HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, July 23, 2009
BAN KI-MOON BEGINS OFFICIAL VISIT TO CHINA
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Beijing,
where tomorrow, he will meet with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao
and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, among other senior Chinese officials.
He will also speak at an event encouraging the use of
energy-efficient light bulbs. He will stress that, although light bulbs are
not always the first thing that springs to mind when talking about
revolutionary technology, energy-efficient light bulbs are a revolutionary
innovation that can change the world.
Meanwhile, the first-ever trust-fund agreement on technical cooperation for statistical capacity between China and the UN took place yesterday in a signing ceremony in Beijing. Mr. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, signed the agreement on behalf of the UN. This large, multi-year statistical project was established to strengthen the statistical capacity of China and other developing countries in Asia. It is expected to advance the use of reliable and up-to-date statistics and is considered the foundation for effective national development policies.
BAN KI-MOON APPEALS FOR CALM IN GUINEA-BISSAU PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
The Secretary-General will be closely
watching the upcoming second round of presidential elections in
Guinea-Bissau as an important measure of national commitment to democracy
and reconciliation.
He urges the people of Guinea-Bissau to
participate peacefully in the voting as they have done in past elections.
He calls upon the presidential candidates to resolve any disputes that might
arise through peaceful, legal means and to respect the final result.
The Secretary-General hopes this election will
mark a clear step forward for Guinea-Bissau in achieving political stability
and security, and in fostering the social and economic conditions necessary
to consolidate peace and fully realize human rights throughout the country.
The United Nations is committed to working with the newly elected President, the government, the National Assembly, and other authorities to encourage further progress in Guinea-Bissau through national dialogue and reconciliation.
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT AND SOVEREIGNTY ARE MUTUALLY REINFORCING PRINCIPLES
The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Edward Luck,
today addressed the General Assembly’s informal interactive dialogue on
the
responsibility to protect. He said the concept’s principles are
universal. Every part of the world has suffered mass atrocity crimes at one
point or another, he added.
Luck noted that detractors often said the
responsibility to protect was another word for military intervention. But he
stressed that it actually sought to discourage unilateralism and military
adventurism.
He also rejected the notion that sovereignty and
responsibility are incompatible. Rather, they are mutually reinforcing
principles, he said. He also noted that the Secretary-General’s thinking on
the responsibility to protect involves the strengthening – not the weakening
– of state capacity.
Meanwhile, in related news, High Commissioner for Human
Rights Navi Pillay today issued a
statement on the responsibility to protect. She noted that governments
have a responsibility to prevent genocide, war crimes, crimes against
humanity and ethnic cleansing. But she stressed that governments – and
indeed the UN – have not been very successful in preventing such acts during
the last 60 years.
In that regard, she called the present discussions at
the UN on the responsibility to protect “extremely important.”
Pillay said her office will continue to support States through long-term measures such as institution building and technical cooperation. But States, UN partners and regional organizations, will need to make a concerted effort to rapidly respond to exceptional situations, she added.
BAN KI-MOON REAFFIRMS U.N. SUPPORT FOR SOMALI GOVERNMENT
The Secretary-General’s latest report on Somalia is out
as a document today. In it, he says that he is deeply concerned about recent
repeated attempts to overthrow the Somali government by force. He appeals to
the international community not to waver in its support for the Government.
While the security situation remains fluid, the
Secretary-General says that the Transitional Federal government maintains an
inclusive approach to solving political differences with the opposition in
the spirit of the Djibouti Agreement. He deplores the continued use of “high
gain” assassinations by the armed Al-Shabaab opposition group to destabilize
the Government. He also says that the international community is still
considering further support to the Government following the latter’s call
for military and other assistance.
The African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM),
meanwhile, continues to deploy in Mogadishu and is expected to start the
crucial task of training some 10,000 members of an all-inclusive Somali
police force. 89 AU personnel have already been recruited for this and other
related purposes. The UN, for its part, is helping to review AMISOM’s rules
of engagement to enable it to take more robust action within its existing
mandate. The UN is also supporting the expansion of state authority across
Somalia with the recent training of 120 civil servants in Puntland and
another 500 in Somaliland.
And while the humanitarian situation has deteriorated further amid an intensifying armed conflict between the Government and the Al-Shabaab, the Secretary-General says that more than half of $984 million humanitarian appeal for Somalia remains unfunded.
SECURITY COUNCIL RENEWS MANDATE OF MISSION IN NEPAL;
RECEIVES BRIEFING ON COTE D’IVOIRE AND LEBANON
The
Security Council this morning voted unanimously to adopt a resolution
renewing the mandate of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) for six months,
until 23 January 2010.
After that, Council members heard in an open meeting
from Choi Yong-jin, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Cote
d’Ivoire. He told them that the announcement that the country’s Presidential
elections would be held on 29 November this year is a very positive step
towards resolving the Ivorian crisis.
He said that the UN Mission (UNOCI)
shall leave no stone unturned in its provision of assistance so that
elections and reunification can take place without further delay. But at the
same time, he warned that the Ivorian elections management body appears to
be struggling with questions of managing and planning the electoral process.
The Security Council then went into consultations to
continue the discussions on Cote d’Ivoire.
Also in its consultations, the Security Council expects to hear from Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy about the recent incidents involving the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
LEBANON INVESTIGATING STONE-THROWING INCIDENT; DOZEN PEACEKEEPERS SUSTAINED LIGHT INJURIES
Asked about a
stone-throwing incident over the weekend involving troops from the UN
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Spokeswoman said that on Saturday,
there was coordinated UNIFIL-Lebanese Armed Forces activity in the general
area of Khirbat Silim, related to the explosions of July 14.
During a joint
activity undertaken by UNIFIL and Lebanese Armed Forces in connection with
the ongoing investigation, about one kilometer from the explosion site in
Khirbat Silim, UNIFIL vehicles and personnel located in the general area
were obstructed by approximately 100 persons who pelted stones at the
peacekeepers, Okabe said.
During the
course of the entire incident, 14 UNIFIL soldiers were lightly injured and
some UNIFIL vehicles were damaged amongst them one ambulance from the UNIFIL
investigation team, she said.
Additional
UNIFIL and Lebanese personnel immediately responded to the location. UNIFIL
thanks the Lebanese Armed Forces for their actions, which prevented any
further escalation.
The Spokeswoman added that UNIFIL and the
Lebanese Armed Forces are investigating the circumstances of the incident
within the framework of resolution 1701.
UNIFIL remains committed to its strategic
partnership with Lebanese Armed Forces that has contributed to stabilising
the situation on the ground. To this end, Okabe said, UNIFIL is in constant
contact with the Lebanese Army regarding the activities to be carried out in
the implementation of resolution 1701.
Asked about the UN’s comments on the incident, the Spokeswoman said that UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams had spoken extensively to Lebanese officials and reporters about it. Williams’s latest assessment was that the situation on the ground was becoming calmer, she added.
ANGELINA JOLIE VISITS BAGHDAD, MEETS WITH INTERNALLY DISPLACED IRAQIS
The UN refugee agency reports that its Goodwill
Ambassador Angelina Jolie has
returned to Iraq to offer support to the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis
who remain displaced within their own country.
During her day-long visit to Baghdad today, Jolie
visited a makeshift settlement for internally displaced people in a suburb
of north-west Baghdad where she met four families displaced from the
district of Abu Ghraib.
Despite the difficulties in Iraq, Jolie said this was a
moment of opportunity for Iraqis to rebuild their lives. "This is a moment
where things seem to be improving on the ground, but Iraqis need a lot of
support and help to rebuild their lives."
UNHCR estimates that 1.6 million Iraqis were internally displaced by a wave of sectarian warfare that erupted in February 2006. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees remain in neighbouring countries, mainly Syria and Jordan.
MORE THAN 300,000 DISPLACED CIVILIANS RETURN HOME TO NORTHWESTERN PAKISTAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) says that, as of this Sunday, more than 324,000 internally displaced
people (IDPs) have returned home in northwestern
Pakistan, about 14% of the 2.26 million people who are internally
displaced in all.
An assessment to determine the initial needs of
returning IDPs and the population that remained in the conflict-affected
areas will start on Saturday. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has
provided funds for the assessment. Early recovery efforts will focus on
“building back better”, laying the foundation for long-term recovery that
ensures that people’s lives are better than before the conflict.
After taking into account the early recovery effort,
the Consolidated Appeal for Pakistan has been revised, and it is now
estimated that some $543 million is required to adequately meet these needs.
So far, only $88.5 million has been provided or committed, so some $454
million is still needed to provide humanitarian assistance to more than 1.5
million people between now and the end of 2009.
Asked about what one reporter saw as donor apathy regarding funding for Pakistan, the Spokeswoman noted that Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes has tried to stress the massive humanitarian needs in Pakistan. OCHA, she said, continues to try to secure funding to respond to the needs there.
NEPAL: MANDATE IS RENEWED FOR U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay,
today sent a letter to the Government of Nepal confirming the acceptance of
the extension of agreement between
OHCHR and the Government of Nepal.
This follows an official communication by the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs which stated that the Government of Nepal agreed to
extend the mandate until 9 June 2010.
Reiterating that the OHCHR remains strongly committed
to further strengthen the national human rights protection system, Pillay
highlighted the National Human Rights Commission’s continued cooperation and
capacity building.
She noted that taking into account the developments in Nepal, OHCHR has been reduced in scale since 2008 and the staffing structure will continue to change according to new priorities.
CYPRIOT LEADERS DISCUSS CITIZENSHIP, IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM
Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish
Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met today under UN auspices in Nicosia.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Cyprus, Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, spoke to the press afterwards. He noted that
the leaders mainly discussed the issue of immigration, asylum and
citizenship.
The leaders have agreed to meet again next week, on July 30th.
NEW OFFENSIVE BEGINS TO DEAL WITH FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE
The Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) today
launched a major offensive to fight Foot and Mouth Disease.
This highly contagious animal disease causes serious production losses and poses major constraints in international trade. It also threatens the livelihoods of herders and rural households in developing countries.
UNITED NATIONS IMMUNITIES WILL APPLY AT TEMPORARY OFFICES ACROSS NEW YORK CITY
The Spokeswoman provided the following correction to
comments made yesterday at the noon briefing: Our guest,
Under-Secretary-General for Management Angela Kane, had suggested that the
immunities that apply at UN Headquarters would not be similarly applied at
the swing space facilities that UN staff are relocating to during the
Capital Master Plan. That’s not the case.
On 18 June 2009, the United Nations concluded with the United States Government a Fourth Supplemental Agreement to the UN-US Headquarters Agreement. Under that agreement, the Headquarters District of the United Nations, as defined under the Headquarters Agreement, will be extended to the "swing space" properties leased to house Secretariat staff during the renovation of the Secretariat Building. As a result, the entire regime of facilities, privileges and immunities provided for under the Headquarters Agreement applies to the swing space properties.”
** Our guest at the noon briefing today, Karin Landgren, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Nepal and Head of UNMIN, who briefed on recent developments in Nepal.
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