United Nations News
GENERAL ASSEMBLY SET TO ELECT NEW NON-PERMANENT MEMBERS OF SECURITY
COUNCIL
New York, Oct 14 2006 6:00PM
The United Nations General Assembly will hold elections on Monday
morning to choose five non-permanent members of the Security Council to
serve two-year terms starting on 1 January 2007.
Eight countries are contesting five seats that are divided according to
an agreed geographical allocation, and the winning nations will replace
Argentina, Denmark, Greece, Japan and Tanzania when their terms end on
31 December.
Guatemala and Venezuela will vie for the seat awarded to a member of
the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, while Indonesia, the
Republic of Korea (ROK) and Nepal are competing for the Asian Group seat.
The elections in the other regions are uncontested. South Africa is the
only candidate for the African Group seat and Belgium and Italy are the
only contenders for the Western European and Others Group, where two
seats have been allocated. But formal balloting will still take place for
those seats on Monday because the Council is a principal organ of the
UN.
Elections to the Council are held by secret ballot, and a winning
candidate requires a two-thirds majority of ballots cast by the Assembly
membership. If there is no clear winner in the first ballot for the Asian
Group seat, then the lowest-polling candidate drops out and the contest
moves to a ballot between the two remaining candidates. Once there are
only two candidates, voting proceeds until one candidate prevails.
In the Asian race, all three competing countries have previously served
on the Council – Nepal and Indonesia twice and the Republic of Korea
once, in 1996-97. Nepal last served in 1988-89, while Indonesia was most
recently a Council member in 1995-96.
In the contest in the Latin America and the Caribbean Group, Guatemala
has never served on the Council before, while Venezuela has been a
member four times, most recently in 1992-93.
The Council’s five other non-permanent members, whose terms end on 31
December 2007, are Congo, Ghana, Peru, Qatar and Slovakia. The five
permanent members are China, France, the Russian Federation, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
2006-10-13 00:00:00.000
BAN KI-MOON APPOINTED NEXT UN SECRETARY-GENERAL BY ACCLAMATION
New York, Oct 13 2006 5:00PM
Applauding in acclamation, the United Nations General Assembly today
appointed Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea as the
world body’s next Secretary-General, to succeed Kofi Annan when he steps
down on 31 December.
Smiling, waving and nodding to the members of the 192-nation body, the
man who will become the world’s top diplomat for five years on 1
January, was escorted by the UN Chief of Protocol through the Assembly
central aisle to the podium.
Addressing the assembled delegates, the Secretary-General-designate,
who will become the UN’s eighth chief and the second from Asia, pledged
to carry out reforms, building on Mr. Annan’s legacy.
“My tenure will be marked by ceaseless efforts to build bridges and
close divides. Leadership of harmony not division, by division not
instruction, has served me well so far. I intend to stay the course as
Secretary-General,” he said.
Mr. Ban referred to his own reputation of modest demeanour. “Asia is
also a region where modesty is a virtue. But the modesty is about
demeanour, not about vision and goals. It does not mean the lack of commitment
or leadership. Rather it is quiet determination in action to get things
done without so much fanfare,” he declared.
“This may be the key to Asia’s success, and to the UN’s future. Indeed,
our Organization is modest in its means, but not in its values. We
should be more modest in our words, but not in our performance.”
Mr. Ban noted that the road towards peace, prosperity and dignity for
all has many pitfalls. “As Secretary-General, I will make the most of
the authority invested in my office by the Charter and the mandate you
give me. I will work diligently to materialize our responsibility to
protect the most vulnerable members of humanity and for the peaceful
resolution of threats to international security and regional stability,” he
said.
Underlining the efforts to reform the UN, he declared: “Let us remember
that reform is not to please others, but because we value what this
Organization stands for. We need reform because we believe in the future.
To revitalize our common endeavour is to renew our faith not only in
the UN’s programmes and purposes but also in each other. We should demand
more of ourselves as well as of our organization.”
Mr. Ban is no stranger to the world body. Earlier in his diplomatic
career he served in his country’s mission to the UN and in 2001 was Chef
de Cabinet to then General Assembly President Han Seung-soo of the
Republic of Korea.
Welcoming Mr. Ban, President Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa of Bahrain said
his appointment comes at a time when the UN is deeply engaged in a
wide-ranging reform process.
“We are grateful to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has played a
major role in shaping a clear and comprehensive vision to address the many
global challenges confronting us,” she declared. “I am confident that
the Organization will build upon its past achievements and move ahead to
become an even more effective body under the leadership of
Secretary-General designate Ban Ki-Moon.”
Mr. Annan <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2250">hailed Mr.
Ban as a “future Secretary-General who is exceptionally attuned to the
sensitivities of countries and constituencies in every continent – a
man with a truly global mind at the helm of the world’s only universal
organization.
“More than 50 years ago, the first Secretary-General of the United
Nations, Trygvie Lie, used the following words in greeting his successor,
Dag Hammarskjöld, and I quote: ‘You are about to take over the most
impossible job on Earth,’ end quote. While that may be true, I would say:
this is also the best possible job on Earth,” he added.
The chairpersons of the UN’s five regional groups and a representative
of the United States as host country each took the podium, praising the
Secretary-General-designate for his diplomatic skills and personal
qualities, and said the world body would be in able hands as it faces the
challenges to come. They paid tribute to Mr. Annan for his work in
steering the UN through 10 difficult years.
The last Asian Secretary-General was U Thant of Myanmar (then called
Burma), who left office in 1971.
2006-10-13 00:00:00.000
UN ASSEMBLY TO MEET TODAY TO APPOINT BAN KI-MOON AS NEXT
SECRETARY-GENERAL
New York, Oct 13 2006 11:00AM
The United Nations General Assembly is set today to officially appoint
Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea as the world
body’s next Secretary-General, to succeed Kofi Annan when he steps down on
31 December.
Mr. Ban, who earlier in his diplomatic career served in his country’s
mission to the UN and in 2001 was Chef de Cabinet to then-General
Assembly President Han Seung-soo of the Republic of Korea, is expected to be
appointed by acclamation by the 192-member Assembly.
The ceremony is slated to begin at 3 p.m. when Assembly President
Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa of Bahrain will invite the Security Council
President for October, Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, to report on the
Council’s recommendation. On Monday, the 15-member body chose Mr. Ban as its
nominee by acclamation.
The Assembly will then consider a draft resolution on the subject and
is likely to approve the nomination by acclamation, according to
Assembly spokesperson Gail Bindley-Taylor Sainte, although members could ask
for a vote. The last four Secretaries-General were appointed by the
Assembly through a resolution adopted by consensus.
Statements will then be made by Sheikha Haya, Mr. Annan, Regional Group
Chairpersons, a representative of the United States as Host country,
and the new Secretary-General-designate himself. Mr. Ban is expected to
hold a news conference afterwards. He will begin his five-year term on 1
January.
2006-10-13 00:00:00.000
HUGE FUNDING SHORTFALL FORCES UN TO END FEEDING PROGRAMME IN ANGOLA
New York, Oct 13 2006 11:00AM
A huge shortfall in funding is forcing the United Nations World Food
Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2269">WFP) to
wind down all its operations to feed hundreds of thousands of Angolans
by the end of the year, after three decades of direct involvement in the
southern African country as it recovers from a disastrous civil war.
WFP's current operation, valued at $90 million, was launched in April
with plans to run until March 2009, but contributions to date total just
$19.5 million, a shortfall of 78 percent, and in September the agency
began suspending food distributions to 700,000 Angolans, including
220,000 children in school-feeding programmes.
Other beneficiaries include pregnant and nursing women, children under
the age of five and people suffering from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and
pellagra, a disorder brought on by a deficiency of the nutrient called
niacin.
“WFP's aim has always been to hand over responsibility for food
assistance and development support to the Government of Angola,” WFP Acting
Country Director Sonsoles Ruedas said today. “A drop in donor support has
spurred us to speed up the handover process. We plan to scale back to a
small office in Luanda, which will provide only technical assistance to
the Government, starting in 2007.”
WFP has started discussions with the Government on handing over any
remaining food stocks for distribution by competent state institutions to
store, transport and distribute. The Agency has at least 13,200 tons of
commodities in warehouses in Lobito and Luanda.
WFP arrived in Angola in 1976 to deliver food aid across the country to
people stranded and displaced by the civil war. When the war ended in
2002, it assisted with the long process of reconstruction and
repatriation of refugees, which is still continuing. More than 80,000 refugees
are expected to return home from camps in Zambia, Namibia and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In addition to the food stocks currently in Lobito and Luanda, another
3,800 tons are due to arrive shortly. WFP's air transport service for
the humanitarian community will close down at the end of November 2006.
Another project, to reconstruct bridges in resettlement areas in the
east of the country, has funding that will allow it to continue until the
end of January.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/452f6abf4.html">UNHCR) today launched
the final phase of its repatriation operation for Angolans in the DRC,
starting the return of more than 20,000 people who have been living
outside camps in the Bas Congo region. When completed in late December, it
will mark the end of a four-year repatriation programme.
UNHCR officially ended repatriation operations for all Angolans living
in refugee sites in four countries bordering Angola in late 2005, but
agreed to extend the programme for a further year to help those living
outside camps to return home.
Because of the poor state of the roads and the danger of mines in
Angola, the agency is considering airlifting home more than 5,000 refugees
who want to return to Uige province in northern Angola.
During the three decades of conflict, nearly half a million Angolans
fled to neighbouring countries. Some 370,000 have returned home.
2006-10-13 00:00:00.000
ANNAN HAILS NEW NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATES FOR CHAMPIONING THE POOR
New York, Oct 13 2006 10:00AM
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today
<"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp">hailed the award of this year’s
Nobel Peace Prize to microfinance economist Muhammad Yunus and the
Grameen Bank of Bangladesh as a victory for efforts to help to “break the
vicious circle of poverty” and set low-income families on the path to
prosperity.
“They have provided a powerful weapon to help the world reach the
<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals">Millennium Development Goals, by
helping people change their lives for the better – especially those who
need it most,” Mr. Annan said in a statement issued by his spokesman,
referring to the targets set by the UN Millennium summit of 2000 to
dramatically slash poverty, illiteracy, maternal and infant mortality and a
host of other global ills by 2015.
“The Secretary-General is delighted that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006
has been awarded to Professor Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank of
Bangladesh, pioneers of the microfinance movement and long-standing
allies of the United Nations in the cause of development and the empowerment
of women,” the statement added.
“He notes that thanks to Professor Yunus and the Grameen Bank,
microfinance has proved its value as a way for low-income families to break the
vicious circle of poverty, for productive enterprises to grow, and for
communities to prosper.”
2006-10-13 00:00:00.000
SENIOR UN ADVISER ON AFRICA SAYS PEACE REMAINS THE MAIN CHALLENGE FOR
DEVELOPMENT
New York, Oct 12 2006 7:00PM
Presenting a mixed
<"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=a/61/212">report card on
African development over the past five years, the top United Nations
adviser on the continent warned today that the challenge for all Africans
is to put in place the conditions for lasting peace or risk all the
progress made in infrastructure, education, health and other areas under
the region’s common development strategy coming to nothing.
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development
(<"http://www.nepad.org/2005/files/home.php">NEPAD) was adopted by the
continent’s leaders five years ago, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Adviser on Africa, told reporters,
emphasizing that it was an “African initiative” that lays out an agreed vision
of social and economic development.
“Unless there is peace on the continent, of course, all the projects
under NEPAD will come to nought and therefore the struggle followed by
the Africans is to make sure that we can create conditions on the
continent for peace to prevail and of course if peace prevails, development
will flourish,” said Mr. Legwaila.
He acknowledged that people were often sceptical as to whether peace
was advancing in Africa, but picked out several countries, including
Liberia and Sierra Leone, as showing the way forward although at the same
time acknowledging that they needed support.
“Progress has been made although people sometimes are confused by the
fact that most of the peacekeeping forces by the United Nations are in
Africa because most of the conflict is located in Africa.”
“People think that there is no progress. There is progress. Burundi –
the peace process there was successful, although there are some little
difficulties… and then of course we have Liberia, Sierra Leone. These
are countries which were helped by the United Nations to end conflict.”
Earlier in the day, the General Assembly began debating Mr. Annan’s
latest report on NEPAD and international support for the strategy, with
its President, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of Bahrain, similarly
acknowledging progress had been made on the continent but also calling for
more to be done.
“It is encouraging to note that the report recognized progress in the
key priority areas of NEPAD ranging from infrastructure to information
and communication technologies, to education and health, environment,
agriculture, science and technology, gender mainstreaming and the African
Peer Review Mechanism,” she told the Assembly.
“The report reflects the recognition of the progress made since last
year, but also underlines the importance of undertaking policy measures
to accelerate its implementation.”
Also on Africa, the Assembly started debate today on Mr. Annan’s report
on the causes and prevention of conflict on the continent, which notes
that, while steady progress is being made in preventing strife,
“increased and concerted action is needed to prevent simmering crises from
escalating and to ensure that the hard-won peace in countries emerging
from conflict becomes irreversible.”
The gathering of 192 Member States also discussed the decade of rolling
back malaria in developing countries initiative – particularly in
Africa, with Sheikha Haya quoting World Health Organization (WHO) figures to
the Assembly showing that the disease continues to threaten the lives
of at least three billion people in 107 countries and territories.
2006-10-12 00:00:00.000
GENERAL ASSEMBLY TENTATIVELY SLATES APPOINTMENT OF NEW
SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR FRIDAY
New York, Oct 11 2006 4:00PM
The United Nations General Assembly has tentatively scheduled Friday
afternoon for the official appointment of Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon of
the Republic of Korea as the world body’s next Secretary-General when
incumbent Kofi Annan steps down on 31 December.
Assembly President Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa of Bahrain consulted with
the chairpersons of the 192-member body’s regional groups yesterday on
the date for the appointment of Mr. Ban, a seasoned diplomat with lengthy
UN experience who was chosen by acclamation by the 15-member Security
Council on Monday as its nominee for post.
Assembly spokesperson Gail Bindley-Taylor Sainte told a news briefing
that the regional chairpersons were expected to report back to Sheikha
Haya later today.
Mr. Ban, who earlier in his diplomatic career served in his country’s
mission to the UN and in 2001 was Chef de Cabinet to the then Assembly
President, Han Seung-soo of the Republic of Korea, was meeting with Mr.
Annan at UN Headquarters in New York later today.
The last four Secretaries-General were appointed by the Assembly
through a resolution adopted by consensus. A vote will take place only if a
Member State requests it and a simple majority of those voting would be
required for the Assembly to adopt the resolution. But the Assembly
could decide that the decision requires a two-thirds majority. If a vote
is taken, it will be by secret ballot.
If appointed, Mr. Ban will assume office for a five-year term on 1
January.
2006-10-11 00:00:00.000
TIMOR-LESTE: RESTORING PUBLIC SECURITY IS ABSOLUTE NECESSITY, UN
OFFICIALS SAY
New York, Oct 12 2006 11:00AM
With over 50,000 internally displaced people still living in makeshift
camps in and around Timor-Leste’s capital, continued low level fighting
in the streets and elections due next year, United Nations officials
today said that restoring public security was an absolute necessity.
“The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste
(<"http://www.unmiset.org">UNMIT) believes very firmly that impunity must
end, that crimes and acts of violence should not go unchecked,”
Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Acting Special Representative Finn
Reske-Nielsen told a news conference in Dili, capital of the small South East Asian
nation that was torn by fighting earlier this year.
“The need to restore public security in Timor-Leste is evident to all,”
he added. “This is necessary so that people feel safe to return to
their homes. It is necessary for rule of law and to prevent impunity. It is
also necessary so that elections next year will be safe and fair.”
The Security Council created the expanded UNMIT in August to help
restore order in the country that it shepherded to independence from
Indonesia just four years ago, after a crisis attributed to differences
between eastern and western regions erupted in April with the firing of 600
striking soldiers, a third of the armed forces.
Ensuing violence claimed at least 37 lives and drove 155,000 people, 15
per cent of the total population, from their homes.
“While the United Nations police has an interim responsibility for
public security throughout Timor-Leste, the goal is to actually ensure that
this country will possess an effective and trustworthy (national)
police service in the future,” UNMIT Acting Police Commissioner Antero Lopes
told the news conference.
The national police force disintegrated in May and its members are
currently undergoing a rigorous screening process. Once cleared, they will
be reactivated to work in tandem with UN Police (UNPol) officers. When
the whole screening process is completed, the combined total of UNPol
and national police will be 5,000, a ratio of five officers to every
1,000 citizens, which Mr. Lopes said is one of the highest in the world.
“In a matter of weeks, we should have the full establishment throughout
greater Dili and we should start expanding to the districts throughout
Timor-Leste,” he added, noting that the international Joint Task Force
made of troops from Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand has been
providing back up support to UNPol when necessary.
Colonel Malcolm Rerden from the Joint Task Force, referring to concerns
over weapons handed out to civilians during the crisis, said an audit
by the international police and military had confirmed the location and
security of nearly 94 per cent of the missing arms. Of nearly 3,000
weapons, less than 230 remain unaccounted for, posing no significant
threat, he said.
UNMIT’s mandate calls for a robust police presence consisting of up to
1,608 officers, 34 military liaison officers and a significant civilian
staff.
Addressing Timor-Leste’s parliament yesterday, Mr. Reske-Nielsen called
for speedy approval of vital electoral legislation. Supporting the poll
is part of UNMIT’s mandate. Although it will not run the elections –
that will be the job of the Timorese government – the UN will provide
technical help and policy advice. More than 400 UN staff will be fielded
across the country to help.
2006-10-12 00:00:00.000
ANNAN WELCOMES STUDY ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN THAT CALLS FOR URGENT
GLOBAL ACTION
New York, Oct 11 2006 8:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the world
body’s first comprehensive
<"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=a/61/299">study of violence
against children as it calls for urgent action by everyone to combat
the global scourge and care for its young victims.
The study was prepared by his Independent Expert, Paulo Sérgio
Pinheiro, and presented to the General Assembly’s Third Committee this
afternoon. The in-depth report concludes that violence against children “exists
in every country of the world, cutting across culture, class,
education, income and ethnic origin.”
“It brings together disturbing data on the incidence of various types
of violence that children experience within the family, schools,
alternative care institutions and detention facilities, the workplace and
communities,” Mr. Annan said in a
<"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10678.doc.htm">statement
read out by his spokesman.
The Secretary-General appointed Mr. Pinheiro to lead the study in
February 2003 and, in its introduction, the Independent Expert states that
there can be “no compromise in challenging violence against children.
Children’s uniqueness – their potential and vulnerability, their
dependence on adults – makes it imperative that they have more, not less,
protection from violence.”
“The core message of the Study is that no violence against children is
justifiable; all violence against children is preventable… Member
States must act now with urgency to fulfil their human rights obligations
and other commitments to ensure protection from all forms of violence,”
it states.
“While legal obligations lie with States, all sectors of society, all
individuals, share the responsibility of condemning and preventing
violence against children and responding to child victims. None of us can
look children in the eye, if we continue to approve or condone any form
of violence against them.”
The report covers cruel and humiliating punishment, genital mutilation
of girls, neglect, sexual abuse, homicide, and other forms of violence
against children and paints a sobering picture backed up by statistics
and in many cases children’s testimonies themselves.
For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that
almost 53,000 children died worldwide in 2002 as a result of homicide.
Studies from many countries across the globe suggest that 80 to 98 per
cent of children suffer physical punishment in their homes, with a third
or more experiencing severe physical punishment resulting from the use
of implements.
The WHO estimates that 150 million girls and 73 million boys under 18
experienced forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence
during 2002. It also estimates that between 100 and 140 million girls
and women worldwide have undergone some form of female genital
mutilation/cutting. Estimates from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), published in
2005, suggest that in sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt and the Sudan, three
million girls and women are subjected to genital mutilation/cutting every
year.
The study, which will be formally launched to the public tomorrow, puts
forward 12 overarching recommendations which apply to all efforts to
prevent violence against children and to respond to it if it occurs, as
well as five specific recommendations applying to the home and family,
schools and other educational settings, institutions for care or
detention, the workplace and the community.
Most of the 10 pages of recommendations and follow-up are directed
primarily at States and refer to their legislative, administrative,
judicial, policymaking, service delivery and institutional functions, while
also emphasizing the primacy of the family.
“Bearing in mind that the family has the primary responsibility for the
upbringing and development of the child and that the State should
support parents and caregivers, to care for children… [States are
recommended to] develop or enhance programmes to support parents and other carers
in their child-rearing role,” it states.
Another key recommendation, that also emphasizes the importance of the
family, calls on States to “prioritize reducing rates of
institutionalization of children by supporting family preservation and
community-based alternatives, ensuring that institutionalized care is used only as a
last resort.”
Implementation of domestic labour laws is also recommended, as is
giving “priority to eliminating the ‘worst forms’ of child labour, which are
inherently violent.” It also recommends paying “particular attention”
to economic exploitation of children in the informal sector, citing as
examples agriculture, fishing and domestic service, where the phenomenon
is more prevalent.
While noting that the “primary responsibility” for implementing these
detailed recommendations rests with the State, the study concludes that
the participation of other actors – including parents and children
themselves, the UN, human rights institutions, educators and other groups –
is “critical to assist the State to carry out its task.”
2006-10-11 00:00:00.000
DEVELOPING NATIONS NEED ROOM FOR POLICY FLEXIBILITY, SAYS UN ECONOMIC
BODY
New York, Oct 11 2006 7:00PM
The world’s poorer countries must be allowed room for policy manoeuvre
as they try to improve their economic performance, the United Nations
agency that seeks to integrate developing nations into the global
economy said today as it reviewed its work over the past two years.
The official mid-term review of the UN Conference on Trade and
Development
(<"http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=7572&intItemID=1528&lang=1">UNCTAD),
which followed a week-long meeting in Geneva, concluded that it is up
to each government to evaluate the trade-off between development goals
and the rules and commitments contained in international trade and
financial agreements.
“It is particularly important for developing countries, bearing in mind
development goals and objectives, that all countries take into account
the need for appropriate balance between national policy space and
international disciplines and commitments,” the review stated.
The review also called for a “development-focused outcome” to the
current Doha round of global trade negotiations, which stalled earlier this
year, emphasizing the importance of poverty eradication and development
gains.
Member States urged UNCTAD to assume a greater role in promoting the
Aid for Trade initiative, which aims at help poorer countries take
advantage of export opportunities.
The mid-term review examined the work achieved since a major UNCTAD
conference was held in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2004.
2006-10-11 00:00:00.000
NEW LOCUST UPSURGE COULD THREATEN NORTH AND WEST AFRICA, UN AGENCY
WARNS
New York, Oct 11 2006 11:00AM
Two years after the worst locust infestation to hit North and West
Africa in 15 years, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) today
<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000418/index.html">warned the region to raise its level of alert against a possible new
invasion of the crop-devouring insects.
Important desert locust infestations have recently been detected in
northwest Mauritania, raising concerns of an upsurge of swarms there and
in Algeria, Mali, Morocco and Senegal as well as other countries if
favourable weather and ecological conditions continue, the agency said.
“Locust adults are now present in areas of recent rainfall about 150
kilometres northeast of Nouakchott (the Mauritanian capital) where they
are concentrating in green vegetation,” FAO added, noting that it cost
affected countries, the international community and the agency itself
more than $400 million to fight the 2004 infestation.
“The eggs are expected to hatch in about 10 days. Surveys are currently
in progress in summer breeding areas in southern and central
Mauritania, northern Niger and in the southern parts of Morocco and Algeria,” it
said.
FAO is arranging for a helicopter that should arrive in Mauritania next
week to survey larger areas once the eggs hatch. Ground teams started
control operations last week and have so far treated more than 200
hectares. A military spray aircraft is also on standby.
Morocco has also launched survey operations in adjacent areas in the
Sahara region where so far only isolated locusts have been reported by
the military.
In 2004, the locust upsurge heavily damaged agriculture in several
parts of West Africa, with numerous swarms invading the Sahelian countries
adjacent to the Sahara from northwest Africa, devastating crops, fruit
trees and vegetation. But by the summer of 2005, the infestation ended
thanks to control operations and weather unfavourable to the insects.
FAO's Assistant Director-General for Agriculture Alexander Müller said
the current situation is an opportunity to field test environmentally
friendly alternatives to conventional pesticides, such as the use of a
natural fungus called Metarhizium anisopliae, which causes locusts to
stop feeding, killing them in one to three weeks.
FAO expects that the current level of resources in Mauritania such as
pesticides, equipment and staff will be sufficient to address the
current situation, but whether external assistance will be needed depends on
how the situation develops during the next two months.
2006-10-11 00:00:00.000
SOMALIA ENDURING TWIN REFUGEE CRISES, WARNS UN AGENCY
New York, Oct 10 2006 7:00PM
The United Nations refugee agency warned today of dual crises emerging
in Somalia, with several thousand people joining the flood across the
border into Kenya to escape fighting in the south and the deportation of
as many as 1,800 others from the northeast of the war-torn African
country.
More than 2,000 people have arrived in Kenya since last Friday,
overwhelming reception and screening facilities there, UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/452b76fc4.html">UNHCR)
spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told a news briefing in Geneva.
She said at least 1,300 refugees yesterday jammed a temporary reception
centre set up by UNHCR on the Kenyan-Somali border, adding to the
30,000 Somalis who have already crossed into Kenya so far this year.
The refugees are fleeing fighting between the Transitional Federal
Government and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which are contesting control
of Buur Hakaba, a strategic town between Baidoa, where the Government
is based, and the capital Mogadishu, which is held by the ICU.
Elders from Dobley, a Somali town close to the border with Kenya, have
told senior UN staff operating in the country that they are aware of
another 3,000 or 4,000 people en route to the border.
Three refugee camps established in Dadaab in Kenya now house 157,000
people, Ms. Pagonis said.
At the opposite end of the impoverished country, which has not had a
functioning national government since warlords drove the regime of
President Muhammad Siad Barre from power in 1991, local authorities in the
northeast have deported or plan to deport as many as 1,800 people since
the weekend.
UN agencies and other organizations working in the port city of
Bossasso have requested Somali authorities temporarily suspend the
deportations until UNHCR can determine if there are any asylum-seekers who might
have been wrongly included.
Ms. Pagonis <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/452b774a4.html">said the
agency has received reports that 1,300 Ethiopian migrants were deported
on Sunday, and another 500 others are being held in a mosque awaiting
deportation.
Hundreds of internally displaced Somalis are also being arrested and
detained and sent back to southern and central Somalia, where the
fighting and unrest is much fiercer.
Ms. Pagonis said the actions seem to be the result of a decree issued
late last month by the president of the self-declared autonomous region
of Puntland, aimed at halting the annual people-smuggling season across
the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. So far at least 54 people have died
attempting to make the voyage.
She stressed that while any country has a right to deport illegal
immigrants, authorities must ensure those being returned would not have
their lives or freedom threatened if sent back to their country of origin.
2006-10-10 00:00:00.000
A YEAR AFTER DEVASTATING HURRICANE, MANY GUATEMALANS STILL NEED UN
ASSISTANCE
New York, Oct 10 2006 6:00PM
Thousands of Guatemalans still depend on emergency food aid, one year
after Hurricane Stan killed more than 1,500 people and devastated
communities and landscapes across Central America, the United Nations’
humanitarian arm said today.
The World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP)
needs $4 million to keep providing assistance to affected Guatemalans
through February next year, according to a press release issued by the UN’s
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(<"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA) in New
York.
Some 1,513 people were killed, 386 others injured and nearly 500,000
more affected in Guatemala when Hurricane Stan struck last year, dumping
torrential rains and causing floods and mudslides.
The hurricane originally made landfall in southern Mexico on 4 October,
before moving across Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica. Guatemala
was by far the worst affected, with almost $1 billion of damage reported
in that nation alone.
An evaluation earlier this year by the UN Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean
(<"http://www.eclac.org/default.asp?idioma=IN">ECLAC) found that Guatemala’s economic losses were equivalent to 3.4
per cent of its gross national product (GNP).
WFP provides emergency food packages to thousands of people in
Guatemala’s poorest regions – its monthly allotment for a family of five
comprises 87 kilograms of food, including maize, corn soy blend, beans and
vegetable oil. About 21,000 people are also housed in temporary shelters
or give other non-food assistance by UN agencies, which have helped at
least 285,000 people over the last year.
2006-10-10 00:00:00.000
RISING VIOLENCE AND DRUG TRADE IN AFGHANISTAN PROMPTS SECURITY COUNCIL
MISSION
New York, Oct 10 2006 5:00PM
Voicing alarm about the volatile security situation inside Afghanistan
and the threat posed by the country’s growing production of illegal
drugs, the Security Council announced today that it will send a mission to
the country as early as next month.
Ambassador Kenzo Oshima of Japan, which holds the Council presidency
during October, read out a press statement detailing members’ concerns
about the security situation and reiterating the UN’s commitment to help
Afghanistan fight terrorists, violent groups and drug producers.
He said a Council delegation would be sent at an appropriate time,
possibly in November, to review the situation on the ground and to reassure
Afghanistan and its people of the international community’s support.
The press statement followed briefings to the Council by Tom Koenigs,
the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, and
Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC).
<"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/index.html">UNODC released a survey last
month that showed illicit opium production in Afghanistan was a record
6,100 tons this year – a leap of 49 per cent on last year’s figures.
Afghanistan now accounts for 92 per cent of the world’s supply of opium,
the raw material used to make heroin.
In the press statement, Mr. Oshima expressed regret at the casualties
suffered by Afghan and international forces, as well as civilians, as a
result of attacks by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other groups.
He said Council members remain convinced that the best way to solve the
interconnected problems of security, governance, development and the
illegal drug trade is to continue to build “sound and resilient
institutions,” strengthen the rule of law and tackle corruption.
The statement added that the Council welcomes the recent extension of
the presence of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(<"http://www.unama-afg.org/Index.htm">UNAMA) into new provinces and the
work that the Afghan Government is doing to build better relations with
its neighbours.
In his latest
<"http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/492/46/PDF/N0649246.pdf?OpenElement">report
to the Council on the work of UNAMA, Secretary-General Kofi Annan last
month said that violence in Afghanistan has reached its worst levels
since the fall of the Taliban regime near the end of 2001.
2006-10-09 00:00:00.000
UNESCO CHIEFS ADDS VOICE TO CONDEMNATION OF MURDER OF RUSSIAN REPORTER
New York, Oct 10 2006 11:00AM
The head of the United Nations body mandated to defend freedom of the
press added his voice today to the chorus of condemnations over the
killing of the well-known Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, whose
recent reporting had focused primarily on Chechnya.
“It is essential that Ms. Politkovskaya’s murderers receive sentences
commensurate with the gravity of their actions to prevent the sense that
the killing of journalists can be tolerated with impunity,” UN
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General
Koïchiro Matsuura
<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=35006&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">said
in a statement.
“In view of this serious concern, I welcome the fact the (Russian)
Prosecutor General is pursuing this painful case,” he added, calling Ms.
Politkovskaya’s murder “a great loss to her profession, to her country
and to the international community as a whole.
“Through her articles in Novaya Gazeta, Ms. Politkovskaya defended
freedom of expression in Russia, a freedom that is a fundamental human
right and a cornerstone of democracy,” he said.
Yesterday Secretary-General Kofi Annan and UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights Louise Arbour strongly condemned the murder of the
48-year-old reporter, who was found shot dead on Saturday in a lift in her Moscow
block of flats.
Ms. Politkovskaya addressed a seminar organized by UNESCO in Manila,
the Philippines, to celebrate World Press Freedom Day in 2002 and
contributed to other UNESCO conferences.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), she is the
third journalist to be murdered in the Russian Federation this year.
2006-10-10 00:00:00.000
AMID WORSENING TENSIONS IN SOMALIA, ANNAN URGES ‘MAXIMUM RESTRAINT’
FROM NEIGHBOURS
New York, Oct 9 2006 4:00PM
Viewing the situation in war-torn Somalia with “increasing concern,”
Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on both the Transitional
Government and the Islamic Courts to live up to their commitments made during
recent peace talks and urged the country’s neighbours to avoid
exacerbating the situation, his spokesman said.
Asked about media reports that Ethiopian troops have captured a major
town inside Somalia, Stephane Dujarric told the daily press briefing at
UN Headquarters in New York that the UN Political Office for Somalia
(<"http://un-somalia.org/index.asp">UNPOS) said Ethiopia has denied that
its troops are inside its neighbour’s territory.
He added that Mr. Annan calls on all of Somalia’s neighbours to
exercise “maximum restraint,” respect the arms embargo imposed by the Security
Council on the impoverished and drought-stricken east African nation,
and to not take any action that could exacerbate tensions.
Mr. Dujarric said the Secretary-General is particularly concerned about
the heightened tensions between the Transitional Federal Government,
which is based in Baidoa, and the Union of Islamic Courts, which has
control over the capital, Mogadishu.
Somalia has been riven by factional fighting and has not had a
functioning national government since then President Muhammad Siad Barre’s
regime was toppled in 1991.
The most recent round of talks – which have been held in the Sudanese
capital, Khartoum – took place at the start of last month and another
round has been scheduled for 30 October.
2006-10-09 00:00:00.000
ANNAN CALLS FOR MORE POLITICAL WILL TO COMBAT SCOURGE OF VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN
New York, Oct 9 2006 7:00PM
Condemning widespread global violence against women as a human rights
violation, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for
more political will and financial resources to fight the scourge, warning
that as long as such acts continue there will be no real progress
towards equality, development and peace.
“Violence against women persists in every country in the world as a
pervasive
violation of human rights and a major impediment to achieving gender
equality,” he writes in an exhaustive 139-page study that was presented
to the General Assembly’s Third Committee today.
“Such violence is unacceptable, whether perpetrated by the State and
its agents or by
family members or strangers, in the public or private sphere, in
peacetime or in
times of conflict… as long as violence against women continues, we
cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and
peace.”
“Violence against women impoverishes individuals, families, communities
and countries. The social, political and economic costs of allowing it
to continue unabated are great and call for a commensurate investment
in women’s security. Such an effort requires increased political will
expressed through a much greater commitment of financial and human
resources.”
The study, which was called for by the General Assembly in December
2003, examines many forms and manifestations of violence against women in
a wide range of settings, including the family, the community, State
custody and institutions, armed conflict and refugee and situations
involving internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Such violence often takes a direct physical form, but can also involve
psychological abuse and economic deprivation, it notes, while
highlighting that States have “an obligation to protect women from violence, to
hold perpetrators accountable and to provide justice and remedies to
victims.”
It says that much remains to be done to create an environment where
women can live free from gender-based violence, and warns that at the
international level “violence against women has not received the visibility
and prominence required to enable significant change.”
Before elaborating on 10 pages of recommendations, Mr. Annan highlights
the role of the Assembly in “ensuring that meaningful follow-up and
implementation is undertaken by different stakeholders,” stressing that
Member States and the international community must acknowledge the
“devastating impact any further delay in taking these limited but critical
measures will have on women, their families and their communities.”
The recommendations are divided into six key areas for action at the
national level that include a wide range of measures from ensuring States
ratify all human rights treaties to increasing funding for adequate
services and access to justice and redress to victims/survivors.
Four key areas at the international level also include similarly
detailed recommendations, including calling for a “stronger, more consistent
and visible” leadership role by intergovernmental bodies and the
entities of the UN system, while also stressing the role of the world body in
assisting countries to collect data on violence against women so as to
better combat it.
Welcoming Mr. Annan’s report, the head of the UN Population Fund
(UNFPA) bemoaned the fact that “far too many women are subjected to violence
and made to feel shame.”
“It is time to end tolerance and complicity. We cannot make poverty
history unless we make violence against women history. We cannot stop the
spread of HIV unless we stop discrimination and violence against women
and girls,” said UNFPA Executive Director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, in a
press release.
As well as discussing the Secretary-General’s in-depth study on
violence today, the Third Committee also debated his report on the work of the
UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which was presented by its
Executive Director, Noeleen Heyzer.
2006-10-09 00:00:00.000
SENIOR UN ENVOY CONDEMNS ASSASSINATION OF IRAQI GENERAL
New York, Oct 9 2006 10:00AM
The top United Nations envoy in Iraq today
<"http://www.uniraq.org">condemned the assassination of the brother of the war-torn country’s Sunni
Arab vice president as “particularly shocking” and called on the Iraqi
authorities to “relentlessly pursue the perpetrators and bring them
before the law.”
According to news reports, Gen. Amir al-Hashimi, brother of Vice
President Tariq al-Hashimi and an adviser to the Defence Ministry, was killed
by gunmen who entered his home in Baghdad wearing military uniforms.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative Ashraf Qazi
warned that the continuation of this violence can only serve Iraq’s enemies
and obstruct the path to peace and stability.
“Mr. Qazi equally condemns all acts of political and sectarian violence
that is tearing at the political and social fabric of Iraq,” the UN
Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement.
He called on all the leaders of Iraq to “urgently address the
implementation” of an agreement they reached a week ago to end the bloodshed.
2006-10-09 00:00:00.000
DPR KOREA: NUCLEAR TEST ‘SERIOUS SECURITY CHALLENGE’ FOR WORLD, SAYS UN
ATOMIC CHIEF
New York, Oct 9 2006 10:00AM
The head of the United Nations atomic watchdog agency today voiced deep
regret and serious concern over the reported nuclear test by the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying it created serious
security challenges for the international community.
“The breaking of a de-facto global moratorium on nuclear explosive
testing that has been in place for nearly a decade and the addition of a
new State with nuclear weapon capacity is a clear setback to
international commitments to move towards nuclear disarmament,” UN International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei declared
in a
<"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/PressReleases/2006/prn200617.html">statement.
“This reported nuclear test threatens the nuclear non-proliferation
regime and creates serious security challenges not only for the East Asian
region but also for the international community,” he added.
On Friday the UN Security Council warned the DPRK of unspecified action
if it went ahead with a nuclear test, saying such a test would
represent a clear threat to international peace and security.
Dr. ElBaradei reiterated the urgent need, “more than any time before,”
for establishing a legally binding universal ban on nuclear testing
through the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban
Treaty.
He stressed the importance of finding a negotiated solution to the
current situation regarding the DPRK nuclear issue and called for a
resumption of dialogue between all concerned parties as “indispensable and
urgent.”
Six-Party talks between China, DPRK, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia
and the United States have been going on sporadically in Beijing for
several years.
2006-10-09 00:00:00.000
BASIC SERVICES STILL LACKING FOR TOO MANY AFTER LAST YEAR’S PAKISTAN
QUAKE, SAYS UN ENVOY
New York, Oct 7 2006 7:00PM
A year after an earthquake devastated northern Pakistan, killing more
than 73,000 people, the United Nations envoy for the recovery effort
said a funding shortfall means too many of the estimated 3.5 million
people affected by the quake still lack access to basic services such as
clean water, sanitation and housing.
Former United States President George H.W. Bush, who was appointed last
December by Secretary-General Kofi Annan as his Special Envoy for the
South Asian Earthquake Disaster,
<"http://157.150.195.46/News/briefings/docs/2006/061006_Bush.doc.htm">told
reporters today that a “tremendous relief effort” ensured that the
predicted bleak scenarios of last winter did not eventuate for most of the
quake’s victims.
Nearly 300,000 people have returned home safely after having lived in
tents or makeshift housing for six months, he said, praising the
response of the Pakistani Government, UN agencies and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), and adding that medical care, education services,
sanitation and access to water is being expanded across the region.
“However, full scale reconstruction and the full resumption of basic
services is going to take years,” Mr. Bush said, and another winter looms
with the possibility of particularly harsh living conditions.
A preliminary outlook from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
indicates that the coming winter in Pakistan is likely to be more
severe than usual, with chilly temperatures arriving early and lower
temperatures than average.
Mr. Bush, who was participating in a press conference at UN
Headquarters in New York with Pakistan’s State Minister for Economic Affairs and
Statistics, Hina Rabbani Khar, said the UN early recovery plan is $94
million short of its $255 million target.
This money “is critical for bridging the gap from relief to recovery.
The sectors that remain under-funded are water and sanitation, housing,
and support to vulnerable people.”
Voicing concern about “donor fatigue,” he said he was particularly
concerned that some donor countries had not followed through on promises of
low-interest loans and immediate funds for reconstruction projects.
“I admit we’ve got a long way to go. I don’t know the exact dollar
amount. But I’m not happy that we haven’t done a better job on that.”
The UN Population Fund
(<"Uhttp://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=877">NFPA) said its relief efforts since the quake meant many mothers and
children in the affected area now enjoy better access to health care than
before the disaster.
The Fund has established 34 pre-fabricated mother and child facilities,
where more than 5,000 women have given birth, and also supported 10
mobile clinics.
The World Food Programme
(<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2260">WFP) reported that
its large-scale school feeding programme, which targeted 260,000
children in almost 3,000 primary schools, has ensured school attendance rates
have not fallen.
As well as the 73,000 killed in Pakistan, another 1,300 people were
killed in neighbouring India when the quake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter
scale, struck on 8 October last year.
To mark the anniversary, the UN Children’s Fund
(<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_36083.html">UNICEF) launched an
exhibition in New York of photographs taken by 150 children from the
affected region using digital cameras donated by Sony.
UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said the project “has given
children an opportunity to show us through photographs their experience
of the earthquake and the impact it has had on their lives.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer John Moore, a member of the
advisory board which chose the images, said he was astonished by the
children’s professionalism given most had never even held a camera before.
“Through the photographs, you can see their desire to return to a
normal life, to recover what was lost, while still amidst the rubble of
their communities,” he said.
The photographs have been shown online and in exhibitions in Islamabad,
Rome, London and Tokyo as well.
UNICEF spokesman Michael Bociurkiw added that the Agency has also
pledged to construct 500 earthquake-resistant schools in the affected area
over the next two to three years.
2006-10-06 00:00:00.000
UN HUMANITARIAN ARM LAUNCHES FUND TO SUPPORT PEACE TALKS FOR UGANDA
New York, Oct 6 2006 7:00PM
As senior United Nations officials say the situation in once war-torn
northern Uganda is more promising than it has been in years, the UN’s
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today launched
a $4.8 million proposal to help sponsor peace talks and monitor the
cessation of hostilities.
The Juba Initiative Fund, launched today at UN Headquarters in New
York, is focused on supporting the peace talks taking place between the
Ugandan Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the southern
Sudanese town of Juba.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland, who
visited Uganda and southern Sudan last month, said the current peace process
represents “the best and most serious opportunity” to end the conflict
that has raged in northern Uganda since 1986.
“It brings great hope for safe return and for the rebuilding of Acholi
and Ugandan society,” he said.
Since peace talks began earlier this year, the security has drastically
improved and the number of night commuters – civilians, mostly
children, who leave their homes after dusk to avoid being abducted by the LRA –
has slumped from 40,000 to 10,000.
Uganda and the LRA signed a cessation of hostilities agreement on 26
August and talks have been continuing on striking a comprehensive peace
deal.
But the UN has said it has received reports that commanders and
fighters from the LRA – whose most senior members face International Criminal
Court (ICC) indictments for war crimes – have left three camps where
they were supposed to assemble because of concerns that Ugandan military
forces were nearby.
“A conflict that has dragged on for 20 years may not be resolved
according to the clock,” Mr. Egeland said. “Both sides need to show patience
to ensure a successful conclusion to the peace process.”
2006-10-06 00:00:00.000
UN HUMANITARIAN ARM LAUNCHES FUND TO SUPPORT PEACE TALKS FOR UGANDA
New York, Oct 6 2006 7:00PM
As senior United Nations officials say the situation in once war-torn
northern Uganda is more promising than it has been in years, the UN’s
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today launched
a $4.8 million proposal to help sponsor peace talks and monitor the
cessation of hostilities.
The Juba Initiative Fund, launched today at UN Headquarters in New
York, is focused on supporting the peace talks taking place between the
Ugandan Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the southern
Sudanese town of Juba.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland, who
visited Uganda and southern Sudan last month, said the current peace process
represents “the best and most serious opportunity” to end the conflict
that has raged in northern Uganda since 1986.
“It brings great hope for safe return and for the rebuilding of Acholi
and Ugandan society,” he said.
Since peace talks began earlier this year, the security has drastically
improved and the number of night commuters – civilians, mostly
children, who leave their homes after dusk to avoid being abducted by the LRA –
has slumped from 40,000 to 10,000.
Uganda and the LRA signed a cessation of hostilities agreement on 26
August and talks have been continuing on striking a comprehensive peace
deal.
But the UN has said it has received reports that commanders and
fighters from the LRA – whose most senior members face International Criminal
Court (ICC) indictments for war crimes – have left three camps where
they were supposed to assemble because of concerns that Ugandan military
forces were nearby.
“A conflict that has dragged on for 20 years may not be resolved
according to the clock,” Mr. Egeland said. “Both sides need to show patience
to ensure a successful conclusion to the peace process.”
2006-10-06 00:00:00.000
SOMALI REFUGEE SURGE INTO KENYA THREATENS TO PUT UN AGENCY UNDER SEVERE
STRAIN
New York, Oct 6 2006 11:00AM
The flood of Somalis pouring into neighbouring Kenya over the past two
days to escape factional fighting has surged almost five-fold to a rate
of 1,000 a day, pushing to more than 30,000 the total of new arrivals
this year, and the United Nations refugee agency
<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45262b444.html">warned today that its
resources in the area could be overwhelmed.
“We are concerned that if the arrival rate of more than 1,000 people a
day continues, it will severely strain our limited capacity in Dadaab,”
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(<"http://www.unhcr.org/home.html">UNHCR) spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told a news briefing in Geneva,
referring to the main camp in northern Kenya.
“Because of the limited number of trucks available to us, we have not
been able to transport to Dadaab all the refugees waiting at the Amuma
border,” she said, adding that the influx comes amid a reported advance
by fighters allied to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) into the Juba
Valley, currently home to tens of thousands of internally displaced persons
(IDPs).
The sudden surge follows a steady daily flow of between 200 to 300
refugees, mostly women and children, as the ICU, in control of Mogadishu
the capital, the Transitional Federal Government based in Baidoa, and
various warlord militias jockey for power.
About 20 per cent of those coming in through the Amuma crossing are
urban merchants from Kismayo who say they have lost their businesses. The
ICU recently entered the port. The rest are herder families from Lower
Juba.
“We are also now seeing more elderly people among the new arrivals,”
Ms. Pagonis said, adding that if the flood continues UNHCR will have to
build a reception centre at Amuma, a dusty open area with no trees or
shelter from the hot sun in Kenya's semi-arid north.
“We are also worried about the water situation in Amuma since the
village supply comes from a water-pan that is replenished only during the
rainy season,” she said. “Villagers in Amuma have complained that the new
refugees are using the water source, the only supply for drinking
water, for bathing and laundry. There is potential for the outbreak of
water-borne diseases.”
There were problems with crowd control in Amuma yesterday as people
scrambled for registration to get on to the few trucks available, but calm
returned when UNHCR staff explained the logistical constraints and
assured the new arrivals that everyone would eventually be transferred to
the camps, Ms. Pagonis added.
2006-10-06 00:00:00.000
DEADLY HEROIN OVERDOSES COULD SOAR WITH SURGE IN AFGHAN OPIUM
PRODUCTION, UN WARNS
New York, Oct 5 2006 11:00AM
The world’s health authorities should prepare for a significant
increase in the number of deaths from heroin overdoses following a dramatic
surge in opium production in Afghanistan this year, the United Nations
top narcotics fighter has
<"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/press_release_2006_10_05.html">warned.
“The abundant supply of Afghan heroin is likely to result in dramatic
increases in the purity of street heroin,” UN Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODOC), Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said in a letter to
some 90 health ministers, the text of which was released today.
“This, in turn, is likely to prompt a substantial increase in the
number of deaths by overdose as addicts are not used to injecting doses
containing such high concentrations of the drug,” he added.
“I therefore strongly encourage you, the local health authorities and
the community drug treatment centres in your country to take every
possible measure in the period ahead and to alert practitioners to the
possible risk increase.”
UNODC’s 2006 Afghan Opium
<"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/press_release_2006_09_01.html">Survey,
published last month, showed that illicit opium production in Afghanistan
was a record 6,100 tons this year, an increase of 49 per cent over 2005.
Afghanistan accounts for 92 per cent of total world supply of opium,
the raw material for making heroin.
In that report Mr. Costa warned that the southern part of Afghanistan,
with its large-scale drug operations, terrorism, crime and corruption,
was verging on collapse.
“Afghan opium is fuelling insurgency in western Asia, feeding
international mafias and causing a hundred thousand deaths from overdoses every
year,” he said then, calling on the Afghan Government to take greater
action against corruption and to arrest major drug traffickers and
wealthy opium-farming landlords and seize their assets.
Governors and police officials presiding over opium-growing provinces
should be removed and charged while drug-free areas should be rewarded
with more substantial and more visible development aid, he said.
He also called on western governments to do more to curb drug abuse in
their countries.
“Heroin habits in the West put huge sums of money into the pockets of
criminals and insurgents who destabilize Afghanistan and kill soldiers
and civilians alike,” he said.
2006-10-05 00:00:00.000
TIMOR-LESTE: UN ENVOY APPLAUDS ITS LEADERS’ CALL TO ACCEPT UPCOMING
REPORT ON STRIFE
New York, Oct 5 2006 6:00PM
The United Nations envoy in Timor-Leste today warmly welcomed a
statement by Timorese leaders calling on the population to accept the findings
of an upcoming UN report into this year’s deadly violence in the tiny
South-East Asian nation, which killed around 40 people and forced more
than 150,000 others to flee their homes.
“I am deeply grateful to the President, Prime Minister and the
President of Parliament for their joint statement of this morning, on the
necessity of the upcoming Independent Commission of Inquiry report for
building the rule of law in Timor-Leste,” said Acting Special Representative
of the Secretary-General Finn Reske-Nielsen.
“The report is indeed a first step in an essential process of
accountability and reconciliation,” he added, referring to the document that is
expected to be issued sometime this month.
Violence in April and May, apparently caused by differences between
eastern and western regions of the country, erupted with the firing of 600
striking soldiers and led to the deaths of at least 37 people, while
causing 155,000 others – 15 per cent of the total population – to flee
their homes.
“The intention of the Commissioners in writing this report has been to
establish the truth, so that the people of Timor-Leste have a clear and
trustworthy basis for understanding the events of April and May,” said
Mr. Reske-Nielsen.
“The new United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT)
believes that accountability is the only way to end impunity. For this
reason the United Nations is working together to ensure that the report will
be available to as wide a public as possible in Tetum, Portuguese,
Bahasa Indonesia and English.”
Timorese President Xanana Gusmão read the joint statement this morning,
in which the three leaders appealed to the people to receive the report
“with cool heads and with the sense of responsibility… with the spirit
of dialogue and reconciliation, with the spirit of justice and national
unity, with courage and serenity,” according to a UN press release.
The UN helped shepherd Timor-Leste to independence from Indonesia in
2002.
2006-10-05 00:00:00.000
IN NEW YORK, UN HEADQUARTERS OPENS DOORS THIS WEEKEND FOR ARCHITECTURE
LOVERS
New York, Oct 5 2006 6:00PM
The inner sanctum of the United Nations in its efforts to maintain
international peace – the Security Council chamber – will be opened to
architecture buffs this weekend as part of a special guided tour of the
world body’s landmark headquarters in New York.
Three 45-minute tours, the first intended especially for lovers of
architecture, will be available on both Saturday and Sunday (at 10:30,
11:30 and 12:30), led by an architect from the team responsible for the
proposed renovation of the site.
The General Assembly conference halls, which will also be shown on the
tours, and the Security Council chamber are considered historic spaces,
noteworthy for being “mid-century interpretations of the ancient
concept of a legislative-style space,” according to a statement from the UN’s
guided tour unit.
Besides the Visitors’ Lobby – “an exhilarating space with a real 1950’s
‘boomerang’ design and a very unusual façade” – the less often seen
Delegates’ Entrance will also be on the tour route.
“The space, which has an unusual configuration, gives insight into how
the many officials, employees and visitors at the UN are able to use
the facility for various purposes, a reflection of the success of the
original design concept,” the statement said.
The UN was designed by a team of 11 eminent architects – collaboration
being preferred over an international competition – led by American
Wallace K. Harrison that began work in early 1947. The other team members
were Nikolai D. Bassov, Gaston Brunfaut, Ernest Cormier, Charles E. Le
Corbusier, Liang Seu-Cheng, Sven Markelius, Oscar Niemayer, Howard
Robertson, G. A. Soilleux, and Julio Vilamajo.
This weekend’s tours are the handiwork of openhousenewyork (OHNY), an
educational organization devoted to sharing New York’s architectural,
urban and historical development by providing access to significant
sites. It was inspired by the success of similar events over the past decade
in other cities, including London and Toronto.
According to the guided tour unit, the tours are by reservation only
and interested people can call 212-963-5420 to book a place. Children
under the age of five will not be allowed to join.
2006-10-05 00:00:00.000
UN STUDY PROPOSES NEW GUIDELINES FOR CORPORATE REPORTING ON
ENVIRONMENT, LABOUR RIGHTS
New York, Oct 5 2006 11:00AM
A
“<"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=486&ArticleID=5365&l=en">carrots
and sticks” approach coupling mandatory regulation with voluntary
standards will lead to better reporting by corporations of their performance
in non-financial areas such as environmental protection, labour
standards, human rights and anti-corruption measures, according to a new
United Nations study released today.
“It is clear that regulation by itself cannot provide all the answers,”
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner told
an international conference in Amsterdam at the launch of new guidelines
for reporting on key elements of the UN Global Compact,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s six-year-old initiative to advance good corporate
citizenship and responsible globalization.
“It needs to be balanced by appropriate market measures and voluntary
action. There is both a public and a business case for non-financial
disclosure and sustainability reporting in particular,” he added of the
<"http://www.unep.fr/outreach/reporting/docs/Public-UNEP-KPMG-Report-FIN.pdf">report
– Carrots and Sticks for Starters – jointly prepared by UNEP and Global
Sustainability Services of KPMG, a worldwide network of professional
firms providing Audit, Tax, and Advisory services.
The study gives an overview and analysis of current trends and
approaches in mandatory and voluntary standards for so-called sustainability
reporting and corporate responsibility.
It argues that balanced regulation should highlight the importance of a
publicly recognized set of performance indicators and stresses the need
for independent verification, stakeholder engagement, and the role of
government in enforcing a level playing field and introducing incentives
such as relieving reporting companies from obligations to report
separately to individual government departments.
“The idea of a sustainability report is still a novelty in many parts
of the world,” Mr. Steiner said. “We still have some basic, foundational
work to do in introducing to thousands of large companies the value of
systematically quantifying non-financial performance, using it as a
management tool and communicating about it publicly.”
The new guidelines, introduced at the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
Sustainability Reporting <"http://www.grig3.org">Conference, make
reporting simpler and include requirements to describe management approaches
and progress. Their online format is aimed to make reported information
more easily comparable for investors and financial analysts.
“Accountability and transparency are vital ingredients for gaining
public confidence and a societal 'license to operate'”, Mr. Steiner said.
“From the global to the local, agreed frameworks for reporting are the
basis upon which we build in moving closer to achieving these
objectives. The GRI has played a leading role in helping all of us in addressing
this challenge.”
2006-10-05 00:00:00.000
GUINEA-BISSAU GAINING GROUND BUT STILL AT RISK OF MAJOR SETBACKS, SAYS
ANNAN
Guinea-Bissau has made some progress towards political reconciliation,
but the West African country remains so poor and enduring tensions are
still strong enough that the risk of a major setback is ever-present,
less than a decade after the end of a bitter civil war,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report issued today.
“A strong commitment to improve the political climate continued to
emerge” during the past three months, Mr. Annan said in his latest
<"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2006/783">report to the
Security Council on the work of the UN Peacebuilding Support Office,
known as UNOGBIS.
He cited progress in the national dialogue process, the efforts of
Guinea-Bissau’s two major political parties to heal serious internal
divisions and advances in reconciliation efforts within the defence and
security forces.
But Mr. Annan said the socio-economic situation is dire, with a sharp
drop in revenue from the staple cashew nut crop, a poor rice harvest
this season and the problem of salary arrears in the public sector
combining to exacerbate social tensions.
Stressing that the international community must continue to support
Guinea-Bissau’s efforts to achieve political stability, the
Secretary-General said he planned to revise UNOGBIS’ mandate slightly and extend its
operation until the end of next year.
UNOGBIS was created in 1999 to help Guinea-Bissau, one of the poorest
nations in the world, emerge from the devastation of a civil war in
which thousands were killed, wounded or forced from their homes.
In his report Mr. Annan also called on the international community to
give generously during a donors’ round table for Guinea-Bissau in Geneva
in early November.
2006-10-03 00:00:00.000
NEW INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE COMMUNICATIONS FOR EMERGENCY UN
MISSIONS
New York, Oct 4 2006 2:00PM
United Nations emergency response missions around the world will have
access to the latest telecommunications technology within 48 hours of a
disaster anywhere on Earth under a five-year public-private partnership
announced today.
“Rapid communications saves lives,” UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Executive Director
Ann M. Veneman said of the initiative announced by the UN Foundation
and the Vodafone Group Foundation (VGF). “There is an urgent need for
food, water, shelter, protection and medical help in emergencies. None of
these things are possible without quick and reliable communications.”
Under the plan the Foundation and VGF will provide some $2 million over
five years to Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF), a non-governmental
organization (NGO) equipped to deploy rapid response telecom teams within 48
hours of a disaster anywhere in the world in coordination with
<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF and the UN Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs
(<"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA).
“As demonstrated recently in Suriname and Indonesia, this programme
will provide reliable telecom services so responders can more effectively
do their jobs and save lives in the first days of an emergency,” UN
Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland said. “This is
the kind of successful public-private partnership we need as we
confront increasingly challenging emergencies around the world.”
Through the Rapid Response Communications Centre, up to four TSF teams
will deploy with the UN to natural disasters and humanitarian crises
anywhere in the world.
These teams will be among the first to drop into emergency areas and
will rapidly establish emergency telecommunication centres that provide
UN, NGO and government responders with reliable voice, Internet, fax,
and video connections using satellite, WiFi, and GSM equipment. Relief
workers rely on these centres for response and relief assessment,
logistics, and coordination.
“Vodafone is committed to changing lives in communities across the
world,” VGF Director Andrew Dunnett said. “We look forward to its
transforming effect and the tangible benefits it will bring to some of the most
needy and desperate situations on earth”.
<"http://www.unfoundation.org/">UN Foundation President Timothy E.
Wirth highlighted the plan as a perfect example of how the Foundation can
foster public-private partnerships. “This initiative offers the UN the
ability to respond quickly to humanitarian needs in a smart,
cost-effective way,” he said.
TSF President Jean-François Cazenave stressed how new technologies,
miniaturization of components and the increasing development of satellite
networks enable highly mobile teams to respond to emergency
communication needs “in all circumstances, anywhere in the world.”
Teams funded by the Foundation and VGF have already deployed four times
to assist the UN this year: in May after torrential flooding in
Suriname, in June after a massive earthquake in Indonesia and twice in August,
to support the UN humanitarian mission in Lebanon and to re-establish
telecom services in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist
Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and
activities. It builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the
world’s most pressing problems, and also works to broaden support for
the UN through advocacy and public outreach.
VGF was created by Vodafone in 2001 to support charitable and community
work by all Vodafone companies and their foundations, as well as
funding selected charitable global initiatives directly.
2006-10-04 00:00:00.000
ANNAN SELECTS NIGERIAN TO SERVE AS HEAD OF UN PEACEBUILDING OFFICE IN
GUINEA-BISSAU
New York, Oct 4 2006 6:00PM
Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced today that he plans to appoint
Nigeria’s Shola Omoregie as his new representative in Guinea-Bissau and
as head of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office to the West
African country (UNOGBIS).
Mr. Omoregie, 59, a veteran UN official, replaces Joao Bernardo Honwana
of Mozambique, who left the post in mid-September to return to UN
Headquarters.
The Nigerian has worked with the UN since 1978 in a variety of posts
and was most recently Chief of the Security Council Practices and Charter
Research Branch in the Department of Political Affairs’ Security
Council Affairs Division.
His appointment comes as Assistant Secretary-General for Political
Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh briefed the Security Council today on Mr. Annan’s
latest report on the work of UNOGBIS.
In that report, Mr. Annan said that while Guinea-Bissau has made some
progress towards political reconciliation, it remains so poor and has so
many enduring tensions that the risk of a major setback is
ever-present.
The socio-economic situation is also dire, with a sharp drop in revenue
from the staple cashew nut crop, a poor rice harvest this season and
the problem of salary arrears in the public sector combining to
exacerbate social tensions.
The Secretary-General said he plans to revise slightly the mandate of
UNOGBIS, which has been operation since 1999 to help Guinea-Bissau
recover from a bitter civil war, and extend it until the end of next year.
2006-10-04 00:00:00.000
ANNAN EXPRESSES CONCERN AFTER DPR KOREA SAYS IT WILL CONDUCT NUCLEAR
TEST
New York, Oct 3 2006 7:00PM
Voicing concern about the stated intention of the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (DPRK) to carry out a nuclear test in the future,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned today that such a move would be
counter-productive and worsen tensions in the region, and he called on the
country’s leadership to maintain the current moratorium on testing.
In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2236">statement issued
by his spokesman at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Mr. Annan
said he “shares the global concern” regarding the DPRK’s avowal to
conduct a nuclear test.
“Such action, if undertaken, would further aggravate tensions in the
region,” the statement said. “It would bring universal condemnation by
the international community and will not help the DPRK achieve the goals
expressed in its statement, particularly with regard to strengthening
its security.”
The Secretary-General urged Pyongyang “to exercise utmost restraint and
adhere to the international community’s norm on nuclear testing and
also observe the current moratorium.”
He called on the North Koreans to return to the Six-Party Talks –
comprising the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States – to
ensure that the nuclear issue and any other security concerns on the
Korean peninsula are solved through negotiations.
Earlier today, the Security Council’s President for October, Ambassador
Kenzo Oshima of Japan, said the issue of DPRK and its nuclear programme
would be near the top of the Council’s agenda this month.
2006-10-03 00:00:00.000
UN AGENCY RENEWS ALARM ABOUT PALESTINIAN REFUGEES TRAPPED IN IRAQ\
New York, Oct 3 2006 3:00PM
The United Nations refugee agency expressed fresh concern today about
the plight of an estimated 20,000 Palestinian refugees in Iraq as
deteriorating security forces an increasing number to try to flee the
country.
Palestinians living inside Iraq “lack protection, have serious problems
obtaining identity cards, and have been the target of continuing
harassment, threats, kidnapping and killings,” UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news">UNHCR) spokesperson
Jennifer Pagonis told a
<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45223c5414.html">media briefing in
Geneva.
Ms. Pagonis voiced particular concern about the conditions in Baghdad,
noting that late last month armed men there hand-delivered written
death threats to several Palestinians – a reprise of a similar episode
earlier this year that led to widespread panic among the capital’s
Palestinian community.
She said UNHCR’s attempts to enlist the help of the new Iraqi
Government and the multinational forces stationed inside the country “have
yielded modest results” only, and now about 20,000 Palestinians remain, down
from 34,000 three years ago.
Some Palestinians received preferential treatment under the regime of
former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and supported his 1990 invasion of
Kuwait. But they have become targets since Saddam’s overthrow in 2003.
The community comprises those who fled to Iraq from their homes in
newly created Israel in 1948 and others born in the country.
Outside Baghdad, UNHCR has fears for the safety of some 330
Palestinians who tried to flee Iraq and have been stranded at the Al-Tanf border
crossing with Syria for more than four months.
Describing the humanitarian conditions in the makeshift camp at the
border as deplorable, Ms. Pagonis said “winter is coming and there is no
solution in sight for these men, women and children.” About 250 people
are living in tents which could be flooded when upcoming rains arrive.
Tensions are rising, she said, noting Iraqi security forces have
regularly visited the site and that medical and sanitation facilities are
inadequate. Last month a 14-year-old boy was hit and killed by a truck
when he asked for water, while the father of a premature baby who died in
hospital was not allowed to leave the area to attend the funeral.
Syria, which admitted 300 other Palestinians from Iraq into its El Hol
refugee camp in May, is refusing to admit those currently stranded at
the border. UNHCR said those who made it to El Hol have only temporary
status, limited freedom of movement and no clear prospects for their
future.
There is also concern about the situation in Jordan’s Ruwayshed refugee
camp, where 150 Palestinians from Iraq are living, some since 2003. Ms.
Pagonis said that while re-settlement is possible for about 50 of the
camp members over the next year, the rest face an uncertain future as
Jordan has called on other countries in the region to share the burden.
2006-10-03 00:00:00.000
SECURITY COUNCIL TO VOTE FORMALLY ON MONDAY TO SELECT NEW UN
SECRETARY-GENERAL
New York, Oct 3 2006 6:00PM
The Security Council will hold a formal vote on Monday morning to
select a new Secretary-General of the United Nations to recommend to the
General Assembly for approval, the Council’s President for the month of
October said today.
Kenzo Oshima, Ambassador of Japan, told journalists as he outlined the
Council work programme for October that a vote has been scheduled for
Monday morning, although it has not yet been determined whether the
Council will send a name for approval to the Assembly – which must formally
elect the Secretary-General – on the same day.
After four informal polls this year, five candidates officially remain
in the race to replace Kofi Annan as Secretary-General when he steps
down at the end of his term on 31 December.
In response to reporters’ questions, Mr. Oshima said he agreed there
was “room for further improvement” in the selection process, although he
said that efforts had been made to make the current process more
transparent than those of the past.
Mr. Oshima noted that candidates had attended the meetings of regional
groups and other organizations, inside and outside UN Headquarters in
New York, and taken the opportunity to meet with members of those
groups.
Turning to the rest of the Council’s workload, the Japanese Ambassador
said the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region, the ongoing problems in the
Middle East and the nuclear issue with the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea (DPRK) were among the key items for discussions this month.
He also said consultations would be held later this month about the
scheduling of a new date for presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire,
which has been beset by renewed tensions in recent months. The polls had
been set for the end of October.
Mr. Oshima added that the Council will hold a thematic debate this
month on the role of women in consolidating peace and security.
2006-10-03 00:00:00.000
ANNAN ENCOURAGES RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND GEORGIA TO ‘ENGAGE
CONSTRUCTIVELY’
New York, Oct 3 2006 3:00PM
Welcoming the peaceful resolution of tensions resulting from the recent
arrests of Russian officers in Georgia, United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan today
<"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10667.doc.htm">called on all
sides to come together and “engage constructively to address existing
problems.”
Meanwhile his latest
<"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2006/771">report on the
Caucasus country speaks of new tensions in the long-running dispute
between Georgian authorities and Abkhaz separatists stemming from an
operation by Georgian special forces, and he warns that only dialogue can
resolve differences.
“The Secretary-General is pleased that Georgia and the Russian
Federation have been able to resolve the issue of the recent arrest of Russian
officers in Georgia in a peaceful and constructive manner,” his
Spokesman said in a statement, which also referred to the role played by the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
“He appreciates the efforts undertaken by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
H.E. Mr. Karel de Gucht, to help bring about this result. The
Secretary-General expresses the hope that all parties concerned will refrain
from statements or actions that could affect stability in the region, and
encourages them to engage constructively to address existing problems.”
Mr. Annan also urges dialogue between Georgian authorities and Abkhaz
separatists in his latest report on the UN Observer Mission in Georgia
(UNOMIG) which oversees relations between the two sides that fought each
other 14 years ago. He highlights the increased tension in the region
and recommends that UNOMIG’s mandate be extended for another six months
beyond its current deadline of 15 October.
“A new and tense situation has emerged between the Georgian and Abkhaz
sides, in particular as a result of the Georgian special operation in
the upper Kodori Valley [on 25 July]… There is no alternative, however,
to dialogue; the threat of force can only deepen existing mistrust, and
a resumption of violence would be the worst possible outcome.”
“The presence of UNOMIG remains essential for maintaining stability in
the zone of conflict… I therefore recommend an extension of the mandate
of UNOMIG for a further period of six months, until 15 April 2007.”
The conflict in Abkhazia, strategically located on the Black Sea, began
with social unrest and attempts by the local authorities to separate
from the Republic. It escalated into a series of armed confrontations in
the summer of 1992. A ceasefire agreement was concluded later that year
but never fully implemented and the fighting that followed forced
nearly 300,000 refugees to flee their homes.
UNOMIG was set up in August 1993 and currently has 121 military
observers and 12 civilian police officers.
2006-10-03 00:00:00.000
OPTOMETRIST VOWS TO USE REFUGEE AWARD PRIZE MONEY TO HELP UN ASSIST
DISPLACED
New York, Oct 3 2006 2:00PM
A Japanese optometrist who has won the world’s top award for assisting
refugees has pledged to pour the prize money back into the work that
led to the honour – working with the United Nations refugee agency to
help displaced vision-impaired people in Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Akio Kanai, chairman and chief executive officer of Fuji Optical and
himself forcibly displaced from the northern Pacific island of Sakhalin
at the end of World War II, was given the 2006 Nansen Refugee Award by
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/45223ed84.html">UNHCR) António Guterres
at a ceremony last night in Geneva.
The Nansen Refugee Award consists of a medal and $100,000 prize money,
supplied by Norway and Switzerland.
The award committee, which gives the prize annually to a person or
group for outstanding work in supporting the refugee cause, found that Dr.
Kanai had “rendered exceptional service” by improving the eyesight of
thousands of displaced people in Nepal, Thailand, Azerbaijan and
Armenia.
Since 1984 Dr. Kanai has donated more than 108,000 pairs of eyeglasses,
provided optometry equipment, given cash grants and trained local staff
during at least 20 missions for UNHCR. Fuji Optical also undertakes
regular missions with the UN agency, and many of its employees have used
their holidays to work in refugee camps.
Presenting the medal last night, Mr. Guterres said “we are very proud
that we are the partner of Dr. Akio Kanai and that the partnership has
been extremely important for the lives of more than 100,000 refugees.”
In his acceptance speech Dr. Kanai said “the award is testimony to the
significance that the role of optometry plays in the future of refugees
by improving their sight and this empowering them to secure a ‘future
in focus’… Eyesight can change one’s life. My dream is that a simple
pair of glasses can change the lives of refugees and internally displaced
persons (IDPs) for the better.”
Voicing his desire to keep working with refugees and IDPs, he said he
hoped the grant will be used to help those in Azerbaijan and Armenia,
“populations with which I feel emotionally connected.”
2006-10-03 00:00:00.000
AHEAD OF POLL UN JOINS IN POLICING DR CONGO CAPITAL AGAINST ARMED
GROUPS, WEAPONS
New York, Oct 3 2006 2:00PM
United Nations police today began joint patrols with national and
European security forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC)
capital, Kinshasa, in a crackdown on armed groups and unauthorized weapons
ahead of presidential elections at the end of the month.
“The objective of these patrols is to prevent risks of armed clashes in
Kinshasa by verifying the implementation of the prohibitive measure
against armed troops’ movement,” the UN Mission in DRC (MONUC) said in a
statement on the operation dubbed ‘Kinshasa, city without weapons.’
“The patrols will control anyone moving on the public highway or in
public places with firearms.”
The patrols follow an agreement between President Joseph Kabila and
Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba, the two candidates in the 29 October
run-off presidential poll that is intended to seal the vast country’s
transition from a disastrous six-year civil war to peace and democracy.
The new joint patrols comprise elements of the Congolese National
Police, Military Police of the DRC’s Armed Forces, the Formed Police Unit
(MONUC’s maintenance of order unit), MONUC’s Western Brigade and EUPOL,
which provides technical assistance at the request of the European Force
in the DRC.
2006-10-03 00:00:00.000
