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PRESS BRIEFING
26 JUNE 2001
(Near Verbatim)
MARGARET NOVICKI- SPOKESMAN
AND MAJOR MOHAMMED YERIMA- MILITARY SPOKESMAN
GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ON HIV/AIDS OPENS
Aiming to mobilize a greatly intensified global response to the AIDS epidemic, the United Nations yesterday morning, 25 June, opened a three-day General Assembly special session devoted to tackling what nations have agreed constitutes a global emergency.
Marking the first time that the General Assembly has held a special session on a health issue, this historic gathering on HIV/AIDS is expected to culminate in the adoption of a declaration of commitment setting out a series of strategic targets and timetables to guide future efforts to fight the pandemic, which has already taken the lives of some 22 million people worldwide.
"The decision of the General Assembly, alarmed by the accelerating spread of the epidemic, to convene a special session as a matter of urgency, proves that the world is committed to intensify efforts to contain the epidemic and tackle the crisis," said the body's President, Harri Holkeri of Finland, in his opening statement. Calling the session a "landmark" event, he said, "With our concerted efforts, we will be able to turn the tide and contain the spread of AIDS."
In his opening address, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has made the struggle against AIDS his personal priority, pointed to growing attention to the pandemic. "AIDS can no longer do its deadly work in the dark," he said. "The world has started to wake up."
Mr. Annan, who has been working to bring together governments, the private sector, and civic groups in the fight against AIDS, said there was growing momentum to defeat the epidemic. "Never, since the nightmare began, has there been such a moment of common purpose," he said.
The Secretary-General cautioned, however, against making moral judgments or refusing to face unpleasant facts. "Let us remember that every person who is infected -- whatever the reason -- is a fellow human being, with human rights and human needs," he said, adding, "in the ruthless world of AIDS, there is no us and them."
At the same time, he stressed the need for magnifying current efforts, noting that spending on AIDS should rise to five times its present level. He added that his proposed Global AIDS and Health Fund - which would be open to donations from governments and private donors - aimed to be operational by the end of this year. "I will continue to work with all the stakeholders to ensure that we meet that goal," he pledged.
In the course of three plenary meetings running from morning through late evening, the Assembly was scheduled to hear over 70 speakers, including heads of State and government, health ministers and other high-level officials.
Meanwhile, efforts to improve and speed up access to care for people living with HIV/AIDS are gaining new momentum, but support is still urgently needed to ensure widespread treatment, the key United Nations agency fighting the epidemic said yesterday.
According to the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), 58 States have expressed interest in collaborating with the agency to gain access to lower-priced drugs to fight the disease. Access to these medicines is becoming possible in the context of a public-private partnership started last year by five major pharmaceutical companies - and five UN agencies -- the World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNAIDS.
In a statement released yesterday, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said that "significant price discounts are being achieved, but prices of HIV/AIDS drugs are still far beyond the reach of the majority of people who need them."
While efforts are under way to ensure support for comprehensive care programmes in hard-hit countries, UNAIDS warned that access will remain uneven until countries are able to afford AIDS-related drugs and diagnostic equipment, strengthen their health systems with the necessary infrastructure and trained staff, and provide adequate voluntary counselling and testing services as well as psychosocial support.
SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES GROUP OF EIGHT TO MAKE GOOD ON MILLENNIUM PLEDGES
In advance of the annual summit meeting of the "Group of Eight" countries in Genoa, Italy, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged the G-8 leaders to make good on pledges they made during last year's United Nations Millennium Summit to fight AIDS, tackle poverty and preserve the natural environment.
"As you meet in Genoa, the eyes of the world will be upon you," Mr. Annan wrote in his letter to the Group, which was released yesterday at UN Headquarters in New York. He recalled that the Summit had pledged to reverse the spread of AIDS and halve the proportion of people living in poverty by 2015, while sparing no effort in protecting the environment.
With HIV/AIDS taking on "terrifying proportions" in recent years, the Secretary-General expressed hope that the G-8 leaders would take the lead as donors during the General Assembly's special session on AIDS and "will make a sustained material contribution" to the campaign for global health, in part through the proposed Global AIDS and Health Fund, envisaged as a mechanism for raising an estimated $7 to $10 billion needed annually to provide prevention and care in low and middle-income countries.
HIV/AIDS affects both rich and poor, "but the poor are much more vulnerable to infection, and much less equipped to cope with the disease once infected," the Secretary-General noted. To achieve the broad objective of reducing poverty, he urged the G-8 countries to remove handicaps limiting the ability of developing countries to benefit from trade.
Concerning the environment, Mr. Annan strongly urged the G-8 leaders to give the issue priority, and to give "close personal attention" to preparations for next year's World Summit for Sustainable Development.
The Group of Eight is comprised of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY EXPECTED TO CONSIDER APPOINTMENT OF SECRETARY-GENERAL
The United Nations General Assembly on Friday, 22 June, decided to include in the agenda of its current session a new item on the appointment the Secretary-General, expecting to take action on this matter on 29 June.
The Assembly decision followed a recommendation of its General Committee after a request by the representative of Nigeria on behalf of the African Group of States to add the item. According to the UN Charter, the Secretary-General "shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council."
It is expected that the Council will consider the appointment of the Secretary-General on 27 June, with the General Assembly taking up the item on Friday, 29 June, according to an Assembly spokesperson.
UNAMSIL AND SIERRA LEONE ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS HOLD MEDIA WORKSHOP
The opening session of a media training workshop, entitled "Post-Conflict Peace-building and the Democratic Process: The Role of the Media," was held this morning at UNAMSIL headquarters. The workshop, for 22 middle-level media practitioners, is being co-sponsored by UNAMSIL and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists.
Addressing participants at the opening were: the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Dr. Cecil Blake, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Governance and Stabilization, Mr. Alan Doss, the SLAJ President, Mr. Ibrahim El-Tayyib Bah, and UNAMSIL's Chief of Public Information, Ms. Margaret Novicki.
The workshop will run from 26 June to 7 July. The trainers include two Ghanaians, from the Ghanaian Times newspaper and VIBE-FM; two from Nigeria, including a senior journalist from the Guardian newspaper and the head of the Department of Mass Communications at Fourah Bay College; and two from Sierra Leone, the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and the head of the Centre for Media Education and Technology.
Papers will be presented by representatives of the Independent Media Commission, the National Electoral Commission, the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace and the National Commission on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration.
UNAMSIL BRINGS ENTERTAINERS TO KENEMA AND BO
The UNAMSIL Public Information Section, in collaboration with Spence Productions, the Young Professionals, a local group of talented comedians, and one of Sierra Leone's top comedians, Vamboi, organized two performances in Kenema and Bo over the weekend as part of its community outreach programme. The Spence Productions theatre troupe performed its recent production of "The Throne," a dance drama on peace and reconciliation, while the comedians entertained the audience with jokes and drama on the peace process. Some of the child ex-combatants released by the RUF in Tongo on 22 June attended the Kenema show. The programme in Bo was attended by local residents as well as CDF combatants.
RUF HANDS OVER 131 CHILD COMBATANTS TO UNAMSIL
The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) on Friday, 22 June, handed over 131 former child combatants, including two girls, to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) at a brief ceremony in the town of Tongo in Kenema District. This release brings the total number of children released by the RUF since 15 May 2001 to 1,063. One hundred and fifty three children from the Civil Defence Force have been registered for demobilization since 15 May.
The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Operations and Management, Mr. Behrooz Sadry, and UNAMSIL Force Commander Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande received the children on behalf of the United Nations. Also present at the ceremony were RUF senior commanders including Col. Banya, Col. Molesky Kallon and Col. Abdul Razak, and representatives of child protection agencies.
Speaking at the occasion, UNAMSIL's Child Protection Adviser, Ms. Bituin Gonzalez, appealed to the RUF to release many of the girls still in its custody in order to give them equal opportunities with their male counterparts. RUF Col. Banya promised to release more children in the future, including girls.
After the hand-over ceremony, the released children were flown to the eastern town of Kenema where UNAMSIL handed them over to child protection agencies.
Later during the day, the UNAMSIL delegation visited the town of Yengema to assess progress on the construction of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) camp, before flying to Koidu where they had a brief discussion with the RUF interim leader, Gen. Issa Sesay.
DISARMAMENT OF COMBATANTS
Total combatants disarmed from 18 May 2001 until today are as follows:
RUF - 1,997
CDF - 4,204
EX-SLA/AFRC - 125
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q: Is the disarmament still going on at Lunsar? There seem to be some contradictory figures. I think the NCDDR quite recently, talked about 28,000 fighters which they are estimating to disarm and listening to a radio discussion, the CDF said they have 99,000 fighters. They are taking the lead in the disarmament since they have a greater number of CDF being disarmed than that of RUF.
A: On the issue of 99,000 fighters: everybody knows that CDF do not have up to that number. We are expecting them to have all in all about 20,000 fighters. If they say they have 99,000, by now the statistics should have shown that they have over 20,000 disarming from where they dominate most. So I'm just trying to say that the figures were not correct. You should work with what we give you. We are the people that handle the disarmament. And we have the figures we have the statistics, so you should rely on what we say. And in Lunsar, we have virtually finished.
Q: Can you update us on the recent attack on the RUF by the Kamajors?
A: The situation in that general area is that there are some CDF stragglers. Whether they are Kamajors or Gbetis or whatever, they are they are under the umbrella of CDF. The stragglers attacked the positions of RUF in Worodu that led to the displacement of almost 380 people. And those stragglers as you know are not co-coordinated as the CDF in other places, they are stragglers and they just came in. So before the main CDF sensitizes them there is a tendency for such acts to occur. By now things have been resolved amicably and they have been sensitized. The Force Commander and the DSRSG went to Koidu last week and saw things for themselves and had fruitful discussions with Gen Issa and Commander Batten who is head of the CDF in Koidu and responsible for the stragglers coming from Guinea.
Q: On this issue of child combatants, I see that 1,300 were released by the RUF, and that 153 children from the CDF have registered for demobilization. I would like to know the difference between being handed over and being registered for demobilization. And secondly, I would like to know what is happening because I keep asking the UNICEF figure of child combatants through the CDF is 1,500 and another 1,500 with the RUF. I'm a bit apprehensive to the fact that we are not seeing a kind of equal or reciprocal release of children by the CDF as it is happening with the RUF.
A: I would say that probably everybody shares your concern. And the CDF needs to hand over child combatants, just as the RUF has done and is continuing to do. The CDF children often come in with the combatants we are disarming. So those ones are registered as part of the disarmament process of adults, but the RUF has been handing over groups of children directly to UNAMSIL not as part of the regular combatants. So that's the difference.
Q: The Deputy Defence Minister in the Kapu Sens Programme was saying categorically for them they have not abducted children. Children abducted were done by only RUF.
A: On Sunday we attended a programme with Chief Hinga Norman. He made the same statement. I told him that they might not like to use the word 'abduct' but they have child soldiers. As far as we are concerned whether you abducted them or not, whether they are child soldiers or not, they fight. So long as they carry arms and fight and they are kids, we take them to be abducted. So they have child soldiers and they have submitted some, and they are going to do it again. And we have seen the children also.
Q: And secondly, RUF complained that CDF attacked their position in three places. Whereabouts is that?
A: All the attacks are in the Koinadugu district.
Q: So what is the outcome of the Koindu investigation?
A: We have not ascertained any attack in Koindu.
Q: The deputy defence minister alleged that the UNAMSIL forces or officials have been going behind their back dealing with the CDF without reference to their headquarters. What have you done to correct that situation?
A: There is a core contact group and there are some sub-contact groups. If there is anything in a village near Bo, for example, if they are going to have a sub- contact group meeting, I don't think they have to write to CDF leadership in Freetown to get clearance to have meeting in a village. It is even much simpler and easier for them to inform their headquarters in Bo for example. You don't need to come to Freetown and get permission. You can go to Port Loko and get permission. Mr. Moiwo alleged that UNAMSIL had meetings in Kenema without informing them, and that they should get clearance from CDF headquarters before they had any meeting with those sub-contact groups. And I think that aspect has been cleared.
Q: Do you have names of the contact group members?
A: UNAMSIL has asked the CDF and RUF to submit the names of core contact group members and sub-contact group members. And I think as long as we give the clearance for the formation of a contact group, they don't need to contact you again for a sub-contact group meeting. I think it is very easy and clear.
Q: I would like to know the general humanitarian situation in Kono and other areas controlled by the RUF and CDF.
A: We need to invite somebody from OCHA to come and give you details on the humanitarian situation. That's not really our brief. We will invite the OCHA representative maybe to the next briefing.
Q: I would like to know what UNAMSIL has done to control those CDF stragglers who Major Yerima has said are from Guinea. Have you met with the Guinean authorities to discuss it?
A: You cannot stop them from coming into their country. They are Sierra Leoneans. They live in Guinea and they feel like coming back to their country. What we have done is that we have extended our (inaudible) …to CDF that they should tell their leadership in the Kono district. They should sensitize the people there. Those who are coming back should know that the war is over. They should let them know that disarmament is going to take place soonest there. If they don't sensitize them very well, it will cause a serious problem for us from that end. I think the media also have a role to play.You have to disseminate the information, so that you can assist us and inform them that the war is over.
*********** For additional information, contact UNAMSIL Public Information Office: UNAMSIL Headquarters, Mammy Yoko, P. O. Box 5, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Tel: 232-22-273-183/4/5 Fax: 232-22-273-189
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