HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ
ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
On Wednesday, 29 July, at 11:00 am, the Secretary-General will hold his monthly press conference. There will be no noon briefing that day, but highlights of the press conference and other news from the UN system will be posted on the web.
SECRETARY-GENERAL WRAPS UP MONGOLIA VISIT, HEADS BACK TO NEW YORK
The Secretary-General ended his trip to Mongolia today,
accepting an honorary degree from the National University of Mongolia.
As he accepted his degree, the Secretary-General
told his audience that, during his three days in Mongolia, he witnessed
how much the country is striving to see to the wellbeing of its citizens and
contributing to global progress. He recalled his meetings with Government
officials, members of the herder community and Mongolians who will serve in
United Nations peacekeeping, and added that he even got to name a baby
horse. “All of these activities have deepened my admiration for this
country,” he said.
The Secretary-General is expected back in New York later today.
ISRAELI BLOCKADE CAUSING “UNTOLD SUFFERING” TO CHILDREN IN GAZA
The UN Humanitarian Country Team in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, which brings together UN humanitarian agencies and
international development bodies, today held an
advocacy event at the American School in Gaza, which was destroyed in
the fighting six months ago. The goal was to highlight the impact of
Israel’s blockade on
children and education in Gaza.
Addressing participants, the UN’s acting Humanitarian
Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Philippe Lazzarini, said
the blockade has caused untold suffering to children in Gaza, who face
another academic year in terrible conditions. In that context, he demanded
full and unfettered access into and out of Gaza, in particular to restore
the Gazan educational system.
He added that, during Israel’s recent operation in
Gaza, 18 schools were completely destroyed and at least 280 were damaged.
Today, one month before the start of the new school
year, and more than six months after the ceasefires, none of these schools
have been properly rebuilt or rehabilitated due to a lack of construction
materials. In addition, he said, since the imposition of the blockade,
students have faced chronic shortages of educational supplies, including
textbooks, paper and uniforms.
Meanwhile, in Geneva today, the Economic and Social Council held a debate on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on Palestinian living conditions.
AFGHANISTAN: ENVOY CONDEMNS ATTACK ON U.N. COMPOUND
On Monday night, the United Nations compound in Herat,
in western
Afghanistan, came under attack by anti-government elements. Seven
rockets were fired with two rockets landing inside the compound. No UN staff
were harmed or otherwise injured in this attack and UN offices remain open.
In a statement, Kai Eide, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, condemned this deliberate attack against the United Nations. He said that UN staff work to help Afghanistan’s most vulnerable communities, and the impartiality of the work they do for the people of Afghanistan must be respected. Eide urged the Afghan authorities to make every effort to find the culprits behind this attack and hold them accountable.
U.N. ENVOY BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON SUDAN-CHAD CLASHES, INSECURITY IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The
Security Council this morning held an open meeting on Chad and the
Central African Republic, on which it received a briefing by the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative dealing with those countries,
Victor da Silva Angelo.
Angelo noted the recent clashes between Sudan and Chad,
and said that there is an urgent need to de-escalate the situation and
resume diplomatic initiatives. Meanwhile, he said, the situation in the
Vakaga region in the northeastern Central African Republic has been
extremely insecure over the last three months, with concerns about the
activities of armed groups and bandits in the area.
The Special Representative also detailed the work of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), which he says now stands at 46 percent of its mandated strength. He noted, among other needs, the lack of air assets with enhanced night-flight capability, with MINURCAT having only four out of a planned 18 military helicopters, a situation he called “unacceptable”.
DEPUTY HUMANITARIAN CHIEF HEARS MOVING TESTIMONIES IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
On the second day of a five-day visit to the Central
African Republic, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg this
morning visited the town of Kabo, in the northwest. She met with local
authorities and some internally displaced civilians. She also met with the
Kabo humanitarian community. Before departing, Bragg said that she was moved
by the testimonies of civilians who described their hardships and deplorable
living conditions.
She called on the Government and opposition leaders to
follow through on the peace agreement and to contribute to the peace and
security of the Kabo region. She also urged them to alleviate fear among
displaced civilians so as to allow them to return to their homes.
Bragg is now in the town of Paoua from where she will travel to the capital, Bangui, on Wednesday.
DARFUR CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS TO BE ALLOWED TO CARRY OUT ELECTION WORK WITHOUT INTERFERENCE
The UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
has been informed by Sudan’s National Elections Commission that it has
completed the demarcation of national and state constituencies for general
elections planned for April 2010. The Commission also said that regional
committees have been established in all three Darfur states. The committees
will have authority to clear all election-related activities.
UNAMID says it has received assurances that civil
society groups will be allowed to carry out voter sensitization work without
restriction or interference. In particular, neither the Sudanese
intelligence services nor the Humanitarian Aid Commission will interfere
with their work, leaving contentious issues to be handled by the Elections
Commission.
Asked about the case of a Sudanese journalist, Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who has been sentenced to 40 lashes for wearing trousers, the Spokesperson recalled that the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), which employs her, has been in contact with the authorities to ensure that basic human rights are upheld, in the context of national laws governing such issues. He added that the United Nations has repeatedly spoken out against discriminatory practices. The sentence, he noted, has not yet been carried out.
SOMALIA: THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS RISKING LIVES TO CROSS INTO YEMEN
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
says that the ongoing fighting in Mogadishu and central Somalia is
pushing thousands of Somali civilians to risk their lives to cross the Gulf
of Aden and seek asylum in Yemen.
UNHCR says that the majority of the 12,000 people who
have found temporary shelter in the town of Bossaso, in northern Somalia,
since 7 May, are waiting for the first opportunity offered by smugglers to
cross the Gulf. These internally displaced people are part of some 232,000
Somalis who have been forced to leave their homes since the beginning of
May.
In 2008, more than 50,000 new arrivals reached Yemen’s shores - a 70% increase from 2007, according to UNHCR. The agency adds that the trend has continued during the first six months of 2009 with around 30,000 new arrivals – about the same as the total for the whole of 2007. More than 1,000 people drowned en route in 2008 and so far this year, almost 300 have died or gone missing.
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED BY SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA
In response to a question about the recent violence in
Nigeria, the Associate Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General is
concerned over news reports of yet another round of sectarian violence in
parts of Northern Nigeria last weekend. He extends his condolences to the
people of Nigeria and the families of those who lost their lives or were
wounded in the violence.
Haq said that the Secretary-General condemns the
unnecessary loss of human life and the destruction of property as a result
of militant attacks. He hopes that those behind the attacks would be
identified and brought to justice in accordance with the law.
The Secretary-General, he added, calls upon the Government of Nigeria, law enforcement and security agencies, as well as religious and community leaders to work together to address the underlying causes of the frequent religious clashes in Nigeria so that a resolution could be found through dialogue, tolerance and understanding.
U.N. AGENCY TRYING TO DETERMINE WHICH AGE GROUPS ARE MOST AT RISK FOR H1N1
Regarding the H1N1 pandemic, the World Health
Organization (WHO)
says that more than 124,000 lab-confirmed cases have now been reported.
The majority of those cases are among children between the ages of 12 and
17.
As the pandemic spreads further, other age groups are
also becoming more affected, the agency adds. WHO says that its top priority
is now to determine which age groups are at the highest risk -- so that
measures can be taken to protect them.
At the same time, WHO notes that the pandemic is still considered to be moderate, with the majority of cases showing only mild symptoms.
NOTHING TO SUGGEST CORRUPTION AMONG CAMBODIA COURT JUDGES
The Associate Spokesperson read out the following
correction during today’s noon briefing:
“I would like to make a correction for the record with
regard to a statement that the Spokesperson made at the noon briefing on 30
March 2009.
“In the questions and answers, while discussing the
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC),
the Spokesperson stated that some of the allegations of corruption that had
been made in connection with that institution concerned Cambodian judges.
That was incorrect. I’d like to note that the Spokesperson made a further
statement the following day, 31 March, which clarified that the allegations
of corruption concerned officials on the Cambodian side of the
Administration of the Extraordinary Chambers and not the judges.
“I would like to reiterate that the confidential Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) review concerns allegations of corruption among officials on the Cambodian side of the Administration of the ECCC. We have no information to suggest that there has been or is corruption among any of the judges of the ECCC, nor information that would suggest that the ECCC judicial process is in any way prejudiced by corruption.”
SECRETARY-GENERAL CLOSELY FOLLOWING EVENTS IN MYANMAR
Asked about the trial of Aung
San Suu Kyi in Myanmar, the Associate Spokesperson said that the
Secretary-General’s position has not changed and his
statement of 14 May still stands.
The Secretary-General, Haq recalled, indicated his grave concern about this situation and clearly urged the authorities to refrain from any actions that could undermine the national reconciliation process in Myanmar. He strongly believes that all the people of Myanmar should be allowed to contribute to the future of their country through a credible and inclusive political process. The Secretary-General continues to follow events closely.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
IRAN SITUATION CAN BE RESOLVED THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS: Asked about Iran’s nuclear programme, the Spokesperson reiterated that the Secretary-General continues to believe that the situation can be resolved through negotiations. To that end, he has called for Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and to comply with relevant Security Council resolutions, and he has asked all sides to refrain from unhelpful rhetoric.
U.N. WELCOMES BROAD CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION: Asked about votes taken in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Monday concerning the accreditation of non-governmental organizations, the Spokesperson noted that the matter was in the hands of ECOSOC members. He added that the United Nations encourages as broad participation by civil society as possible.
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