTS New York, Sep 4 2007 3:00PM Thousands of Congolese civilians are on the move in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) strife-torn North Kivu province, fleeing their homes amid reports of renewed fighting, cases of rape, and rising tensions between Government forces, renegade troops and rebel groups, the United Nations refugee agency reported today. “We fear that the pursuit of a military solution to the problems in North Kivu would further worsen the province’s humanitarian crisis through the potential displacement of hundreds of thousands of additional Congolese civilians,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva. “We again call on all parties to the conflict in North Kivu to refrain from direct attacks and atrocities against the civilian population, and displaced people in particular.” Voicing deep concern, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the Government and all local stakeholders to persevere in their efforts to bring about a peaceful solution. A statement issued by his spokesperson said Mr. Ban was “very concerned by the impact of the fighting on local populations and calls on all parties to ensure the protection of the vulnerable. He urges all stakeholders in the region to focus on resolving the underlying causes of the crisis through dialogue,” it added. In Kinshasa, the DRC capital, the top UN humanitarian relief official, Under-Secretary-General John Holmes, today discussed the situation with the country’s Foreign Minister, UN agencies and the UN Mission in the DRC ). UNHCR reported that over the weekend and yesterday an inter-agency team found large groups of newly displaced people making their way on foot from Rubaya and other Masisi villages towards the town of Sake and the nearby Mugunga site for internally displaced persons 15 kilometres west of Goma, North Kivu’s capital. The newly displaced carried few belongings, mostly packed in bundles on their backs. Many said they left their homes fearing the ongoing military build-up in the area, although they had not witnessed direct fighting. Some have reported cases of rape and killings of civilians by armed men, Mr. Redmond said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that overall more than 1 million people in the DRC have been uprooted due to armed confrontations and the presence of armed groups. The majority are in North Kivu (640,000), South Kivu (266,000) and the north-eastern district of Ituri (152,000). Since the beginning of the year, up to 224,000 people have been displaced in North Kivu. Eastern DRC remains the most violent region in the vast country, where MONUC has overseen the transition from a six-year civil war that cost 4 million lives in fighting and attendant hunger and disease – widely considered the most lethal conflict in the world since World War II – to gradual stabilization, culminating in the first democratic elections in over four decades last year, the largest and most complex polls the UN has ever helped to organize. UNHCR is discussing the possibility of a new displacement site near Mugunga, which currently has as many as 18,000 people. On Friday, for example, at a school near Mugunga was reported to hold 600 IDPs seeking shelter in over-crowded conditions. “Our team reports there are now more than 2,500 people there,” Mr. Redmond said. “Unaccompanied children are also among the displaced, as well as parents desperately looking for their children,” he added. “The full scale of displacement is difficult to gauge as we and other humanitarian agencies face increasingly limited access to many areas in Masisi and Rutshuru districts. We fear there may be many more in areas we cannot reach. A growing number of Congolese are seeking shelter at more than 20 spontaneous IDP sites scattered across the province.” In a related development, some 10,000 Congolese crossed into Uganda’s Kisoro district yesterday evening, saying they were fleeing fighting between the DRC military and renegade troops. By this morning, the majority had already begun returning home. Due to general insecurity in North Kivu, especially at night, such rapid population movements are relatively frequent. 2007-09-04 00:00:00.000
‘EXTREMELY SERIOUS’ LOCUST INFESTATION IN YEMEN WORSENS IN AUGUST, UN REPORTS New York, Sep 4 2007 1:00PM The locust infestation in Yemen, already termed “threatening and extremely serious” last month, worsened during August as immature swarms of the crop-devouring insects formed in the interior and moved into the central highlands, with the possibility that they may now invade neighbouring countries, the United Nations warned in its latest update. Some swarms remained in the interior where another generation of breeding is likely to occur while a few others moved to southern Oman, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported, in what has been called the worst locust infestation in Yemen in nearly 15 years. The swarms in the highlands are expected to reach the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden coast where they will mature and lay eggs. A few swarms could also reach coastal areas in Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Sudan and northern Somalia where good rains fell during August, FAO said. There is also a slight risk that a few swarms could reach the Indo-Pakistan border during the first half of September. Elsewhere, heavy rains and flooding occurred in the interior of Sudan and Eritrea where locust numbers are expected to increase. Good rains fell and ecological conditions were favourable in the northern
August 30
MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE RECEIVE UN FOOD RATIONS IN WAKE OF HURRICANE DEAN New York, Aug 30 2007 5:00PM The United Nations World Food Programme is providing emergency daily rations to more than 10,000 people in Jamaica and Belize as they try to rebuild their lives in the wake of Hurricane Dean’s deadly and destructive sweep through the region earlier this month. For the next two weeks, some 5,500 Jamaicans will receive a 450-kilocalorie ration each day of high-energy biscuits, while another 5,000 people in Belize will receive a daily ration for the next two months consisting of pulses, vegetable oil and the biscuits. WFP said it is paying for the rations, which are expected to cost about $256,000, from its Immediate Response Account, a special revolving fund it can draw on in the immediate aftermath of emergencies when contributions from donors have not yet arrived. Carlo Scaramella, who is managing WFP’s response to the hurricane in Belize, said the rations represent “a key first step” for people whose livelihoods have been destroyed or drastically reduced by the hurricane damage. “While Hurricane Dean may have vanished from the front pages of the newspapers, the reality of its destructive power remains for thousands of very poor people who must begin to put their lives back together,” Mr. Scaramella said. Media reports estimate that at least 40 people were killed across the Caribbean and Central America as Hurricane Dean crossed the region earlier this month, leaving a trail of damage to key infrastructure. WFP said in a press release issued today from Panama City that it was able to respond quickly to the disaster because of preparations it took before the storm ensure that supplies could flow swiftly from its storage centres in El Salvador and Barbados to those affected. The Programme’s Deputy Regional Director Gordana Jerger said the speed of the response will prove even more critical in the years ahead, “given that the region faces a future of weather-related disasters whose intensity and number may well increase.” 2007-08-30 00:00:00.000
UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG CHIEF CIRCULATES LATEST REPORT ON IRAN New York, Aug 30 2007 5:00PM The head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency has circulated his latest report on the nuclear programme of Iran to the agency’s Board of Governors. The report covers the developments since the last report of IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei, which was issued in May, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters. The 35-member Board will now consider the report at its next meeting, scheduled to begin at IAEA headquarters in Vienna on 10 September. In his last report, Mr. ElBaradei voiced concern over the situation with Iran, which he said needed to do more to dispel the fears of the international community regarding the country’s nuclear programme. Last December, the Security Council adopted a resolution banning trade with Iran in all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to the country's enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. It tightened the measures in March, banning arms sales and expanding the freeze on assets. Earlier this week, however, the IAEA published on its website, at the request of Iran, the text of a joint work plan which states that Iran has addressed the agency’s questions about its past plutonium programme and both parties now consider that matter resolved. 2007-08-30 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON ‘ENCOURAGED’ BY RECENT PROGRESS IN MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT New York, Aug 30 2007 4:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he was encouraged by recent international efforts to return Palestinians and Israelis to the path of negotiations, but warned the leaders of both sides still face internal obstacles that may prevent any serious momentum towards peace. In a message to the opening of the two-day UN International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace taking place in Brussels, Mr. Ban said several recent initiatives “all have the potential to result in a significant breakthrough” in the long-running conflict. He cited the Arab Peace Initiative, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s recent appointment of the Representatives of the Middle East diplomatic Quartet and United States President George W. Bush’s decision to convene a major meeting on the issue in November. “Amidst this activity, I particularly welcome the decision by [Israeli] Prime Minister [Ehud] Olmert and [Palestinian] President [Mahmoud] Abbas to meet regularly to discuss a range of issues,” Mr. Ban said in his message, which was delivered by Angela Kane, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. “I hope that the internal challenges each faces will not deter them from moving forward with discussions on the political horizon.” Mr. Ban stressed that a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains “one of the foremost priorities of the United Nations. The continued occupation of the Palestinian territory prolongs hardship and injustice for millions of Palestinians, yet it has also failed to ensure the security of Israeli civilians.” Both sides need to demonstrate renewed commitment to a two-State solution, he said, calling on Israel to stop settlement activity and construction of the barrier and to ease restrictions of Palestinian movements, and urging Palestinians to make every effort to end the violence of militants and to make more progress on building robust institutions. The Secretary-General said the UN’s efforts to bring peace “would prove close to impossible without the active participation and support of innumerable civil society groups and individuals in Israel, in the occupied Palestinian territory, and around the world” who provide humanitarian relief and help to build bridges between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. But he also warned that any political progress “cannot obscure the dire humanitarian situation on the ground,” with the conditions in the Gaza Strip particularly acute because of the closure of border crossings. 2007-08-30 00:00:00.000
TOP UN ENVOY CONGRATULATES SOMALIS ON CONCLUSION OF RECONCILIATION DEBATE New York, Aug 30 2007 4:00PM The top United Nations envoy to Somalia today lauded the success of the national reconciliation summit, which ended today, but cautioned that much work remains to foster better internal relations in the war-ravaged country. “For me, today’s ceremony is of particular significance,” the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Somalia François Lonsény Fall told participants at the National Reconciliation Congress in the capital Mogadishu. “It heralds the successful conclusion of a Somali-driven and owned reconciliation process within the country.” He warned that while the end of the Congress “marks yet another milestone in the quest for peace and reconciliation process in Somalia, it does not however signify the end of the reconciliation process” as the East African nation must overcome many hurdles, including engaging all opposition groups in a dialogue. “Dealing with these challenges will require political will, commitment and perseverance by all parties concerned, as well as concerted international assistance and support by Somalia’s friends and development partners,” he said. The envoy, who led a delegation of the International Advisory Committee (IAC), recommended that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) receive support to extend its authority and bolster respect for human rights throughout Somalia, which has had no functioning government since Muhammad Siad Barre’s regime was toppled in 1991. He called for the strengthening of AMISOM, the African Union-led mission in Somalia, which he said is a “prerequisite for improving stability and for providing the space for the political process, including the dialogue between the TFG and the opposition groups, to move forward.” Regarding terrorism, Mr. Fall said it is crucial to decouple the issue from that of settling the Somali political crisis to allow the reconciliation process to move forward. “The best way to fight terrorism in this country is to pursue open dialogue and genuine reconciliation among all parties in Somalia,” he said. The reconciliation congress kicked off on 14 July but was followed by a series of deadly attacks targeting locations where the conference, which was suspended for several days, took place. The attacks have wounded and killed innocent bystanders, including children, and prompted scores of others to flee. Hostilities in the country flared up last year, culminating in the expulsion from Mogadishu in December of Islamist groups by the TFG, backed by Ethiopian troops. According to UN figures, 340,000 people, or roughly one-third of Mogadishu’s population, have fled the city because of ongoing hostilities since February. 2007-08-30 00:00:00.000
UNICEF RUSHING EMERGENCY AID TO CHOLERA VICTIMS IN NORTHERN IRAQ New York, Aug 30 2007 2:00PM The United Nations Children’s Fund is providing life-saving assistance to thousands of victims of a cholera outbreak in northern Iraq, as local authorities and their partners try to limit the spread of the infectious and often fatal water-borne disease. Yesterday the World Health OrganizationWHO), which is leading the UN response to the outbreak, reported that Sulemaniyah governorate experienced close to 5,000 cases since 10 August, with 10 deaths reported and 51 confirmed cases in Kirkuk. Two hospitals in the stricken governorate also reported treating 2,000 diarrhoea cases. To help area hospitals treat the overwhelming number of victims, UNICEF has delivered medical supplies including 15,000 sachets of oral rehydration salts, which are critical to prevent death from the dehydration caused by severe diarrhoea. In addition, 4,000 safe water kits are being delivered today to families in Sulemaniyah, where significant numbers of displaced people are also at risk. UNICEF’s team is also helping to run a comprehensive monitoring and community awareness programme to better detect cases and help families stay away from contaminated water, the likely source of the outbreak. The agency is appealing to families in the affected areas to ensure that children are kept away from areas contaminated with raw sewage, always wash their hands with soap and only drink water that has been purified or boiled. Serious problems with water quality and sewage treatment are being blamed for the outbreak. Local reports indicate that only 30 per cent of the population in Sulemaniyah has an adequate water supply. If the epidemic spreads, there will be an urgent need for additional support including delivery of additional oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets, short-term water tankering and hygiene promotion campaigns. 2007-08-30 00:00:00.000
August 29
SIERRA LEONE: BAN KI-MOON VOICES CONCERN OVER POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE New York, Aug 29 2007 2:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed concern about the rising tensions and violence over the past week in Sierra Leone, which earlier this month held its first presidential and parliamentary polls since United Nations peacekeepers departed in 2005. “He calls on all parties and their leaders to do everything necessary to prevent the situation from escalating,” his spokesperson said in a statement. Mr. Ban once again commended the people of the West African nation for the “peaceful and orderly manner in which the first round of the electoral process was held.” The 11 August presidential and parliamentary elections were Sierra Leone’s second since the end of the decade-long civil war in 2002, and the first since the withdrawal of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone in December 2005. On Monday, the Security Council issued a press statement praising the “exemplary conduct” of Sierra Leoneans during the first round of the polls. The 15-member body also urged the public “to maintain the same sense of purpose, discipline and patience as the electoral process enters its final and decisive phase,” the run-off in the presidential election on 8 September between Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People’s Congress (APC) and incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). The two men are vying to succeed Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. In a statement earlier this month, the Secretary-General welcomed the peaceful atmosphere of the first round of voting but cautioned that the same atmosphere must prevail during the remainder of the election process. 2007-08-29 00:00:00.000
UN HEALTH AGENCY AIDS IRAQI GOVERNMENT IN CHOLERA RESPONSE New York, Aug 29 2007 1:00PM The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is assisting the Iraqi Government in responding to a recent outbreak of cholera in the northern governorate of Sulemaniyah which has already claimed 10 lives and left thousands ill. Following a request from Government officials for UN technical support, WHO’s representative in Iraq, Naeema Al-Gasser, supported by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq led a mission to Sulemaniyah to investigate the outbreak and provide technical advice. "To date, it is estimated that Sulemaniyah governorate experienced close to 5,000 cases since 10 August, with 10 deaths reported and 51 confirmed cases in Kirkuk," WHO said in a statement issued in Baghdad. Two hospitals in the stricken governorate also reported treating 2,000 diarrhoea cases. The agency has already established monitoring systems and will make available an international team to provide support as requested. It also plans to set up a surveillance system for water quality control, food inspection, and case findings and management while the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) will provide oral re-hydration therapy. The central government has shipped tons of medicine and medical supplies to Sulemaniyah, as have WHO, UNICEF and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs). WHO emphasized the importance of basic hygienic measures to limit the spread of the infectious and often fatal water-borne disease as well as increased public awareness. The main source of cholera derives from the poor sewage networks and water quality in Iraq. 2007-08-29 00:00:00.000
UN AMBASSADOR ANGELINA JOLIE HEARS OF SUFFERING, COURAGE FROM IRAQI REFUGEES New York, Aug 29 2007 1:00PM Angelina Jolie, actress and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador, today wrapped up her first visit to Iraq and Syria, where she spoke with Iraqi refugees who have fled the violence in their home country. After witnessing the suffering and resilience of Iraqi refugees first-hand, she voiced her continued support for UNHCR and “their tireless work for the people of Iraq.” On Monday, she arrived in Damascus, the Syrian capital, where she visited the UNHCR centre where some 2,500 Iraqi refugees are registered every week. Proving their refugees status gives them access to UNHCR-subsidized medical and food assistance. At the centre, Ms. Jolie played with Iraqi youngsters in a children’s play room, and met a young refugee girl named Zahara, who shares the same name as the Academy Award winner’s own adopted daughter from Ethiopia. She sat in on a registration clerk’s interview with a man and his family who fled Baghdad after one member narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt. They depend on the meagre income earned by their 17-year-old son who irons clothes in a laundry. Afterwards, Ms. Jolie visited the family in their small rented room shared by 13 people between the ages of eight months and 67 years. One of the women remarked to the Ambassador that her extended family lived under the roof of a spacious house in Baghdad, but now cannot afford to purchase diapers for her children. “I can’t imagine how I could manage to take care of my children in these circumstances,” Ms. Jolie, the mother of four, told the refugee woman. UNHCR estimates that over 4.2 million Iraqis have been uprooted, with two million fleeing to neighbouring countries and 2.2 million displaced within their home country. Yesterday, Ms. Jolie visited Al Waleed camp, which houses 1,300 refugees, in Iraq, where there is no running water or electricity. She met with sick children and refugees, and also toured a site where UNHCR plans to build a school for the camp’s children. 2007-08-29 00:00:00.000
LACK OF BIRTH CERTIFICATES DENY MILLIONS OF LATIN AMERICAN CHILDREN SERVICES -- UN New York, Aug 29 2007 12:00PM With millions of Latin American children excluded from health and education services because they lack birth certificates and do not therefore legally exist, the United Nations is participating in the first ever region-wide meeting convened to address the problem under the slogan "Write me down, make me visible." The three-day meeting in Asuncion, Paraguay, brings together the UN, Governments and civil society organizations from 18 Latin American countries and aims to form the basis for regional and national plans to guarantee free, universal and timely birth registration for all children by 2015. It will be replicated for the Caribbean region next year. "A staggering two million of the 11 million births in Latin America are not registered," the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a news release. "Without a birth certificate millions of children are excluded from basic services such as health and education and face daily exploitation and risk." UNICEF regional director Nils Kastberg painted the issue in stark terms. "Marcos Alexandro is 10 years old, lives in the State of Chiapas in Mexico, and was accepted into school at 10 years of age after registering in the registry," he said. "In Paraguay, it is estimated that only 35 per cent of boys and girls are registered during the first year of their life; for the remainder they simply don't exist as citizens. When we do not register our boys and girls, we deny them the basics like going to school, to hospital, getting a passport or being part of a family, and we are not protecting them against serious crimes such as child trafficking." The 1st Latin American Regional Conference on Birth Registration and the Right to Identity has been organized in conjunction with the Government of Paraguay by three of the region's main international agencies - UNICEF, the Organization of American States and the leading non-governmental organization, Plan International. Delegations include high-level political and government authorities, technical experts responsible for the civil registers, and civil society organizations. Countries represented are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. 2007-08-29 00:00:00.000
UN TO SEND HUMANITARIAN ASSESSMENT MISSION TO ETHIOPIA'S SOMALI REGIONAL STATE New York, Aug 29 2007 11:00AM The United Nations is sending a humanitarian mission tomorrow to Ethiopia's Somali Region, which has been affected by security operations, to assess relief needs, in particular access to food, water, health and nutrition services, and to monitor the dispatch and distribution of emergency food aid. The Government of Ethiopia has agreed to facilitate the inter-agency mission at the UN's request. "It is my hope that the findings of this assessment mission will construct a clearer picture of the humanitarian situation in the Region," UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Fidele Sarassoro said today of the mission, which he will launch in Jijiga, the regional capital. "Equally important to us is that the findings of this mission also support the delivery of assistance to the people of Somali Region," he added. The mission includes staff from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Department of Safety and Security, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The UN and other humanitarian actors have been supporting pastoral and agro-pastoral populations in the Somali Region with humanitarian and development assistance, particularly since 2000. 2007-08-29 00:00:00.000
August 28
UN FOUNDATION SENDS 40,000 ANTI-MALARIA NETS TO REFUGEE CAMPS IN CHAD
New York, Aug 28 2007 2:00PM
Tens of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons
) in eastern Chad
fleeing the ongoing crisis in Sudan’s Darfur region will be saved from
potentially fatal bouts of malaria thanks to 40,000 long-lasting
insecticide-treated nets being sent by the United Nations Foundation.
Without the nets dispatched by the Foundation's Nothing But Nets
campaign it has been estimated that 25 per cent of
he 200,000 refugees and IDPs living in the camps along the Chad-Sudan
and Chad-Central African Republic borders could die from malaria.
“We asked the tens of thousands of Nothing But Nets supporters to
help us purchase and deliver nets to Chad – and they responded
overwhelmingly in just three weeks,” Foundation Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer Kathy Bushkin Calvin said.
Last month, the UN High Commission on Refugees
, the UN
Children’s Fund and the MENTOR Initiative, a
non-governmental organization (NGO) working on the ground in the region
recognized an emergency need and sought assistance from the Foundation
to purchase and deliver nets before the height of the rainy season.
“Many lives will be saved through this emergency campaign,” said
Richard Allan, CEO of the MENTOR Initiative. "With so many Chadians
forced into temporary camps and living under poor conditions, the delivery
of these nets is vital to protecting Chadian families from the spread of
malaria.”
Through a growing network of more than 60,000 people, Nothing But Nets,
a grassroots effort to prevent malaria by delivering long-lasting
insecticide-treated nets, raised more than $400,000 for the initiative. The
National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls, a local partner in
the campaign, provided the first $10,000 for the emergency appeal.
“I want to thank my team and all those who answered this urgent
appeal,” said Chicago Bulls forward and Sudan native Luol Deng, a
spokesperson for Nothing But Nets. “With your donations, you have prevented
the unnecessary suffering of thousands.”
A US$10 donation to Nothing But Nets covers the cost to purchase and
distribute a net and educate a community health worker on its proper use.
Malaria kills more than 1 million people each year, most of them
children. Bed nets are one of the most cost-effective and simple methods of
preventing its spread.
The UN Foundation was
created in 1998 with the aim of promoting a more peaceful, prosperous,
and just world through the support of the UN. Through grant-making and
building new and innovative public-private partnerships, it acts to
meet the most pressing health, humanitarian, socio-economic and
environmental challenges of the 21st century.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000
UN ISSUES $14 MILLION APPEAL TO ASSIST FLOOD-RAVAGED DPR KOREA New York, Aug 28 2007 2:00PM The United Nations launched a $14 million flash appeal today to aid the nearly one million victims of severe flooding in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) over the past two weeks. Over 450 people have been killed and 170,000 made homeless by the widespread flooding, landslides and mudslides which have affected approximately 960,000 people. “United Nations agencies and European Union (EU) Programme Support Units are working closely with the Government of DPRK to bring urgent assistance to those affected by this disaster,” said UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Margareta Wahlström at the appeal’s launch in New York. Thousands are taking refuge in temporary shelters, and ensuring potable water supplies and preventing more cases of water-borne diseases have been identified as key priorities. “I urge the international community to respond swiftly and generously to this appeal, to prevent further suffering,” Ms. Wahlström said. The appeal seeks to supplement the DPRK’s response to meet the most urgent needs of those affected over the next three months, and will focus on providing essential medicines, clean water and food. “Support must be provided now to provide the most vulnerable with basic food items, ensure access to essential medicines, and prevent malnutrition,” said Jean-Pierre de Margerie, UN Acting Resident Coordinator for DPRK. “The humanitarian community is relying on international donors to fund this flash appeal to ensure that the most vulnerable communities urgently receive the assistance they need.” According to joint assessments by the Government and international organizations, 240,000 homes, as well as basic medical services and key infrastructure, have suffered major damage. Exacerbating concerns about food insecurity, significant damage to crops has also been reported. 2007-08-28 00:00:00.000
PERU: UN SEEKS $37 MILLION TO ASSIST EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS New York, Aug 28 2007 12:00PM The United Nations and its humanitarian partners today appealed for $37 million to provide more than 200,000 people with food, water, medical assistance, tents and blankets for a period of six months following the deadly earthquake that struck Peru nearly two weeks ago. The powerful quake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and struck 161 kilometres south of the capital, Lima, has resulted in the death of over 500 people and injured more than 1,000 others, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs In addition, preliminary assessments indicate that over 37,000 houses and four hospitals were destroyed, while 16 hospitals were damaged. An allocation of $9.6 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) had already been approved for immediate assistance in shelter and camp management, food supply, water and sanitation, health, education, and emergency employment. The flash appeal launched today is based on the latest assessments from UN inter-agency missions deployed to the affected areas and reports from official sources, which indicated that more than 200,000 people required life-saving assistance and 56,000 families were homeless. The UN agencies that have been providing assistance in the wake of the tragedy include the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which estimates that 150,000 children have been directly affected by the quake. Of the over 500 reported dead so far, 96 had been under 18, the agency said. Among UNICEF’s concerns were damage to the water and sanitation facilities and the resulting lack of latrines and hygiene. It has already distributed 50,000 oral rehydration salts sachets and 26,000 flyers with information on safe hygiene practices. While the Ministry of Education reported that some 166 schools had been damaged or completely destroyed, UNICEF believes the final number will be closer to 450. Other concerns include the vulnerability of homeless children living in camps and shelters to sexual exploitation, and the fact that, as reported by UNICEF's representative in Peru, many children are already showing signs of psychological stress and emotional trauma, exhibited in sleeplessness, aggressiveness and other behaviours. Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it will be providing assistance to 80,000 people, including by helping to repair agricultural infrastructure. WFP assistance will focus on the rural communities touched by the quake. The agency began distributing food to some 25,000 victims within just 15 hours of the quake. 2007-08-28 00:00:00.000
DRAWDOWN OF FORCES IN LIBERIA WILL NOT ENDANGER PEACE, UN ENVOY PLEDGES New York, Aug 28 2007 12:00PM The top United Nations official in Liberia has again reassured the once war-shattered West African nation that the world body will not jeopardize the country’s hard-won stability with its planned reduction of peacekeeping forces. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) will not “put at risk the peace we have all worked so hard to achieve,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Alan Doss said yesterday at a medal parade for outgoing Namibian peacekeepers in Sinje, Grand Cape Mount County, about 100 kilometres from Monrovia, the capital, and close to the western border with Sierra Leone. “Let me take this opportunity to reassure the people of Grand Cape Mount County and beyond that the adjustments to UN forces foreseen for the months ahead will be carefully planned and monitored,” he added. It was Mr. Doss’ latest reassurance over the planned reduction of UN peacekeepers, who have overseen the country’s transition to democracy after 14 years of civil war. Last week he briefed civil society leaders on the drawdown, which will take place in multiple stages from the current level of 15,200 to 9,750 by the end of 2010. He said then that it would be based on regular security assessments and measurable benchmarks, one of which is the creation of a 500-person Liberian quick reaction force in the country's National Police, set to be established by July 2009. 2007-08-28 00:00:00.000
MALAYSIAN ‘TIGER GIRL’ WINS UN-LETTER WRITING COMPETITION TO SAVE THE PLANET New York, Aug 28 2007 12:00PM Assuming the mind of a tiger cub, a young Malaysian girl has won a United Nations letter-writing competition, beating out over 3 million other youngsters from around the world who were asked to put themselves in the position of a wild animal whose habitat is threatened by environmental or climate change. “I want to congratulate you all. Many of you have good education and live in your so-called world of modernization. Does this mean that humans are civilized?” 14-year-old Sze Ee Lee wrote, taking on the role of the cub living in the endangered rainforest. “Yet, why do humans still need to invade our jungle besides hunting us like in those primitive days? Dear people of the World, don’t burn our homes and occupy the area, our natural habitat. We have no other place to go.” It is the first time that Malaysia has won the international competition sponsored by the UN Universal Postal Union (UPU) since it began in 1972. “We are helpless. We depend on you – the People of the World to save us,” the letter concludes, winning unanimous praise from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) jury. “With her sensitivity and imagination, the young Malaysian successfully conveyed the urgency of the situation and sent us a message: we must unite to save our planet,” the jury said. For next year’s 37th competition, the UPU is inviting youngsters to write a letter explaining why the world needs more tolerance, a particularly relevant theme in an age of globalization, migration and other trends bringing ever more people from different cultures into contact with each other. “Creating a world in which all people live in harmony is a noble goal to which each of us can aspire,” the UPU said. Predating the UN by seven decades, the UPU was founded in 1874, the second-oldest international organization after the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is the primary forum for cooperation between postal services, setting the rules for international mail exchanges among its 190 members. 2007-08-28 00:00:00.000
August 27
CHINESE SELECTED TO LEAD UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN WESTERN SAHARA New York, Aug 27 2007 2:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Major-General Zhao Jingmin as the new Force Commander for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the first time that the world body has had a Chinese national head one of its missions. Maj.-Gen. Zhao succeeds Gen. Kurt Mosgaard of Denmark, who will complete his tour of duty as Force Commander today, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters. Born in 1954, Maj.-Gen. Zhaohas held senior posts in the Office of Peacekeeping Affairs in China’s National Defence Ministry since October 2003, and he has previously served in MINURSO as a military observer from September 1991 to June 1992. In 1996-97 he also served as a liaison officer with the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission MINURSO has been in place since September 1991 to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, which contest Western Sahara. In an April resolution, the Security Council called on the parties to enter into negotiations “without preconditions in good faith.” 2007-08-27 00:00:00.000
TOP UN OFFICIAL LAUDS SOUTH AFRICA’S ‘PROGRESSIVE’ REFUGEE POLICY New York, Aug 27 2007 11:00AM United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres has commended the South African Government for its progressive policy on refugees and asylum seekers, including a commitment to ensure their access to basic services. "If you look at the policy and legal statutes of South Africa, refugees enjoy one of the most advanced and progressive systems of protection in the world today," Mr. Guterres stated during a visit to the country – the last leg of a trip that also took him to Zambia and Mozambique. Speaking at a meeting with refugees in Johannesburg, co-hosted by Minister of Home Affairs Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula, Mr. Guterres said there was no denying the South African Government's commitment to opening up services such as health and education to refugees, although authorities did face challenges in that regard. The High Commissioner's visit comes at a critical period for the Ministry of Home Affairs as it strives to cope with an inflow of migrants and refugees. A refugee-producing country a decade ago, South Africa now has to deal with the challenges of a refugee-receiving country. Refugees told Mr. Guterres they were concerned about obstacles to their integration in society, despite documentation that entitles them to virtually all the rights of citizens in the country – including the right to work and access to primary education and basic health services. Mr. Guterres said he was humbled by Minister Mapisa-Nqakula's recognition of the existing problems, “because the responsibility of a government is not to protect itself but to acknowledge its problems and commit to work for change." "UNHCR is working with a government that recognizes its challenges and is determined to work on rectifying them. Our role in South Africa is to try to help the government in order to facilitate the improvement of protection and assistance given to refugees," he added. With UNHCR’s help, the Ministry launched a major effort last year to clear the backlog of asylum applications – some going back several years. South Africa received 53,000 asylum applications last year – more than any other country in the world. During his visit, the High Commissioner also met President Thabo Mbeki and other senior officials for talks on the humanitarian and protection needs of refugees. He also toured offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg that deal with the backlog of asylum applications. 2007-08-27 00:00:00.000
CONDITIONS DETERIORATING FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF IRAQI CHILDREN, UN REPORTS New York, Aug 27 2007 11:00AM As United Nations agencies continued to aid victims of the massive bombings that killed hundreds of people and wounded many more in northern Iraq earlier this month, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today reported growing risks to tens of thousands of displaced children in other areas of the country due to pervasive heat, poor hygiene and lack of water. “Conditions facing many children are worsening, particularly amongst IDPs (internally displaced persons), whose numbers have now topped 1 million,” UNICEF said in an update on the situation. “With little electricity available to power fans and air conditioners, children in central and southern Iraq are in increasing danger from heat-related conditions. Moreover, everywhere adequate water remains a significant unmet need. Of growing concern is that an increasing number of IDPs are being forced to stay in temporary camps longer.” The agency noted that living conditions for IDPs and their host communities in Baghdad and Najaf are worst. There are currently at least 50,000 IDPs in Najaf alone, with many living in mud homes and/or camps outside the city and diarrhoea rates near outbreak levels. Adequate nutrition remains a major issue for many Iraqi families, UNICEF stressed, adding that it is continuing to respond as best as it can despite serious funding limitations. In the last month, the agency’s water tankering operations provided 128,000 people with safe drinking water in poor communities, schools, hospitals and IDP camps across Baghdad and in parts of Anbar province. It also delivered health and hygiene kits to 12,000 IDPs and provided recreation kits for children and support transport for local health authorities to conduct mobile health visits in collaboration with the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization. It expects to expand on this and increase the number of operating partners in the very near future. Meanwhile, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) reported that it was working with non-governmental organisations and federal and regional authorities to strengthen the delivery of aid to the victims of the “heinous” bombings that killed over 430 people, wounded more than 500 others and destroyed an estimated 500 homes in the Sinjar region of Northern Iraq on 14 August. Durable shelter, potable water and sanitation, medical supplies and health care, food, fuel are all urgently needed, with income generation and rehabilitation for the longer term. Road access to the area is often considered insecure due to sectarian violence, which has impeded aid delivery, prevented ambulances from transporting the wounded, and continues to block other needed public services such as the distribution of food and medical supplies. Under these circumstances, UN agencies and many humanitarian actors have had to rely on local implementing partners. UNAMI also sought the support of the local authorities for escorts and access to affected communities. These authorities have also assisted in local coordination and provided some of their own supplies to supplement aid. 2007-08-27 00:00:00.000
UN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES RELEASE OF MYANMAR DEMONSTRATORS New York, Aug 27 2007 11:00AM The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for the immediate release of student leaders and other protesters arrested by the Myanmar authorities following a series of peaceful demonstrations against the sharp increase in fuel prices. In a weekend statement, Louise Arbour also urged the authorities to “engage in consultation and dialogue with the demonstrators on their concerns.” Stressing that freedoms of expression and association are “touchstones of human rights,” Ms. Arbour said that allowing greater space for citizens to express their views and discontent will be essential in fostering the way towards a democratic transition and reconciliation in the South-East Asian nation. The High Commissioner’s appeal came just days after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for “constructive dialogue towards national reconciliation at this important time in Myanmar’s history.” Mr. Ban also urged the authorities to exercise maximum restraint in responding to any demonstrations and encourages all parties to avoid any provocative action. 2007-08-27 00:00:00.000
AFGHAN OPIUM TRADE SOARS TO 'FRIGHTENING' RECORD LEVELS, UN REPORTS New York, Aug 27 2007 10:00AM Opium production in Afghanistan, a $3-billion-a-year trade accounting for more than 90 per cent of the world's illegal output, soared to frightening record levels this year, concentrated mainly in the strife-torn south where the ousted Taliban, which once banned poppy cultivation, now profits from the drugs trade, the United Nations reported today. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2007 Annual Opium Survey showed that the area under opium cultivation rose to 193,000 hectares from 165,000 in 2006, while the total opium harvest will soar by more than a third to 8,200 tonnes from 6,100 tonnes last year. The amount of Afghan land used for growing opium is now larger than the combined total under coca cultivation in Latin America - Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. No other country has produced narcotics on such a deadly scale since China in the 19th century, the report said. But the number of opium-free provinces in the centre and north of the country more than doubled from six to 13 compared to 2006, revealing an intensification of markedly divergent trends between the north and south. "The Afghan opium situation looks grim, but it is not yet hopeless," UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said, calling for a more determined effort by the Afghan Government and the international community to combat the twin threats of drugs and insurgency by building upon promising developments in the north and reacting to the dismal failures in the south. In the centre and north, where the Government has increased its authority and presence, cultivation is dropping. In Balkh province cultivation collapsed from 7,200 hectares last year to zero. By contrast, 80 per cent of opium poppies were grown in a handful of southern provinces on the border with Pakistan, where instability is greatest. In volatile Helmand, where the Taliban insurgency is concentrated, culti With a population of just 2.5 million, Helmand has single-handedly become the world's biggest source of illicit drugs, surpassing the output of entire countries - like Colombia (coca), Morocco (cannabis) and Myanmar (opium) - which have populations up to 20 times larger. Poverty could not be used as an excuse for growing poppy, Mr. Costa said. Some of the most fertile regions in the south have become the opium-producing heartland while poorer provinces in the centre and north, where per capita income is half that of the south, are opium-free. Rather poppy growing is closely linked to insecurity. "Opium cultivation is inversely related to the degree of Government control. Where anti-Government forces reign, poppies flourish," he added, noting that the Taliban had reversed its religious edict of 2000 banning cultivation. "What used to be considered a sin is now being encouraged." But UNODC village surveys indicate that the main reason farmers choose not to grow poppies is that they consider it against Islam. "It would be an historic error to let Afghanistan collapse under the blows of drugs and insurgency," Mr. Costa said. "Only 14 per cent of the population is involved in opium cultivation. The vast majority of Afghans want to turn their country away from drugs and crime. They deserve our support." He called for higher rewards for non-opium farmers to demonstrate that there are viable alternatives to illicit crops. "Assistance is plentiful but not being disbursed fast enough. I see a risk of some provinces sliding back to poppy cultivation," he noted. He also underlined the need for greater deterrents to dissuade farmers from planting opium, and an end to collusion that enables rich landlords from evading eradication. A no-opium pledge should be embedded in all development aid programmes. He urged the Government to get tough on corruption -- the lubricant that oils the wheels of the drugs trade. "Short-term greed is undermining the long-term needs of Afghanistan," he warned. Building on experience in t of the country's 34 provinces opium-free in 2008 as a plausible target. Mr. Costa called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is seeking to restore stability in the country through the International Security Assistance Force, to more actively support counter-narcotics operations. "Since drugs are funding insurgency, Afghanistan's military and its allies have a vested interest in destroying heroin labs, closing opium markets and bringing traffickers to justice. Tacit acceptance of opium trafficking is undermining stabilization efforts," he said. 2007-08-27 00:00:00.000
August 23
MYANMAR: BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR ‘CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE’ FOLLOWING ARRESTS New York, Aug 23 2007 5:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that he is following events in Myanmar closely and with concern following reports of arrests of student leaders and others by the authorities in the South-East Asian nation. “In the spirit of the efforts of mutual engagement being pursued by the United Nations and Myanmar in the context of his good offices, the Secretary-General calls on the authorities to exercise maximum restraint in responding to any demonstrations and encourages all parties to avoid any provocative action,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement. The Secretary-General also called for “constructive dialogue towards national reconciliation at this important time in Myanmar’s history.” Earlier this month, Mr. Ban’s Special Adviser on Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari held talks with government officials in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, while in June, he toured Asia and Europe. 2007-08-23 00:00:00.000
UN-LED CAMPAIGN AGAINST DIARRHOEA OUTBREAKS IN SUDAN BRINGS RESULTS
New York, Aug 23 2007 4:00PM
A campaign led by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to
prevent major outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea in Sudan during the rainy
season this year is paying dividends, with the number of cases of the
sometimes fatal condition in the north of the country almost 90 per
cent below last year’s figures.
Less than 800 cases of acute watery diarrhoea have been reported in two
states in northern Sudan since April, despite the presence of heavy
floods across the nation in recent weeks,
UNICEF reported today.
This compares to last year’s devastating outbreak, when 6,000 cases
of diarrhoea were reported in nine Sudanese states during the equivalent
period and at least 900 people died.
UNICEF officials in Sudan said the pre-positioning of vital medical
supplies in anticipation of outbreaks has made an important difference
this year, when floods across wide swathes of the country have affected an
estimated 365,000 people.
Together with its partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the
agency has in place more than 1,200 drug kits for primary health care
centres, 422,000 sachets of oral rehydration salts, 33,000 bottles of
antibiotics and 17,000 bottles of intravenous fluids.
The threat posed by contaminated water sources and flooded latrines has
also led UNICEF to ensure there are enough water chlorination supplies
to support water treatment for 1.6 million people.
UNICEF Representative Ted Chaiban said public information and awareness
has also been critical to the drastically reduced number of diarrhoea
cases.
“Since May, UNICEF has supported community mobilization around health
and hygiene promotion, the production and dissemination of information
materials to over half a million people, and the airing of radio and
television spots and programmes reaching more than 10 million people
across the north of Sudan,” he said.
The agency will step up its efforts in Gedaref state in the northeast,
which has shown the highest incidence of both diarrhoea and cholera.
As flood relief operations continue in Sudan, UNICEF is also tackling
another killer disease that is often more prevalent during and after
heavy rains: malaria. So far this year, the agency has supplied 520,000
bed nets treated with insecticide and 700,000 doses of anti-malaria
treatments.
UNICEF, the World Food Programmeand the World Health Organization as well as the UN Joint Logistics Centre and many NGOs, have been working together to deliver relief supplies and support to those Sudanese hit hardest by the floods,which are unusually heavy this year.
2007-08-23 00:00:00.000
CAMBODIAN JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS CONCERN UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERTS New York, Aug 23 2007 4:00PM Two United Nations human rights experts today expressed concern over judicial independence in Cambodia following recent appointments that they say seem to contravene the separation of executive and judicial powers enshrined in the country’s Constitution. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for human rights in Cambodia, Yash Ghai, and the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Leandro Despouy, issued a joint statement that the appointments cast doubt on whether “judicial independence is being fully respected in Cambodia.” They called on Cambodian authorities to ensure that the provisions of the Constitution, as well as international human rights law, are respected so that judicial independence can be upheld. “An independent judiciary is a fundamental guarantor for the protection of human rights in any country; without independent judges, it is not possible to ensure everyone’s right to a fair trial,” Mr. Ghai and Mr. Despouy said. All judicial appointments, transfers, promotions, suspensions or disciplinary actions in Cambodia are supposed to be decided by the country’s Supreme Council of Magistracy and then implemented by royal decree. But the two experts said the decree of 9 August replacing the President of Cambodia’s Court of Appeal appears to have not been based on a decision by the Supreme Council of Magistracy, but instead followed a request from the Chairman of the Supreme Council for State after a proposal from the Justice Minister and the Co-Chairmen of the Council for Legal and Judicial Reform. “In other words, the replacement of the Appeal Court President was done at the request of the executive branch of government,” the statement said, adding that the appointment of four new members of the Supreme Council of Magistracy by a separate decree on the same day appears to have been similarly made at the request of the executive. Mr. Ghai noted that he has already voiced concern that the existing composition of the Supreme Council of Magistracy, which includes a government minister and a senior member of the ruling party, “does not inspire confidence that the judicial appointment process in Cambodia is free of political control.” Today’s statement said three of the new appointments to the Supreme Council of Magistracy were for positions that are supposed to be reserved for members elected by judges. “No elections appear to have been held for these positions,” Mr. Ghai and Mr. Despouy said. “Indeed, no elections have ever been held for these three elected positions.” Mr. Ghai, a constitutional lawyer and academic from Kenya, and Mr. Despouy, a human rights lawyer and academic from Argentina, are among a series of independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor issues of concern.
ON INTERNATIONAL DAY, TOP UN OFFICIAL URGES CONTINUED REFLECTION ON SLAVERY New York, Aug 23 2007 3:00PM Marking the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization urged reflection on slavery’s “tragic past” and noted that its modern forms cause the suffering of millions worldwide. The Day commemorates the uprising on 23 August 1791, when slaves of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean launched an insurrection which ultimately led to the Haitian revolution and promoted the cause of human rights. It also “serves to pay tribute to all those who worked collectively and individually to trigger the irreversible process of the abolition of the slave trade and slavery throughout the world,” said Koïchiro Matsuura, UNESCO’s Director-General. The occasion also seeks to encourage rumination “on a tragic past that may be distant but whose repercussions continue to fuel injustice and exclusion today,” he said. “This reflection on the barbarity our society is capable of unleashing with a clear conscience is all the more necessary, salutary even, as millions of men, women and children still today suffer the horrors of new forms of slavery.” The main aim of the Day – which UNESCO is commemorating for the 10th year – is to strike a balance between paying homage to the past accurately while also promoting debate on the issues of painful memories, dialogue and democratic citizenship in multi-ethnic and multicultural societies in the present, he noted. Earlier this year on 25 March, the UN honoured the bicentennial of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the bravery of those who opposed it. On 25 March 1807, the British Parliament banned the slave trade, often referred to as the first example of globalization, throughout its Empire, marking the end of trans-Atlantic trafficking in human beings. Finally in 1833, an act was passed emancipating British slaves. Millions of those forcibly taken from Africa died en route, in what is known as the middle passage across the Atlantic, to their destinations, while many others perished due to terrible conditions at the other end. Over a decade ago, UNESCO launched the Slave Route Project, which, among other aims, seeks to clarify the consequences and interactions resulting from the slave trade. “There is a greater awareness even in countries and regions of the world that did not feel concerned or were reluctant to re-open dark chapters in their history,” Mr. Matsuura said. “Its clear definition of the ethical and political stakes involved in the issue, its emphasis on a multidisciplinary scientific approach and its prioritizing a holistic view of this tragedy, meant that the Slave Route Project had a significant impact both internationally and locally.” 2007-08-23 00:00:00.000
August 22
SUDANESE MILITARY MISSED RE-DEPLOYMENT DEADLINE IN SOUTH, SAYS UN REPORT New York, Aug 22 2007 6:00PM Sudan’s armed forces missed a deadline last month to re-deploy out of the south of the country, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in his latest charting the progress being made on implementing the comprehensive peace agreement ending the long-running north-south civil war. Voicing regret that the 9 July deadline “has not been fully met,” Mr. Ban calls on the military to immediately remove from the south all of its remaining elements, with the exception of those soldiers designated for new joint integrated units with the former rebels, known as the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). Although most of the Sudanese military had re-deployed by the 9 July deadline, at least 3,600 troops still remain, mostly in Upper Nile state. The armed forces say they are necessary to protect oilfields pending the placement of the joint integrated units, but this is disputed by the SPLA. Mr. Ban writes that the development of those integrated units “remains an issue of central importance,” with the assignment of troops to them now nine months overdue. He also notes that their formation is a prerequisite for SPLA forces to fully re-deploy from Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Under the January 2005 peace pact that ended the decades-long war between north and south, and granted some autonomy to the south, the joint units are mandated to protect key oilfields and the oil installations themselves are to be demilitarized. The Secretary-General says management of Sudan’s oil sector, uncertainty over the status of Abyei, a disputed area, and agreement over the boundary between north and south will be key issues for the parties and the UN Mission in Sudan to resolve in the coming months. The reintegration of ex-combatants from other armed groups, particularly the Southern Sudan Defence Force, will also be critical, he says. But Mr. Ban welcomes the progress made towards resolving outstanding disputes over wealth sharing and supporting the return of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their home towns and villages. He also praises “the intensive contacts and negotiations” between the two sides in the joint institutions set up as a result of the comprehensive peace deal. But the pace of preparations for mid-term elections, scheduled for 2009, “has so far been disappointing, and both parties have to accelerate work dramatically on the necessary legislative reforms.” Meanwhile, the report welcomes the Security Councils’ recent authorization of a hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping mission (to be known as UNAMID) in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, where a separate conflict has raged since 2003. 2007-08-22 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON APPOINTS DEPUTY ENVOYS FOR IRAQ, LIBERIA New York, Aug 22 2007 6:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has selected David Shearer of New Zealand and Henrietta Joy Abean Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu of Ghana to serve as his deputy envoys in Iraq and Liberia, respectively, a United Nations spokesperson announced today. Mr. Shearer will succeed Jean-Marie Fakhouri of Lebanon as Mr. Ban’s Deputy Special Representative for Iraq focusing on humanitarian, reconstruction and development issues, and will also serve as the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the strife-torn country, spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York. Most recently, Mr. Shearer served as head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Jerusalem, a post he has held since 2003. He was also the Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon from July to October 2006, providing vital leadership in support of the 900,000 people displaced during the conflict there. Mr. Shearer brings to his new post years of experience leading humanitarian operations for the UN, including in Albania, Rwanda and Liberia, as well as several years with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the New Zealand Government. Currently Professor and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Canada, Ms. Mensa-Bonsu brings a wide range of experience in dealing with international law issues to her new assignment as Deputy Special Representative for Liberia, focusing on the rule of law. Ms. Mensa-Bonsu has published widely on criminal law, juvenile justice and children’s rights, and has undertaken numerous assignments at the national and international level, including those related to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the African Child and the International Criminal Court (ICC). She currently serves on the Police Council of Ghana and was a member of the National Reconciliation Commission of Ghana. 2007-08-22 00:00:00.000
JOINT UN, UGANDAN GOVERNMENT TEAMS TO ASSESS IMPACT OF SEVERE FLOODING New York, Aug 22 2007 5:00PM The United Nations and the Ugandan Government are set to deploy teams to assess the impact of severe flooding in the eastern part of the country resulting from unusually intense rainfall over the past month – the heaviest in 35 years. Many parts of eastern Uganda have witnessed significant flooding since the rains began in late July, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a press release issued today in the capital, Kampala. An initial inter-agency assessment, carried out with the support of local authorities in Katakwi and Amuria districts, revealed that nearly 2,000 people across the two districts have been forced to leave their homes due to the flooding and nearly 4,000 households have reported damage to food crops. According to the Uganda Red Cross Society, which has also conducted initial assessments in the districts of Amuria and Katakwi, as well as in Budada, Bukeda, Kumi and Sironko in eastern Uganda, nearly 10,200 households – some 50,000 individuals –had been affected. In addition to forcing thousands from their homes and causing substantial damage to crops, the floods have damaged roads and bridges, making it difficult to reach the affected populations. While there have been no confirmed outbreaks of infectious disease so far, OCHA warns that current conditions are ripe for increased rates of malaria, diarrhoea, skin diseases, respiratory chest infections and intestinal worms. The two teams will begin their assessments in the Teso and Mbale regions by the end of the week, focusing on the impact on water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, health, food security, shelter, and road conditions. They will be led by a representative of the Office of the Prime Minister/Disaster Management Office and supported by experts from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN World Food Programme (WFP) and OCHA, as well as the Uganda Red Cross Society. 2007-08-22 00:00:00.000
LONG-TERM ERITREAN REFUGEES IN EASTERN SUDAN NEED DURABLE SOLUTION – UN AGENCY New York, Aug 22 2007 4:00PM The United Nations refugee agency said today it is searching for long-term solutions for the tens of thousands of Eritreans who have crossed into eastern Sudan because of deteriorating political and human rights conditions in their homeland, including some who fled decades ago. About 130,000 Eritreans live in 12 refugee camps in Sudan, as well as in nearby urban and rural areas, and scores more are crossing into the country every week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported. Many are young men trying to avoid military service, but an increasing number are women and children. The majority of these asylum-seekers have lived in Sudan for years, seeking sanctuary from recurring conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. But some 22,000 have still crossed since late 2003, long after the two countries signed a peace treaty in 2000 ending hostilities and an estimated 98,000 Eritreans returned home under a UNHCR voluntary repatriation programme. Most of the Eritreans are concentrated in the states of Kassala, Gedaref, Gezira, Sennar and Red Sea. UNHCR said repatriation is no longer a viable option for many of the Eritreans, especially those that have lived in Sudan for decades, and the agency is holding discussions with Sudanese authorities about possible local integration or resettlement to a third country. The agency stressed that its long-term aim is to make the asylum-seekers more self-reliant and less dependent on aid and the support of the local Sudanese communities, which have long shared their own scarce resources. UNHCR has identified better health facilities and greater access to safe drinking water and education as the priority needs of the long-term Eritrean refugees, noting that many of the more recent arrivals are still hopeful of returning to their homeland. 2007-08-22 00:00:00.000
August 21
REFUGEES LIVING IN ZAMBIA WILL RECEIVE CONTINUED ASSISTANCE, UN OFFICIAL PLEDGES New York, Aug 21 2007 4:00PM United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres has assured refugees from several African countries living in Zambia that his agency will continue to assist them in their efforts to either return to their homes or to settle in local communities. During a four-day visit, Mr. Guterres held discussions with Congolese refugees at Kala camp in northern Zambia, as well as with Angolan, Rwandan and Burundian refugees from Mayukwayukwa settlement in the western part of the country. Responding to concerns about the slow pace of repatriation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mr. Guterres emphasized that UNHCR will resume and intensify voluntary return efforts as soon as conditions allow. He also encouraged Angolans willing to return home to do so, despite the official closure of UNHCR’s assisted repatriation programme earlier this year. UNHCR will continue to assist refugees to return to Angola, even after the closure of the organized repatriation,” he pledged. While voluntary repatriation is the preferred solution for most refugees, the High Commissioner said he was aware of the need to pursue other options, including local integration. He noted that a number of Angolan refugees in Zambia are married to Zambians or were born in the country and wish to remain there. “We are discussing with the Government to consider local integration for these refugees,” he said. While in Lusaka, Mr. Guterres also attended the 27th summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) – which Zambia currently chairs – and held meetings with senior Government officials, diplomats and representatives of UNHCR and sister agencies. During a meeting with Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, Mr. Guterres stressed the need for the Government to find durable solutions for the refugees, including favourably considering local integration for some of them, and pledged UNHCR’s support in the development of host communities. As part of his southern African tour, Mr. Guterres is currently in Mozambique and will head to South Africa later this week. 2007-08-21 00:00:00.000
DR CONGO: 3,500 EX-MILITIA MEMBERS IN VOLATILE DISTRICT AGREE TO DISARM New York, Aug 21 2007 4:00PM Another 3,500 ex-militia members from one of the most volatile corners of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have agreed to disarm, demobilize and try to reintegrate into the community, the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the vast African country has reported. The mission, known as MONUC, reported that three armed groups in Ituri district in the DRC’s far northeast provided lists of combatants by last Friday’s deadline to join the third phase of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme, which is run by the UN Development Programme ). The militias involved are the Mouvement Revolutionnaire Congolais (MRC), the Front de Résistance Patriotique de l’Ituri (FRPI) and the Front des Nationalistes et Intégrationnistes (FNI). Under the programme, the ex-militia members will be registered, asked to hand over their arms and then given assistance to reintegrate into either civilian life or the national armed forces. UNDP expects about 70 per cent of the former combatants will choose civilian life, while 30 per cent will retrain for the new integrated brigades of the armed forces. Combatants rejoining civilian life will receive $110 to help with transport costs and an entry card into the community reconstruction service, which will allow them to work on manual labour projects such as the rehabilitation of roads, schools and sanitary systems for $2 a day for up to 90 days. If they want to set up their own business, they will be given access to microfinance through local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Former militia members wanting to enter the integrated armed forces will be transported to the city of Kisangani for training before they can enter the brigades. Last week the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the DRC – and MONUC chief – William Lacy Swing travelled with the mission’s force commander Gen. Babacar Gaye to the town of Bunia in Ituri for a two-day visit to evaluate the progress of the DDR programme. During his visit Mr. Swing stressed the need for participants to adhere strictly to the timetable of the DDR programme so that it can continue through all of its phases. He also emphasized the importance of the “one man, one weapon” concept, which is a requirement of the DDR programme’s third phase. “There are issues relating to registered troops who present themselves for DDR but do not have weapons, and others who come with a weapon but are not registered for the programme,” Mr. Swing said. 2007-08-21 00:00:00.000
UN TEAMS ASSESSING AFTERMATH IN CARIBBEAN NATIONS HIT BY HURRICANE DEAN New York, Aug 21 2007 4:00PM As the first major Atlantic hurricane of the season made landfall in Mexico today after wreaking havoc across the Caribbean region, United Nations officials are surveying the aftermath of the storm as well as the most critical needs of those affected. Hurricane Dean has now weakened from a category 5 – the highest level for hurricanes – to a category 3 storm after striking the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico earlier today, UN Spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York. “The United Nations Country Team is working with authorities to prepare the region for the hurricane,” she said, noting that some 530 storm shelters – with a capacity of 73,000 people – have been set up on the eastern part of the Yucatan. The UN Children’s Fund has also pre-positioned medicines, food, water and blankets. The UN has sent Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams to Jamaica and Belize. A state of emergency had been declared in the southern part of Jamaica and some 6,500 people are temporarily living in 268 shelters. Preliminary findings reveal significant damage to roofs, storm surges, flooding, collapsed structures and impassable roadways throughout the country. There have also been reports of severe damage to power lines and to the water supply system. UNICEF estimated that 90,000 children had been directly or indirectly affected in Jamaica alone. The agency had distributed hygiene kits, water purification tablets and water containers in anticipation of the hurricane. UN agencies are assessing the situation in Haiti along with the UN mission in that country The mission is also supporting urgent repair works and the distribution of water and food rations. Some 5,000 people were reported to be living in shelters, with 406 families affected, 244 homes destroyed and 111 houses damaged. The hurricane, which has caused several deaths in the region so far, entered the eastern Caribbean on Friday, damaging rooftops and flooding streets in Saint Lucia, Dominica and Martinique. “Thankfully the number of casualties has been remarkably low, despite the severity of Hurricane Dean,” stated UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes. “It demonstrates how well prepared the governments of the affected countries have been in advance of this disaster. However, given the level of economic devastation, recovery will be arduous and protracted, even under the best of circumstances,” Mr. Holmes, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, added. 2007-08-21 00:00:00.000
UN COMMENDS JORDAN FOR EDUCATING IRAQI SCHOOL CHILDREN New York, Aug 21 2007 4:00PM With the new school year kicking off on Sunday in Jordan, the United Nations refugee agency today praised the country for opening the doors of its local schools to tens of thousands of Iraqi children who have fled war in their homeland. There are currently 750,000 Iraqi refugees – half are believed to be children – living in Jordan, most of them having fled their homeland following the outbreak of violence in 2003. Until now, Iraqi children uprooted in Jordan could not receive educations unless their parents had residency permits or paid fees. “This courageous gesture by the Jordanian Government will have to be strongly supported by the international community. It deserves wide recognition,” said Peter Janssen, acting representative in Jordan for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees “It will help many Iraqis give some meaning to a very difficult and, at times, hopeless situation.” Iraqis will have until 15 September to take part in the registration process, and the Jordanian Ministry of Education has said it believes at least 50,000 Iraqi children will enrol in schools nationwide. Iraqi children will follow the same curricula as Jordanian students and have access to the same school facilities. The programme is slated to include primary, secondary and vocational training as well as non-formal education where applicable. At the end of the registration period, Jordanian officials will assess needs, recruit teachers and staff and organize double shifts in crowded schools. Children are being placed on waiting lists in some schools and referred to schools running double shifts by tutoring one group in the morning and a second in the afternoon, UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told reporters in Geneva. Nearly three dozen schools in the capital Amman will operate in double shifts, while others will follow in the cities of Zarqa and Irbid. An additional 2,500 teachers are expected to be hired in the next two weeks to handle the influx of new students. Late last month, UNHCR and the UN Children’s Fund joined together to launch a $129 million education appeal to send 155,000 Iraqi refugee children to school in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. The funds would be used to provide prefab classrooms and buildings, upgrading water and sanitation in schools and building new schools and additional classrooms. “So far, funding has been slow to come in although there are good indications that money will be forthcoming,” Ms. Pagonis noted. Over 2 million Iraqis have fled their country, primarily to Jordan and Syria, and nearly half a million of them are of school age and most have limited or no access to education. Ms. Pagonis said that “many Iraqis still face barriers to education as many families are running out of resources and sending their children out to work, especially in female headed households. In addition, some vulnerable Iraqis are unwilling to register their children at state schools because they do not have legal status in Jordan.” 2007-08-21 00:00:00.000
UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG AGENCY TEAM HOLDS TALKS IN IRAN New York, Aug 21 2007 3:00PM Experts from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are in Iran to hold talks as part of efforts to resolve outstanding issues pertaining to the country’s past nuclear programme and to clarify safeguards implementation issues. The results of the visit – led by IAEA Deputy Director General for Safeguards Olli Heinonen – will be reflected in the Director General Mohamed ElBaradei’s next report to the agency’s board at the end of the month. This visit, which was announced in late July, comes on the heels of another trip by IAEA inspectors earlier this month to the Arak reactor. Iran’s nuclear programme has been a matter of international concern ever since the discovery in 2003 that it had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the NPT. In December, 2006, the Security Council adopted a resolution banning trade with Iran in all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to the country's enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. It tightened the measures in March, banning arms sales and expanding the freeze on assets. 2007-08-21 00:00:00.000
August 20
WAR CRIMES TRIAL OF FORMER LIBERIAN LEADER POSTPONED BY UN-BACKED COURT New York, Aug 20 2007 2:00PM The war crimes trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor has been postponed until early next year after judges at the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone agreed today to give defence lawyers more time to study the evidence. Mr. Taylor’s counsel applied for a delay until 7 January so they could evaluate some 40,000 pages of evidence recently disclosed by prosecutors, SCSL spokesperson Solomon Moriba told the UN News Service from The Hague, where the trial is being held. Justices Julia Sebutinde (presiding), Teresa Doherty and Richard Lussick approved the application during a status conference, one in a series that will be held over the next few months to assess the progress of the prosecution and the defence in presenting their cases. Mr. Taylor is facing 11 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, including mass murder, mutilations, rape, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers, for his role in the decade-long civil war that engulfed Sierra Leone, which borders Liberia. A year ago the Security Council authorized the staging of Mr. Taylor’s trial at The Hague, citing reasons of security and expediency. Although the trial will be held at the premises of the International Criminal Court it will remain under the exclusive jurisdiction of the SCSL. The Special Court, established in January 2002 by an agreement between the Sierra Leonean Government and the UN, is mandated to try “those who bear greatest responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against community committed in the country after 30 November 1996. Last month it reached an agreement with the United Kingdom that will mean Mr. Taylor will be imprisoned in the UK if he is convicted. 2007-08-20 00:00:00.000
UN AGENCY CALLS ON THAILAND TO RELEASE NEARLY 150 LAO REFUGEES AFTER HUNGER STRIKE New York, Aug 20 2007 11:00AM Voicing relief that 149 Hmong refugees from Laos held in a detention centre in Thailand had ended a hunger strike, the United Nations refugee agency today called on the Thai Government to release them, all recognized refugees. “We are alarmed and deeply concerned about the steadily deteriorating detention conditions of the refugees over the last weeks," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Bureau for Asia and the Pacific Director Janet Lim said. “They are being held in truly inhumane conditions – including innocent children – confined to two small cells into which daylight does not even shine and they are not allowed to leave,” she added. They also have no water source other than a tap in the cells. The Lao Hmong began their strike on Thursday at the Nong Khai Immigration Detention Centre in a protest over the deteriorating conditions under which they have been held since early December. After a UNHCR team visited and counseled them on Sunday evening, they began taking food again. Among the 149 recognized refugees are 90 children, including some babies born in the centre which is run by the Thai Immigration Ministry. “There is absolutely no reason for these 149 people to be detained, especially as other countries have come forward and offered them resettlement places if they are only allowed to leave Thailand,” Ms. Lim said. “They have committed no crime; on the contrary, they have been recognized as refugees in need of international protection. It is particularly disturbing to us that young children and babies are being subjected to these deplorable conditions.” The group was rounded up for deportation in Bangkok in November. After UNHCR intervened, the deportation was called off and the group was transferred to the Nong Khai detention centre on the border with Laos. Thai authorities attempted to deport them in January 2007, but backed down when the refugees put up fierce resistance. Since then, UNHCR has been urging the authorities to release them. "We appreciate the assurances given by the Thai Government that these 149 will not be deported, but now we need to move forward to end their detention, particularly as there is a solution at hand,” Ms. Lim said. UNHCR is also concerned about conditions faced by other asylum seekers and refugees in detention in Thailand, particularly as children are also in custody. The agency continues to urge the Thai Government to conclude its discussions on a screening mechanism which meets international standards that would allow the proper identification of different needs and claims concerning all asylum seekers on its territory. 2007-08-20 00:00:00.000
NUMBER OF DISPLACED AFGHANS COULD SURGE IF CONFLICT CONTINUES, WARNS UN EXPERT New York, Aug 20 2007 2:00PM A United Nations envoy warned today that the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Afghanistan could rise significantly if the conflict there continues at the current rate, adding to the multitude of Afghans that have already fled their homes. “There is potential for a significant increase in the number of internally displaced persons if the conflict continues at the present pace, and if returning refugees are unable to find durable solutions by returning to their homes or settling and integrating elsewhere,” said Ban Ki-moon’s Representative for the Human Rights of IDPs, Walter Kaelin, after a weeklong visit to Afghanistan. Mr. Kaelin condemned the Taliban’s “systematic disregard” for international humanitarian law, exposing civilian populations to high risks. At the same time, he stressed that counter-insurgency operations must avoid causing civilian casualties. He noted that armed conflict in Afghanistan is not only causing large numbers of civilian deaths, but also has trigged the displacement of tens of thousands of persons in the last year alone. “As a consequence, people lose their houses, livelihoods are destroyed, displaced children are deprived of their education, and families end up in misery,” stated Mr. Kaelin, who participated in a UN workshop on the protection of civilians during his visit. In addition to addressing the immediate humanitarian needs of the IDPs, he stressed that more must be done to prevent displacement and to protect and assist the displaced. “To facilitate durable solutions, the human rights of IDPs to physical security, to shelter and livelihoods must be respected,” he said, adding that resolving land disputes was also a major concern. Those fleeing the present fighting are adding to the 130,000 IDPs in the country’s south and south-west who are still living in temporary camps since they were displaced by drought and insecurity five or more years ago. There are also an unknown number of people displaced by human rights violations, inter-communal tensions or floods and other natural disasters. In addition, Mr. Kaelin warns of a real risk that refugees returning from neighbouring countries who are unable to return to their places of origin or find another solution may end up among the internally displaced without adequate shelter and access to livelihoods. He encouraged the Afghan Government and its neighbours to continue a voluntary and gradual approach to the return of the approximately three million Afghan nationals who remain in neighbouring countries, emphasizing that any joint plan of return must be based on a realistic assessment of Afghanistan’s capacity to absorb the returnees, to ensure that their basic needs for food, shelter and livelihoods are met, and to support long-term solutions. He also voiced hope that the Government and its partners would prepare a comprehensive survey on displacement in Afghanistan, the different categories of IDPs and their main needs, as well as a strategy to address the phenomenon. 2007-08-20 00:00:00.000
HURRICANE DEAN: UN STANDS READY TO HELP AFFECTED COUNTRIES IN THE CARIBBEAN New York, Aug 20 2007 2:00PM The United Nations has deployed a team of disaster assessment and coordination experts to the Caribbean to assist countries hit by Hurricane Dean which has left a trail of death and destruction in its rampage past St. Lucia, the Dominican Republic, Dominica, Martinique, Haiti, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and on towards the coast of Mexico. “The United Nations stands ready to support relief efforts with other measures, including the release of emergency funds,” spokesperson Michele Montas told a news briefing, adding that the world organization was is in close contact with the Governments of affected countries. In a statement, she said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was deeply saddened to learn of the human and economic losses brought on by Hurricane Dean in the Caribbean, and extended condolences to those who lost family and friends. Military and police units of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti joined local police in helping to evacuate some 2,000 people living near the shore. In addition, the mission helped warn the local people of the eventual health and other risks and necessary preventive measures in the wake of the powerful storm. Also in Haiti, the UN Children’s Fund on Saturday sent drugs to support 2000 people for three months to Jacmel Hospital. The UN World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health and Population will be in charge of distributing the drugs based on emerging needs, according to a situation update produced by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2007-08-20 00:00:00.000
August 17
AFTER ANOTHER JOURNALIST’S MURDER, UN URGES DR CONGO TO BOOST PROTECTION FOR MEDIA New York, Aug 17 2007 2:00PM The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has called on the authorities to reinforce protection for the media following the murders of a journalist and local government official in the strife-torn eastern region of the vast country. "The past week was marked by new assassinations that appear to be deliberately targeted, such as the assassination of an independent photo reporter in Goma, as well as the killing of a local official in Nyamilima village in Rutshuru," mission spokesperson Kemal Saiki told a weekly press briefing. The mission, known by its French acronym MONUC, "condemned to the full the cowardly assassination" of independent photo reporter Patrick Kikuku Wilungala in Goma, North Kivu province, on the night of 9/10 August by an unidentified armed man a few metres from his home. <p“MONUC wishes to extend its profoundest condolences to Mr. Wilungula’s family and the Congolese media, hit again through an act of violence by armed men,” Mr. Saiki said. “MONUC’s human rights division will spare no effort in investigating this murder, and will do all within its means to ensure that the perpetrators are brought before justice.” The assassination followed the June murder, also by armed men, of Radio Okapi journalist Serge Maheshe in Bukavu in South Kivu province. The trial of those charged is currently underway. MONUC reiterated its appeal to the Congolese authorities to do all within their power to allow media representatives to work freely, without hindrance or intimidation. The local official killed in Rutshuru on 13 August during an attack on Nyamilima village and its army positions by a group believed to be ethnic Hutu combatants, with much subsequent looting, was the last official left in the village as his colleagues had left some months before due to threats and intimidation. MONUC sent a rapid reaction force to the village to ensure no civilians would be trapped in the fighting. The force found the body of the official, named Muzana, as well as that of a 12-year-old girl, both of whom had been visibly targeted by the assailants. MONUC reiterated its concern over continuing human rights violations and attacks on civilians, in particular by the various rebel groups and security forces in North Kivu. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 640,000 people were driven from their homes by fighting in North and South Kivu provinces in June and July. Last week the Security Council expressed particular concern over the situation in the two the provinces and the Ituri district, where militia groups remain active and help to “perpetuate a climate of insecurity in the whole region.” MONUC has overseen the DRC’s transition from a six-year civil war that cost 4 million lives in fighting and attendant hunger and disease, widely considered the most lethal conflict in the world since World War II, to gradual stabilization, culminating in the first democratic elections in over four decades last year, the largest and most complex polls the UN has ever helped to organize. 2007-08-17 00:00:00.000
SECURITY SECTOR REFORM KEY TO BRINGING STABILITY TO TIMOR-LESTE, UN SAYS New York, Aug 17 2007 1:00PM The United Nations peacekeeping mission helping Timor-Leste recover from fighting last year that drove 15 per cent of the population from their homes has called for improved relations between the police and army, a strengthened legal framework, increased capacity and enhanced civil oversight as part of overall security sector reform. "The strengthening of the army and police will be crucial to the development of Timor-Leste as a modernizing State and the United Nations will assist the Government in achieving a security sector that is efficient, effective and accountable," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Atul Khare said at a meeting this week with leaders of the small South-East Asian country that the UN helped shepherd to independence from Indonesia in 2002. At the meeting attended by leaders of the national military and police, President José Ramos-Horta and the Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão both gave opening addresses welcoming UN assistance in addressing the challenges facing the security sector. Participants agreed that civil society should have a larger role in the reform process. Mr. Khare, who heads the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste said he agreed with both the President and Prime Minister about the need to look at the road traveled to avoid pitfalls in the future. He also pledged UNMIT's continued help for the Timorese people and authorities in bolstering the security sector. The mission enhanced its peacekeeping and policing roles after violence attributed to differences between eastern and western regions broke out in April and May last year, killing at least 37 people and forcing 155,000 others to flee their homes. The country has been beset by renewed unrest this month following the appointment of a new Government after elections in June failed to produce a single outright winner. There have been nu arson and rock throwing in which nearly 400 houses were burned or damaged, at least 4,000 people driven from their homes, a UN convoy attacked and more than a score of UN vehicles damaged.
UN LAW OF THE SEA TRIBUNAL WELCOMES RELEASE OF JAPANESE VESSEL AND CREW New York, Aug 17 2007 1:00PM The United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea today welcomed news that authorities in the Russian Federation have released a Japanese fishing vessel and its crew -- detained for alleged illegal fishing in Russian waters -- in line with a Tribunal decision earlier this month. Russia released the Hoshinmaru and its crew yesterday, the same day it received a bond from the ship's owner, according to a press release issued by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Hoshinmaru is now on its way back to Japan, where it is scheduled to arrive on Sunday. On 6 August, the Tribunal ruled that the Hoshinmaru and its crew should be released promptly from the port city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii, upon the payment of a bond of 10 million roubles, or about $392,000. The decision followed an application by Japan to ITLOS, which is based in Hamburg, Germany, in which it argued that Russia had breached its obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. "With the payment of the bond and the release of the Hoshinmaru and its crew only 10 days after the delivery of the Tribunal's judgment, the Tribunal notes the prompt compliance of the parties with its decision," ITLOS said in a press release issued today. 2007-08-17 00:00:00.000
UNESCO CHIEF DEPLORES MURDER OF YET ANOTHER JOURNALIST IN IRAQ New York, Aug 17 2007 1:00PM The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today condemned the murder of yet another journalist in Iraq, where some 40 media professionals have been killed this year alone. Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization issued a statement deploring the killing of Adnane al-Safi, who died after being shot in the head by a sniper on his way home from work in northern Baghdad on 27 July. Mr. al-Safi, 40, was a journalist with Al-Anwar, a Kuwaiti-owned satellite television channel, and had worked as a reporter for the radio station Sawt al-Iraq (Voice of Iraq) and as an adviser to the Iraqi journalists' union. "The murder of Adnane al-Safi strikes yet another blow against peace and democracy in Iraq," Mr. Matsuura said. "His killers stand condemned in the eyes of the world, and I call upon the authorities in Iraq to do their utmost to bring those responsible to justice." Mr. Matsuura also renewed his call for Iraqi authorities to improve the security conditions for media workers trying to operate in the violence-wracked country. According to the group Reporters sans Frontières, Mr. al-Safi is the 40th journalist to be killed in Iraq this year, far more than in any other nation in the world. Since United States-led forces invaded in March 2003, 198 journalists and their assistants have been killed, 14 have been kidnapped and two others are missing. 2007-08-17 00:00:00.000
FOOD SITUATION IN SOUTH ASIA FOLLOWING FLOODS 'SERIOUS CAUSE OF CONCERN,' UN REPORTS New York, Aug 17 2007 12:00PM The food situation in South Asia, where torrential rains resulted in deadly flash floods and landslides that affected more than 28 million people, gives "serious cause for concern" because of the loss of animals and unfavorable crop prospects following damage to recently planted crops, according to the latest United Nations update. "Opportunities for replanting once the water has fully receded are limited as the sowing period of the main cereal season normally ends in July in India and Bangladesh and by mid-August in Nepal," the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said in a news release. In Nepal, the affected agro-ecological zone of Terai (plains) is the country's grain basket, accounting for over 70 per cent of the total production of rice, the basic staple. Though water levels have receded from the second week of August, thousands of hectares of agricultural land have been destroyed at the peak of the planting season. While a detailed assessment of crop losses is not yet available, the overall outlook for this year's production has deteriorated. At sub-national level, food shortages in the Terai, affected by drought and floods in 2006, are likely to worsen. In Bangladesh, preliminary official estimates indicate that some 854,000 hectares of rice paddies have been lost to floods and another 582,000 hectares partially damaged. In aggregate, the area affected represents some 13 per cent of the total planted area, seriously compromising prospects for this year rice production. In India, where the three worst flood-affected states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Assam account for roughly a quarter of the country's total rice production, preliminary reports indicate that about 1 million hectares of cereal land have been submerged in Bihar alone. While this year's cereal production is likely to be reduced in these three north-eastern states, output at national level will weather conditions in the coming months, according to FAO.
August 16
UN AGENCY ISSUES NEW GUIDANCE FOR INSECTICIDE-TREATED MOSQUITO NETS TO FIGHT MALARIA New York, Aug 16 2007 3:00PM The United Nations health agency today issued new global guidance on the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets against malaria, for the first time recommending that they be long-lasting, distributed either free or highly subsidized, and used by all community members to fight a disease that kills more than 1 million people each year. Until now, UN World Health Organization guidelines focused primarily on providing nets for children under five and pregnant women, but recent studies from Kenya show that expanding use of the nets to all people in targeted areas increases coverage and enhances protection of vulnerable groups while protecting all community members. "WHO's new evidence-based guidance provides a road map for ensuring that life-saving, long-lasting insecticidal nets are more widely available and used by communities, and are more effective in protecting poor women and children," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said. "The collaboration between the Government of Kenya, WHO, and donors serves as a model that should be replicated throughout malarious countries in Africa." The nets are treated with insecticides that repel, disable or kill the vector mosquitoes which transmit malaria. Conventional insecticide-treated mosquito nets need to be re-treated regularly, while long-lasting insecticidal nets, costing about $5 each, are designed to be effective without re-treatment for the life of the net -- up to five years. In areas of high transmission where young children and pregnant women are the most vulnerable, WHO now recommends making their protection the immediate priority while progressively achieving full coverage. Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds somewhere in the world, mostly in Africa. In Kenya, from 2004 to 2006, a near ten-fold increase in the number of young children sleeping under insecticid targeted districts, resulting in 44 per cent fewer deaths than among children not protected, according to preliminary data from the Government. These achievements can be attributed to three principal ingredients, which all need to be present for malaria control efforts to succeed - high political commitment from the government, strong technical assistance from WHO, and adequate funding from bilateral and multilateral donors. Between 2002 and 2006, with a £6 million grant from the United Kingdom Department for International Development, WHO supported the Kenyan Government's free mass distribution of nets and provided technical support and a full-time logistician to support planning and implementation. The new WHO guidance recommends that campaign-like mass distribution strategies be complemented by delivery through routine health services to achieve and maintain high levels of coverage. Until recently, progress in scaling up use of the nets has been slow in many countries, due in part to the inability of the international community to reach a consensus on how to deliver them. Approaches have included commercial channels, social marketing, and free or subsidized distribution through routine public health services or campaigns. The new WHO guidance stresses that cost should not be a barrier to access. Thus far, only free distribution has enabled rapid achievement of high population coverage and elimination of inequities in net use, as has been demonstrated in Kenya. "This data from Kenya ends the debate about how to deliver long-lasting insecticidal (or just mosquito nets) nets," Arata Kochi, head of WHO's Global Malaria Programme, said. "No longer should the safety and well-being of your family be based upon whether you are rich or poor. When insecticide-treated mosquito nets are easily available for every person, young or old, malaria is reduced." 2007-08-16 00:00:00.000
DRAWDOWN FOR LIBERIAN PEACEKEEPING MISSION ON TRACK, SAYS BAN KI-MOON New York, Aug 16 2007 6:00PM Although Liberia faces formidable challenges as it rebuilds after a brutal 14-year civil war, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for the drawdown of the level of blue helmets in the West African nation. The Government of Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has "made great strides in consolidating peace and promoting economic recovery in the country," Mr. Ban says in his latest report to the Security Council on the country's situation. He praises the Government's achievements, including efforts towards lifting timber and diamond sanctions; bolstering public revenues by nearly 50 per cent; implementing an interim poverty reduction strategy; increasing enrolment in schools by 40 per cent; and improving the country's human right situation. The Secretary-General also commends Liberia's efforts to halt illegal diamond mining -- which have led to the lifting of sanctions on diamonds as well as the country's admission into the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme -- and encourages the Government to strengthen its regulation of this crucial sector. Despite the country's progress, Mr. Ban notes that the "slow progress in strengthening the security sector is a source of great concern." He also cites the hurdles of limited funding and equipment faced by the Liberian National Police. "These deficiencies are a major obstacle to the full deployment of the deployment of the police throughout the country," Mr. Ban says, appealing to the international community for assistance. "President Johnson-Sirleaf is to be commended for the positive steps that she has taken to foster national reconciliation and political inclusiveness in the country," he writes. "However, the ethnic and social cleavages that have plagued the country in the past could still resurface." Mr. Ban calls on the Government to step up efforts towards national and local reconciliation to maintain peace in the country recovering from a civil war tha fleeing across its borders. While recommending that the mandate of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) be extended for 12 months until September 2008, he urges the Security Council to approve measures to draw down the world body's presence in the country. "Sufficient progress has been made in the implementation of the Mission's mandate and in stabilizing the security situation in the country to allow for further adjustments to be made to the military and police components of UNMIL," the report states. The drawdown for both the military and police component would take place in multiple stages, resulting in 9,750 peacekeeping troops and UN police on the ground in Liberia at the end of 2010. One of the benchmarks for the drawdown is the creation of a 500-person Liberian quick reaction force in the country's National Police, set to be established by July 2009. UNMIL was established in 2003 to support Liberia's ceasefire and peace process, and currently has over 14,000 troops and nearly 1,200 police officers, along with around 500 international civilian personnel, almost 1,000 local staff and 220 UN Volunteers. 2007-08-16 00:00:00.000
UN CALLS ON IRAQI LEADERS TO SET ASIDE RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES AFTER DEADLY CAR BLASTS New York, Aug 15 2007 6:00PM United Nations officials today called on Iraqi leaders to set aside religious and political difference and protect civilians after yesterday’s multiple car bombings in the north of the country that reportedly left at least 200 people dead and many more wounded. “Nothing can justify such indiscriminate violence against innocent civilians,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement issued by his spokesperson. He reiterated “the urgent need for all Iraqi leaders, regardless of their political or religious affiliations, to work together to protect civilian lives and to dedicate themselves towards a meaningful dialogue aimed at ending the violence and achieving lasting national reconciliation.” Mr. Ban’s Special Representative in Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, condemned the attacks in the villages of Kahtaniya, al-Jazeera and Tal Uzair in northern Iraq as an “abominable crime aimed at widening the sectarian and ethnic divide.” He called on the authorities to ensure that those responsible for “this horrific crime” are brought to justice. Both Mr. Ban and Mr. Qazi extended their condolences to the families of those killed and their wishes for a full and speedy recovery for those who were wounded. 2007-08-15 00:00:00.000
UN TOURISM AGENCY PLAN AIMS TO HOLD ‘CARBON-NEUTRAL’ CONFERENCE New York, Aug 15 2007 5:00PM The United Nations World Tourism Organization has announced that it will try to make all travel, accommodation and activities related to a climate change conference it is staging in early October “carbon neutral” to set an example about the benefits of offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. The three-day meeting in Davos, Switzerland, scheduled to begin on 1 October, is the 2nd International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism. The results of that conference, and a subsequent ministerial summit in London on 13 November, will help formulate UNWTO’s contribution to the strategy of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the critical negotiations under the UN Climate Change Convention in Bali, Indonesia, in December, the agency said in a press release issued yesterday from its headquarters in Madrid. Carbon offsetting is aimed at mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas emissions – such as by participants at an international conference – and can involve such steps as tree planting or investing in renewable energy projects. UNWTO has asked all participants in the conference at Davos to register with carbon-offsetting organizations. It is also not charging a registration fee for the conference. UNWTO’s Assistant Secretary-General Geoffrey Lipman said it was important for his agency, as the lead tourism body in the UN system, to promote responsible environmental behaviour within the tourism industry. “We want to send a signal to our own industry that carbon offsetting is easy and that it will make a real difference over time, along with adaptation, mitigation and new technology,” Mr. Lipman said. “We also want to encourage a trend in the sector that carbon offset schemes will be used eventually by all meetings and events. Responding to the climate challenge will require substantial structural changes and take many years to implement, but there are some things we can do immediately.” Established in January 1976, UNWTO serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and as a practical source of tourism know-how for governments, institutions and the private sector. Its aim is to promote the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. 2007-08-15 00:00:00.000
UN POLITICAL CHIEF HOLDS TALKS WITH KYRGYZ OFFICIALS AHEAD OF REGIONAL SUMMIT New York, Aug 15 2007 6:00PM Just ahead of a regional summit in Central Asia, the top United Nations political official is meeting with authorities in Kyrgyzstan today on issues of mutual concern, a spokesperson for the world body announced. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe met today in Bishkek with the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan, and was expected to meet later in the day with the President and Prime Minister, UN Spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York. Tomorrow he will attend the Seventh Summit of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – a regional body comprising China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – where he will deliver a message on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He is also scheduled to meet on the margins of the Summit with the Presidents of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. On his way to the region, Mr. Pascoe conducted two days of talks with Chinese Foreign Ministry officials in Beijing, touching on issues including Darfur, the Middle East peace process, Nepal, Myanmar, Kosovo and the Korean Peninsula, as well as cooperation between China and the UN in Africa, Ms. Montas said. Mr. Pascoe is expected to arrive in Kathmandu this weekend to discuss the peace process with national leaders and to consult with the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which is providing critical assistance to the holding of Constituent Assembly elections later this year. He is also expected to meet with Nepal’s Prime Minister and other key political figures. 2007-08-15 00:00:00.000
PALESTINIAN TEENAGERS, HIT BY CLOSURES AND POVERTY, BENEFIT FROM UN-BACKED YOUTH CENTRES New York, Aug 15 2007 5:00PM With border closures and increased poverty continuously undermining the ability of Palestinian teenagers to get a good education and enjoy their time off, tens of thousands of youngsters are benefiting from United Nations-supported learning centres in the West Bank and Gaza to help them overcome stress and hopelessness. “The chronic anxiety adolescents are facing on a daily basis undermines their self-esteem and increases their feelings of loss of control over their lives,” the UN Children’s Fund said in a report of a centre in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, one of 40 that the agency is supporting in cooperation with the Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO), Tamer Institute for Community Education and the Ma’an Development Centre. The centres are run with the help of local committees trained by UNICEF, consisting of at least four adolescents (both male and female) who oversee activities. Committee members receive 30 hours of training on child rights, communication skills and project management. UNICEF provides core supplies such as stationery, library furniture and books, as well as computer, sports and music equipment, to enhance the adolescent-friendly environment. In the midst of poor living conditions at Jabalia, where the poverty rate exceeds 70 per cent in some areas, the centre is the only available outlet for adolescents, serving at least 17,000 of the most disadvantaged teenagers in a setting where they can learn music, play sports and improve their literacy and information technology skills. “This centre is the only place that gives me the opportunity to learn and widen my knowledge,” said Mohammed, 15. “I built good friendships as well. I am now able to express myself better than before.” Because most of the 300 youth clubs in Gaza and the West Bank are under-funded and ill-equipped, most adolescents do not have access to safe recreational areas. At the Jabalia centre, however, they are able to socialize with their peers and learn new things, including dabkeh, the traditional Palestinian folkloric dance. “The thing that I love the most is music, dabkeh and sports,” Mohammed said. “They are very important in helping me build my body and activate my thinking.” Hanin, 16, added: “Because I am interested in learning dabkeh, my life is totally different now. Before coming to the centre, there were no places that could teach us.” The Jabalia Community Centre, which receives funds from the Canadian International Development Agency, is open six days a week, three days each assigned for boys’ and girls’ activities. The Gaza Strip and areas in the West Bank have seen frequent closures and road checks in the current violence between Israel and Palestinian groups. 2007-08-15 00:00:00.000
August 14
WESTERN SAHARA: UN-LED TALKS WRAP UP WITH PARTIES PLEDGING TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS New York, Aug 13 2007 7:00PM The latest round of United Nations-sponsored talks on Western Sahara has ended with the parties, Morocco and Frente Polisario, in agreement that the status quo is unacceptable and the process of negotiations will continue. The two-day talks, which took place in Manhasset, just outside New York, wrapped up on Saturday – two months after the first round of talks were held at the same venue. The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Peter van Walsum, who led the talks, said he was pleased that they were substantive and that Morocco and Frente Polisario interacted with each other and expressed their views. Representatives of the neighbouring countries Algeria and Mauritania were also present at the opening and closing sessions of the negotiations and were consulted separately over the two days. In a communiqué, Mr. van Walsum said that, at his initiative, the parties heard presentations by UN experts on specific issues, including natural resources and local administration, while confidence-building measures between the two sides were also proposed for discussion. The envoy added that Morocco and Frente Polisario acknowledged that the negotiations process should continue and that the current status quo was unacceptable. The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has been in place since September 1991 to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, which contest the territory. In an April resolution, the Security Council called on the parties to enter into negotiations “without preconditions in good faith.” 2007-08-13 00:00:00.000
SIX MORE UN VEHICLES DAMAGED IN NEW ROCK-THROWING INCIDENTS IN TIMOR-LESTE New York, Aug 13 2007 7:00PM Six more United Nations vehicles have been damaged and a UN police officer slightly hurt in rock-throwing incidents in Timor-Leste since last night as the security situation remains tense following post-election violence in the small South-East Asian country that the world body helped shepherd to independence from Indonesia in 2002. But there were no reports of major incidents, UN Police (UNPOL) reported. UNPOL responded to four incidents today in Dili, the capital, in which two UN cars were damaged and one UNPOL officer sustained minor injuries. Police arrested one suspect. Last night in Dili sporadic rock throwing damaged four UN vehicles. At a meeting yesterday in Baucau, east of Dili, leaders of the former ruling party FRETILIN told to supporters that local village and sub-village chiefs will be held responsible for any violence that occurs in their area. In nearby Viqueque, a high-ranking FRETILIN official met with supporters and urged them not to commit any violent acts. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Atul Khare has said violence, which erupted after the announcement of a new Government last Monday, was “regrettably” being committed by people who claim an allegiance to FRETILIN. Parliamentary elections in June failed to produce a single outright winner. UNPOL has arrested 34 people in connection with the violence in the eastern part of the country over the past few days. In Baucau, 21 people have been arrested and charged with creating a public disturbance including blocking roads, throwing stones and burning tyres. Two more people were arrested and charged with making home-made weapons. In Quelicai, nine people have been arrested for carrying illegal weapons in connection with their alleged role in the attack on a UN convoy on Friday. A further two people have been arrested for alleged arson in Quelicai for the burning of houses. UNPOL, together with the national police and the International Stabilization Force (ISF), remain fully deployed to put a stop to any violence. The UN enhanced its peacekeeping and policing roles in Timor-Leste after violence attributed to differences between eastern and western regions broke out in April and May last year, killing at least 37 people and forcing 155,000 others, 15 per cent of the population, to flee their homes. 2007-08-13 00:00:00.000
SHARP GROWTH IN ASIA’S LABOUR FORCE POSES ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES – UN New York, Aug 13 2007 7:00PM Asia’s vast labour force, already estimated at some 1.8 billion workers, is expected to grow by more than 200 million by the year 2015, posing a series of environmental, economic and social challenges to the region’s rapidly growing economies, according to a new report by the United Nations International Labour Organization “One thing is clear: doing business as usual is not sustainable over the long term,” ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said of the report, Visions for Asia’s Decent Work Decade: Sustainable Growth and Jobs to 2015,” which is being discussed at the three-day ILO Asian Employment Forum opening in Beijing today. “Asia is experiencing unprecedented growth and development. At the same time, vulnerabilities arising from environmental pressures, economic insecurity, shortcomings in governance and unequal income distribution pose a threat to the region’s future development.” The report notes that expanding output would not be enough to create the jobs needed to reduce poverty and the massive informal economy, and that there remained “a great deal of serious work to be done” to improve the quality of the jobs that are created and to ensure that the benefits of Asia’s future economic growth are more equitably distributed. The Forum is the first major gathering of senior government, labour and employer representatives from some 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific since the launch of the Decent Work Decade at the ILO’s Asian regional meeting a year ago. The service sector will be the main source of job creation and by 2015 will become the largest sector, representing about 40.7 per cent of the region’s total employment, the report says. The share of industrial employment is expected to increase from 23.1 per cent in 2006 to 29.4 per cent in 2015, while the share of agricultural employment is projected to decline from 42.6 per cent to 29.4 per cent between 2006 and 2015. But the report also identifies major challenges requiring significant attention to ensure social and environmental sustainability. Despite a decline in the number of working poor living on less than $2 per person per day since 1996 by some 123 million, over 1 billion, or 61.9 percent of the region’s workforce, still work in the informal economy with little or no social protection and often in low-productivity jobs. While this share has dropped from 67.2 per cent a decade earlier, it is not likely that there will be a major reduction in the relative size of the informal economy by 2015. The report calls for an effective balance between flexibility, stability and security through improved labour market governance, including the adoption and adherence to international labour standards, improving accountability and transparency, and building the capacity of employers and workers to engage more effectively in serious dialogue. It also warns that growth and sustainable development could be seriously undermined by environmental degradation, depletion of natural resources and climate change, and stresses the need for governments, employers and workers to develop policy tools aimed at achieving environmentally sustainable development and job creation. Other challenges include an ageing labour force that is expected to see between 1 in 10, and in some cases 1 in 4 people in some countries, over 65 years of age by 2015; the need to improve job quality and ensure equal opportunities between young women and men; increasing migration that will see millions of workers leaving each year to work abroad; and accelerating rural-urban migration that will see the urban population grow by 350 million by 2015 while the rural population will increase by only 15 million. The inability of wage growth to keep pace with labour productivity growth in some countries, rising income inequalities between extreme poor and other workers, and between rural and urban workers, and long working hours becoming the norm in many parts of Asia, are also factors that have to be taken into account. “Meeting the challenges facing the region will require far-sighted thinking and careful planning,” Mr. Somavia said. “We all need to work together to make globalization and economic growth more inclusive.” 2007-08-13 00:00:00.000
UN ENVOY URGES LIBERIANS TO PREVENT MOB VIOLENCE; ANOTHER POLICE STATION OPENED New York, Aug 13 2007 7:00PM Speaking at the opening of a new police station in Liberia, which was built by Nigerian blue helmets, the United Nations envoy to the West African country has called on local people to prevent mob violence while a senior Liberian police officer has urged his colleagues to be “servants of the community.” The station, which is in New Kru Town Community in the capital Monrovia, will be staffed by officers from Liberia’s National Police (LNP) and will serve around 28,000 people in the surrounding area, the UN Mission in Liberia said in a press release. “You should report any criminal activity or suspicious behaviour to the police,” the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Alan Doss, said at the weekend opening ceremony. “Any return to mob violence could be dangerous for Liberia’s stability. Do not be misled by rumours.” Mr. Doss thanked the Nigerian UN peacekeepers for constructing the police station and also reassured local people that security remained UNMIL’s top priority, pointing out that additional police and military patrols had been conducting night patrols in high crime areas. Also speaking at the opening, LNP Deputy Inspector-General Gayflor Tarpeh encouraged the police officers of the New Kru Town station to be “servants and not bosses of the people in the community,” adding that they must “dispense justice without fear or favour.” The building of the new police station is the latest of ongoing efforts by the UN to help Liberia rebuild after a brutal 14-year civil war. 2007-08-13 00:00:00.000
August 13
BASKETBALL STAR, FASHION DESIGNER NAMED NEW UNICEF GOODWILL AMBASSADORS New York, Aug 13 2007 7:00PM Three-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Manu Ginobili of Argentina and South African fashion designer Gavin Rajah have been appointed by the United Nations Children’s Fund as goodwill ambassadors to help protect and promote child rights. In addition to their achievements on the basketball court and in the fashion world, both men have also been recognized for their efforts on behalf of children and their families in their respective countries. “Manu will contribute with his energy and unique talent to UNICEF’s work in support of children’s rights,” UNICEF Representative to Argentina Gladys Acosta Vargas said. “As Ambassador, Manu will help promote social change and bring attention to the country’s priority issues, especially those affecting adolescents.” A member of the 2007 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, Mr. Ginobili first teamed up with UNICEF in 2005 during a visit by NBA players to a hospital treating children living with HIV/AIDS. The Olympic medallist and children’s advocate said he was honoured to be appointed a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. “It will give me the opportunity to help increase public awareness on issues related to the well-being and development of children.” It was Gavin Rajah’s “transformative contributions to the lives of South African children and their families” that led UNICEF to select South Africa’s top couturier to champion the rights of young people. “Through his generous philanthropy and advocacy and his impressive creative achievements as a fashion designer and entrepreneur, Gavin Rajah promotes the rights of women and children to protection from violence, abuse and exploitation, and actively supports the development of critical life skills for young people,” UNICEF South Africa Country Representative Macharia Kamau stated. A founder of Cape Town Fashion Week and the only South African designer invited by France’s prestigious Federation Française de la Couture to showcase his collections at fashion’s leading event, Paris Fashion Week, Mr. Rajah said he had always been a great admirer of UNICEF’s work to protect the world’s children. “I am proud to have been given the opportunity to help UNICEF protect, care for and stamp out the most abhorrent crime of violence against children, particularly those in my own country. We must all work harder to create safer conditions for children to grow up in,” he said. Mr. Rajah has announced plans to work with UNICEF and other partners to establish a sustainable development community-based project that supports families and young people who wish to learn garment manufacturing skills, a backbone industry in the Western Cape, where he operates his design studio and where his world famous garments are made. With their new appointments, Manu Ginobili and Gavin Rajah join global celebrities such as tennis great Roger Federer and singers Ricky Martin and Shakira, who use their celebrity power to advocate for improvements in the well-being of all children. 2007-08-13 00:00:00.000
August 10
SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS ARMS EMBARGO AGAINST MILITIAS IN DR CONGO New York, Aug 10 2007 5:00PM The Security Council today extended by six months its arms embargo against militia groups operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and condemned the continuing illicit flow of weapons into and around the vast African country. Council members voted unanimously to maintain the sanctions until at least 15 February next year after receiving the final report from the Group of Experts – who have also been re-established as a result of today’s resolution – on the monitoring of illegal arms flows. The 15-member Council said it was most concerned about the situation in the far east of the DRC, especially the provinces of North and South Kivu and the Ituri district, where militia groups remain active and help to “perpetuate a climate of insecurity in the whole region.” The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC) has also been asked to focus its monitoring activities on the Kivus and Ituri, which share a border with Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. The embargo was first imposed in 2003 amid concerns that the growth and trafficking of arms was serving to fuel and exacerbate conflicts across Africa’s Great Lakes region. The Council also noted the link between the illegal exploitation and trade of natural resources in the DRC and the proliferation of arms. The latest report from the Group of Experts confirmed “that the most profitable financing source for armed groups remains the exploitation, trade and transportation of natural resources.” It also called on the Congolese Government to ensure it is doing all it can – or seeking help from the international community when it cannot – to tackle the problem. “The Government is now in a strategic position to choose between addressing the country’s ills in an effective manner or allowing violence, corruption and the absence of rule of law to continue to hinder the country and the development of its population,” the report stated. The embargo does not apply to arms and related materiel intended for the use of units of the national army or police, as long as those units meet certain criteria. Any group or person who violates the embargo is subject to a travel ban and an assets freeze. 2007-08-10 00:00:00.000
UN BOOSTS FUNDING OF RELIEF EFFORT IN WAKE OF SOUTH ASIAN FLOODS New York, Aug 10 2007 5:00PM The United Nations humanitarian arm is stepping up its financial support of governments across South Asia as they try to help the estimated 45 million people affected by the recent deadly flooding across the region. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes announced today that the world body will provide up to $20 million to assist governments and to boost the in-country capacity of the UN and its partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs). At least 2,200 deaths in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan have been linked to the floods, caused largely by particularly heavy monsoon rains this year. Government figures indicate that more than four million hectares of crops have also been damaged. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the most urgent needs include food, temporary shelter, medicines and mosquito nets. The UN has already allocated about $4.4 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to Pakistan to help that country respond to heavy rains and flooding last month in the wake of Cyclone Yemyin and monsoon rains. But Mr. Holmes said the recovery effort there is being hampered by the fact that the UN has received less than one-third of the $38 million it appealed for to complement the emergency activities of the Pakistani Government. About 2.5 million people were affected by those floods, which hit Baluchistan and Sindh provinces hardest in late June and early June. Over 300 people were killed and more than 240 others remain missing. At least 700,000 people have not been able to return to their homes and live in makeshift roadside camps or in collective centres such as schools or other public buildings. “For most families affected by these floods, the recovery of their livelihoods will be arduous and protracted,” said Mr. Holmes, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. “Six weeks with nothing but uncertainty can feel like forever. I hope that donors will respond quickly and generously.” South Asia is not the only region where the UN is helping with flood relief activities, drawing from the CERF. In Colombia, about $2.2 million in funding has been approved to support the Government’s efforts in the Mojana region and the Córdoba department, which have suffered from floods and landslides. And in Sudan, around $2.7 million will be given to help with relief efforts in the wake of recent floods, particularly in the north. 2007-08-10 00:00:00.000
UN POLITICAL CHIEF HEADS TO ASIA NEXT WEEK FOR THREE-NATION TOUR New York, Aug 10 2007 4:00PM The top United Nations political official will travel next week to Asia on a visit that will take him to China, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal, a spokesman for the world body said today. The first stop for Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe will be Beijing, where he will hold talks with senior officials on a range of UN-related issues from 13 to 15 August. On 16 August, Mr. Pascoe will be in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, where he will deliver a message on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the summit of Heads of State of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – a regional body comprising China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. While in Kyrgyzstan, he will also meet with a number of visiting leaders to discuss the situation in Central Asia and the broader region. Mr. Pascoe will be in Kathmandu from 18 to 19 August to discuss the peace process with national leaders and to consult with the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which is providing critical assistance to the holding of Constituent Assembly elections later this year. During his stay in the Himalayan nation, Mr. Pascoe is expected to meet with Nepal’s Prime Minister and other key political figures in the country. 2007-08-10 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON HAILS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON STRENGTHENED UN ROLE IN IRAQ New York, Aug 10 2007 4:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that a new Security Council resolution on the work of the United Nations in Iraq paves the way for the world body to “enhance” its role in such key areas as national reconciliation, regional dialogue, humanitarian assistance and human rights. Mr. Ban told the 15-member body that he welcomed the unanimously passed resolution to renew for a year and strengthen the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq “A peaceful and prosperous future is for Iraqis themselves to create, with the international community lending support to their efforts,” he said. “The United Nations looks forward to working in close partnership with the leaders and people of Iraq to explore how we can further our assistance under the terms of the resolution.” UNAMI, established in 2003, noted in a fact sheet released today that the resolution establishes responsibilities for the mission to “advise and assist in areas such as political facilitation and national reconciliation and the promotion of regional cooperation between Iraq and the countries of the region, including through the continued role of the United Nations in the International Compact with Iraq.” Although tackling challenges the Iraqi Government and people face is a “national responsibility, we however cannot achieve it without the assistance of the international community represented by the United Nations, especially the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq, UNAMI,” Iraqi Ambassador Hamid Al Bayati said in his address to the Council. “For three years, UNAMI has stood by the Iraqi people and successive Iraqi governments during that period and especially with the current national democratically constitutionally elected Government,” he said. Mr. Ban told reporters after the Council’s meeting the UN will act as a facilitator to foster talks regarding Iraq. “Promoting and encouraging political facilitation and dialogue among different factions and ethnic religious groups – this will be one of the important areas where the United Nations will be engaged,” he said. Although the Secretary-General also intends to increase the UN’s presence in Iraq, “the safety and security of our staff is of paramount concern and interest, as you may understand,” he said. At present, he said he has not reached a final decision on how many and which staff members will be dispatched to the war-torn country. After a bomb attack four years ago this month which killed the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others, many UN international staff were relocated from Iraq. They began returning in April 2004, and currently there are almost 300 international staff and nearly 400 national staff in Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan. While taking into account concerns regarding staff safety, Mr. Ban stressed that “we cannot shy away because of” security concerns. “There must be somebody who should work for those people to help them overcome social and economic and political difficulties.” 2007-08-10 00:00:00.000
August 9
UN-BACKED SCHEME POISED TO BOLSTER MIDDLE EAST NUCLEAR COOPERATION New York, Aug 9 2007 6:00PM A project backed by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency has the potential to bolster nuclear cooperation in the Middle East. The scheme, known as SESAME, entails the building of a giant machine generating intense light beams for advanced scientific and technological research, and a research facility is being built near Jordan’s capital, Amman. “SESAME has a promising future, said Ana Maria Cetto, the IAEA’s Deputy Director General and Head of Technical Cooperation. The agency is providing technical assistance worth $1 million over the next few years for the facility, which is slated to be completed in 2010. Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey are members of the project, and earlier this month at a meeting at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, the SESAME Council accepted nominations from Iran and Iraq to join. “We’ve finally passed the point of no return,” said Herwig Schopper, the project’s departing president, who sees the initiative as being able to both benefit the region and serve to attract and keep top scientists. SESAME – which stands for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications for the Middle East – operates under the auspices of the UN Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Synchronton facilities house huge particle accelerators which generate x-ray and ultraviolet light beams, and research could lead to advances in medicine, physics and other fields. The IAEA has begun training future SESAME users and operators on safely and securely running the facility, and the agency’s representatives help to select recipients of scientific fellowships. SESAME Council members will hold their next meeting in Cyprus later this year. 2007-08-09 00:00:00.
UN AGENCIES UNVEIL INITIATIVE TO REDUCE FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION New York, Aug 9 2007 6:00PM Two United Nations agencies have launched a $44 million programme to reduce female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) by 40 per cent by 2015 and to end the harmful traditional practice within a generation. Launched by the UN Population Fund and the UN Children’s Fund the initiative will encourage communities in 16 African countries with high prevalence to abandon the practice, which has serious physical and psychological effects. Partnering with the agencies will be Governments, religious leaders, reproductive health providers, media and civil society. UNFPA says that annually, between two and three million women and girls are subjected to FGM/C, the partial or total removal of external female genital organs for cultural or other non-medical reasons. More than 100 million women and girls worldwide have undergone the practice. Purnima Mane, UNFPA’s Deputy Executive Director (Programme), urged the international community to “do a better job to protect the millions of women and girls who are at risk every year.” Ending the practice will contribute to achieving international development targets, and will enhance the human rights of women and girls, contribute to their empowerment, improve maternal health and reduce child mortality, she added. In addition to many African nations, various forms of FGM/C have also been reported in parts of some Middle Eastern and Asian countries. It is also practiced in immigrant communities around the world. 2007-08-09 00:00:00.000
UN-BACKED TALKS ON WESTERN SAHARA TO RESUME TOMORROW New York, Aug 9 2007 5:00PM A second round of United Nations-backed talks on Western Sahara will begin on Friday outside of New York, a spokesman for the world body announced today. As with the first meeting in June, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Peter van Walsum, will lead the two-day discussions between the parties – Morocco and the Frente Polisario – and neighbouring countries Algeria and Mauritania. The meetings are private and will be closed to the press. The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has been in place since September 1991 to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, which contest the territory. In an April resolution, the Security Council called on the parties to enter into negotiations “without preconditions in good faith.” 2007-08-09 00:00:00.000
VETERAN AUSTRALIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL CHOSEN AS NEW UN POLICE CHIEF New York, Aug 9 2007 5:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced his intention to appoint Andrew Hughes, an Australian with over 30 years of experience in national law enforcement and United Nations peacekeeping, as the world body’s top police official. Mr. Hughes has served in the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for over three decades, most recently as the Interim Chief Police Officer of the Australian Capital Territory. Prior to that, he was posted to Fiji where he was responsible for overseeing an over 4,200-strong force and successfully led a major reform and modernization programme of the Fijian national police. Mr. Hughes has also been at the forefront of Australia’s contribution to recent UN peacekeeping operations in East Timor and Cyprus. When he takes up his duties as Police Advisor in the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in early September, Mr. Hughes will oversee almost 9,500 UN police officers worldwide. He replaces Mark Kroeker of the United States, who left the post in April.
UN, SOUTHERN SUDAN SET TO BEGIN TALKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF PEACE DEAL New York, Aug 9 2007 5:00PM Senior United Nations officials will tomorrow hold their first round of high-level consultations with the Government of Southern Sudan to see how to better implement the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement that ended the country’s protracted north-south war. A delegation from the UN Mission in Sudan headed by the Secretary-General’s Acting Special Representative Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, will travel to Juba in Southern Sudan for the talks, the Mission said in a news bulletin released today. The meeting is being staged after the parties to the peace pact agreed in June to hold periodic consultations with UNMIS to review the agreement’s implementation. Under that accord, which ended a 21-year civil war, the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) was brought into a new Government of National Unity, and a Government of Southern Sudan was also established. UNMIS said the consultations will take place regularly so that all sides can assess common objectives and concerns. Talks with the Sudanese Government leadership are scheduled for later this month in the capital, Khartoum. Earlier this year, in a report to the Security Council on the situation, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the comprehensive peace agreement had reached a delicate stage, “at which either the point of departure or the destination could easily be lost.” Mr. Ban said the full and verified redeployment this year of the forces of both sides was critical to the deal’s chances of long-term success, and he called on the Sudanese Government and the SPLM/A to do everything within their power to redeploy forces as required and to work towards the holding of free and fair mid-term elections in 2009. 2007-08-09 00:00:00.000
UNICEF AND UNITED STATES SUPPLY TEMPORARY SHELTER TO FLOOD-HIT SUDANESE New York, Aug 9 2007 4:00PM The United Nations Children’s Fund and the United States have teamed up to provide temporary shelter for almost 80,000 households hit by recent flooding in northern Sudan. An in-kind donation of 1,300 rolls of plastic sheeting was airlifted into the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, yesterday, according to a press release issued by UNICEF. These materials will be used as part of the Common Pipeline System, a quick-response relief distribution network set up in northern Sudan in 2004 and managed by UNICEF, the UN Joint Logistics Centre and the non-governmental organization (NGO) CARE International. The pipeline has already allowed UN agencies and NGOs to deliver urgent supplies, including health kits, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans and soap, to an estimated 200,000 people affected by the floods across nine states in northern Sudan. As many as 365,000 people are thought to be affected by the floods, which may worsen as river levels rise and meteorologists forecast more heavy rain in coming weeks. Floods are an annual problem in Sudan during the rainy season. Three states in southern Sudan have also been affected, and UNICEF has provided supplies, including cooking sets, blankets and mosquito nets, to about 150,000 people there. UNICEF representative Ted Chaiban, who was joined by United States and Sudanese officials to take delivery of the plastic sheeting on its arrival in Khartoum, welcomed the collaborative response of the UN, NGOs, the Sudanese Government and the international community. “The people you see around me this morning are invaluable partners,” he said. “Each actor works like a cog in the machine, complementing and adding value to one another.” 2007-08-09 00:00:00.000
August 8
UN ENVOY DISCUSSES SECURITY IN LIBERIA WITH BENIN’S PRESIDENT New York, Aug 8 2007 5:00PM Security in Liberia topped the agenda of talks today in Monrovia between the senior United Nations envoy to the West African country and the President of Benin, who pledged support in restoring stability there. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative, Alan Doss, and President Yayi Boni also discussed the issue of jobs creation during their meeting at the headquarters of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Mr. Boni commended UNMIL for helping to establish peace in Liberia and urged the mission to maintain this momentum, pledging Benin’s support for efforts to stabilize Liberia and the wider region. “We are prepared to send military engineers to Liberia and eager to set up partnerships with the private sector in this country,” he said. A key concern is promoting employment opportunities, especially for youth, who during Liberia’s long-running civil war often found themselves conscripted into military service. Reviewing progress, Mr. Doss noted that presently Liberia’s Government is stable and the country’s security forces are in the process of being restructured. “UNMIL will not leave before the national security services are ready to take over the job,” he said, stressing that Liberia faces serious challenges ahead. 2007-08-08 00:00:00.000
UN RELIEF CHIEF TOURS CONFLICT-WRACKED AREAS OF EASTERN SRI LANKA New York, Aug 8 2007 5:00PM The top United Nations humanitarian official toured eastern Sri Lanka today, meeting with some of the tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the region and holding talks with local authorities to try to improve the relief effort there. John Holmes, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, visited an IDP settlement near the town of Batticaloa, close to the scene of recent fighting between Government forces and Tamil separatists. More than 160,000 civilians became displaced in eastern Sri Lanka between October last year and May, according to UN humanitarian officials, including some people who were also displaced when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck the country in December 2004. Mr. Holmes, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said it was tragic that those people affected by the tsunami had had to flee again. During talks with local authorities, he stressed the need for improved cooperation between UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the Government to improve aid provision across the country, where at least 3,500 people have been killed in the past year because of the renewed fighting in the decades-long conflict. Mr. Holmes called on local authorities to open all areas to humanitarian operations and to restore public services as well. Tomorrow he is expected to wrap up his visit to Sri Lanka by meeting the country’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa. 2007-08-08 00:00:00.000
SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS BARBADIAN LEADER, MIDDLE EAST ENVOY New York, Aug 8 2007 2:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is holding talks today with the Prime Minister of Barbados, where last night he met with Tony Blair, the new envoy of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East, a United Nations spokesperson announced. The meeting with Prime Minister Owen Arthur will also focus on the work of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the regional economic grouping, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters. Later today Mr. Ban is expected to meet Barbados’ Attorney-General, Dale Arthur, before heading back to UN Headquarters in New York tomorrow. The Secretary-General’s visit to Barbados follows a two-day trip last week to Haiti, where he told journalists that he was encouraged by progress on a number of fronts thanks to the efforts of the UN Stabilization Mission and UN agencies. Last night, while in Bridgetown, the Barbadian capital, Mr. Ban held a working dinner with Tony Blair, the recently appointed envoy of the East Quartet, the international diplomatic grouping that includes the UN. Mr. Ban and Mr. Blair, a former British prime minister, discussed recent developments in the region and the ongoing efforts of the Quartet to bring about a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The Quartet is comprised of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States.
DARFUR: UN ENVOY BEGINS VISIT TO REGION FOR FRESH TALKS New York, Aug 8 2007 1:00PM The United Nations envoy tasked with re-energizing the peace process in Darfur heads to the violence-wracked Sudanese region today for talks with local authorities, tribal leaders, civil society groups, Arab nomads and internally displaced persons Jan Eliasson, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Darfur,travels first to El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, before heading later today to Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, where he is expected to stay overnight. Later tomorrow Mr. Eliasson is scheduled to visit El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state and the planned headquarters of UNAMID, the newly established hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur. UNAMID has an initial mandate of 12 months and will incorporate the existing AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), which has been deployed across Darfur since 2004. It will become the world’s largest peacekeeping force, with almost 26,000 troops and police officers when it reaches full deployment, as well as nearly 5,000 civilian staff. By October, UNAMID is scheduled to have its management, command and control structures in place, and then by the end of the year it is expected to be ready to take over operations from AMIS. Yesterday in Khartoum, Mr. Eliasson met the Sudanese presidential adviser Nafie Ali Nafie and the Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mutrif Siddiq, to brief them on the weekend “pre-negotiation” talks in Arusha, Tanzania, with some of Darfur’s rebels. Those talks ended with a pledge from the rebels reaffirming their commitment to the so-called Road-Map outlined by Mr. Eliasson and his AU counterpart, Salim Ahmed Salim, to end the Darfur conflict. The representatives of the rebel movements attending the Arusha meeting agreed to present a common platform on the sharing of power and wealth, security arrangements, land and humanitarian issues, and they also recommended that final talks towards a political solution to the conflict be held in two or three months’ time. The last stop on Mr. Eliasson’s current trip will be N’Djamena, the capital of neighbouring Chad, where he is set to meet with that country’s President Idriss Deby on Friday. Fighting has engulfed Darfur, an arid and impoverished region on Sudan’s western flank, since 2003, when local rebels took up arms against the Government, which then responded with the support of notorious militia known as the Janjaweed. More than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million others have been displaced. 2007-08-08 00:00:00.000
August 7
STRONG SECURITY COUNCIL CONSENSUS FOR UN TO HAVE EXPANDED ROLE IN IRAQ – TOP OFFICIAL New York, Aug 7 2007 2:00PM There is strong consensus within the Security Council on an expanded United Nations role in Iraq, the world organization’s top political officer said today, although he acknowledged the restraints imposed by the continuing conflict in the country. “There was really quite a unanimous agreement in the Council itself on what the role of the UN should be,” Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe said after briefing the 15-member body, which was discussing a new resolution for the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq “Everyone seemed to feel quite comfortable with the role as laid out in this resolution,” he added. “So I think that there’s a very strong consensus among all the members of the Security Council about what the UN should be doing and I think this resolution is right in the middle of that.” Mr. Pascoe noted that UNAMI’s current mandate is almost three years old, and that much has now been accomplished. “The effort now is to update that mandate to get it much closer to the kinds of things we are working on, the kinds of things we’re doing and to make it clear that the Council strongly supports that effort,” he said. “We’re talking in terms of reconciliation, in terms of some of the other issues that we had been working on,” he added, noting that the Iraqi Government had asked the UN to do more in certain areas. He stressed that physical security is a concern after the Secretary-General’s Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others were killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad four years ago. Since then, international UN staff in Iraq have been reduced to 65, although many more UN personnel work from Amman in neighbouring Jordan. “We are doing what we can to make sure that our people are safe,” he said. “We are trying to do what we can to make sure that they also have the conditions that they can work and be very productive. So we’re trying to thread through that difficult problem.” He cited recent mortar and other attacks in the Green Zone in Baghdad but said the number of UN staff in the city should reach 95. “It’s not a huge increase, it’s a small increase, but again what we’re looking for here are not numbers, not the number of people we throw at things, but how much we’re really working on the major issues,” he added. “We will be constantly looking at the security situation everywhere to decide what level is appropriate.” 2007-08-07 00:00:00.000
UNICEF-BACKED PROGRAMME PROVIDES EGYPTIANS WITH CLEANER WATER New York, Aug 7 2007 1:00PM The United Nations Children’s Fund and the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation have joined forces to bolster access to improved water services for Egyptians in rural and urban areas. Only a handful of 4,500 villages in Egypt have adequate waste water disposal systems or municipal solid waste management. In many areas, the quality of water is undermined due to the dumping of inadequately treated domestic, agricultural and industrial wastes in waterways. As a result, water availability is reduced, Egyptians’ health is negatively impacted and ultimately the country’s economy suffers. “The contamination of water supplies from improper disposal of liquid and solid wastes to canals and drains is a serious problem in Egypt that is being aggravated by the rapid growth of the nation’s population as well as the fixed and limited water resources,” said UNICEF’s Deputy Representative for Egypt Hannan Sulieman. “This new alliance focuses on the role of local rural communities in water management and encouraging greater civic responsibility.” UNICEF – which is providing $90,000 – will initiate community awareness campaigns and training programmes to both educate Egyptians about healthy water resource management and encourage community members to preserve and improve their water facilities. The project will focus on two of Egypt’s governorates to improve water quality, reduce water health hazards and increase water productivity. The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation is contributing $250,000 towards the project, while the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Resources Group (IRG) will provide an additional $250,000. These organizations collectively are working together as the newly-formed Global Development Alliance. 2007-08-07 00:00:00.000
UN AGENCIES TO PROVIDE RELIEF FOR REFUGEES FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC New York, Aug 7 2007 12:00PM Some 26,000 refugees who have fled insecurity in the Central African Republic and are now living in Cameroon will soon receive much-needed help from several United Nations agencies joining forces to alleviate their plight. On Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), along with other UN agencies, will launch a relief operation to aid the refugees who are scattered along the eastern border of Cameroon and living in very precarious conditions. “The refugees, particularly women and children, are in a vulnerable condition with some 15 to 18 per cent of infants malnourished and suffering a rate of infant mortality six to seven times higher than the emergency threshold in some areas,” UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis said at a press briefing in Geneva. Mainly Mbororo nomadic cattle herders, the refugees have arrived in Cameroon in several waves since 2005 after fleeing their villages, where they had been targeted by rebel groups and bandits who steal cattle and kidnap women and children for ransom. The last recorded arrivals were in February this year. Ms. Pagonis warned that there are a number of logistical challenges in getting aid to the refugees, who are living in more than 50 sites spread over thousands of miles. “The imminent start of the rainy season may hamper the delivery of the relief supplies, and security conditions caused by banditry also need to be taken into account.” The relief operation, which involves the UN World Food Programme the UN Children’s Fund ) and the UN Population Fund will provide 200 tons of basic supplies such as blankets, plastic sheeting, mosquito nets, hygiene supplies and medicines to the refugees. In addition, WFP is positioning nearly 3,000 tons of food in its warehouses to supply the basic food needs of the refugees for six months, while UNICEF is supplying nutritional needs for children suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition. In addition, UNFPA will be helping women and young girls with problems related to reproductive health and maternal mortality. 2007-08-07 00:00:00.000
GLOBAL LAND TEMPERATURES FOR JANUARY AND APRIL LIKELY WARMEST EVER RECORDED - UN New York, Aug 7 2007 11:00AM Global land surface temperatures for January and April will likely be ranked as the warmest since records began in 1880, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported today, adding that it is working with its partners to set up a multi-hazard early warning system to tackle the extremes brought on by climate change, such as violence storms, floods and heatwaves. “Weather and climate are marked by record extremes in many regions across the world since January 2007,” WMO said in its update, noting that global temperatures were 1.89°C warmer than average for January and 1.37°C warmer than average for April. It noted that the most recent assessment report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the warming of the climate system was unequivocal and most likely due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. Among the latest extremes WMO cited four monsoon depressions, double the normal, which caused heavy floods in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, killing more than 500 people, displacing over 10 million others and destroying vast areas of croplands, livestock and property; the first documented cyclone in the Arabian Sea hitting Oman and Iran; and the wettest May to July period in England and Wales (406 milimetres) since records began in 1766. Others included a powerful storm system in much of northern Europe in January; abnormally heavy and early rainfall in Sudan since the end of June; a series of large swell waves (estimated at 3-4.5 metres) that swamped 68 islands in the Maldives in May; two extreme record-breaking heat waves in south-eastern Europe in June and July; and a heat wave that swept across western and central Russia in May, breaking several records. “Recognizing the severe health impacts of heat waves, the WMO and the [UN] World Health Organization ), are at an advanced stage of preparing Guidance on the implementation of Heat Health early Warning Systems,” the agency said. Nor was the southern hemisphere spared extremes. An unusual cold southern winter brought winds, blizzards and rare snowfall to various parts of South America with temperatures reaching as low as -22°C in Argentina and -18°C in Chile in July. In June South Africa experienced its first significant snowfall since 1981 with 25 centimetres registered in parts of the country. By contrast, in the northern hemisphere winter many European countries had their warmest January on record, with The Netherlands reporting the highest since measurements were first taken in 1706, averaging about 7.1°C (2.8°C above 1961-1990 average) while in Germany the temperatures were 4.6°C above the 1961-1990 average. An increase in intense tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic since about 1970 has also been observed. “WMO and the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of its 188 Members are working with other UN agencies and partners towards the establishment of a multi-hazard early warning system,” the agency declared. “Furthermore, they are putting in place sustainable observation systems needed for monitoring and assessing the impacts of climate change and determining the adaptation priorities for the most vulnerable countries.” 2007-08-07 00:00:00.000
TOP UN ENVOY ON MYANMAR VISITS SINGAPORE New York, Aug 6 2007 6:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Adviser on Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, today arrived in Singapore on the first leg of an Asian trip that will also take him to Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Jakarta, Indonesia. Mr. Gambari is scheduled to meet with senior government officials at each stop on his itinerary, a UN spokesperson told reporters in New York. All of the Special Adviser’s consultations are taking place within the context of the Secretary-General’s good offices mandate for Myanmar. In June, Mr. Gambari visited European and Asian capitals for talks with government authorities. When he was appointed Special Adviser in May, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson said in a statement that Mr. Ban “looks forward to the cooperation of the Government of Myanmar and all relevant parties to the national reconciliation process, with a view to making tangible progress towards the restoration of democracy and the protection of human rights.” 2007-08-06 00:00:00.000
MARKING HIROSHIMA ANNIVERSARY, BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS New York, Aug 6 2007 6:00PM On the 62nd anniversary of the world’s first-ever atomic bomb attack, which devastated the Japanese city of Hiroshima, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the occasion serves as a “powerful reminder” of the efforts necessary to halt nuclear proliferation. “Today, our challenge – as it was for the founders of the United Nations – is to make the world safer for succeeding generations,” Mr. Ban said in a message, delivered by Sergio de Queiroz Duarte, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, to the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Japan. “This requires us to continue to work towards a world free of nuclear dangers, and ultimately, of nuclear weapons.” Mr. Ban stressed the pressing nature of nuclear proliferation, and noted that the nuclear threat has been compounded by terrorists’ attempts to acquire weapons and materials. He paid special tribute to the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who, along with their predecessors, have promoted the “Mayors for Peace” initiative – which now has support from over 1,600 mayors in 120 countries – for the last quarter century. “It has not only helped inform millions of people around the world of the catastrophic effects of the nuclear attacks of 1945,” the Secretary-General said of the programme, which “has also drawn attention to the dangers that cities would face with any future use of such weapons.” He paid tribute to the memory of Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when Hiroshima was attacked by the bomb and died a decade later from the “atom bomb disease.” Before her death, she folded one thousand origami peace cranes and her words – “This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world.” – is inscribed under her statue in the Hiroshima Peace Park. “We must do all we can to turn back the tide of nuclear proliferation, and ensure that Sadako’s experience is never repeated,” Mr. Ban said. 2007-08-06 00:00:00.000
FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS IN SOUTH ASIA ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ TEST FOR AID AGENCIES – UN New York, Aug 6 2007 6:00PM As monsoon rains continue to pound South Asia, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that the sheer size and scale of the resulting floods, as well as the massive numbers of people affected, poses an “unprecedented challenge” for governments and aid agencies in their relief efforts. The UN estimates that some 20 million people are believed to be affected in India, Nepal and Bangladesh in what is being described as the “worst flooding in living memory.” According to UNICEF, hundreds of thousands have lost their homes, possessions, livestock and fields and will have to begin their lives from scratch when flood waters recede. Among the most urgent needs are shelter and access to fresh water, food, emergency medical supplies and basic household items. Last Friday, the UN World Food Programme said it is sending up to three months worth of emergency rations to some 60,000 flood victims in Nepal. However, given the number of families affected and the remoteness of the impacted areas, the agency estimates that it will need some $1.5 million to meet the basic food requirements of the flood victims in the Himalayan country. Severe weather during this year’s monsoon season has wreaked havoc across South Asia in recent weeks. In addition to those suffering in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, some two million people were affected by devastating flooding in Pakistan when Cyclone Yemyin struck the country in late June. 2007-08-06 00:00:00.000
August 3
UNICEF URGES SOMALIA’S BATTLING RIVALS TO ENSURE CHILDREN’S SAFETY AS DEATH TOLL RISES New York, Aug 3 2007 12:00PM The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today voiced distress at the deadly impact of Somalia’s violent conflict on children in Mogadishu, the capital, and called on all parties to ensure their safety and that of other civilians. At least 20 children have died in the past month from the fighting between the Islamist Courts Union and the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), while many others are among the hundreds of thousands who have fled the city, UNICEF spokesperson Veronique Taveau told a news briefing in Geneva. Late last month, five children were killed while en route to a mosque when one child innocently touched unexploded ordnance, underscoring the lingering danger posed by explosive remnants of war. UNICEF has been running mine-risk education spots on radio stations covering Mogadishu and surrounding areas for the past two months. It is also supporting training of community-based child protection advocates by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Handicap International. Since the beginning of June, an estimated 27,000 people have fled Mogadishu, UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Ron Redmond told the same briefing. Between February and May, more than 400,000 civilians fled heavy fighting between the Somali Transitional Federal Government and the insurgents in Mogadishu, but 125,000 later returned to the city. “Many of the people who fled told UNHCR that life was more unbearable than ever in Mogadishu because of the daily violence, making it too dangerous to leave their homes,” Mr. Redmond said. “They say the insecurity is widespread, with constant bombing and gun battles. Mothers are unable to buy food for their children and workers unable to make a living. They also complain that their children cannot attend school and many neighbourhoods are isolated because of insecurity or road closures,” he added. Young men told UNHCR they left the capital for fear of being arrested, claiming that after outbreaks of violence, Government forces sealed off the affected neighbourhood and arrested any young men on the streets. Two-thirds of the families who have fled over the past two months have settled in the provinces of the Shabelles, immediately surrounding Mogadishu. UNHCR distributed aid to 50,000 people there in April. Others have fled further north, including 2,600 people who have reached the town of Galkayo, 700 kilometres away in the region of Puntland. The town already hosts 11,000 people who fled Mogadishu between February and May. Some of the most recent arrivals, mostly women and children, reported robberies and some women said they had been raped by armed militiamen and thugs who set up roadblocks along the route. Last week, UNHCR distributed blankets, kitchen sets and jerry cans to 780 families in southern Galkayo. On July 24 July, the agency issued a $48-million appeal to fund its work in Somalia and neighbouring countries until the end of next year. 2007-08-03 00:00:00.000
UN HEALTH AGENCY HELPS UGANDA RESPOND TO CASE OF DEADLY MARBURG DISEASE New York, Aug 3 2007 11:00AM The United Nations health agency is helping the Government of Uganda in outbreak response and containment activities following a confirmed case of Marburg virus disease, a rare but highly fatal haemorrhagic illness with epidemic potential, but there is at present no indication of a need to restrict travel or trade with the East African country. At the Ugandan Government’s request the UN World Health Organization along with partners in the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), will provide ongoing support in epidemiology, ecological studies, field communications, supplies and logistics, the agency said in a statement today. Containment and control measures implemented so far by the Health Ministry are in accordance with international best practice, it added. A 29-year-old man working in a mine in western Uganda was admitted to hospital on 7 July and died on 14 July, while the disease was confirmed by laboratory diagnosis on 30 July, WHO said. The man had had prolonged close contact with a 21-year-old co-worker with a similar illness to whom he had been providing care. The 21-year-old had developed symptoms on 27 June and was hospitalized with a haemorrhagic illness. He then recovered and was discharged on 9 July. The disease begins with severe diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and chest and lung pains, often leads to severe haemorrhage in the gastrointestinal tract and lungs. There are indications that close contact with bodily fluids of infected people, as in health care or burial, increases the risk of infection, but to date there have been no reported cases among health care workers in Uganda. The worst ever outbreak of Marburg, which occurs very rarely and appears to be geographically confined to a few countries in Africa, killed nearly 250 people in Angola in 2005. The disease, of the same family as Ebola, was first identified in 1967 during simultaneous outbreaks affecting laboratory workers in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The outbreaks, which involved 31 cases and seven deaths, were subsequently linked to contact with infected monkeys imported from Uganda. 2007-08-03 00:00:00.000
LOCUST INFESTATION IN YEMEN ‘THREATENING AND EXTREMELY SERIOUS,’ UN AGENCY WARNS New York, Aug 3 2007 11:00AM The locust infestation in Yemen remains “threatening and extremely serious” as egg-laying, hatching and band formation of the crop-devouring insects continue, with young immature adults forming small swarms and moving into agricultural land, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned in its latest update. “In the past few days, new infestations have been found in areas that had not been surveyed previously,” FASO said, citing remote wadis, dry river beds, of the interior of Al-Mahara region near the Oman border. Other infestations were discovered in wadis in the plateau south of Wadi Hadhramaut. Ground teams using vehicle-mounted equipment have treated nearly 19,000 hectares since 4 July in some areas. But control operations are hampered by the presence of beehives and because many infestations are in extremely remote areas. Nearly a dozen teams are working in the field. A fixed-wing aircraft is undertaking aerial control operations that started this week. A helicopter will assist ground teams in surveying the extent of the infestations and identifying control targets. “More swarms will form during August,” FAO warned. As vegetation dries out, swarms are likely to move within the vast interior between Marib and the Oman border where they will mature in areas that remain green. If more rainfall occurs, egg laying could start by the end of August with another generation of hatching and band formation in September. Most of the swarms that form during August are expected to stay in the interior but there is a slight risk that some could move to the highlands around Sana’a, the capital, and to the Red Sea coastal plains where good rains have fallen, or to southern Oman and continue to the Indo-Pakistan border, where small-scale breeding is in progress in desert areas. 2007-08-03 00:00:00.000
NEPAL: UN TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY FOOD FOR 60,000 FLOOD VICTIMS FOR THREE MONTHS New York, Aug 3 2007 10:00AM The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is sending up to three months worth of emergency rations to some 60,000 flood victims in Nepal after incessant rains over the past three weeks wrought havoc across the Himalayan country. “In response to the Government’s request for humanitarian assistance, we are making available an initial $500,000 for procurement of immediate food assistance,” country representative Richard Ragan said. “However, given the number of families affected and the remoteness of the impacted areas, we estimate that we will need to raise approximately $1.5million to meet the basic food requirements of the flood victims,” he added. An estimated 200,000 people currently face food shortages due to displacement, loss of livelihoods and damaged homes. WFP’s initial response is based on needs identified by the Government and the Red Cross. The agency will work closely with both partners over the next few days to identify the people and communities most in need of aid, providing sufficient rice, lentils, oil and salt to feed 60,000 people for 90 days. “Given that many of these affected areas are located within the Eastern Terai – districts that have been impacted by months of violence and insecurity – we appeal to all parties to support WFP’s efforts to deliver food aid to the most vulnerable communities within these areas,” Mr. Ragan said. Clashes between the Madheshi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in the central Terai region have claimed scores of lives in recent months. Food, drinking water and temporary shelter have been identified as the major needs in the flood-stricken areas. There is a heightened risk of increased deaths and illness in the coming weeks and months due to outbreaks of communicable diseases, most importantly acute respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, vector-borne diseases and snake bites. UN agencies are already providing water purification tablets and of oral rehydration salts as well as tarpaulins, water buckets and blankets, while UN Mission in Nepal helicopters have flown in rescue teams from the Nepal Army, police and Red Cross. 2007-08-03 00:00:00.000
UN MISSION IN DR CONGO RUSHES RESCUE TEAMS TO SITE OF DEADLY TRAIN CRASH New York, Aug 2 2007 5:00PM The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is sending doctors, nurses, emergency workers and rescue equipment to the centre of the vast country, where a train derailed last night, killing about 100 people. Survivors reported that the goods train was speeding when eight of its carriages derailed near Kakenge in Western Kasai province, while en route from the town of Ilebo to the provincial capital of Kananga. Kemal Saïki, a spokesperson for the UN mission said official Government figures placed the death toll at 100 after earlier estimates gave the number of dead as 68. At least 120 others are seriously wounded, and many remain trapped in the wreckage. “It was a massive accident, and we are trying to assist as much as we can,” Mr. Saïki said. MONUC chief William Lacy Swing said the mission would contribute “all of its available resources” to help in the rescue efforts. “We are appalled by the loss of life, especially in a country which has already suffered so much,” he said. The lack of serviceable transportation in the DRC, combined with the dilapidated state of the roads and railways, means that many Congolese people often ride on goods trains – sometimes on the roofs of carriages – to reach distant towns and cities. It is not known exactly how many passengers where aboard last night’s train. The mission dispatched a helicopter today from Kananga carrying four Congolese doctors and three nurses to treat the injured, as well as medical kits, UN police officers and other UN staff to help with the relief efforts. Those staff are going to conduct an assessment of the humanitarian needs in the wake of the crash. Tomorrow MONUC will send further medical and emergency supplies, and will also transport high-level Congolese officials to the crash site. The rescue operation is being hampered by the fact that local authorities do not have the technical equipment to lift the carriages, under which some people are believed trapped, or to cut through the heavy wreckage. The nearest hospital is 12 kilometres away, and the first people rescued had to be transported by foot or bicycle. MONUC is in the DRC to help the country rebuild after its five-year civil war, starting in the late 1990s, engulfed the Great Lakes region. Some four million people died in that conflict or because of related hunger or disease. 2007-08-02 00:00:00.000
AFRICA TO BE FOCUS OF SECURITY COUNCIL THIS MONTH – PRESIDENT New York, Aug 2 2007 5:00PM The August work programme for the Security Council will focus largely on issues affecting Africa, its President for the month announced today. Briefing reporters at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Ambassador Pascal Gayama of the Republic of the Congo (ROC) said that the 15-member body will discuss the political aspect of the Darfur crisis next Thursday. That meeting will take place after the Council earlier this week adopted a landmark resolution authorizing the creation of a hybrid African Union (AU)-UN operation to quell the violence in the Sudanese region. The UN and AU Special Envoys for Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, will also host three days of talks in Arusha, Tanzania, beginning tomorrow with those rebel groups and militias that have not signed the Darfur Peace Agreement. “We expect a lot from that because, as you know, the solution to the Darfur situation is not a military one,” Mr. Gayama said. “It is political.” Additionally, the Council will take up Somalia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and – while not on the formal work programme – Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR). The President also announced the convening of an open debate in the Council on the prevention and settlement of conflict in Africa to “come up with new ideas on what is to be done given that there are many factors and elements involved in prevention.” Also on the body’s agenda are the impending expiration of the mandates of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Later this month, the Council will hold an open debate on the Middle East to assess the situation which “is greatly changing there this month,” Mr. Gayama said. Overall, he said “this is a month that should be lighter for everyone given the fact that there’s the General Assembly, the major political event, in September.” 2007-08-02 00:00:00.000
August 1
FIRST CHARGES ISSUED BY UN-BACKED KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL IN CAMBODIA New York, Aug 1 2007 6:00PM The United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia set up to try Khmer Rouge leaders accused of mass killings and other horrific crimes during the late 1970s has issued its first charges against a member of the notorious group. Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, now faces charges of crimes against humanity over his role as chief at the S21 prison in the capital, Phnom Penh, during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. Co-investigating judges at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) said in a statement released in Phnom Penh that Mr. Kaing has been placed in provisional detention following the issuing of charges. Today Mr. Kaing was assigned a lawyer, Kar Savuth, from the ECCC’s defence support section, after he told the tribunal that he could not pay for legal representation. Another lawyer, François Roux, may also be assigned once his application for registration with Cambodia’s Bar Association is heard. Under an agreement signed by the UN and Cambodia, the trial court and a Supreme Court within the Cambodian legal system will investigate those most responsible for crimes and serious violations of Cambodian and international law between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979. More than 3 million people were killed during that period. 2007-08-01 00:00:00.000
UN-BACKED MEETING AIMS TO FOSTER WAYS TO ERADICATE FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION New York, Aug 1 2007 6:00PM Dozens of experts from around the world – including representatives from United Nations agencies, religious and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), law enforcement agencies, Government and research institutions – are meeting in Addis Ababa on ways to eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C). More than 100 million women and girls worldwide have undergone a form of FGM/C, which has serious physical and psychological effects. The UN World Health Organization (WHO), UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) define this traditional practice as “the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons.” The UNFPA, along with its development partners, convened a Global Technical Consultation on FGM/C running from 30 July to 3 August. Participants are also discussing related issues of sexual and reproductive health, human rights and gender. In welcoming remarks, the Director of UNFPA’s Country Support Office in Addis Ababa, Benson Morah, stressed how entrenched the harmful practice is in some areas. A collaborative approach including the participation of local communities is key “because the practice of FGM/C is deeply rooted in some of our cultures, and its eradication must also come from changes within those cultures,” he noted. According to UNFPA, FGM/C can result in serious health consequences, ranging from severe pain to haemorrhaging and infection which can be of such magnitude as to result in death. In the longer-term, the practice could result in damage to the urethra, fistulae and infertility. A recent WHO study in six countries confirmed that the more extensive the genital mutilation of a woman the higher her risks are in having obstetric complications. The agency also states that the practice is a violation of women’s basic human rights. WHO estimates that between 100 and 140 million women and girls have been subjected to FGM/C in 28 African countries and in immigrant communities in Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. 2007-08-01 00:00:00.000
SIERRA LEONE: UN RADIO EXPANDS COVERAGE WITH 40 NEW REPORTERS DURING ELECTIONS New York, Aug 1 2007 5:00PM Radio broadcasts on Sierra Leone’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections will be considerably enhanced thanks to the recruitment of 40 new reporters covering the polling process, the United Nations Integrated Office in the country (UNIOSIL) reported today. Drawn from all over the country, the temporary staff have just completed a two-day training workshop in Freetown, organized by UNIOSIL’s Public Information Office, on balanced and fair elections reporting. The training involved coverage of political parties’ rallies, reporting on voting, counting, tallying and election results, the historical importance of the 2007 polls and gender perspectives. The temporary radio broadcasters were also briefed on the Political Parties Code of Conduct and the Sierra Leone media code of conduct on objective and fair electoral reporting, UNIOSIL said in a news release. The new reporters, 16 of whom are women, are all expected to file their reports from 3 to 17 August. Voters in the small West African nation, which emerged in 2002 from a decade-long civil war, will go to the polls on 11 August. 2007-08-01 00:00:00.000
TAJIKISTAN: UN CLOSES PEACEBUILDING OFFICE AT END OF MISSION New York, Aug 1 2007 5:00PM The flag was lowered for the last time yesterday over the United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace Building (UNTOP), ending the world body’s 15-year political presence in the Central Asian country, first to help halt a civil war that killed over 50,000 people and then to further the consolidation of peace. At the ceremony in Dushanbe, the capital, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Representative Vladimir Sotirov highlighted UNTOP’s accomplishments in strengthening national dialogue, helping to build democratic institutions, and in promoting respect for human rights in the former Soviet republic of some 6 million people. He also recalled the ultimate sacrifice of five UN staff members who were killed while working there for the cause of peace. In addition, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi thanked the UN for its commitment to his country. In a recent statement marking the 10th anniversary of peace in Tajikistan, Mr. Ban called UNTOP a successful illustration of the UN working with the Tajik people and the guarantor countries, adding that the past decade had shown that “there is no viable alternative to the road of peace and national reconciliation.” UNTOP was established in May 2000 following the successful completion of the UN Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT), which monitored the ceasefire between the Government and the opposition as well as the implementation of their peace agreement. 2007-08-01 00:00:00.000
July 31
BAN KI-MOON CONDEMNS KILLING OF TWO KOREAN HOSTAGES IN AFGHANISTAN New York, Jul 31 2007 2:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today spoke out against the recent killing of two South Korean nationals abducted in Afghanistan nearly two weeks ago, calling for the safe return of the remaining detainees, including several women. “The Secretary-General deplores the killing of two of the hostages from the Republic of Korea held by the Taliban,” his spokesperson said in a statement. Deeply concerned for the safety and welfare of those still being detained – 21 Korean hostages, as well as a German national and four Afghans – Mr. Ban notes that these hostages include “many young women who came to help the people of Afghanistan and they should not be made part of the conflict in that country.” Mr. Ban “fully supports the Afghan authorities in their continuing efforts to ensure the safe return of all those being held against their will,” the spokesperson added. 2007-07-31 00:00:00.000
CYPRUS: UN MISSION WELCOMES EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S SUPPORT FOR DE-MINING PROJECTS New York, Jul 31 2007 2:00PM The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus today lauded the signing of a €4 million contract between the European Commission (EC) and the UN Development Programme to clear remaining mines inside the buffer zone patrolled by the world body. In a press release, the mission commended the EC for its continued financial assistance “to continue the important task of rendering the buffer zone free of all mines and ultimately returning the land to civilian use.” To date, the UNDP – through its Partnership for the Future, Mine Action Centre programme which was launched in November 2004 – has released more than 2 million square metres of land and removed over 2,800 mines from the Mediterranean island. Last November, Nicosia, the capital, was declared mine-free after the Partnership cleared the area of its last mines, capping off a two-year campaign. UNFICYP pledged its full support to the Partnership in completing “this important work” in the buffer zone, which is 180 kilometres long and covers around three per cent of the surface area of Cyprus. 2007-07-31 00:00:00.000
BAN-KI MOON TO SEE UN REHABILITATION EFFORTS IN HAITI DURING UPCOMING VISIT New York, Jul 31 2007 1:00PM When Ban Ki-moon arrives in Haiti tomorrow for a 24-hour tour, he will witness efforts by the United Nations in the fields of security, the economy and the judiciary that have fostered progress since the last visit by a Secretary-General to the impoverished Caribbean country a year ago, the UN mission there said today. Notorious flashpoints of violence in Port-au-Prince, the capital, such as Cité Soleil, Martissant, Grand Ravine, Ti Bois, where residents were once terrorized by armed gangs, now enjoy relative calm thanks to security operations carried out by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti together with the Haitian National Police (HNP). “We have made significant progress, even if the situation is still fragile,” MINUSTAH’s head and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative Edmond Mulet said, noting that the cooperation between the UN and the PNH helped reduce the “confrontation and animosity” that existed between the gangs. In an article on its website, MINUSTAH pointed to the professionalization of the HNP with its organizational, administrative and operational capacities reinforced. Some 30 trainers from the UN mission together with national trainers are involved in preparing cadets at the police academy. Technical advisers are also on hand at police stations, departmental headquarters and in joint patrols, according to the mission. On the judicial front, important work is under way to guarantee the independence of magistrates, judges and the whole legal system. These measures combine to contribute to a greater sense of stability, considered essential to encouraging foreign investment, fostering job creation and re-establishing tourism in Haiti. Mr. Mulet said that economic gains were also encouraging, citing the reduction in inflation and relations between the Government and the International Monetary Fund World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and bilateral lenders. During his visit Mr. Ban will meet with the President René Préval, Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis and Justice Minister René Magloire, as well as with the presidents of the two chambers of Parliament, to discuss the great challenges lying ahead. He will also visit Cité Soleil to see first hand the evolution of a social and development project set up by international partners including the UN Children’s Fund the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the inter-governmental International Organization for Migration (IOM). 2007-07-31 00:00:00.000
DESPITE PROGRESS TOO MANY CHILDREN IN NIGER STILL FACE ALARMING MALNUTRITION, UN WARNS New York, Jul 31 2007 10:00AM As the impoverished West African country of Niger enters the “lean season,” when food from the last harvest runs out, too many children are still at risk of malnutrition despite much progress made over the past two years, the United Nations Children’s Fund warned today. Although a lot has been done to improve the situation, “we must be ready and must scale up the response to save thousands child lives at risk during the lean season,” UNICEF country representative Akhil Iyer said. “Improvement of the situation will come only from a sustained support to improve access to health care, access to life-saving information and practices, especially for women, access to education, especially for girls, and rural and community development.” The latest national nutrition survey reveals that the proportion of children suffering from acute malnutrition is contained at 11.2 per cent at the national level, down from 15.3 per cent in October 2005. More importantly, as compared to October 2005, the severe form of acute malnutrition has been cut in half, illustrating the impact of the large scale intervention put in place in response to the 2005 food crisis. “It means that thousands of child lives were saved but it also means that far too many child lives are on the brink” UNICEF’s Nutrition Chief in Niger Noel Zagre said. The national average, however, conceals alarming disparities and trends at the regional level and for different age groups with children under three the most affected: 15.5 per cent of these are acutely malnourished. The situation is especially worrying in the region of Agadez, Diffa, Maradi and Zinder where severe acute malnutrition in those under three has sharply increased in the last months. In two regions, acute malnutrition is above the emergency threshold of more than 15 per cent, revealing a recent and significant deterioration in children under five. The global acute malnutrition rate is at a troubling 19.6 per cent in Diffa and at 17.5 per cent in Agadez. In Maradi and Zinder, considered as prime farming areas, the situation is critical. Acute malnutrition rates increased sharply in the last six months, now respectively at 11.8 per cent and 14.2 per cent. High rates of malnutrition in young children are rooted in the lack of access to age-appropriate food and feeding practices and the lack of access to basic health services. The situation is compounded by the lack of access of women and caregivers to life-saving information, education and support within a context of massive and pervasive poverty. In response UNICEF is stepping up its support to the Government in coordinating a network of 21 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide therapeutic care for children not yet covered by the more than 900 facility and community-based feeding centres already operational. UNICEF provides staff training, therapeutic foods, essential medicine, anthropometric equipment and monitoring and counseling to nutritional centers. In cooperation with the UN World Food Programme UNICEF is also seeking to provide all children under three in all the regions, except Niamey, with free supplementary food for two months. In Diffa, the operation will be extended to all children under five and to pregnant and lactating women and will include de-worming and vitamin A supplementation. Other measures include intensified community-based activities to prevent children from slipping into malnutrition and identify and refer malnourished children to care and feeding centers and increased emphasis on improved infant feeding practices, such as exclusive breastfeeding and age-appropriate additional foods together with vitamin and mineral supplementation, de-worming and malaria control. 2007-07-31 00:00:00.000
NEPAL: UN ELECTION PROCESS MONITORS TO START SECOND VISIT THIS WEEK New York, Jul 30 2007 6:00PM United Nations election monitors will this week begin their second visit to Nepal as part of the world body’s efforts to support the staging of Constituent Assembly polls there later this year. The five-member UN Electoral Expert Monitoring Team (EEMT), which reports to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is responsible for reviewing all technical aspects of the Constituent Assembly electoral process and monitoring the conduct of the polls themselves. The Assembly elections are scheduled for 22 November in the Himalayan nation, where a decade-long armed conflict that killed some 13,000 people came to a formal end when the Government and the Maoists signed a peace accord late last year. The polls were to have been held in mid-June but had to be postponed because regulations governing the process were not ready. November was the next earliest available date because of the monsoon season and several major national holidays. Last week, the top UN envoy in Nepal told reporters that while the peace process seems to be on track, it is vital to create a conducive political and security climate for the holding of credible Assembly elections. Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative for Nepal Ian Martin said that “considerable challenges” remain before the polls can be successfully staged. Although the country’s peace process started out focused primarily on ending the conflict between the Maoists and the State, it has become increasingly more complicated as traditionally marginalized groups ask for fair representation in the process, he noted, calling for greater dialogue with the marginalized groups. The EEMT’s report on its first visit to Nepal, held last month, was submitted by Mr. Ban to the Nepalese Government and the nation’s Chief Election Commissioner earlier this month. Established by the Security Council, the EEMT’s members are appointed directly by the Secretary-General and the team is not a part of the UN Mission in Nepal The mission’s Electoral Assistance Office provides separate technical assistance to Nepal’s Election Commission. Rafael Lopez-Pintor of Spain is the leader of the EEMT, and its other members are Ayman Ayoub (Syria), Stefanie Luthy (Switzerland), Antonio Reis (Brazil) and Bong-Scuk Sohn (Republic of Korea). 2007-07-30 00:00:00.000
CONVICTION OF GOVERNMENT SOLDIERS IN DR CONGO WELCOMED BY UN MISSION New York, Jul 30 2007 6:00PM The United Nations peacekeeping mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today welcomed the conviction by a Congolese court of nine Government soldiers for killing 31 unarmed civilians last year. The court in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in the north-east of the country, found nine defendants guilty of war crimes, rape, arson, pillaging and murder, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York. The court handed down lengthy sentences, including life in prison for the leader of the assault on 11 August 2006. Most of the victims had been displaced by the violence in the vast Central African nation in recent years. The UN mission, known as MONUC, said that although the ruling sends a strong message again impunity in the DRC, much remains to be done, including the prosecution of other similar cases. In a related development, a UN independent expert said that violence against women in the DRC “seems to be perceived by large sectors of society to be normal.” Yakin Ertürk, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, observed in a statement that “tragically, in a resource-rich country like DRC, poverty is all too striking and women disproportionately bear its hardships and burden.” Ms. Ertürk visited the country from 16 to 27 July, and focused primarily on sexual violence, which she said “is rampant and committed by non-state armed groups, the Armed Forces of the DRC, the National Congolese Police and increasingly also by civilians.” The situation in South Kivu province – which she said is the worst crisis she has come across so far – must be addressed immediately, she said. The South Kivu Provincial Synergie on Sexual Violence, which brings together Government, UN and civil society representatives, has recorded 4,500 sexual violence cases in the first half of this year. “The real number of cases is certainly many times higher as most victims live in inaccessible areas, are afraid to report or did not survive the violence,” the Rapporteur said. The atrocities – mostly committed by foreign non-state armed groups – are “of an unimaginable brutality that goes far beyond rape” and are “structured around rape and sexual slavery and aim at the complete physical and psychological destruction of women with implications for the entire society,” she noted. So far, the DRC armed forces, known as FARDC, have not been able to halt the violence against women in South Kivu. Therefore, Ms. Ertürk said, the international community and the Government must act urgently to bring an end to such atrocities. The FARDC, the National Congolese Police (PNC) and other State security forces also commit acts of sexual violence which is not isolated to the country’s troubled east. Particularly troubling is that major perpetrators of grave human rights violations are not excluded from being integrated into the regular armed forces, thus allowing a high number of such men to assume high ranks in the military. The Rapporteur voiced alarm that in Equateur Province, the PNC and FARDC launch reprisal attacks targeting civilians and involving “indiscriminate pillaging, torture and mass rape.” Last December, the 70 members of the PNC took revenge for the burning of a police station by torturing civilians and raping over three dozen women, as well as an 11-year-old girl, and yet no police officers have been charged or arrested, she said. 2007-07-30 00:00:00.000
ATTACKS AGAINST AFGHAN SCHOOLS CONTINUES TO DISRUPT EDUCATION – UN New York, Jul 30 2007 5:00PM Security incidents in schools and threats against students and teachers in Afghanistan have spiked in recent months, disrupting education in the country, which this year has seen some of the worst violence since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, according to the United Nations mission there. “Over 30 attacks against schools, many involving the torching or blowing up of school premises have been reported in all parts of the country from January until June,” Nilab Mobarez, Information Officer with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said at a press conference in Kabul today. Deliberate attacks on girls and female teachers have resulted in at least four deaths and six injuries so far this year, he told reporters. According to estimates by the UN Children’s Fund 262 of the total 740 schools in the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul are currently unable to provide education to their students. “UNAMA appeals to all parties concerned for the resumption of normal education activities across the country, particularly in the south, so that boys and girls can exercise their right to education in a peaceful and secure environment,” Mr. Mobarez said. Speaking out recently against continued attacks against schools and schoolchildren, Catherine Mbengue, UNICEF’s Representative in Afghanistan, expressed the agency’s concern at the incidents and intimidation in some communities aimed at stopping families from sending children to school. “Schools of course are a visible sign of reconstruction and progress, and there are those who perhaps fear such progress,” she stated. UNICEF continues to be in discussion with local leaders, village elders and religious leaders to identify ways in which education can be continued, she said, adding that the agency stands ready to support any initiative “that will keep children learning in safety.” 2007-07-30 00:00:00.000
July 27
NUMBER OF REFUGEES LEAVING THAILAND TO START NEW LIVES PASSES 10,000 – UN New York, Jul 27 2007 5:00PM Since the beginning of the United Nations refugee agency’s programme to resolve one of Asia’s most protracted refugee problems, over 10,000 refugees have left Thailand to begin new lives in third countries. Most of the refugees are from neighbouring Myanmar, and fled fighting and oppression in their home country during the past 11 years. A total of 140,000 of the refugees reside in nine camps along the border between the two South-East Asian nations. “After many years of living in closed camps with limited opportunities for education and no opportunities to work, finally refugees have hope for a new life filled with exciting opportunities in a new country,” said Jeffrey Savage, Resettlement Officer in the Bangkok regional office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Since UNHCR’s resettlement scheme kicked off in January 2005, 10,078 refugees have left Thailand. The United States, which made an open-ended offer in 2005 to receive ethnic Karen refugees from Thai camps, is the destination of choice for nearly half of the refugees. Others have departed Thailand for Australia, Canada, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden. “We are very grateful to the US and other countries for offering these opportunities and for their commitment for durable solutions for these refugees, who do not have the option of settling in Thailand,” Mr. Savage said. “Obviously, most refugees would prefer to go home, but for those from Myanmar, this is unfortunately not a possibility either,” he added. “So resettlement is their one durable option.” The number of refugees leaving Thailand is increasing weekly, UNHCR reported. “More than 3,800 Myanmar refugees are scheduled to depart Thailand between now and the beginning of October, and we expect this number to rise even further,” the agency’s spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told reporters in Geneva. In addition to those from Myanmar, there is also a small number of refugees from places as far away as Africa who have also left to make new starts in third countries. 2007-07-27 00:00:00.000
MONTENEGRO MELTS TANKS INTO SCRAP IN UN-BACKED DEMILITARIZATION INITIATIVE New York, Jul 27 2007 5:00PM Montenegro, the United Nations’ youngest member, has launched a new demilitarization initiative, ultimately aiming to slash nearly 12 thousand tons of heavy weaponry to 2,000 tonnes and cut the number of ammunition depots from 10 to three under a project co-sponsored by the world body. As a first step, battle tanks used by the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) in the Balkan wars in Bosnia and Croatia in the early 1990s are being melted down for scrap under the Montenegro Demilitarization Programme (MONDEM), a joint project of the Montenegrin Ministry of Defence, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). “The Government of Montenegro is to be applauded for this gesture of peace and reconciliation destroying weaponry of the former JNA,” UN Interagency Focal Point Garret Tankosic Kelly said. “Congratulations also to the Ministry of Defence for recognizing that these tanks can better serve Montenegro’s development by being melted down and recycled for new and more peaceful purposes.” Supported by the OSCE and UNDP, similar projects were realized in Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan and Ukraine. Lessons learned from these processes will be integrated into the MONDEM programme with the technical support of the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. “By ridding itself of these weapons, Montenegro is taking a crucial step in the reform of its defence forces into an efficient, modern and professional armed force to defend the country as part of a collective defence system,” Montenegrin Defence Minister Boro Vucinic said. The small Balkan country became the UN’s 192nd member last year after voting to become independent from Serbia in what was the last unified remnant of Yugoslavia, the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. 2007-07-27 00:00:00.000
UN NUCLEAR AGENCY MARKS 50TH BIRTHDAY, MOVING ON MULTIPLE FRONTS New York, Jul 27 2007 4:00PM The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations body whose tasks range from seeking to curb nuclear proliferation and keeping weapons of mass destruction out of terrorists’ hands to advancing cancer treatments and searching for underground water, turns 50 this weekend, continually adding to its many exploits. “Over the past half century of distinguished international service, the IAEA has strived to accelerate and expand its contributions to security and development,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in a congratulatory letter to IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei. “I applaud the ceaseless efforts made by the IAEA towards this end.” The actual birthday falls on 29 July, marking the day when the IAEA’s Statute officially entered into force, but a whole series of anniversary celebrations kicked off months ago in various countries around the world, including special events in the Republic of Korea, Japan, Hungary, and Bulgaria, as well as a pictorial history and a children’s painting contest. The agency is best know around the world for its strategic role in preventing nuclear proliferation, a role that has recently hit the headlines with its efforts in connection with the nuclear programmes of Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Lesser known, however, are its many other hats, including some which are quite new. Just this year, the IAEA helped an Austrian museum assess damage and identify ways to preserve a stolen Renaissance sculptural masterpiece that was recently recovered. Acting as a nuclear detective in a little-known sphere, it loaned Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches (Art History) Museum an instrument known as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (or XRF) to examine and uncover hidden truths about a golden salt and pepper cellar (saliera) sculpted by Benvenuto Cellini, which was found buried deep in a forest after being stolen in 2003. Not many people know that nuclear-based techniques like XRF are used for studying works of art, from Cellini’s Saliera to Michelangelo’s David. But they have proved their worth in fields ranging from art restoration to archaeology and the preservation of cultural artifacts. The best feature is that the invisible rays do not destroy or harm the treasured art. Another is its portability. Since any movement to a work of art is potentially catastrophic, the goal of art restorers is to minimize disturbance. And XRF, about the size of an overhead projector mounted on a moveable chassis, can be brought right to the source. In the field of medicine, the IAEA in May put its expertise in nuclear science and radiation to use in Haiti to curtail infant malnutrition and bolster cancer treatment in the poorest country in the in the Western hemisphere. The agency is using stable and non-radioactive isotopes to identify breastfeeding patterns with mother’s milk, which the UN World Health Organization (WHO) recommends as an infant’s exclusive food for six months, while at the same time helping to build a national cancer treatment centre equipped with the technology necessary to diagnose and treat the disease. In other fields, the IAEA is using isotope hydrology as a tool in managing water resources in Africa. Because water contains different isotopes, isotopic dating can be used to estimate the origins and movement of water and determine the availability and capacity of underground aquifers. In food security, one of the most challenging problems facing Africa, the agency is supporting pest control through the sterile insect technique (SIT), where radiation is used to sterilize otherwise healthy insects, which are then released to mate without producing offspring, thus controlling and gradually eradicating the pest population. SIT is one of the methods being used to combat the tsetse fly. Trypanosomosis, also known as sleeping sickness, the parasitic disease carried by the fly, is considered a major constraint to sustainable development, affecting both humans and livestock. But it is in the strategic domain that the agency still captures headlines. Just this month an IAEA inspection team confirmed that the DPRK had shut down five nuclear facilities as part of an agreement to end its atomic weapons programme. At the same time it announced a forthcoming visit of inspectors to Iran, which the United States, European Union and other countries accuse of harbouring a nuclear weapons programme. Iran denies the charges in the continuing standoff. 2007-07-27 00:00:00.000
US FIRM TO MANAGE PRECONSTRUCTION PHASE OF UN COMPLEX RENOVATION New York, Jul 27 2007 4:00PM The United Nations today signed a contract with an American firm which will oversee the preconstruction stage of the seven-year, $1.9 billion refurbishment of the world body’s New York Headquarters. Skanska USA Buildings “was selected in a competitive bidding process involving an extensive technical, contractual and commercial evaluation by the United Nations and independent outside senior industry experts,” Alica Bárcena Ibarra, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, said at a press briefing. Renovations under the UN Capital Master Plan are expected to make the main UN Headquarters buildings more energy efficient and eliminate safety and health risks. “The signing of this agreement is a major step in making the UN Headquarters a safer and healthier, more secure and more energy efficient place for all of us who work here,” including UN staff, diplomats, journalists and the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit every year, Ms. Bárcena noted. Characterizing the contract wit Skanska as “one of the most complex contracts ever to be negotiated in the UN,” she expressed confidence that all necessary measures were taken to protect the world body’s interests. During the preconstruction phase, Skanska will assess existing design drawings, seek out potential means to save costs and provide detailed cost estimates. After being given the guaranteed maximum price for construction, the UN will come to a decision on awarding the final construction management agreement for the project. “This will be an enormous project that will touch every one of us who work in this building for many years to come,” the Under-Secretary-General noted, adding that it will be “both a headache and a blessing.” She also stressed the importance of safety, with several steps to bolster safety already having been taken, including improving signs throughout UN Headquarters, installing additional emergency lighting, replacing sprinkler heads on the existing sprinkler system and having fire guards patrolling the Secretariat building, among others. Ms. Bárcena said she has been working closely with the New York City Fire Department and Marjorie Tiven, the city’s Commissioner for the UN, to improve the safety of New York’s first responders who would come to the aid of Headquarters in an emergency. Introducing the new Executive Director of the Capital Master Plan, Michael Adlerstein of the United States, to the media, she said his expertise will be a “tremendous asset” to the project. Mr. Adlerstein, who will assume his new role on 30 July, has worked on renovation projects ranging from the New York Botanical Garden to Ellis Island to the Taj Mahal. “I start next Monday with optimism and enthusiasm that we can execute this project within budget and on schedule,” he said. 2007-07-27 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON CALLS ON BURUNDIAN GOVERNMENT, REBELS TO AVOID RESUMING HOSTILITIES New York, Jul 27 2007 2:00PM United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced deep concern at the withdrawal of a rebel group in Burundi from arrangements to monitor the ceasefire it signed with the Government last year, calling on both sides to refrain from any actions that might lead to a resumption of hostilities. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban called on the Palipehutu- FNL, the last rebel hold-out from a peace agreement aimed at ending years of ethnic violence in the small Central African country, to resume its participation in the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM) without delay. He commended the efforts by South Africa, the Regional Peace Initiative on Burundi and the African Union aimed at bringing the Burundi peace process to a successful conclusion and told his Executive Representative for Burundi to continue to work closely with these regional partners. Last September, the Burundian Government and the Palipehutu-FNL signed an agreement in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, designed to end 13 years of armed conflict between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority. 2007-07-27 00:00:00.000
July 26
UN RUSHES AID TO FLOOD-HIT SOUTHERN SUDAN New York, Jul 26 2007 5:00PM United Nations humanitarian agencies are rushing food and health kits to southern Sudan where heavy rainfall in recent days has affected nearly 10,000 people, some of whom have sought shelter in public buildings. The UN Children’s Fund has so far helped distribute 1,500 kits of non-food items, including anti-diarrhoea medicines and oral rehydration salt, along with 15-day supplies of food rations from the UN World Food Programme UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told a news briefing. An additional 600 survival kits are on their way to the area by barge. UNICEF has also provided drugs for distribution by mobile clinics, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is preparing a Flash Appeal, which it expects to launch next week. 2007-07-26 00:00:00.000
UN APPEALS TO PARTIES IN SIERRA LEONE TO AVOID INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE AHEAD OF POLLS New York, Jul 26 2007 4:00PM The United Nations today appealed to all political parties in Sierra Leone to avoid inflammatory or provocative remarks that could lead to disturbances ahead of next month’s presidential and parliamentary elections, the second since the small West African country emerged from a disastrous decade-long civil war in 2002. “You must all be aware of recent incidents of political violence,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Executive Representative, Victor Angelo, told the opening session of the National Youth Dialogue Conference. “Continued occurrences of this nature are without doubt most unhelpful for the elections and I would like to use this forum to request political parties to dissociate themselves from all forms of political violence. The political leaders have a special responsibility and should guide their supporters,” he added. Mr. Angelo pledged that the UN and its international partners “will support all efforts to ensure that the elections are transparent, credible and free of any forms of violence. “The support of the political parties, civil society, the media and all segments of the Sierra Leone society, particularly its youths, in achieving this goal is necessary,” he added, noting that 55 per cent of the 2.6 million registered voters are between the ages of 18 and 32. “Young people, who, as is often said, are the future, will have an enormous influence on the outcome of the elections,” he declared, calling on the country’s young people to contribute to the electoral process by ensuring that they vote and by “not allowing themselves to be manipulated by anybody.” “I urge all youths to avoid all forms of conduct that could result in a breach of the peace or a breakdown of law and order.” Sierra Leone is one of the first beneficiaries of the UN’s new Peacebuilding Fund, launched last October to ensure that countries emerging from war and conflict do not relapse back into strife. Earlier this month the Fund approved four new projects to support the ongoing electoral process and improve the judiciary, water, sanitation and health facilities. 2007-07-26 00:00:00.000
TIMOR-LESTE: UN TO BOYCOTT TRUTH PANEL UNLESS IT BARS AMNESTY FOR GROSS ABUSES New York, Jul 26 2007 4:00PM United Nations officials will boycott a commission set up jointly by Indonesia and Timor-Leste to foster reconciliation after the latter’s bloody struggle for independence, unless it is precluded from recommending amnesty for crimes against humanity and other gross violations of human rights. UN policy “is that the Organization cannot endorse or condone amnesties for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or gross violations of human rights, nor should it do anything that might foster them,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson said today. “It is the firm intention of the Secretary-General to uphold this position of principle.” Spokesperson Marie Okabe noted that the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF), established by the two countries in 2005, had on several occasions invited former staff members of the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), including former Special Representative of the Secretary-General Ian Martin, to testify at its proceedings. But the CTF’s terms of reference into the bloodshed that followed Timor-Leste’s vote for independence from Indonesia in 1999, and in which nine local UN personnel were killed, do not preclude it from recommending amnesty “in respect of acts that constitute a crime against humanity, a gross violation of human rights or a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” she added. “Unless the terms of reference are revised to comply with international standards, officials of the United Nations will, therefore, not testify at its proceedings or take any other steps that would support the work of the CTF and thereby further the possible grant of amnesties in respect of such acts,” she said. Today’s statement follows a report to the Security Council last August from then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan in which he said that it “would be deeply regrettable, however, if the reconciliation process foreclosed the possibility of achieving accountability.” Ms. Okabe said that report “clearly outlined” the UN’s position. “Though it will not take part in the process, the United Nations is informed about the ongoing proceedings of the CTF and wishes, therefore, to also take this opportunity to say that it stands unequivocally by the exemplary work of UNAMET during the popular consultation in 1999 and throughout the course of its mandate,” she noted. 2007-07-26 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON TO MEET WITH LEADERS OF HAITI AND BARBADOS NEXT WEEK New York, Jul 26 2007 6:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will meet with Government officials, civic leaders and United Nations staff during official visits to Haiti and Barbados next week, a spokesperson for the world body announced today. While in Haiti, Mr. Ban plans to meet with President René Préval and visit the Port-au-Prince headquarters of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), UN Spokesperson Marie Okabe said at a press briefing. He is expected to travel to Cité Soleil, where he is scheduled to visit a water tower repaired by MINUSTAH and meet with the neighbourhood’s mayor. Also on Mr. Ban’s agenda are meetings with the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, as well as with leaders from civil society, political parties and the private sector. He is scheduled to hold discussions with the Commission of Justice Reform. In Barbados, which holds the current chairmanship of the Caribbean regional cooperation body known as CARICOM, Mr. Ban will meet with the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and the Governor General, as well as with the UN country team, Ms. Okabe said. 2007-07-26 00:00:00.000
SECRETARY-GENERAL VOICES SHOCK AND SADNESS OVER BOMB ATTACK ON IRAQI SOCCER FANS New York, Jul 26 2007 2:00PM United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that he was “shocked and saddened” over two bomb attacks reportedly claiming the lives of over 50 innocent civilians celebrating the Iraqi national football team’s “inspiring victory” in the Asian Games. “The Secretary-General condemns this particularly reprehensible act which came at a moment when all of Iraq had joined together to celebrate the success of their nation,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement. He also hopes that Iraqis will not be daunted by this “despicable act” and that they will come together in the spirit of national unity symbolized by their national football team.” 2007-07-26 00:00:00.000
UN REFUGEE AGENCY DEPLORES REPORTED FORCED RETURN OF IRAQIS BY TURKEY New York, Jul 26 2007 2:00PM The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is seeking urgent clarification from Turkish authorities on reports that over 100 Iraqis – some of whom may have been seeking asylum – have been forcibly returned to their country this week. Considering the current situation in Iraq, UNHCR said it is extremely concerned for the safety of the 135 individuals, on whose whereabouts there is no information currently available. Last December, UNHCR issued an advisory recommending that countries should not forcibly return any Iraqi from the centre or south of the country until there was a substantial improvement in security and human rights in the country. The agency also advised against returns to the three northern governorates of people not originating from there. The 135 were apprehended in Urla, near the city of Izmir, earlier this month as part of a larger group of some 500 people – most of them Iraqis, Palestinians, Sri Lankans and Afghans – who were about to depart Turkey irregularly. UNHCR said that it understood that some of those deported had made an asylum claim. “If this is confirmed, the deportations would be a clear violation of the principle of non-refoulement, under which no refugee or asylum seeker whose case has not yet been properly assessed, can be forcibly returned to a country where their life or liberty may be at risk,” the agency said in a statement. “Refoulement is explicitly prohibited by the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and it is also contrary to international customary law,” it added. UNHCR is seeking urgent clarification from the Government of Turkey on the events surrounding the deportation, and further information on the fate of the deportees. It also seeks assurances that in the future, those needing international protection will be treated in full respect of Turkey’s international and national legal obligations. At the same time, UNHCR requested that Turkey admit into the asylum procedure the claims of those in the remaining group who expressed fear to return to their country of origin. The agency said it was pleased that Turkey has agreed to conduct a joint screening exercise with UNHCR to identify those in the group who wish to apply for asylum. Last December, UNHCR issued an advisory on the international protection needs of Iraqis outside their country, which was shared with the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The agency noted the overall situation in Iraq was characterized by “generalized violence in which massive, targeted violations of human rights are prevalent.” 2007-07-26 00:00:00.000
UN WILL NOT TURN ‘BLIND EYE’ TO PEACEKEEPERS’ MISCONDUCT, VOWS UN OFFICIAL New York, Jul 25 2007 7:00PM A senior United Nations official today stressed that the world body is doing its utmost to get to the bottom of recent allegations of misconduct against peacekeepers in Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), pledging to hold all personnel to the highest standards of behaviour. “We are not turning a blind eye to any activity anywhere,” said Jane Holl Lute, who is Officer-in-Charge of the Department of Field Support, a new department created to work with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). “When investigations are conducted and it is demonstrated that the allegations are founded, we will take action,” she stated at a press conference in New York. The world body has imposed a zero-tolerance policy against sexual abuse and exploitation in response to numerous allegations of misconduct by UN peacekeeping forces around the world. Ms. Lute emphasized that zero tolerance means “zero complacency” and “zero impunity.” Last week, the Moroccan contingent serving with the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) was suspended amid allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse involving the local population. A preliminary report, submitted by the UNOCI Conduct and Discipline Team, had shown “a solid basis for investigation.” The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) is finalizing its investigation into the matter and its report is expected to be finalized this week. In addition, a joint investigative team will arrive in Abidjan next week to conduct a detailed investigation into all of the allegations raised. Various allegations of serious misconduct have also been levelled recently against UN personnel serving with the world body’s mission in the DRC, known by its French acronym MONUC. The UN has deployed a management audit team to look into the matter and to evaluate management processes to ensure that the Mission is aware of the activities of all its various segments. While the UN is determined to act on the findings of the investigations, she stressed that the world body is “limited” in the action it can take, adding that it relies “on our partners, the troop contributing countries.” She noted that the Government of Morocco has reaffirmed its support for the zero-tolerance policy to the UN and that it remains “committed to working with us, not only through this joint investigation but following through on enforcement action and future steps ahead.” “We cannot do this alone,” she stressed. “We rely deeply on the troop contributing countries and the commitment of their national capitals to make this real and not just a theoretical exercise.” In that regard, she announced that an extraordinary meeting with those countries will be held tomorrow at which she would request the opportunity to visit their capitals to hear their ideas, to make sure that everyone was aware of what the standards were and that commanders where carrying out their responsibilities regarding order and discipline. She stressed that the “vast majority” of peacekeeping personnel conducts themselves with dignity and respect, adding that “when one person misbehaves, it threatens the reputation of us all.” The UN will work with troop contributing countries on that matter, she added. Highlighting initiatives taken by the UN to address misconduct, she mentioned that Member States had recently approved the establishment of a Conduct and Discipline Unit at UN Headquarters in her Department. In addition, a UN anti-prostitution campaign has been developed and is now ready for testing in Timor-Leste, while the General Assembly is considering a victim’s assistance programme, she said. 2007-07-25 00:00:00.000
LEBANON: UN BLUE HELMET KILLED WHILE CLEARING UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE New York, Jul 25 2007 6:00PM A peacekeeper serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) died today from the explosion of ordnance, a spokesperson for the world body said. The incident occurred when a UNIFIL team was clearing unexploded ordnance in a valley south of Shama. UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York that UNIFIL medical and explosives teams were sent to the location immediately, and an investigation is underway. 2007-07-25 00:00:00.000
UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG AGENCY ANNOUNCES UPCOMING VISIT TO IRAN New York, Jul 25 2007 6:00PM The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency said that its inspectors will visit Iran’s Arak reactor early next week, ahead of further talks planned for next month. The announcement came yesterday in Vienna after discussions between senior IAEA officials and an Iranian delegation as part of efforts to resolve outstanding issues pertaining to the country’s past nuclear programme and to clarify safeguards implementation issues. IAEA Deputy Director General for Safeguards Olli Heinonen told reporters that during the August meeting, the agency will discuss plutonium contamination and other outstanding issues. “In the weeks to come, we will then talk about other outstanding issues that are related to Iran’s enrichment programme,” he said. Javad Vaeedi, head of the Iranian delegation and Under-Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Council, said that during yesterday’s meeting, “good discussions were held and constructive progress was made.” 2007-07-25 00:00:00.000
July 24
UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF SPOTLIGHTS IMPACT OF DROUGHT ON SOUTHERN AFRICA New York, Jul 24 2007 7:00PM The top United Nations humanitarian official today, highlighting the impact of severe droughts in several southern African countries, stressed that the situation is particularly dire in Swaziland and appealed for over $15 million to assist that country. “We’re anticipating quite serious problems of food insecurity” in the region, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said at a press briefing in New York. Swaziland was hit by the worst drought in 15 years and its maize harvest of 26,000 metric tons was the poorest ever. While the country’s Government has pledged over $20 million to respond to the situation, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is appealing for an additional $15.6 million to address needs over the next few months. Contributions to the Flash Appeal launched today, which aims “to raise funds to prevent a crisis,” will be put towards food and agricultural assistance, health and nutrition and water and sanitation needs, Mr. Holmes said. Looking forward, he added that the funds will also be put towards early recovery to “protect people’s livelihoods over the difficult period to come.” As in other countries in the region, the situation created by the food shortage in Swaziland is exacerbated by the high number of people – 220,000 or 20 per cent of the population – living with HIV/AIDS. Nearly $4 million of the Flash Appeal funds will provide immediate food assistance to the most vulnerable groups, including children under the age of five, orphans, vulnerable children, pregnant and lactating mothers and those affected by HIV/AIDS. Mr. Holmes, who also serves as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, hoped that donors will respond generously to the Flash Appeal. OCHA will shortly be launching a similar appeal for Lesotho, as the small country declared a food emergency earlier this month after suffering the worst drought in three decades and a 40 per cent dip in the maize harvest, a staple crop. Nearly 400,000 people – or one fifth of the population – will be in need of emergency food aid as a result. Elsewhere in the region, Mr. Holmes noted that Zimbabwe’s cereals harvest plummeted 44 per cent since last year, resulting in one third of the population requiring some form of food assistance by early next year. In spite of the Government’s imports of maize, wheat and rice, he said the country will still face a gap of approximately 350,000 tons of cereals which will mainly be met by the UN World Food Programme He also highlighted the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which he characterized as a “long-running humanitarian crisis” due to food insecurity, limited basic services and problems brought about by conflict, communicable diseases and natural disasters. Of particular concern is the situation in the country’s volatile east, where some 700,000 people have been displaced by recent instability. If large-scale fighting breaks out in the area, “there is a real fear of very severe humanitarian consequences [for] the civilian population caught in the middle of that fighting,” Mr. Holmes said. Regarding the occupied Palestinian territory, OCHA still faces problems regarding humanitarian access, despite some success in recent weeks. Mr. Holmes pointed out that 80 per cent of the companies in Gaza have closed. “This means that the livelihoods of the population are disappearing and, therefore, the likelihood is, if this does not change in the next few weeks and months, that the population of Gaza – one and a half million – will be dependent on humanitarian aid,” he said. 2007-07-24 00:00:00.000
LACK OF CASH THREATENS SCHOOL MEALS IN BENIN, WARNS UN FOOD AGENCY New York, Jul 24 2007 2:00PM The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today that tens of thousands of children in Benin will not receive their daily school meal when schools reopen in September unless additional funds are made available immediately. WFP Benin’s school feeding programme, which reached nearly 70,000 school children in 400 schools last year, urgently requires $1 million – the equivalent of 1,200 metric tons of maize, beans, oil and fish. “We are afraid that there won’t be any WFP food trucks turning up at the schools next term, and if the trucks don’t come, many of the children don’t come either,” said WFP Benin Country Director Jacques Roy. “We need new donations now so that we have time to buy the food and then get it out to the schools.” Studies indicate that one meal during the school day not only staves off hunger, but improves children’s ability to learn. School meals are also a major incentive for families to send their children – especially girls – to school, often resulting in higher enrollment and attendance rates. Along with school feeding in Benin, WFP provides assistance to 5,000 Togolese refugees in the country, as well as 12,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. In 2006, WFP provided school meals to over three million children across West and Central Africa and over 20 million children in 71 countries around the world. 2007-07-24 00:00:00.000
UN MISSION HELPS TRAIN SIERRA LEONEAN ELECTION OFFICIALS New York, Jul 24 2007 6:00PM The United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) and the National Electoral Commission have finished training nearly 50 district officers, ahead of next month’s presidential and parliamentary polls in the once war-torn West African nation. The three-day focused on polling and counting procedures for the 11 August elections, which are widely regarded as a watershed in democratic development for a country that is still recovering from an 11-year long civil war. The training covered areas such as sorting and counting of ballot papers, confirmation of serial numbers on ballot boxes, and reconciliation of the votes cast and the number of registered voters, according to a press release issued by UNIOSIL. Now that they have been trained, the 49 district election officers will be responsible for the training of constituency election monitors, polling centre managers, identification officers and presiding officers at various polling stations nationwide. A total of 37,000 polling staff are being prepared to ensure a credible election day. UNIOSIL, the first integrated UN office established to support a peace-consolidation process, was established following the completion of peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone that ended on 31 December 2005. 2007-07-24 00:00:00.000
July 23
TWO BOSNIAN SERB PARAMILITARIES TO BE TRIED JOINTLY AT UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL New York, Jul 23 2007 6:00PM The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has decided that, in the interest of justice, two Bosnian Serb paramilitaries charged with multiple crimes – and whose cases are factually very closely related – will be tried jointly. Last Friday, the Tribunal decided to revoke the referral of the Sredoje Lukic case to Bosnia and Herzegovina, thus clearing the way for it to be tried jointly in The Hague with the case of Milan Lukic, who would be “perhaps the most significant paramilitary leader tried by the Tribunal to date,” according to an ICTY press release. In deciding to try the two men jointly, the Tribunal’s referral bench noted that “separate trials would have risked increasing the trauma for witnesses, who would have had to testify twice.” According to the indictment, Milan Lukic was the leader of the “White Eagles” or “Avengers.” The Tribunal said the group comprised Bosnian Serb paramilitaries in Višegrad who worked with local police and military units in “exacting a reign of terror” on the local Bosnian Muslim population during the 1992-1995 conflict. Sredoje Lukic, Milan Lukic's cousin, was a member of the unit. Both men are charged with multiple crimes, including the murder of several dozen Bosnian Muslim women, children and elderly men in and around the town of Višegrad. The Tribunal has to date referred a total of eight cases involving 13 persons to courts in the former Yugoslavia, mostly to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meanwhile, the Tribunal today announced the donation of some 300 computers and related equipment to the Kosovo Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, for distribution to schools throughout the province. The donation is part of the Tribunal Asset Disposal Unit’s ongoing project to supply its replaced office equipment to agencies which may benefit from it in the former Yugoslavia. 2007-07-23 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON URGES STRONGER GEORGIAN-ABKHAZ COOPERATION New York, Jul 23 2007 5:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for the Government and Abkhaz sides in Georgia to bolster cooperation on security, economic and humanitarian issues. In a new report to the Security Council made public today, Mr. Ban says both sides “must now take concrete steps to implement the understandings” reached at a meeting last month of the “Group of Friends” on Georgia. The two-day meeting in Bonn, Germany, was attended by senior representatives of the Group of Friends – which comprises France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – as well as the Georgian and Abkhaz sides and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Georgia, Jean Arnault. Fighting in the country 14 years ago drove nearly 300,000 people from their homes. Mr. Ban pledged the support of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia UNOMIG) in facilitating all of the confidence-building agreements made at the Bonn meeting. Furthermore, the Secretary-General noted the need for both parties to “redouble their efforts to avoid action that could lead to a renewal of hostilities.” Although the situation around a patriotic youth camp in Ganmukhuri is calm, UNOMIG has detected heightened activity on both sides of the ceasefire line near the camp. “In order to reduce the possibility of incidents, the United Nations joins the Group of Friends in calling on the Government of Georgia to move the camp away from the security zone,” Mr. Ban said, noting that cultural activities “should be carried out in a manner that does not allow for misunderstanding, miscalculation and subsequent violence.” Additionally, both sides must avoid potentially critical situations arising from armed personnel deployment, he said, urging them to “stay away from one another.” “A separation of opposing forces is the primary and often the most effective guarantee of the preservation of peace,” he added. UNOMIG was established in August 1993 to verify compliance with the ceasefire agreement between the Government of Georgia and the Abkhaz authorities in Georgia. Its mandate was expanded following the signing by the parties of the 1994 Agreement on a Ceasefire and Separation of Forces. In an April resolution, the Council voted unanimously to extend UNOMIG’s mandate by six months until October. 2007-07-23 00:00:00.000
UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF HAILS WORK OF WOMEN’S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE New York, Jul 23 2007 3:00PM The top United Nations human rights official today praised the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, as it marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of its work in monitoring States’ compliance with a landmark treaty on the issue. The 23-member expert body is tasked with ensuring that 185 States parties meet their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the 1979 treaty – also known as CEDAW – often described as an international bill of rights for women. “The Convention introduced the notion of substantive equality for women, emphasizing that although there may be no overtly discriminatory laws, women are not considered equal until they enjoy, in fact and in reality, the same opportunities and privileges as men,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour stated today at a special ceremony in New York to celebrate the milestone. Under the Convention, States parties have legally committed themselves to take the necessary steps to end all forms of discrimination against women in any field – whether political, economic, social, cultural or civic. Ms. Arbour said the Convention, now ratified by almost the entire international community, marked the “first step in a comprehensive human rights framework for women and girls.” Among the Committee’s achievements, she highlighted the elaboration of the Convention’s Optional Protocol, which enables the expert body, based on certain criteria, to undertake inquiries into possible grave or systematic violations of women’s rights. She also noted that the Committee was a pioneer in addressing issues such as female circumcision, violence against women and HIV/AIDs. “By promoting the Committee and women’s human rights generally, we push the entire human rights agenda forward,” she said. Also among those hailing the work of the Committee was Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the General Assembly, who stated that the panel’s effective monitoring work and guidance has “significantly enhanced the accountability of States for women’s enjoyment of their human rights and shaped the progress of women worldwide.” Today’s ceremony followed the official opening of the Committee’s thirty-ninth session, during which experts will review reports from Belize, Brazil, Estonia, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea and Singapore, as well as Cook Islands. 2007-07-23 00:00:00.000
LEBANON: BAN KI-MOON ASKS NETHERLANDS TO CONSIDER HOSTING HARIRI TRIBUNAL New York, Jul 23 2007 2:00PM United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today sent a letter to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands inviting the country’s Government to consider hosting the Special Tribunal on the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban voiced hope that the Dutch Government “will give serious consideration to the request.” The Secretary-General’s letter stressed the fact that the Netherlands already hosts several courts and tribunals, such as the International Court of Justice the International Criminal Court and the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia That experience, Mr. Ban said, “could be of great value for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.” Mr. Hariri died in a massive car bombing in Beirut in February 2005 that took the lives of 22 other people. The UN International Independent Investigation Commission (<" is currently probing that attack as well as 17 other cases. On 30 May, the Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the Special Tribunal’s establishment. In its latest report, the Commission said it “looks forward to cooperating closely with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon during a transition phase in which the Commission’s work will be transferred to the Office of the Prosecutor of the Tribunal.” Last week, UNIIC Commissioner Serge Brammertz warned the Security Council that the security of witnesses and people who cooperate with the Commission needs to be guaranteed. “This remains a priority for the Commission and will also have to be addressed by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in a timely manner,” he said. 2007-07-23 00:00:00.000
July 20
BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR ACTION TO RESOLVE CRISIS IN EASTERN DR CONGO New York, Jul 20 2007 2:00PM United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for action to resolve the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) volatile eastern region, where some 700,000 people have been internally displaced. “The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the deteriorating security situation in the South and North Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo,” his spokesperson said in a statement, pointing to the “dire humanitarian consequences” there. The statement called on all key players to use political measures to resolve the crisis, including by carrying out a comprehensive strategy aimed at ensuring the extension of State authority and the promotion of reconciliation, recovery and development in North and South Kivu. “The Secretary-General urges the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and all concerned to pursue an inclusive dialogue in the Kivus,” spokesperson Michele Montas said. Mr. Ban also called on regional and international partners to support efforts to ease tensions in the area, and encouraged the Governments of Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda to fully cooperate in addressing the root causes of instability. 2007-07-20 00:00:00.000
EDUCATION FOR IRAQI CHILDREN KEY TO THEIR COUNTRY'S FUTURE, UN OFFICIAL SAYS New York, Jul 20 2007 8:00AM A senior United Nations official traveling in Damascus has called for Iraqi refugee parents to send their children to public schools in Syria, pointing out that these young people hold the key to Iraq's future. Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees L. Craig Johnstone made his comments on Thursday as he continued his first visit to the Middle East for UNHCR. "The Syrian government allows your children to register in public schools. Make the most of this opportunity; send your children to school," Mr. Johnstone told a gathering of more than 400 Iraqi refugees at the UNHCR Registration Centre in Damascus. "The education of your children will secure the future of Iraq and the future of your families. Spread the word -- we want all Iraqi families in Syria to know that they have the right to send their children to school," added Mr. Johnstone, who arrived from Jordan on the second leg of his first visit to the region since joining UNHCR in June. His visit to main host countries Syria and Jordan coincides with the launch of a joint campaign by the UN refugee agency and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to increase the number of Iraqi children in schools in Syria from the current 33,000 to 100,000 by the end of the 2007-08 school year. An appeal last week for extra funds for UNHCR's Iraq-linked programmes noted that most Iraqi children were not attending school. Outside Iraq, the agency plans to focus on education, health, food, social and legal counseling and shelter for the refugees. A recent survey in Damascus indicated that a significant number of children were not yet enrolled in school. Mr. Johnstone voiced UNHCR's gratitude to the Damascus Government for offering refuge to the estimated 1.4 million Iraqi refugees living in Syria. The UN refugee agency has been appealing for increased international support for the Governments of both Syria and Jordan as they struggle to cope with the influx of refugees. revised budget of $123 million for its programmes, up from US$60 million in January. "UNHCR has already registered more than 150,000 Iraqis in the region and many of them have special needs, including help in getting their children in school and serious medical problems. The needs are enormous and these governments should not have to cope alone," said Mr. Johnstone. Meanwhile, the displacement of Iraqis in the face of extreme violence continues unabated, with a significant impact on the surrounding region. To date, over 4 million Iraqis have been uprooted, according to UNHCR. The more than 2 million refugees in surrounding countries include some who fled their country during the pre-2003 regime of Saddam Hussein. The outflow has escalated in the past eighteen months. The displacement continues at a rate of about 100,000 a month, the UN estimates. 2007-07-20 00:00:00.000
TIMORESE PRESIDENT LAUDS UN VOLUNTEERS FOR ELECTION SUPPORT New York, Jul 20 2007 8:00AM The President of Timor-Leste has congratulated the more than 250 United Nations Volunteers (UNVs) from 70 countries who supported the country's elections this year. José Ramos-Horta told a ceremony on 18 July that the commitment of the UNVs, who helped the electoral process as it unfolded in recent months, "is a true testament of the ideas and ideals of the United Nations." The UNVs working with the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) served as elections advisers supporting logistics, voter registration, voter education and training. On Election Day, the volunteers were on the ground throughout the country to help facilitate the process. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for Timor-Leste, Atul Khare, said the UNVs "were the backbone of this operation." UNMIT was tasked by the Security Council with supporting Timor-Leste in all aspects of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary electoral process. 2007-07-20 00:00:00.000
July 19
UN HARIRI ASSASSINATION INVESTIGATION MAKING PROGRESS, COMMISSIONER SAYS New York, Jul 19 2007 8:00PM The head of the United Nations Independent International Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) probing the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri today reported progress in identifying persons suspected of involvement in the attack. “The consolidation of the Commission’s findings across several areas of the Hariri case and in some other cases has helped identify a number of persons who may have been involved in some aspects of the crime,” UNIIC Commissioner Serge Brammertz told an open meeting of the Security Council. “A number of commonalities across cases have also been brought to light,” he said. Mr. Brammertz also warned the Council that the security situation in Lebanon has deteriorated, and stressed that the security of witnesses and people who cooperate with the Commission needs to be guaranteed. “This remains a priority for the Commission and will also have to be addressed by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in a timely manner,” he said. Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Mr. Brammertz said the Commission is ready to hand over its work to a Tribunal when it begins to function. He added that more work needs to be done to complete the investigation before indictments can be made. In addition to looking into the assassination of Mr. Hariri, who died in a massive car bombing in Beirut in February 2005 that took the lives of 22 other people, the UNIIIC is probing 17 other cases. 2007-07-19 00:00:00.000
DR CONGO: UN OFFICIAL URGES POLITICAL SOLUTION TO MITIGATE TENSIONS IN EAST New York, Jul 19 2007 8:00PM The United Nations top peacekeeping official today appealed for a political – and not a military – solution to diffuse tensions in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Security Council today met to discuss the situation, which Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno characterised as having the “potential to really jeopardize the enormous investment that the international community has made” in the vast Central African nation. The concentration of armed forces – those of the Government and those of rebels led by General Nkunda – in a “very volatile area where there are a number of unresolved issues” has resulted in a “very dangerous situation,” Mr. Guéhenno said, speaking to reporters after briefing the Council. His message, he told the 15-member body, to the Congolese parties is to “move away from the brink; don’t play with fire.” Responding to reporters’ questions, Mr. Guéhenno noted that Mr. Nkunda’s forces pose “the single most serious threat to the stabilization of the DRC at this stage.” UN agencies this month have been assisting over 10,000 people who have fled fighting, pillaging, rape and other atrocities in North Kivu province in north-eastern DRC, and warned that the situation could deteriorate amid military manoeuvres threatening even greater instability. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has described conditions in North Kivu as the worst displacement situation in three years, with 163,000 people newly displaced since January – bringing to a total 650,000 people internally displaced in the province. “We are increasingly concerned by the spiralling displacement and atrocities in eastern DRC,” Jennifer Pagonis, the agency’s spokesperson, said last week in Geneva. “With heightened tensions and the build-up of military forces, the situation risks turning into humanitarian and human rights disaster.” Last year, the DRC held its first democratic elections in more than four decades, the largest and most complex polls that the UN has ever helped to organize. The process crowned a seven-year UN effort to bring peace and democracy to the vast country after a brutal six-year civil war that cost 4 million lives through fighting and attendant hunger and disease, widely considered the most lethal conflict anywhere since the Second World War. 2007-07-19 00:00:00.000
MIDDLE EAST ‘QUARTET’ SUPPORTS US PRESIDENT’S CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL MEETING New York, Jul 19 2007 7:00PM The diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East – comprising the United Nations, European Union, Russian Federation and the United States – today supported US President Bush’s call for an international meeting in the fall. The Quartet’s backing came in a communiqué released following a meeting in Lisbon that was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado, and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner. They were joined by Quartet Representative Tony Blair. “The Quartet welcomed President Bush’s July 16 statement renewing US commitment to a negotiated two-State solution, and supported President Bush’s call for an international meeting in the fall,” stated the communiqué. The Quartet agreed that “such a meeting should provide diplomatic support for the parties in their bilateral discussions and negotiations in order to move forward on a successful path to a Palestinian State. The Quartet welcomed Mr. Blair’s agreement to be its Representative and discussed with him “the urgent work that lies ahead,” according to the communiqué. Noting the centrality of reform, economic development, and institutional capacity building to the establishment of a stable and prosperous Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza that will unite all Palestinians, and live in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbours, the Quartet urged the parties and all states in the region to work closely with Mr. Blair, and encouraged robust international support for his efforts. The Quartet expressed support for the Palestinian Authority Government headed by Salam Fayyad, which is committed to the political platform of President Abbas. It also “encouraged direct and rapid financial assistance and other aid to the Palestinian Authority government to help reform, preserve, and strengthen vital Palestinian institutions and infrastructure, and to support the rule of law.” The Quartet welcomed the resumption of bilateral talks between Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas, and expressed support for steps taken by the Israeli Government, including the resumption of tax and customs revenue transfers and the decision to release Palestinian prisoners. The communiqué also encouraged continued bilateral dialogue and further cooperation and urged both parties to work without delay to fulfil their previous commitments and to build confidence. Recognizing the continuing importance of the Arab Peace Initiative, the Quartet looked forward to the planned visit to Israel by representatives of the Arab League to discuss the Initiative. “The Quartet emphasized the need to find ways to sustain Palestinian economic activity and the importance of creating circumstances that would allow for full implementation of the Agreement on Movement and Access, particularly in view of the impact of crossings on the Palestinian economy and daily life,” the communiqué said, encouraging parties to address their obligations under the Roadmap – an outline plan envisaging a two-State solution – including an end to settlement expansion and the removal of unauthorized outposts, and an end to violence and terror. The Quartet expressed its deep concern over the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and agreed on the importance of continued emergency and humanitarian assistance. The communiqué also reaffirmed the Quartet’s its commitment to bring about an end to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and to work to lay the foundation for the establishment of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security, as a step towards a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East, consistent with the Roadmap and UN Security Council resolutions. The next meeting of the Quartet will take place in September, the communiqué says, noting that members will continue to consult regularly on developments in the meantime. 2007-07-19 00:00:00.000
GAZA: UN AGENCIES SAY CLOSURES OF CROSSINGS COME AT A HUMANITARIAN COST New York, Jul 19 2007 7:00PM The United Nations today said that the closures of crossing points into Gaza are coming at a terrible cost to people living there. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that the layoff of 65,000 workers by companies in Gaza, following the lack of supplies there, could affect as many as 450,000 dependents. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees which has identified $30 million worth of emergency projects for Gaza, said that it will provide employment projects worth some 640,000 days of work for unemployed refugees there. UNRWA further endorsed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call for Karni crossing to be open to Palestinian commercial imports and exports. 2007-07-19 00:00:00.000
July 18
DARFUR: UN ENVOY CONTINUES HOLDING MEETINGS IN SUDAN New York, Jul 18 2007 7:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Envoy for Darfur, Jan Eliasson, today left Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, where he met with senior Government official, and travelled Nyala for further talks with other groups. The Special Envoy will be meeting with representatives of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and civil society groups, as well as with UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local authorities, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson Michele Montas said at a press briefing in New York today. Prior to arriving in Sudan, Mr. Eliasson and his African Union (AU) counterpart, Salim Ahmed Salim, chaired a two-day meeting in Tripoli, Libya, on fostering a peace settlement in strife-torn Darfur. The UN Mission in Sudan, known as UNMIS, reported that harassment by the military continues to displace many people in Darfur. IDPs now number over 35,000 in Al Salam camp in South Darfur, and they are also flowing into Zam Zam camp from the Dobo area. Meanwhile, this week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) assisted the return of 150 refugees from Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, bringing to the total number of those repatriated to Southern Sudan and Blue Nile State to 150,000. IDPs are also being repatriated by air, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that approximately 300 people have been flown back to Yambio and Tambura in Western Equatoria from Khartoum, with 1,300 additional IDPs expected to benefit from air operations. 2007-07-18 00:00:00.000
DECLINE IN 2007 CROP YIELD COULD LEAD TO FOOD SHORTAGES FOR 28 COUNTRIES – UN New York, Jul 18 2007 6:00PM The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that a predicted decline in the rate of cereal production this year in many low-income food-deficit countries (LIFDCs) could lead to a tighter food supply situation as 28 countries to suffer serious food shortages. After four successive years of relatively strong growth, cereal production in many LIFDCs is expected to rise by just over 1 per cent in 2007, which exceeds the rate of population growth, says the latest FAO Crop Prospects and Food Situation report. Moreover, if the largest producers – China and India – are excluded, overall cereal output of the rest of LIFDCs is forecasted to decline slightly from last year. Continued high international prices are also exacerbating the problem, the agency notes. Countries which have experienced harsh droughts or irregular periods of rain are facing reduced crop yields. Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Lesotho have reported their worst main season harvests ever; compared to last year, the production of maize – the main staple crop in these countries – will drop by 50 per cent on average. Meanwhile in Morocco, the cereal crop is estimated at just one-quarter of what it was last year. On the other hand, the prospects for this year’s crop yields are favourable in other areas, according to the report. In Asia, forecasts for coarse grain and rice crops are reported to be generally favourable thanks to the onset of seasonal rains. Several Southern African countries are reporting record or above-average harvests, and apart from Somalia, most East African countries estimate increased output. The report classifies 28 countries as requiring external assistance to overcome food shortages. In one of these countries, Nepal, a major obstacle in the face of providing relief for providing food assistance is the limited access to vulnerable populations. A total of 42 out of the Himalayan country’s 75 districts are estimated to be food deficient, with chronic and widespread food insecurity prevailing in some mountain regions. Violence and subsequent security problems – in such countries as Sudan, Somalia and Iraq – have adversely impacted food security. In Iraq, over 1.8 million people have been internally displaced while more than two million have fled the country, according to humanitarian agencies. The other countries on the FAO’s list include Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Afghanistan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Bolivia. 2007-07-18 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON ENCOURAGES INCLUSIVE NATIONAL RECONCILIATION PROCESS IN MYANMAR New York, Jul 18 2007 6:00PM As Myanmar resumed its National Convention today, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for the Government to foster an inclusive process. Through his spokesperson, Mr. Ban encouraged the Government “to seize this opportunity to ensure that this and subsequent steps in Myanmar’s political roadmap are as inclusive, participatory and transparent as possible.” This should be carried out with “a view to allowing all the relevant parties to Myanmar’s national reconciliation process to fully contribute to defining their country’s future,” spokesperson Michele Montas said in a statement. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Adviser on Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, held a round of consultations on the issue in key Asian capitals earlier this month. 2007-07-18 00:00:00.000
July 17
UN EMERGENCY FUND PROVIDED OVER $200 MILLION IN FIRST HALF OF 2007 New York, Jul 17 2007 7:00PM A landmark United Nations humanitarian aid fund has provided over $200 million in the first half of this year for live-saving activities ranging from supplying medical treatment, building material and food to Afghan refugees to distributing much-needed food in Sudan, the world body’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced today. The largest amounts of rapid response funding form the UN Central Emergency Response Fund during this six-month period have gone to Mozambique, which received $11.2 million; Guinea, receiving $9.8 million; and Chad, receiving $7.2 million. During the second quarter of this year, nearly $7 million was made available to Somalia to alleviate the suffering brought about by drought, floods, political violence and insecurity. Since the beginning of 2007, the CERF – which is managed by John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – has committed over $115 million for rapid response in new and or rapidly deteriorating emergencies in 31 countries, including Afghanistan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Yemen. Additionally, more than $80 million has been provided for underfunded operations in 15 countries, such as Angola, Burundi, Eritrea, Haiti and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Since its launch last March, the CERF has allocated $460 million to over 530 projects in nearly 50 countries. The CERF was approved by the General Assembly in December 2005, and was created to speed up relief operations for emergencies, make funds available quickly after a disaster and finance underfunded emergencies. Its funds are also made available to address the existing imbalance in global aid distribution which result in millions of people in so-called neglected or forgotten crises remaining in need. 2007-07-17 00:00:00.000
SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES RECENT INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT AFGHANISTAN New York, Jul 17 2007 6:00PM Condemning recent attacks against civilians in Afghanistan, the Security Council today affirmed its support for recent initiatives aimed at enhancing security, stability and development in the war-torn nation. In a statement read out by Ambassador Wang Guangya of China, which holds the Council’s rotating presidency this month, the 15-member body referred to a recent rule of law conference held in Rome as well as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Kabul, saying these developments “reinforce the progress made in pursuing a comprehensive approach to the security, governance and development of Afghanistan.” The Council’s action followed a briefing from Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi on recent developments on the ground, as well as the Rome conference. In today’s statement, the Council also reiterated its support for the continuing endeavours by the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to further improve the security situation and to continue to address the threat posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other extremist groups. In addition, Council members condemned “in the strongest terms” all suicide attacks against civilians and Afghan and international forces and their destabilizing effects on the country’s security and stability, as well as the use by the Taliban and other extremist groups of civilians as human shields. Expressing its concern about all civilian casualties, the Council reiterated its call “for all feasible steps to be taken to ensure the protection of civilian life and for international humanitarian and human rights law to be upheld.” 2007-07-17 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON URGES BANGLADESH TO RESPECT UN EXPERT’S HUMAN RIGHTS New York, Jul 17 2007 5:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Bangladesh to respect the “full range of human rights” – including the right to a fair trial and rights relating to detention conditions during the trial – of a United Nations independent expert who is facing a criminal trial in the South-East Asian country on corruption charges. Sigma Huda, a Bangladeshi national, was appointed as Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons in April 2004. The 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations states that Special Rapporteurs “enjoy the privileges and immunities necessary for the independent exercise of their functions as experts on mission,” Mr. Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson. The Convention stipulates that States must alert the Secretary-General if they wish to initiate legal proceedings against these experts. “Regrettably, the Government of Bangladesh did not do so in this case,” Mr. Ban said. After requesting and receiving information from Bangladesh on the nature of the charges brought against Ms. Huda and their linkages to her functions as Special Rapporteur, the Secretary-General has concluded that she is not being tried on charges related to her work as a UN independent expert. Therefore, “no immunity under the Convention is applicable in the present case,” he said. Mr. Ban noted the UN’s firm commitment to aid countries in thwarting corruption, but urged the Government to act consistently with its international human rights obligations in conducting the trial against Ms. Huda. 2007-07-17 00:00:00.000
July 16
BAN KI-MOON SAYS CLIMATE CHANGE WILL BE KEY TOPIC IN TALKS WITH US PRESIDENT New York, Jul 16 2007 7:00PM On the eve of his meeting in Washington, D.C. with United States President George W. Bush, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said the two will discuss climate change ahead of a special session on the issue planned for September in New York and a global conference to be held two months later in Bali. At a press conference in New York today, Mr. Ban said he was encouraged by the expectations surrounding the high-level meeting on climate change which he will convene on 24 September at UN Headquarters, adding that he intends to use that opportunity to generate necessary political will “to give strong political impact and guidelines to the forthcoming Bali meeting.” Stating that US participation in the upcoming meetings is “crucial,” Mr. Ban said he was encouraged by the initiative taken by President Bush on the subject of global warming, particularly at the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Germany last month. In addition to climate change, the two leaders are also expected to discuss UN reform, the continuing crisis in the Sudanese region of Darfur, as well as UN-US relations and other pressing geopolitical concerns. While in Washington, Mr. Ban is also scheduled to meet with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. Upon his arrival in Washington this evening, he will attend a private dinner with political leaders and experts on climate change. Mr. Ban will continue his discussions on climate change, which he described as an issue “close to my heart” when he makes an official visit on 26 and 27 July to San Francisco – the birthplace of the UN. Together with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Ban will tour local businesses in the Bay Area that are using ‘green’ technologies. “I look forward to seeing first-hand how California leads the world on this issue of supreme importance,” he stated. Mr. Ban said San Francisco has held special memories for him since he was a young foreign exchange student there in 1962. When he returns next week, he plans to meet a woman he knew as Mrs. Patterson when she opened her home to the young Korean student. The two have stayed in touch and Mr. Ban is looking forward to the visit. “I cannot wait to see her,” he said. 2007-07-16 00:00:00.000
INTERPOL LENDS AID IN ARRESTING REMAINING FUGITIVES OF UN TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDAN GENOCIDE New York, Jul 16 2007 7:00PM The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) will receive assistance from Interpol to apprehend the 18 individuals still wanted. The call to support the ICTR came as Interpol wrapped up its 19th African Regional Conference last Friday in Arusha, Tanzania. “It is our duty as police officers to do everything within our power to identify and apprehend those fugitives who are wanted in connection with such serious crimes,” said Interpol President Jackie Selebi. “I urge all of our member countries, not only those in the African region, to work together to bring these people to justice.” This comes on the heels of Rwandan genocide fugitive Isaac Kamali’s arrest – with Interpol’s support – in France. The ICTR is scheduled to close next December. 2007-07-16 00:00:00.000
July 15
UN'S AFGHANISTAN MISSION OPENS NEW OFFICE IN CENTRAL PROVINCE OF GHOR New York, Jul 15 2007 3:00PM The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has opened a new office in the central province of Ghor, where staff will help local communities with development, humanitarian efforts, human rights, good governance and the rule of law. "UNAMA is well aware that Ghor has suffered greatly from its isolation and it continues to struggle to gain the attention it deserves. It is our hope that the days of Ghor being overlooked are slowly drawing to a close," said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative, Tom Koenigs, at a launch ceremony in Chaghcharan on Saturday. "We believe that our presence can help secure peace, stability and progress for the people of Ghor. With our new office we will encourage more organizations to deliver much needed development and humanitarian assistance," he added. Mr. Koenigs acknowledged the "vast but not insurmountable" challenges facing Ghor. The region's people, he said, "should have no illusions that the scale of the problems facing this province can be solved quickly and easily." He called for concerted and sustained efforts by the Government, the donor community and the Afghan people, pledging UNAMA's full support for this endeavour. With this new office, the mission has nearly doubled its presence across Afghanistan over the last year.
UN ENVOY ON DARFUR PEACE PROCESS HOLDS CONSULTATIONS BEFORE KEY MEETING New York, Jul 13 2007 3:00PM The United Nations envoy tasked with re-energizing the peace process in Darfur is holding talks today in Asmara, the Eritrean capital, ahead of a key meeting to assess recent progress towards finding peace in the war-torn Sudanese region. Jan Eliasson, the UN Special Envoy for Darfur, is having consultations with Darfur rebel groups and Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters. Then Mr. Eliasson heads to Tripoli, Libya, for a two-day meeting starting on Sunday that he will be jointly chairing with his African Union counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim. The Tripoli gathering has been convened to take stock of the progress made over the past months towards holding peace talks in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million others displaced from their homes amid brutal fighting since 2003. The meeting will focus on the roadmap, the joint plan of the UN and the AU to solve the conflict between the Government, allied Janjaweed militias and Darfur’s many rebel groups. Negotiations between the warring parties mark the roadmap’s third phase. Ms. Okabe said invitations to the Tripoli meeting have been sent to representatives of Sudan, Chad, Egypt, the Arab League, the Security Council’s five permanent members and key donors, including Canada, the Netherlands, Norway and the European Union. 2007-07-13 00:00:00.000
SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES START OF SOMALI RECONCILIATION MEETING New York, Jul 13 2007 3:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he wishes a “successful beginning” to the National Reconciliation Congress set to begin this weekend in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Urging that efforts are continued to ensure the broadest participation possible in the process, he “commends the determination of the National Governance and Reconciliation Committee and the Somali delegates to proceed with this important event in the face of many obstacles,” according to a statement released by his spokesperson. Mr. Ban also condemned the recent violent incidents and threats intended to thwart the Congress, and called on opposition groups – both within and outside Somalia – to renounce violence and participate in the Congress to further the cause of reconciliation. Stressing that this Congress is the beginning of the consensus-rebuilding process, he pledged the UN’s support for continuing “all-inclusive efforts at national reconciliation and greater international assistance to help bring peace and stability to Somalia.” 2007-07-13 00:00:00.000
CLOSURE OF GAZA CROSSINGS DRAWS CONCERN FROM BAN KI-MOON New York, Jul 13 2007 4:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for all crossings into the Gaza Strip to be re-opened to allow humanitarian supplies, relief workers and commercial goods to pass through, voicing increasing concern over the territory’s deteriorating economic situation. “The continued restrictions on Gaza will have a severe humanitarian impact and can only cause further suffering to the people there,” Mr. Ban said in a statement released by his spokesperson. Israel has closed or restricted the handful of border crossings with the Gaza Strip since deadly intra-Palestinian violence – which has since subsided – erupted early last month. UN humanitarian officials warned earlier this week that the restrictions are threatening the economically sustainability of the territory, where more than 1.4 million live in a 360-square-kilometre area. In today’s statement, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson cited new World Bank figures showing that, in the last month alone, the closing of nearly 3,200 businesses in Gaza has left over 65,000 people unemployed. “If what is left of Gaza’s economy is allowed to collapse, poverty levels, already affecting an estimated two-thirds of households, will rise further and the people of Gaza will become near totally aid-dependent,” the statement added. Mr. Ban is calling for the Karni crossing to be opened immediately to allow commercial imports and exports to pass through, as well as the Rafah crossing, so that over 4,000 Palestinians stranded in Egypt can re-enter Gaza. In a related development, the UN Relief and Works Agency working for Palestine refugees called today for aid to be rushed to Gaza. “The violence in Gaza, coupled with the tight closures imposed by Israel, has led to a deteriorating humanitarian situation,” the agency’s Commissioner General Karen AbuZayd said at a meeting in Cairo with Amr Musa, the Arab League’s Secretary General. “We have identified nearly $30 million worth of emergency projects for which we need urgent funding and I make a special appeal to Arab donors to contribute,” she said, adding that almost half of the money will be put towards job creation initiatives while the rest will fund assistance programmes and shelter repair and reconstruction. Ms. AbuZayd noted that high unemployment and poverty rates – 36 per cent and nearly 90 per cent, respectively – reflect Gaza’s economic deterioration. UNRWA will provide employment opportunities, creating approximately 640,000 days of work in the agency’s facilities as well as with community-based organizations and the private sector, to assist the most needy refugee families in the area. The agency also appealed for almost $8 million for emergency cash assistance to allow refugees to meet basic needs and to bolster food aid, as well as for $9 million for shelter repair and reconstruction. “People are living in dire conditions,” the Commissioner General said. “The recent violence has damaged or destroyed thousands of buildings and there is an urgent need to have these repaired.” 2007-07-13 00:00:00.000
UNITED KINGDOM SIGNS SENTENCING DEAL WITH UN-BACKED TRIBUNAL IN SIERRA LEONE New York, Jul 13 2007 5:00PM The United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone has reached an agreement with the United Kingdom that will mean the notorious former Liberian president Charles Taylor will be imprisoned in the UK if he is convicted on war crimes charges. The SCSL’s Acting Registrar Herman von Hebel signed the sentence enforcement agreement earlier this week, the Court said in a press release issued yesterday from Freetown. The SCSL has already signed similar pacts with Sweden and Austria. Mark Malloch Brown, the Minister for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government and a former UN Deputy Secretary-General, signed the accord on behalf of the UK. “I pay tribute to the Court’s work in bringing to justice those accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes during Sierra Leone’s civil war,” he said. “This is making a major contribution to the cause of international justice and is an essential part of the process of restoring and maintaining stability in Sierra Leone.” Mr. Taylor is facing 11 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, including mass murder, mutilations, rape, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers, for his role in the decade-long civil war that engulfed Sierra Leone, which borders Liberia. The trial, which began last month, is expected to run until December 2008, with a judgement likely by mid-2009. Prosecutors have indicated they plan to call up to 139 core witnesses. A year ago the Security Council authorized the staging of Mr. Taylor’s trial at The Hague in the Netherlands, citing reasons of security and expediency. Although the trial will be held at the premises of the International Criminal Court it will remain under the exclusive jurisdiction of the SCSL. Mr. Malloch Brown called on the international community to maintain its support, “financial and otherwise,” for the Court so that it can “continue to make clear that there can be no impunity for those would commit these most serious crimes.” The Court was established in January 2002 by an agreement between the Sierra Leonean Government and the UN and is mandated to try “those who bear greatest responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against community committed in the country after 30 November 1996. 2007-07-13 00:00:00.000 ___________________
July 13
UN AGENCIES WARN OF LOOMING DISASTER AS TENSIONS RISE IN EASTERN DR CONGO New York, Jul 13 2007 9:00AM United Nations agencies have begun assisting more than 10,000 people who have recently fled fighting, pillaging, rape and other atrocities in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while warning that the situation could worsen amid military manoeuvres that threaten even greater instability. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) are making a joint distribution to the displaced in the Buganga area in the North Kivu province, which is facing the worst displacement situation in three years, with 163,000 people forced to flee since January. A total of 650,000 people have been internally displaced in the province. "We are increasingly concerned by the spiralling displacement and atrocities in eastern DRC," said UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis. "With heightened tensions and the build-up of military forces, the situation risks turning into humanitarian and human rights disaster," she warned. "We are concerned that fresh military operations by renegade brigades, militia groups or government forces will result in greater suffering for the civilian population without leading to more stability." The displaced people receiving aid today -- blankets, kitchen sets, water containers and soap -- fled fighting between mixed brigades and militia groups in May and are now living with host families, according to UNHCR. But those homes are under strain, and the number of sites for displaced has expanded to nine, leaving people more exposed to disease and violence as the militarization of the area continues, warned the agency, which has deployed camp management teams to North Kivu province to help improve living conditions. But despite their efforts, humanitarian agencies face difficulties in accessing the sites because of the worsening security situation. "Our field monitoring teams are regularly visiting displacement areas to assess the needs and reco The agency is coordinating its efforts with UN peacekeeping troops to deploy mobile teams to sites where displaced need physical protection, and plans to visit more sites in the Kisharu area, where Ms. Pagonis said "the situation is rapidly deteriorating." She urged all armed parties in North Kivu to "immediately halt direct attacks on civilians and atrocities which include burning of villages, widespread pillaging and raping of women." 2007-07-13 00:00:00.000
FORMER MAYOR PLEADS GUILTY AT UN TRIBUNAL ON RWANDAN GENOCIDE New York, Jul 13 2007 1:00PM A former mayor pleaded guilty today before the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the Rwandan genocide to a charge of extermination as a crime against humanity over his role in the mass killings that engulfed the small country in 1994. Juvénal Rugambarara, who was mayor of Bicumbi commune in Kigali-Rural Prefecture in Rwanda from September 1993 to late April 1994, made the plea to the single charge after two years of negotiations with prosecutors, who agreed to withdraw eight other charges that included genocide, torture and rape. Addressing the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda which sits in Arusha, Tanzania, after pleading guilty, Mr. Rugambarara apologized for his actions in the genocide. “I pay sincere tribute to all the innocent victims of the shameful cowardice and humbly bow and plead for forgiveness from the bottom of my heart… I solemnly pledge to join the rallying cry of those who say ‘never again’,” he said. The ICTR found that Mr. Rugambarara failed as mayor to take the necessary and reasonable measures to establish an investigation into the killings committed in Bicumbi commune or to apprehend and punish the perpetrators. The trial chamber – Judges Asoka de Silva (presiding), Taghrid Hikmet and Seon Ri Park – has scheduled a sentencing hearing for Mr. Rugambarara for 17 September. Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered, mostly by machete or club, across Rwanda in less than 100 days starting in early April 1994. Later that year the Security Council established the ICTR to deal with the worst cases. 2007-07-13 00:00:00.000
UN EXPERTS URGE ACTION TO FACILITATE FOOD AID DELIVERIES TO MALNOURISHED SOMALIS New York, Jul 12 2007 9:00AM With insecurity, massive displacement and piracy hampering efforts to delivery food aid to Somalis suffering from malnutrition, two independent United Nations experts today urged international action to address the problem. Difficulties in delivering life-saving assistance "exacerbate the widespread chronic nutrition crisis that in certain regions of Somalia has reached emergency levels of global acute malnutrition," said the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, and the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Ghanim Alnajjar, in a statement released in Geneva. They noted that 200,000 Somalis in the Gedo region, many suffering from severe malnutrition, only recently received an aid delivery after awaiting humanitarian assistance for six months. The experts voiced alarm at the difficulties and delays encountered at crossing points on the Kenya-Somalia border, some of which have been closed or operating at a very low level since January. They noted that trucks are now being allowed to cross, and expressed for a permanent solution for humanitarian shipments across the Kenya-Somalia border. "The experts are also disturbed to learn that incidents, including theft of food from beneficiaries particularly from minority groups, continue to occur during and immediately after food distribution," the statement said, blaming hundreds of roadblocks for impeding food delivery and allowing for "abusive taxation by rogue officials and assorted militias." The experts urgently call on the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to facilitate the transport of food aid, end abusive taxation and ensure security and non-discrimination in the distribution of food aid. They also urged the Government of Kenya to cooperate to facilitate the swift delivery of food assistance, while calling for neighbouring countries as well as the international community to support the TFG in f 2007-07-12 00:00:00.000
LEBANON: UNICEF PLEDGES CONTINUED AID 1 YEAR AFTER CONFLICT New York, Jul 12 2007 9:00AM One year after conflict erupted in southern Lebanon, ongoing political instability and security threats continue to hamper the progress of children there, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today, pledging ongoing efforts to address their plight. "We can see visible signs of recovery from the 2006 conflict, such as the rebuilding of water reservoirs and children completing their school year," said Roberto Laurenti, UNICEF Representative in Lebanon, where Israel and Hizbollah fought a war for 34 days. He pointed out that the suffering of children is not always evident but must be addressed. "Emotional recovery takes much longer than rebuilding a bridge, and in a country in chronic crisis, this will be a long-term, ongoing process." UNICEF noted in a news release that the past several months have seen bombing incidents throughout the country and conflict and resulting displacement in Palestinian refugee camps in the north, provoking a renewed sense of insecurity and anxiety for Lebanon's children. The agency pledged today to continue helping the children of Lebanon, including through continued efforts to improve water quality in villages, enhance the quality of education, strengthen the primary health care system and foster peace and tolerance by providing opportunities for children and youth to interact with peers from different religious, political and social backgrounds. "Children throughout Lebanon now live their lives under the constant shadow of political instability, and all of us -- from humanitarian organizations to families, from the private sector to government decision-makers -- need to keep children's wellbeing in the forefront of our minds. Together we are responsible for their road to the future," said Mr. Laurenti. The 2006 war, which began on 12 July, killed more than 1,100 people in Lebanon and forced 900,000 to flee their homes in the south of the country, according to the Gove UNICEF was among the agencies rushing aid to thousands of children affected, providing safe drinking water, emergency health and hygiene kits, and essential pediatric medicines, measles and polio vaccinations. The agency also helped to assist families returning to their homes after the hostilities ceased, bolstering water supply systems to benefit more than 300,000 people, vaccinating more than 300,000 children against polio providing learning materials to 400,000 students, and training more than 600 people to help children recover from distress. 2007-07-12 00:00:00.000
UN FOOD AGENCY WORKS TO AID FLOOD VICTIMS IN CENTRAL SUDAN New York, Jul 12 2007 9:00AM The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today launched an emergency relief effort to deliver food and supplies to displaced people in Central Sudan, where recent floods destroyed an estimated 15,000 homes. "WFP has joined forces with other UN agencies and the Sudanese Government to get emergency supplies, including food and non-food items, moving quickly to the victims of the flooding," said Kenro Oshidari, WFP Sudan Representative. Thousands of Sudanese people were driven from their homes by floods that began late last week and have now inundated dozens of communities across central Sudan. The agency plans to distribute food to 20,000 people in five locations near the city of Kassala, close to the Eritrean border, where the Gash River has burst its banks. WFP has 3,000 metric tons of food stockpiled in Kassala, enough to feed the flood victims for three weeks. The agency said in a news release that it will work in the coming days with other UN agencies to determine the full extent of the damage and the level of assistance that may be required in affected central Sudanese cities. The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is providing helicopters for the effort.
July 11
UN AGENCY HAILS RESUMPTION OF FOOD DELIVERY TO WESTERN AFGHANISTAN New York, Jul 11 2007 12:00PM The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today forced suspension in May due to insecurity, food delivery has resumed along the southern ring road – a major artery linking Kandahar to the western province of Herat and the site of most incidents involving WFP deliveries. “While there are still major problems, getting trucks moving again along the major ring road is an important breakthrough for our operations, particularly in the western region where WFP has been unable to distribute promised food to tens of thousands,” said the agency’s Afghanistan Country Director Rick Corsino. He noted that roughly 100,000 poor Afghans have been waiting for food for weeks. Between 4 and 9 July, 280 metric tons of WFP food supplies were moved from Kandahar to Herat, which has faced a shortage of stocks since deliveries were halted on 28 May due to attacks on the southern ring road. As a result of the suspension, vulnerable families – including many deported from Iran – in Herat, Farah, Badghis and Ghor faced food scarcity. Among these were 65,000 people who work for their communities in exchange for food as well as 55,000 participating in food-for-training programmes. An additional 4,000 tuberculosis patients who receive rations to spur them to receive treatment were impacted. “We are planning to gradually increase movements along the southern ring road as long as the security conditions remain acceptable and our transporters feel confident of their safety,” said Mr. Corsino. “We want to get back to normal operations as quickly as possible, where 1,500 to 2,000 tons is shipped along the road each week.” WFP aims to supply over half a million metric tons of food to 6.6 million people in Afghanistan yearly. Since June 2006, there have been 26 incidents involving vehicles transporting WFP food, threatening projects in the western, southern and eastern parts of the war-wracked country. On 6 July, four WFP-contracted commercial trucks traveling with armed escort were attacked by unknown assailants on the way to Khashrod District in south-western Afghanistan. Two police officers and 13 attackers are reported to have died, with a driver and his helper being held hostage for two days. Approximately 40 tons of food were lost in the incident. Insecurity on the southern ring road has also impeded deliveries in the reverse direction from Herat to southern and eastern portions of Afghanistan, preventing WFP from providing 1,200 tons of biscuits for almost one million children. However, other projects in western Afghanistan remain uninterrupted by the insecurity. Since late April, food has been supplied to 1,500 Afghan families who have been deported from Iran, while schoolchildren 2007-07-11 00:00:00.000
UN OFFICIALS URGE MALE INVOLVEMENT IN MATERNAL HEALTH TO SAVE WOMEN’S LIVES New York, Jul 11 2007 10:00AM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) marked World Population Day today by calling for greater participation by men in maternal health to reduce the number of women who die each day in childbirth and to ensure safe motherhood. Mr. Ban and UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid seized the occasion of the Day – whose theme this year is “men as partners for maternal health” – to highlight the role of men in supporting women’s rights, including their right to sexual and reproductive health. Today, more than half a million women die each year during pregnancy and childbirth, 99 per cent of them in developing countries, Mr. Ban noted in his message marking the Day. Many more suffer serious complications that can have a severe impact on the quality of life for women and their families. “As partners for maternal health, men can save lives,” he stated. “The support of an informed husband improves pregnancy and childbirth outcomes and can mean the difference between life and death in cases of complications, when women need immediate medical care.” He called on men to become “partners and agents for change,” supporting human rights and safe motherhood in every way possible. In her message for the Day, Ms. Obaid emphasized that “experience shows that male involvement can make a substantial difference when it comes to preserving the health and lives of women and children.” Men, she said, make most of the decisions within the family and in government, where they preside over policy and programmes that directly affect women and girls. “Today, too many women die from easily preventable complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Every minute, another woman loses her life,” said Ms. Obaid. “Let us go forward with the message: No woman should die giving life. Let us do all we can to promote the right of every woman to enjoy a life of health, dignity and equal opportunity.” Observed annually on 11 July, World Population Day seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, particularly in the context of overall development. The Day is marked around the world with rallies, exhibitions and public awareness campaigns highlighting its theme. 2007-07-11 00:00:00.000
July 10
PLIGHT OF REFUGEES CROSSING GULF OF ADEN DRAWS CALL TO ACTION FROM UN AGENCY New York, Jul 10 2007 5:00PM The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees has used a halt in the annual flow of Somali boatpeople travelling across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen to draw attention to their plight and call for more action to help those who endure such harsh journeys. UNHCR Jennifer Pagonis told reporters today in Geneva that the flow across the Gulf of Aden “to seek safety or a better life has temporarily halted because seas are too rough to make the crossing in July and August.” Still, each year between September and the following June, “irregular travel to Yemen has also become increasingly difficult as a result of increased crackdowns on smugglers in Somalia’s Bosaso region and heightened security patrols along the Yemen coastline,” she said. For those refugees who do secure a trip, the risks of death or sickness have increased. Because of a need to find new routes, trips are more indirect and take around three days rather than the regular two. The treatment of the refugees by smugglers who have managed to remain active despite the crackdown is increasingly horrendous, Ms. Pagonis noted. After paying $50, many refugees are forced to disembark while still in deep water, where most are then beaten with clubs, drown or are attacked by sharks. The solution lies not only in cracking down on smugglers, but on tackling the root causes of persecution, poverty and conflict that drive so many people to leave their homes and risk such perilous sea journeys, Ms. Pagonis said. Countries receiving migrants should have more help in managing the inflows so that people who need protection can get it and those who do not can return home safely. She stressed that anyone in distress at sea should be rescued, allowed to disembark and given access to proper screening procedures upon arrival. For the first six months of this year, UNHCR has recorded the arrival of 77 smuggling boats carrying more than 8,600 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, mainly Somalis and Ethiopians, across the Gulf of Aden. Although these figures are below those equivalent statistics from the first half of 2006, when over 11,700 people made the journey, the trip has become more deadly: at least 367 people have been killed so far this year, compared to 266 for the same period last year. Ms. Pagonis added that while smuggling in the Gulf of Aden has come to a temporary seasonal halt, it has started again in the Mediterranean Sea. “UNHCR has repeatedly expressed its concerns about the situation in the Gulf of Aden, the Mediterranean and other waters, as some of those who risk their lives making such crossing are refugees and asylum seekers,” she said. The number of irregular arrivals into Italy fell by 31 per cent compared to the first six months of last year, but in June alone 200 people were reported dead or missing reported in the Strait of Sicily. Last year UNHCR presented a Ten-Point Plan of Action on Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration that sets out a number of measures to assist States in dealing with the issue. 2007-07-10 00:00:00.000
BORDER RESTRICTIONS HURTING GAZA’S ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY, UN OFFICIALS WARN New York, Jul 10 2007 4:00PM The continued closure or restrictions of border crossings is threatening the Gaza Strip’s economic sustainability, forcing most factories to close or operate at reduced capacity and depriving farmers of key export income, United Nations relief officials warned today. “We need to see all crossings at least as operational as they were before 9 June, or risk facing serious social, economic and humanitarian concerns,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said. Israel has closed or restricted the handful of border crossings with the Gaza Strip since deadly intra-Palestinian violence – which has since subsided – erupted early last month. Some 1.4 million people live within Gaza’s 360-square-kilometre area. Enough humanitarian imports were allowed into Gaza during the week ending last Thursday to meet about 70 per cent of minimum food and other supply needs, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a press release. This is a sharp rise on the previous week, when about 21 per cent of needs were being met. But OCHA said three quarters of Gaza’s factories are either closed or operating at 20 per cent capacity, placing the direct livelihoods of about 30,000 people in jeopardy and causing at least $500,000 of business losses each day. The border closures and restrictions are also stopping agricultural products from being exported, depriving farmers of income and leading to an overabundance within Gaza – and thus a drop in price – of such items as tomatoes, melons and apples. The cancellation of the Gaza customs code by Israeli authorities has also meant that more than 1,300 containers of commercial materials destined for Gaza remain stranded at Israeli ports, and essential items such as milk powder, baby formula and vegetable oil are now in short supply. Restrictions at some crossing points are being eased, OCHA reported. The Karni crossing is open for wheat grain imports and the Nahal Oz fuel pipeline has been opened to allow supplies of diesel, petrol and cooking gas to be delivered. The UN, the Palestinian Authority and Israel are also working to install two conveyor belts at Kerem Shalom, a crossing point between Gaza and Egypt, and to widen the area there for truck-transfer operations. Once the belts are installed and the area widened, the crossing should be able to handle 150 truckloads of goods each day, up from the current limit of 20. Kerem Shalom is the only viable crossing for Palestinians wanting to re-enter Gaza from Egypt since the Rafah crossing point was closed last month, OCHA said. But Kerem Shalom remains closed to the more than 6,000 Palestinians trying to return from the Egyptian cities of Al Arish and Sheik Zoueid, patients in Gaza are unable to enter Egypt for medical treatment and another 400 to 700 remain stranded in the open near the Rafah border. Mr. Holmes said UN officials in Egypt were working to provide assistance to those people who are stranded at the border, “but the importance of lifting current border restrictions cannot be over-emphasized.” 2007-07-10 00:00:00.000
UN MEETING TO FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING COUNTER-TERRORISM EFFORTS IN WEST AFRICA New York, Jul 10 2007 3:00PM Sixteen West African countries are set to meet with donors at a United Nations-hosted meeting tomorrow to discuss a more targeted and regional approach to strengthening their ability to fight terrorism both within their borders and across the region. The day-long meeting will give participants a chance to discuss the challenges faced by countries in putting into practice the various Security Council counter-terrorism resolutions, particularly resolution 1373 (2001) which calls on countries to adopt a series of counter-terrorism measures in their national legislation, and by providers which deliver counter-terrorism related technical assistance. Organized by the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate (CTED), the meeting also aims to encourage the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by the General Assembly in September 2006. Although the current threat of terrorism in most West African countries is not high, there is a danger that terrorists might exploit domestic and regional instabilities for recruitment and training and perpetrate attacks both within and beyond the region, according to a press release issued by the CTED. Despite their commitment to combating terrorism, most nations in the region lack the technical and financial resources to fully carry out their counter-terrorism efforts. The experiences of Mali and Nigeria with regard to ratifying international terrorism-related conventions, law enforcement and border control will be presented as case studies and lessons learned at the meeting. The States participating in tomorrow’s meeting are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Also attending will be some 20 donor nations and international organizations. As part of its work to facilitate technical assistant to States, the CTED seeks to line up countries needing support with the various counter-terrorism programmes donors and organizations have available in such areas as drafting terrorism-related legislation, financial law and practice, training for law enforcement personnel, customs control and enhancing financial regulations. 2007-07-10 00:00:00.000
UN RUSHES AID TO THOUSANDS IN FLOOD-STRICKEN NORTHERN SUDAN New York, Jul 10 2007 2:00PM The United Nations is rushing vital emergency supplies – including plastic sheeting, blankets, cooking sets, jerry cans, sleeping mats and mosquito nets – to thousands of people affected by flooding in northern Sudan. Government efforts to respond to the floods have been bolstered by the Common Pipeline system, which is an operation managed by the UN Joint Logistics Centre with support from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the non-governmental organization (NGO) CARE. Approximately 1,000 families in Kosti in White Nile state have received relief aid, while supplies have been delivered to 85 households in Geissan in Blue Nile state with assistance from local authorities and the UN Mission in Sudan In Kassala state, UNICEF has provided plastic sheeting for 1,000 families in immediate need through the NGO GOAL, while the Common Pipeline has supplied 3,000 jerry cans. “In times of emergency, the ability of different agencies to work together quickly and effectively is critical,” said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Operations in northern Sudan, speaking on behalf of the Common Pipeline’s partners. The partnership, established in 2004, “demonstrates that we can get essential supplies to the most vulnerable families with the minimum of delay, lightening the burden on those already experiencing great hardship and loss,” he added. To respond to additional requests for assistance, the Common Pipeline has prepared emergency supplies for up to 500 families in Kosti, 1,000 households in Kassala and 4,000 families in high-risk areas in Khartoum. “This joint effort in support of the Government of Sudan will ultimately ease the plight of those affected by the floods and ensure that those living in high-risk areas can be provided with timely assistance should they need it,” noted Mr. Veitch. In addition to this joint assistance, UNICEF has delivered much-needed medicines to health centres in flood-impacted areas to meet the needs of 80,000 people for one month. The agency has also provided chlorine powder and tablets to treat water supplies for roughly 50,000 people. 2007-07-10 00:00:00.000
TOP UN ENVOY CONDEMNS SUICIDE BLAST IN AFGHANISTAN New York, Jul 10 2007 1:00PM The senior United Nations envoy to Afghanistan has expressed his outrage over today’s terrorist attack in Uruzgan province resulting in several deaths and injuries, stating that such utter disregard for innocent lives is “staggering” and makes a “mockery” of recent statements indicating concern for the safety of civilians. “In no culture, no country, and no religion is there any excuse or justification for mass murder,” Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tom Koenigs, said in a statement. Mr. Koenigs, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan added that today’s incident underscores UNAMA’s deep concern about the use of suicide attacks. He voiced particular concern at reports of a large number of children being among the dead, and noted that the mission has “stressed repeatedly the need for all sides in this conflict to do their utmost to prevent harm coming to civilians.” Mr. Koenigs said today’s attack represents a “heavy violation” of international humanitarian and human rights laws, and stressed that those behind it must be held responsible. Afghanistan has witnessed a string of attacks in recent weeks, constituting some of the worst violence since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, including an attempt on the life of President Hamid Karzai, the bombing of a bus carrying police trainers, shootings outside a girls’ school and the murder of prominent female Afghan journalists. 2007-07-10 00:00:00.000
UN FOOD AGENCY LAUNCHES $49 MILLION PROGRAMME TO AID STRUGGLING NEPALESE New York, Jul 10 2007 1:00PM The United Nations World Food Programme in Nepal is launching a $49 million programme to assist over 1.2 million people who continue to struggle daily with the effects of the recently ended 11-year conflict between the Maoists and the Government. “Our goal is to provide immediate assistance so people can begin rebuilding their lives and be better prepared to participate in the historic process of reshaping Nepal as a peaceful, democratic and inclusive State,” said WFP’s Country Representative in Nepal, Richard Ragan. The programme represents one of the largest UN initiatives to support the people of Nepal during the transition to a new democracy, and offers donors an opportunity to contribute to saving lives and improving livelihoods, he added. Despite the political, social and security progress of the last six months, Mr. Ragan said that over 1 million people in Nepal are still struggling with the effects of the conflict. This is on top of food insecurity exacerbated by three years of drought and conflict-related market disruptions. Under the year-long programme, WFP will provide food aid to some of the most conflict-affected communities in 28 districts across Nepal. Programme activities will aim to improve market access, create short-term employment, and facilitate basic service delivery. “This is a critical period in Nepal’s peace process – expectations by the people are high. The challenge faced by the interim Government – to address the root causes of the conflict while at the same time laying the foundation for a new democracy – is arduous,” Mr. Ragan stated. “With WFP’s deep field presence and experience at running emergency operations in Nepal, we are in the unique position to deliver immediate recovery assistance to remote, conflict-affected populations who have yet to benefit from the peace process.” The agency’s projects in Nepal benefit approximately 1.4 million people, including food assistance to over 108,000 Bhutanese refugees and emergency assistance to those affected by drought, as well as food for work, school feeding, and mother and child health care activities. As a result of the 11-year conflict, over 13,000 people have been killed, an estimated 200,000 displaced and thousands of cases of critical infrastructure damage have been reported, WFP said. 2007-07-10 00:00:00.000
July 9
UN REFUGEE AGENCY TEAMS UP WITH INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE IN CLOTHING DRIVE New York, Jul 9 2007 10:00AM The United Nations refugee agency is joining forces with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in their second "Giving is Winning" campaign aimed at collecting sportswear for distribution to refugees and displaced people around the world. IOC President Jacques Rogge started the ball rolling by handing over a bag full of sports clothes to Marion Hoffmann, UNHCR representative for Mexico, Cuba and Central America, during the official launch ceremony in Guatemala City on Friday. The campaign, which is linked to next year's Beijing Olympic Games, has set a target of filling 10 containers -- each 20-foot wide -- with sports clothes to be distributed in 10 different camps. The first "Giving is Winning" campaign coincided with the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and gathered nearly 30,000 items of sports clothing distributed to refugees across three continents. "We saw in the course of the first 'Giving is Winning' campaign in Athens in 2004, just what a difference the Olympic Games made to the daily lives of refugees," Ms. Hoffmann said, referring to youngsters who followed the games in camps around the world. "The glory of sports rubbed off on them and made them feel important." UNHCR and the IOC said three National Olympic Committees are already on board with the drive and have made donations that will help refugees in camps in Chad and Rwanda. "We will continue, through different activities, to assist those who are ravaged by war and disease, disadvantaged and marginalized," Mr. Rogge pledged. 2007-07-09 00:00:00.000
AS SIERRA LEONE ELECTION CAMPAIGN APPROACHES, UN OFFICIAL URGES DEMOCRATIC CONDUCT New York, Jul 9 2007 10:00AM On the eve of the start of election campaigning in Sierra Leone, a senior United Nations official in the country today urged democratic conduct by the parties. "A peaceful campaign is crucial for credible elections," the Executive Representative of the Secretary-General, Victor Angelo, encouraging all candidates to abide by the Political Parties Code of Conduct. He said the UN trusts that they "will keep the national interest above everything else and exhibit during the campaigning period the democratic maturity that they have shown during the nomination phase, as well as during the previous stages of the electoral process." Mr. Angelo also urged reporters and producers to fully adhere to the Media Code of Conduct. Sierra Leonean voters will go to the polls on 11 August for nationwide elections. 2007-07-09 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON NAMES TOP AIDES TO DEAL WITH POOR COUNTRIES, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY New York, Jul 8 2007 11:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today named the Ambassador of Mali to the United Nations as his top aide dealing with the world's most vulnerable countries and appointed a veteran information technology professional from the Republic of Korea as the world body's new Chief IT Officer. Cheikh Sidi Diarra of Mali will serve as the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, succeeding Anwarul Chowdhury, a spokesperson for Mr. Ban announced today. Spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York that the full mobilization of the UN system in support of these countries is a high priority for the Secretary-General and reflects his commitment to the developmental objectives of the UN. She said the new High Representative would also serve as the Secretary-General's Special Representative to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Mr. Diarra has over 25 years of professional experience in international relations, law and development. He has been actively involved in furthering African integration efforts and the African development agenda, and has long engaged in multilateral diplomacy. Choi Soon-hong of the Republic of Korea was named Chief IT Officer, responsible for all substantive and operational needs on information and communication technologies of the United Nations, Ms. Okabe said. He is the first person to serve in the post, which was created by the General Assembly in July 2006 as part of a reform package. Mr. Choi has 30 years of technical and management experience in the public and private sectors. He joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1981 and has served as its Head of Information Technology Services since 2004. He also has experience in the private sector. 2007-07-06 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON CONDEMNS ATTACK THAT KILLED 130 PEOPLE IN NORTHERN IRAQ New York, Jul 8 2007 11:00PM United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today condemned "in the strongest terms" the bomb attack which killed and wounded hundreds of Iraqis in the north, and urged the country's leaders to work for peace. A spokesperson for Mr. Ban issued a statement saying he was "appalled" by the bomb attack on a busy marketplace in Amirli, where 130 people were killed and over 240 wounded, many of them seriously. "He condemns in the strongest terms such heinous acts which target innocent civilians," the spokesperson said. The Secretary-General repeated his call for all Iraqi leaders "to work together to bring the violence to a halt and engage in a real political dialogue in the hopes of building a peaceful and stable Iraq."
SENIOR UN OFFICIAL URGES RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH TO ACHIEVING ANTI-POVERTY TARGETS New York, Jul 9 2007 2:00PM The United Nations human rights chief has called on States to ensure that strategies to achieve the world’s shared anti-poverty goals be grounded in the internationally recognized human rights to which all countries have subscribed. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour made her call in a statement released on Saturday, the mid-point between the adoption in 2000 of the Millennium Development Goals and the 2015 deadline for achieving them. She cited sobering statistics on child mortality, saying it remains “deeply troubling” in parts of Africa, while the number of people dying of HIV and AIDS worldwide increased to 2.9 million in 2006. In addition, sub-Saharan Africa is presently not on track to achieve any of the global anti-poverty targets, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), she noted. “The disturbing midpoint snapshot must serve as a call to action on behalf of us all,” Ms. Arbour said. “Despite progress in some areas and in some parts of the world, it appears that governments are not honouring the commitments they have made.” Ms. Arbour noted that while high economic growth rates drive overall gains in some regions, “the rising tide doesn’t lift all boats – not everyone is benefiting,” adding that in many cases entire communities and populations are sidelined. She warned that gross inequalities often not only fuel violent conflict and frustrate the prospects for sustainable development, but frequently constitute a violation of fundamental human rights. Poverty is frequently a cause, as well as consequence, of human rights violations, she added. “A focus on global average progress glosses over entrenched patterns of discrimination and inequality that can sentence communities to generations of poverty.” She called for data that is disaggregated to capture disparities and patterns of discrimination, and effective redress for those whose rights are ignored or violated. Ms. Arbour also stressed that more must be done globally, including increasing international aid and strengthening development partnerships. “Citizens in developed countries must understand that global injustices are cause for common concern, that development, security and human rights are indeed inextricably linked, and they must pressure their politicians to respond,” she said.
July 6
BEIRUT SELECTED BY UN CULTURAL AGENCY AS 2009 WORLD BOOK CAPITAL New York, Jul 6 2007 1:00PM The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced today that Beirut has been chosen as the <" World Book Capital as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to promote books and reading. The Lebanese capital was nominated “in the light of its focus on cultural diversity, dialogue and tolerance,” the selection committee said after meeting this week at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. The committee brings together representatives of UNESCO and some of the main professional associations in the book industry – the International Publishers Association, the International Booksellers Federation and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura hailed the fact that “the city of Beirut, which is facing great challenges in terms of peace and peaceful coexistence, is recognized for its commitment to dialogue, which is necessary more than ever in the region, and that the book is able to contribute actively towards this goal.” Beirut becomes the ninth city to be designated as World Book Capital, after Madrid (2001), Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Antwerp (2004), Montreal (2005), Turin (2006), Bogotá (2007) and Amsterdam (2008). The winning city begins its reign as World Book Capital on World Book and Copyright Day, 23 April, each year. 2007-07-06 00:00:00.000
UN ANTI-CRIME CHIEF PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR TREATY AGAINST NUCLEAR TERRORISM New York, Jul 6 2007 1:00PM On the eve of the entry into force of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) pledged support for the pact. Antonio Maria Costa said UNODC stood ready to help countries become parties to and implement the Convention. “Indeed, we are the only UN body mandated, empowered and equipped to provide on-the-ground counter terrorism assistance on legal issues to Member States,” he said in a statement released in Vienna, where the Office is based. The treaty comes into effect tomorrow – 30 days after Bangladesh became the 22nd State to deposit its instrument of ratification with the UN Secretary-General. It outlaws specific acts of nuclear terrorism and aims to protect against attacks involving a broad range of possible targets, including nuclear power plants and nuclear reactors, bring perpetrators to justice and promote cooperation among countries. UNODC assists Member States in ratifying and implementing the 13 international conventions and protocols related to terrorism. Since January 2003, it has supported some 137 countries. UNODC increasingly provides support for the incorporation of their provisions into national legislation and for strengthening the capacity of national criminal justice systems to carry them out. Under the Convention, alleged offenders must be extradited or prosecuted. States are encouraged to cooperate in assisting each other in connection with criminal investigations and extradition proceedings. The treaty also obliges them to make every effort to adopt appropriate measures to ensure the protection of radioactive material. 2007-07-06 00:00:00.000
TIMOR-LESTE: UN ENVOY CONGRATULATES POLITICAL PARTIES FOLLOWING ELECTION New York, Jul 6 2007 9:00AM The head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) today congratulated the country's political parties for their democratic conduct following the parliamentary election held at the end of last month. "UNMIT will continue to assist in many areas, with a priority towards security sector reform, the strengthening of justice sector, the development of institutions of state and social and economic development," Atul Khare pledged at a meeting with the parties at the UN's headquarters in Dili this morning. Election results are still pending. He called for their continued support. "We can't do that without the ongoing cooperation and the will of the leaders both within government and those in opposition." During the meeting, the parties agreed that the most important challenge facing them was to form a government and opposition that would represent the citizens of Timor-Leste, UNMIT said in a news releases. Mr. Khare said that interpretations of the various articles in the Constitution on the Government formation would be a matter for them to decide. He stressed the importance of moving forward in a legal manner that contributes to the continuing political stabilization of Timor-Leste, which the UN shepherded to independence in 2002.
UN-BACKED OPERATION RESETTLES ERITREANS IN UNITED STATES New York, Jul 6 2007 8:00AM Some 700 ethnic Kunama refugees from Eritrea are getting a new start in the United States thanks to a United Nations-backed operation that is flying them there after years of exile in northern Ethiopia. The Eritreans were displaced by the 1998-2000 border war between their native country and Ethiopia. The operation being assisted by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is due to last until September. The refugees left Shimelba camp earlier this week and flew out from the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday evening after a pre-departure briefing by staff of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is handling the logistics of the resettlement operation, UNHCR said. The Kunamas, who will be flown to several US cities, including Atlanta, Orlando, Seattle and Las Vegas, are members of a largely rural ethnic group of about 100,000 people who reside on the disputed Ethiopia-Eritrea border. They crossed into Ethiopia complaining of alleged persecution and harassment by the Eritrean government. Nagasi Gorado Becho was headed to Atlanta with his family of five, including a seven-year-old daughter born in Shimelba camp. "I opted to go further afield not because I do not like my country, but because I cannot return at this point," said the 45-year-old before boarding the first flight. His wife, Tokko Masso Anduku, was looking forward to their new life across the Atlantic. "Friends who were resettled some time back are very much appreciative of life in America and I look forward to having better working and learning opportunities there." UNHCR has determined that the 700 Kunamas cannot return home in safety and dignity and resettlement is the most suitable solution. The people who left on Wednesday and those to follow will all take part in extensive orientation programmes to help them adapt to a new and very different culture. Today, almost 1,300 Kunama refugees are in Ethiopia, but not all of them want to be r Several hundred withdrew their applications for resettlement, apparently due to their strong sense of kinship and a desire to remain close to their ancestral lands, according to UNHCR, which said they hope that one day a lasting political solution will be found and they will be able to return home. 2007-07-06 00:00:00.000
BUSINESS LEADERS AT UN SUMMIT ADOPT DECLARATION ON RESPONSIBLE PRACTICES New York, Jul 6 2007 8:00AM Hundreds of business leaders attending a United Nations meeting in Geneva today pledged to comply with labour, human rights, environmental and anti-corruption standards in a wide-ranging declaration on making globalization more beneficial to the world's people. At the second UN Global Compact Leaders Summit, top executives of corporations such as Coca-Cola, Petrobras, Fuji Xerox, China Ocean Shipping Group, Tata Steel, L M Ericsson and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria adopted the 21-point Geneva Declaration, which spells out concrete actions for business, governments and UN Global Compact participants. Some 4,000 organizations from 116 countries -- among them trade unions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and some 3,100 businesses -- have so far subscribed to the Global Compact, pledging to observe ten universal principles related to human rights, labour rights, the environment and the struggle against corruption. The Geneva Declaration calls for urgent action. "Poverty, income inequality, protectionism and the absence of decent work opportunities pose serious threats to world peace and markets," it says. "Business, as a key agent of globalization, can be an enormous force for good," participants declared, adding that companies, by committing themselves to corporate citizenship, can create and deliver value in the widest possible terms. Globalization can thus act as an accelerator for spreading universal principles, creating a values-oriented competition for a "race to the top." Summing up the outcome of the meeting, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told participants that their reports showed how market leadership and sustainability leadership go hand-in-hand. "This will help us build the supportive measures needed to create more sustainable markets. And it will ultimately help improve the lives of many people around the world," he said. Mr. Ban called on business leaders to convene board meetings to developments at the Summit, and ensure that the Global Compact is fully carried out within their companies and through their suppliers and partners. Civil society and labour leaders should "remain vigilant and engaged and continue to hold businesses accountable for their commitments," said the Secretary-General. He called on governments to support the Global Compact as a unique public-private partnership initiative. And he called on the UN to integrate the Global Compact principles throughout the Organization. "Together, through the Geneva Declaration, we have deepened our collective commitment to embedding universal values in economies and markets," Mr. Ban said. "Let us each do our share to give practical meaning to the Declaration." Anglo American Chairman Sir Mark Moody-Stuart saw progress at the meeting. "At the first summit three years ago, many companies subscribed to the Global Compact principles because it sounded like the right thing to do, but did not really know how to put them into practice," he said. "We are now moving forward towards implementation." Today, a Ministerial Roundtable chaired by General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed al Khalifa discussed the role of governments in promoting responsible corporate citizenship. Six parallel sessions focused on human rights, labour, climate change and the environment, UN-business partnerships, corruption and responsible investment. Global as well as local initiatives were launched at the Summit. Through the "Caring for Climate" platform, Chief executive officers (CEOs) of 150 companies from around the world, including 30 from the Fortune Global 500, pledged to speed up action on climate change and called on governments to agree as soon as possible on Kyoto follow-up measures to secure workable and inclusive climate market mechanisms. The CEOs of six corporations -- The Coca-Cola Company, Levi Strauss & Co., Läckeby Water Group, Nestlé S.A., SABMiller and Suez -- urged their business peers everywhere to take immediate action to addres global water crisis. They launched the "CEO Water Mandate," a project designed to help companies to better manage water use in their operations and throughout their supply chains. Also launched at the Summit, the "Principles for Responsible Investment" seek to disseminate the tenets of corporate citizenship among capital markets. The "Principles for Responsible Management Education" aim to take the case for universal values and business into business schools around the world. Over 1,000 people registered for the Summit -- most from companies, but also from government entities, international organizations, international business organizations, international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia, foundations and international labour organizations. The first Global Compact Leaders Summit took place in New York in 2004, and the next is planned for 2010.
July 5
UN AGENCY WARNS OF POSSIBLE LOCUST INFESTATION IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN New York, Jul 5 2007 1:00PM The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that swarms of desert locusts from East Africa are expected to cross the Indian Ocean and could reach India and Pakistan within days, creating a potentially dangerous situation for a region already suffering from the impact of last week’s deadly storms. Two recent tropical cyclones have caused heavy rainfall in Pakistan and western India that will create “unusually favourable breeding conditions for locusts” until October along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border and, for the first time in many years, in coastal areas of western Pakistan, FAO said in a press release. Both Governments are mobilizing field teams, equipment and resources in the Indian States of Rajasthan and Gujarat, as well as in adjacent areas of Cholistan and Tharparkar deserts in Pakistan. “Locusts can stay in the air for long periods of time,” said FAO locust expert Keith Cressman, adding that desert locusts usually fly with the wind and can travel up to 150 kilometres a day. Crossing the Indian Ocean on monsoon winds is part of the natural migration cycle of desert locusts and has already occurred in the past. Meanwhile, FAO said the migratory grasshoppers have infested large areas of Yemen, which is facing the worst locust outbreak in nearly 15 years. The agency is organizing an emergency $5 million aerial control campaign in Yemen that will start later this month and is expected to last 30 days. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Governments of Japan and Yemen are providing the funds, which will support two helicopters, pesticide, equipment, vehicles, and locust control and logistics experts. If the campaign is not successful, there is a risk of numerous swarms forming and invading countries along both sides of the Red Sea during the autumn, FAO warned. 2007-07-05 00:00:00.000
NEWLY ESTABLISHED FORUM VITAL FOR ADVANCING DEVELOPMENT – BAN KI-MOON New York, Jul 5 2007 1:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed to governments, United Nations organizations, civil society, parliaments, the private sector and academia to make the most of a newly established forum to advance the world’s shared anti-poverty goals, including by scaling up funds to ensure they are achieved on time. The Development Cooperation Forum, launched today in Geneva, is “a decisive step forward in the implementation of the global partnership for development,” Mr. Ban told participants at the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). As an initiative supported by the heads of State at the 2005 UN World Summit, the Forum will be held every other year as part of the high-level segment of the Council’s annual session. The first meeting will take place in New York in 2008. Among its tasks, the Forum will focus on finding effective ways to support the achievement of the set of internationally agreed poverty reduction targets known as the Millennium Development Goals Mr. Ban noted that in recent years, donors have committed to substantial increases in ODA and debt relief, and until recently, the long-term decline in development assistance was reversed. The Secretary-General urged donors to commit to timelines for scaling up aid to reach development targets, stressing that “fresh funding is required if we are to overcome the financing gap” and reach the Goals on time. A mid-point update on the MDGs issued last week stated that “the Goals are still achievable in most countries – if we act now,” he stressed. Mr. Ban also highlighted the importance of a body like the Forum in addressing the challenges surrounding international development assistance, which he said appeared “unnecessarily fragmented and complicated.” Donor aid flows tend to be concentrated in a few countries, while other low-income countries suffer from under-funding, he noted. In addition, the number of donors is increasing, and countries are burdened with responding to different demands by various players. In ensuring that “all voices are heard,” the Forum can foster an inclusive approach in dealing with these and other challenges, Mr. Ban stated. 2007-07-05 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON CALLS ON GLOBAL COMPACT LEADERS SUMMIT TO CHART FUTURE COURSE New York, Jul 5 2007 8:00AM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged action on climate change and other shared international concerns in an address to the Global Compact Leaders Summit -- a gathering in Geneva of business leaders, government ministers, and heads of civil society groups committed to United Nations principles. "This Summit is an important opportunity to take our partnership forward -- in learning as well as action," Mr. Ban told those assembled from over 90 countries. "Over these two days, we must make an honest appraisal of what the Global Compact has achieved, renew our commitments, and chart a courageous course for the next three years." The Secretary-General stressed the importance of joint actions to address climate change and announced the planned launch of a Business Leadership Platform on "Caring for Climate" -- a joint project with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Mr. Ban recalled that since the Global Compact was launched in 2000 with 47 companies, it had grown to "what is today the world's largest corporate citizenship initiative, counting 4,000 stakeholders in 116 countries." The Global Compact "has lived up to its promise -- bringing business together with other stakeholders, and infusing markets and economies with universal values," he said. Participants, who are split almost evenly between developed and developing economies, "have taken thousands of actions in support of the Global Compact's ten principles" which relate to the environment and anti-corruption as well as human and labour rights. The conference offers the opportunity "to assess the sea change that is taking place in the relationship between business and communities," he said, pointing out that in today's interdependent world, "business leadership cannot be sustained without showing leadership on environmental, social and governance issues." Mr. Ban acknowledged that pro principles is still uneven. "We need to apply policies more deeply and specifically across the board," he said. In areas that would benefit most from a robust global economy, business is still too often linked with "exploitative practices, corruption, income equality and other barriers" that discourage innovation and entrepreneurship. Mr. Ban called on representatives from business, trade unions, academia and governments to do their part to ensure the Compact's success, and pledged his full support in this endeavour "so that we fulfil the Global Compact's aspirations and vision." Also addressing the Summit was Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, called on those present to "combine the universal authority of the UN, the global reach of international business and the mobilizing power of civil society to confront" global challenges together. The Global Compact seeks to promote responsible corporate citizenship by partnering the private sector with other social players to achieve a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. It is not a regulatory instrument but relies instead on what it terms "public accountability, transparency and the enlightened self-interest of companies, labour and civil society to initiate and share substantive action in pursuing the principles upon which the Global Compact is based." 2007-07-05 00:00:00.000
July 3
AFGHANISTAN’S ‘LONG NIGHT OF INJUSTICE’ NEARING ITS END – BAN KI-MOON New York, Jul 3 2007 1:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Afghanistan’s partners to join hands with the fledgling democracy as it attempts to establish the foundations of law and order following decades of conflict, declaring that the country’s “long night of injustice is nearing its end.” “Now we must herald the rule of law, and the era of the Afghan citizen,” Mr. Ban stated in his address to an international conference on justice and rule of law in Afghanistan taking place in Rome. Recalling his surprise visit to Afghanistan last Friday, during which he met with the country’s top officials, Mr. Ban said he was “heartened and moved” by their commitment and courage, but also shared their profound concern over the challenges still confronting the war-torn nation. Decades of conflict had left a devastating mark, Mr. Ban noted. “Institutions were destroyed, authority was divorced from legitimacy, and rule of law flowed from little more than the barrel of a gun.” Mr. Ban hoped the conference would result in the establishment of an Afghan-led monitoring and evaluation system for the justice sector. “Much rests on the success of this conference,” he added, noting that the ability of the nascent State to define laws covering domestic, criminal, land, tax, contract and commercial issues will determine the shape of Afghan society for decades to come. “These codes will be the source of justice in a land that has for too long suffered from its absence.” Key to heralding a new era in the Afghan justice system, he said, are aligning the efforts of Afghanistan’s partners with those of the country’s own vision and national traditions. Also crucial were credible Afghan institutions for fostering the rule of law and political will on the part of the nation’s leaders. Mr. Ban also hailed the work of one of Afghanistan’s youngest national institutions, the Independent Human Rights Commission, which had rapidly become the nation’s “voice of conscience.” “Its documentation of human rights abuses ensures that past crimes will not be forgotten. Its promotion of human rights norms brings us ever closer to a day when the law is Afghanistan’s one and only authority,” he stated. The Commission has also documented instances of civilian casualties resulting from the operation of international forces. Mr. Ban stressed that in countering the anti-Government insurgency that has been plaguing the country for some time, Afghan and international forces must act strictly in accordance with international humanitarian law. “However difficult this may prove against a shadowy and unscrupulous adversary, we simply cannot hide from the reality that civilian casualties, no matter how accidental, strengthen our enemies and undermine our efforts.” Mr. Ban highlighted the need to “do better by Afghanistan’s women,” who suffer disproportionately from a failing justice system, declaring that “justice denied to Afghanistan’s women is justice denied to all Afghans.” In recent weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a string of attacks which constitute some of the worst violence since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, including shootings outside a girls’ school and the murder of prominent female Afghan journalists. “Those who kill or debase women simply because they dare speak their mind, or demand their rights, must find no quarter in a just and free Afghanistan.” Noting that Afghanistan faces real challenges with no immediate solutions, Mr. Ban urged patience as the country emerges from the “shadows of despair” following decades of conflict and travels down the difficult road to peace and prosperity. 2007-07-03 00:00:00.000
UNICEF HAILS MOVES BY EGYPT TO ELIMINATE FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION New York, Jul 3 2007 1:00PM The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed a series of moves in the past week in Egypt to stamp out the traditional yet gruesome practices of female genital mutilation (FGM) and cutting after a 12-year-old girl died following the procedure. Egypt’s Health and Population Minister has issued a decree fully criminalizing FGM and closing a previous loophole involving health professionals conducting the practice, UNICEF said in a news release issued yesterday in Cairo. The country’s highest Muslim authority, Al-Azhar Supreme Council of Islamic Research, issued a statement saying that FGM and cutting are harmful, have no basis in core Islamic law and should not be practiced. Egypt’s first lady, Suzanne Mubarak, has also launched a national campaign to raise awareness about the practice and to accelerate efforts to ensure it is eliminated, including by amending existing child laws. UNICEF Egypt Representative Erma Manoncourt said the amendments could allow people to report on violators who continue to conduct FGM, which in Egypt has largely been performed by trained medical personnel. “UNICEF will fully support the National Council of Childhood and Motherhood, the Ministry of Health and Population, and all partners to help fully implement the strengthened law and educate people on its meaning,” Dr. Manoncourt said. The changes in Egypt follow the death of the pre-teen girl in Upper Egypt last week. UNICEF estimates that 3 million girls and women are subject to FGM and cutting every year in Africa. 2007-07-03 00:00:00.000
UN-BACKED MEETING ON JUSTICE, RULE OF LAW IN AFGHANISTAN OPENS IN ROME New York, Jul 3 2007 9:00AM A two-day meeting co-chaired by the United Nations and the Afghan and Italian Governments opened today in Rome focusing on strengthening the rule of law and justice in the country. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will arrive in Rome tomorrow, paid a surprise visit on Friday to Afghanistan, where he met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the head of the International Security Assistance Force, and members of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). “The purpose of my visit to Afghanistan was to have first-hand information, as well as discussions with Afghanistan’s leaders in Kabul, before I attend this international conference on justice and rule of law in Afghanistan in Rome,” Mr. Ban said at a press conference today in Geneva, where he opened the 2007 substantive session of the UN Economic and Social Council. One of the key goals of the conference is to ensure international and Afghan support at the highest levels for the consolidation of the rule of law and for improving the justice and law enforcement institutions in a post-conflict Afghanistan, according to UNAMA. Key documents being presented deal with government priorities in the justice sector, a plan for donors and an outline of the National Justice Programme for Afghanistan, according to a UN spokesperson in New York. Mr. Ban is expected to meet again with President Karzai during the course of the conference and to continue the discussion they began on Friday, which dealt with continuing violence in the country and especially civilian casualties. The Secretary-General said today that he had made a “strong request” to the country’s leaders, as well as military commanders, to avoid civilian casualties in the course of their military operations. Another prominent issue between the two leaders was poppy cultivation, which Mr. Ban referred to as “a serious problem that the Afghanistan Government lacks the ability to control.” The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported last week that opium production remains an enormous problem in Afghanistan, where more than 90 per cent of the world’s supply is cultivated and the number of local addicts is on the rise. The UN has been in close coordination with Western countries to provide necessary alternative sources of income for poppy farmers, Mr. Ban stated. “Even though the progress has not been very satisfactory, this is an ongoing effort by the United Nations, led by [UNODC] and also in cooperation with NATO and western countries.” 2007-07-02 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON PLEDGES UN SUPPORT TO BOOST DISASTER PREPAREDNESS IN CARIBBEAN New York, Jul 3 2007 9:00AM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today commended efforts to foster a single Caribbean market while pledging the commitment of the United Nations to mitigating the effects of climate change in the region. In a message at 28th Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Mr. Ban emphasized that its members play a crucial part in furthering the UN’s agenda of peace, development and human rights in the region. The initiative to create a single Caribbean market “promises to boost economic growth across the region and to provide a sound foundation for sustainable development,” said Mr. Ban. The statement, delivered by Rosina Wiltshire, UN Resident Coordinator in Barbados in Bridgetown on 1 July, emphasized the importance of addressing climate change as a key UN priority. In addition to pledging continued UN dedication to strengthening regional disaster response preparedness and aiding in disaster relief, he said the high-level meeting on climate change set for 24 September in New York should “set the stage for a breakthrough agreement to be made during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference” which takes place in Bali in December. Mr. Ban also paid tribute to the “tremendous commitment” of Caribbean States in helping Haiti, which recently became a full member of CARICOM. 2007-07-02 00:00:00.000
BRAZILIAN DIPLOMAT TO HEAD UN DISARMAMENT OFFICE, US ARCHITECT TO OVERSEE RENOVATION New York, Jul 3 2007 9:00AM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named a career Brazilian diplomat to advance the United Nations disarmament agenda and a respected United States architect to oversee the $1.9 billion renovation project of the world body’s New York Headquarters. Sergio de Queiroz Duarte – a 48-year veteran of the Brazilian Foreign Service with extensive experience in the field of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation – has been appointed as the High Representative for Disarmament, according to a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson. As High Representative, Mr. Duarte, who has also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will head the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs, the successor to the Department for Disarmament Affairs. The Secretary-General first proposed the post earlier this year, recognizing the need for a more focused effort to revitalize the disarmament and non-proliferation agenda following setbacks such as the deadlock in the Conference on Disarmament, as well as the need for new impetus for the entry into force of the Comprehensive-Nuclear-Test-¬Ban Treaty. The appointment of Michael Adlerstein of the United States as Executive Director of the Capital Master Plan, the spokesperson stated, will enable the UN to move forward with the refurbishment of the Organization’s New York Headquarters complex. Mr. Adlerstein was most recently the Vice President and Architect of The New York Botanical Garden. During a long and distinguished career with the United States Department of Interior, he oversaw the restoration of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. He also worked as a State Department consultant on numerous projects including the preservation of the Taj Mahal. The renovations under the Capital Master Plan, which will take place over the next seven years, are expected to make the main UN Headquarters buildings more energy efficient and eliminate safety and health risks. The buildings have not been significantly improved or maintained since they were constructed in 1949 and 1950, making them extremely energy inefficient and costing the UN more than $30 million a year in energy costs alone. 2007-07-02 00:00:00.000
NEW UNICEF-BACKED INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE WATER FOR DJIBOUTI'S POOR New York, Jul 3 2007 9:00AM A partnership between the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the European Union and the Government of Djibouti is paving the way for at least 25,000 of the poorest and most vulnerable rural residents of the country to gain, for the first time, access clean drinking water close to their homes. "The water supply programme will help to improve the living conditions of many children and women and to the achievement of priority indicators in line with the Millennium Development Goal related to water and sanitation," said Aloys Kamuragiye, UNICEF Representative in Djibouti. Through the venture, the EU will provide UNICEF with 2 million Euros for its water and sanitation programme with the Ministry of Agriculture. The agency will provide technical expertise and contribute an additional 60,000 Euros. The EU and UNICEF partnership programme aims to install water facilities and strengthen community participation in maintaining the water infrastructure in Djibouti, where, access to safe drinking water is a "daily challenge for the majority of the population living in rural areas," the agency said said in a news release. 2007-07-03 00:00:00.000
UN AGENCIES SEEK FUNDS TO HELP HUNGRY REFUGEE CHILDREN IN KENYA New York, Jul 3 2007 9:00AM Three United Nations agencies today sought $32 million from donors to help cut malnutrition rates which they warned have reached "crisis levels" among children under five living in refugee camps in Kenya. A total of 237,000 refugees, mostly Somalis and Sudanese, live in camps at Dadaab and Kakuma, where the acute malnutrition rate among children under five years of age is above the emergency level of 15 per cent, according to a news release from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which is launching the appeal with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). "One in every five children under the age of five is so malnourished that they need special care, and some of them will die. This can't go on," said Marian Read, WFP deputy country director. The UN agencies said the high rates of malnutrition persisted despite the fact that over the past two years WFP has provided 95 per cent of the general food distribution ration for refugees to meet the recommended minimum energy requirement of 2,100 kilocalories per person per day. They said a complete package of assistance is needed to overcome chronic shortages in essential commodities such as firewood, energy-saving stoves and soap to ensure that refugees are not compelled to sell their food to meet the need for these items. There is also an acute need for complementary foods such as groundnuts that provide extra nutrients, supplementary feeding for more children and therapeutic feeding to treat dangerously malnourished children. The three agencies are also calling for better-staffed health facilities in the camps to help children constantly threatened by malaria and other diseases. Over the past year, cholera, measles, meningitis and Kenya's first cases of polio in 20 years have been recorded in the camps, further aggravating the fragile nutritional status of young children, the agencies said. "The malnutrition crisis that we Kenya is the cumulative effect of years of recurrent budgetary shortfalls," said UNHCR acting representative Eddie Gedalof. "Year after year we are unable to fully meet refugees' needs for firewood, soap and other essential commodities. We must get to the core of the issue if we are to eradicate malnutrition in the camps." UNICEF Country Representative in Kenya Olivia Yambi appealed for urgent support for the initiative, warning that this time of year was associated with the highest risk of malnutrition. "In the camps, malnutrition is associated with at least half the deaths of children under five," she said. "Even for those who recover, malnutrition curtails the entire development potential of these children. We are appealing for immediate help from donors so that as many children as possible can swiftly recover and grow up to lead healthy, productive lives." 2007-07-03 00:00:00.000
ASIA SEES DROP IN POVERTY BUT RISING INEQUALITY -- UN REPORT New York, Jul 3 2007 9:00AM Rapid economic growth has spurred progress in the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger in Asia, where the proportion of people living on a dollar a day has been cut by half, but inequality is also growing in parts of the region, says a United Nations report released today in Bangkok. The Millennium Development Goals Report 2007 comes at the midpoint of a 15-year effort to reach those key development objectives that world leaders set at a 2000 UN summit. Eastern Asia, where the proportion of people living in extreme poverty fell from 33 per cent in 1990 to 9.9 per cent in 2004, saw the greatest gain, according to the report. In South-Eastern Asia, where extreme poverty was already down to 20.8 per cent in 1990, the percentage had dropped to 6.8 per cent by 2004. The report said the figures put the region "comfortably on track" to achieve the first MDG, which calls for halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. Buta’s unprecedented poverty reduction was uneven, said the report, which noted that in Southern Asia, nearly one third of the population is still living on the equivalent of a dollar a day. Inequality is also rising within countries, such as in Eastern Asia, where the lowest fifth on the economic ladder is consuming less: from 7.3 per cent in 1990 to 4.5 per cent in 2004. At the same time, the statistics show that Asia’s path to the MDGs may be blocked by challenges in other areas such as health, environmental sustainability and gender equality. The report blames factors like deforestation, unplanned urbanization, and the fast rate of HIV/AIDS infections in some parts of the region. Progress in improving child nutrition is still "unacceptably slow" compared to other regions, the report notes, warning that if current trends continue Asia will fall short of reaching the MDG target of halving the proportion o of slow progress in Southern and South-Eastern Asia. The annual statistical survey of global and regional progress toward the Goals represents the most comprehensive assessment of the MDGs, using the latest data gathered by a large number of international organizations both within and outside the UN, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said in a news release. 2007-07-02 00:00:00.000
ANTI-POVERTY GOALS STILL ACHIEVABLE, BUT GREATER EFFORT NEEDED – BAN KI-MOON New York, Jul 3 2007 9:00AM The world’s shared goals for fighting poverty and other economic and social ills remain achievable in most countries, but only if political leaders in rich and poor nations take urgent and concerted action, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today. Addressing the United Nations Economic and Social Council in Geneva, Mr. Ban said the mid-point progress report on the Millennium Development Goals – which was released today – contained encouraging messages. “Countries in Africa and elsewhere are demonstrating that rapid and large-scale progress on the MDGs is possible,” Mr. Ban said, referring to the set of eight development objectives which world leaders have agreed to work towards by the target date of 2015. This week’s ECOSOC meeting is focusing on two of the objectives: cutting extreme poverty and hunger in half, and building the global partnership for development. The Secretary-General urged a “strong and sustained effort” towards the targets. “Advancing on these two items is essential for human uplift, and it underpins our entire UN development agenda… Needless to say, millions of lives quite literally hang in the balance.” He called on the leaders of poor States to ensure they have national development strategies in place that focus on job creation, productivity, practical steps for increasing investments in key areas and improving access to markets. But “all of this will simply not occur without adequate financing, much of which has to flow from a strengthened global partnership for development,” the Secretary-General warned, noting that progress towards the Goals has so far been too slow in some countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Ban said wealthy nations must keep their promises to eventually spend 0.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) on official development assistance (ODA) to poorer countries and “address the disparities in the global trade regime which handcuff so many developing nations.” He stressed the importance of a successful conclusion to the current so-called Doha round of trade negotiations. “Existing trade barriers, agricultural subsidies and restrictive rules on intellectual property rights reinforce global inequities – and they make a mockery of our tall claims to eliminate hunger and poverty from our world.” 2007-07-02 00:00:00.000
June 28
UN HONOURS IRAQ ENVOY SLAIN IN 2003 BAGHDAD TERROR ATTACK New York, Jun 28 2007 6:00PM The United Nations today honoured the late Sergio Vieira de Mello with the unveiling in Geneva of a bronze likeness of the 30-year Brazilian veteran of many United Nations peacekeeping operations who was killed during a terrorist attack while on assignment in Iraq. On 19 August 2003, Mr. Vieira de Mello – who was serving as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Iraq at the time – and 21 other colleagues lost their lives when UN headquarters in the country was bombed. The bust, which is a gift from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and created by world-famous Georgian artist and philanthropist Zurab Tseretelli, rests upon a base which carries the names of Mr. Vieira de Mello’s colleagues who lost their lives in the attack. Former Secretary-General Kofi Annan presided over the ceremony, which was also attended by Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, survivors of the bombing, family members of victims, representatives from the UN as well as non-Governmental organizations (NGOs), and diplomats. Swiss authorities supplied the landscaping of the memorial in the grounds in front of the Palais Wilson. Mr. Vieira de Mello also served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a post to which he was appointed in 2002. Prior to that, he was the UN Transitional Administrator in East Timor after having briefly held the position of Special Representative for Kosovo. He had extensive Headquarters and field experience in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, including in Bangladesh, Sudan, Cyprus, Mozambique, Peru and Lebanon. “Those who killed him have committed a crime, not only against the United Nations but against Iraq itself,” Mr. Annan said shortly after Mr. Vieira de Mello’s death. “The death of any colleague is hard to bear, but I can think of no one we could less afford to spare, or who would be more acutely missed throughout the UN system, than Sergio,” said the then-Secretary-General. “Throughout his career he has been an outstanding servant of humanity, dedicated to relieving the suffering of his fellow men and women, helping them to resolve their conflicts and rebuild their war-torn societies.” 2007-06-28 00:00:00.000
SOMALIA: THOUSANDS FLEE MOGADISHU AMID RENEWED VIOLENCE, UN REPORTS New York, Jun 28 2007 5:00PM Escalating violence in Mogadishu this month has forced more than 3,500 people to flee the Somali capital in recent weeks, the United Nations refugee agency has reported. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also reported that only 123,000 of the estimated 401,000 civilians who fled the heavy fighting that raged in Mogadishu between February and May have returned to the capital, citing to figures compiled by the agency and its partners. Even as people continue leave Mogadishu, they are returning at nearly a tenfold rate. UNHCR said that while more than 3,500 people fled the city in June, an estimated 33,000 returned there in the same period. In another major new displacement development, UNHCR’s local partners report that some 10,000 people have fled violence between rival clans in and around the southern coastal city of Kismayo. Most of those unwilling to return to Mogadishu cite continuing insecurity at a time when daily acts of violence are rising despite claims by the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) that it has defeated insurgent forces. “These people say they will not come back until Mogadishu is completely safe,” a UNHCR staff member reported from the capital. The latest fighting has left many civilians dead and injured from rocket attacks, roadside bombs and crossfire, the agency said. The UNHCR staffer said that some of the civilians who recently returned to the capital are leaving it once more because of the insecurity. “Others leave their neighbourhood to move to another part of the city because of persistent bomb explosions close to their homes, especially in the north of the city. They fear being caught in skirmishes,” he added. Some 250,000 Somalis who have resided on state property such as ministerial buildings, police stations or even electric power plants face the same threat. Some families had been living at such sites since fleeing their homes in 1991, when warlords overthrew President Mohammed Siad Barre before turning on each other. The TFG has to date evicted 2,000 people in order to restore the buildings to public use. “These families are lost, they can no longer access the place where they used to live and sometimes their houses have been already destroyed by the authorities,” said a local aid worker whose organization works with UNHCR. He said these vulnerable people needed water, food and shelter. Many of them also needed to find employment so that they could support their families. UNHCR has asked the TFG to halt the evictions and to help provide basic services and find alternative solutions for these displaced people. In his latest progress report on the situation in Somalia, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the TFG’s efforts to secure key public institutions in Mogadishu are continuing to face significant resistance from remnants of the deposed Union of Islamic Courts and from various sub-clans of the Hawiye clan, which is dominant in the city. The rest of the country remains plagued by widespread banditry, lawlessness and intra-clan violence, he adds in the report, noting the situation is more volatile since tensions erupted again in the Puntland and Somaliland regions in April. He stresses that the UN system would continue its efforts to meet the serious humanitarian needs across the impoverished country. Mr. Ban met Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi yesterday, and his spokesperson said the Secretary-General was encouraged by Mr. Gedi’s assurance that plans are on track to start the National Reconciliation Congress next month. Mr. Ban said it was important for the Somali transitional government to reach out to opposition groups to ensure that Congress is as inclusive as possible, adding he pledged to encourage troop contributions and other support to the existing African Union mission in the country, known as AMISOM. Mr. Gedi also addressed the Security Council in a closed meeting this morning. 2007-06-28 00:00:00.000
UNCERTAINTY HINDERING MANAGEMENT OF MARINE GENETIC RESOURCES, UN MEETING TOLD New York, Jun 28 2007 3:00PM Uncertainty on how to deal with marine genetic resources beyond national jurisdictions is restricting research and utilization of such resources, several experts have told a United Nations meeting taking place this week at UN Headquarters in New York. At the annual meeting of the UN informal consultations on oceans and the law of the sea, Sam Johnston, a senior researcher at UN University, told participants that the current lack of clear rules was slowing down research and use of such resources. It created uncertainty for industry, hampered information exchange among scientists and held back government efforts to negotiate arrangements on sharing the benefits deriving from such resources. Lisa Speer, of the Natural Resources Defence Council, said the legal system has fallen behind managing areas beyond national jurisdiction and called for a new implementing agreement of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the management of genetic resources in these areas. Timothy Hodges, Co-Chair of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Working Group on Access and Benefit-Sharing, said the institutional framework for marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction was poorly understood and governance structures were under debate. There was a high potential of monetary and non-monetary wealth to be derived from such resources and the outcome could be “a win-win situation,” he said, especially if the capacity-building needs of indigenous and coastal communities were met and their knowledge was recognized. Philippines’ delegate Emma Sarne said that while bioprospecting – or research and development related to marine genetic resources – for academic research was beneficial, if the materials were subsequently patented to foreign investors, the country of origin could lose control over its own marine genetic resources. The experts recommended regulations that are practical and enforceable, set out liabilities and responsibilities among all interested parties, allow work to proceed and encourage collaboration. The goal should be to facilitate access and to ensure legal certainty for scientists and bioprospectors, while retaining coastal state involvement. The informal consultations will conclude tomorrow, with the expected adoption of agreed elements feeding into the General Assembly’s resolution on the law of the sea and sustainable fisheries. 2007-06-28 00:00:00.000
DESERTIFICATION COULD LEAD TO MASS MIGRATIONS, UN STUDY WARNS New York, Jun 28 2007 3:00PM Governments must adopt strategies to mitigate the effects of desertification which are aggravated by climate change and could lead to mass migrations of tens of millions of people in the next decade, a new United Nations study cautioned today. One third of the global population – or about 2 billion people – are threatened by encroaching desertification. If no actions are taken, over the next 10 years roughly 50 million people, equivalent to the total number of people in South Africa or the Republic of Korea, are in danger of being displaced. Experts from the UN University said that the loss of soil productivity and the degradation of nature threaten international stability, and appealed to governments to take an integrated approach to tackling issues concerning desertification, climate change and poverty reduction. “It is imperative that effective policies and sustainable agricultural policies be put in place to reverse the decline of dry lands,” said Hans van Ginkel, Under-Secretary-General and UNU Rector. Countries must bolster efforts regarding land use policy to bring an end to overgrazing, over-exploitation, trampling and unsustainable irrigation practices, he added. The study – which is based on the input of 200 experts from 25 countries and was presented at UN Headquarters in New York today – observed that policy decisions are often made in isolation, with potentially counterproductive results. “Some forces of globalization, while striving to reduce economic inequality and eliminate poverty, are contributing to worsening desertification,” said Professor Ginkel. In addition, the formulation of policies to combat desertification “has been hindered by the lack of concrete data about rates and extent of desertification,” said Zafar Adeel, lead author of the study and Director of UNU’s International Network on Water, Environment and Health. “We must, as the global international community interested in desertification, put monitoring and assessment at the top of our policy agenda.” The analysis recommends that governments create financial incentives for those who use dry land to preserve and maintain their ecosystems and better educate local populations and policymakers who often do not have a good understanding of the basic concepts of dry lands and desertification. 2007-06-28 00:00:00.000
- In Asia, India leads Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) growth of non-messaging data revenue at 40.4 percent. 
Guarding the entrance to Baltimore harbor via the Patapsco River during the War of 1812, Fort McHenry faced almost certain attack by British forces. Major George Armistead, the stronghold's commander, was ready to defend the fort, but he wanted a flag that would identify his position, and one whose size would be visible to the enemy from a distance. Determined to supply such a flag, a committee of high-ranking officers called on Mary Young Pickersgill, a Baltimore widow who had had experience making ship flags, and explained that they wanted a United States flag that measured 30 feet by 42 feet. She agreed to the job. 
