Noon briefing of 27 April 2009

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, April 27, 2009

BAN KI-MOON: UNITED NATIONS RESPONDING “QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY” TO SWINE FLU EPIDEMIC

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon read the following statement at the noon briefing:
"During the last few days, as you know, we have seen the appearance of a new influenza virus. It has been confirmed in the United States, Mexico and Canada and is suspected to have moved to other countries.
We are concerned that this virus could cause a new influenza pandemic. It could be mild, in its effects, or potentially be severe.
We do not yet know which way it will go. But we are concerned that, in Mexico, most of those who died were young and healthy adults.
This will be a first test of the pandemic preparedness work the community of nations has undertaken in the last three years.
The UN system is responding, quickly and effectively, with the Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, taking the lead.
I have been in constant contact with Dr. Chan and other senior UN officials over the weekend. Dr. Chan informs me that she has activated the Strategic Operations Center at WHO. That includes convening the Emergency Committee, created under the revised International Health Regulations in 2005, which met over the weekend.
It will meet again later today to decide whether WHO should raise its pandemic alert from Phase 3.
If we are indeed facing a pandemic, we need to demonstrate global solidarity.
The swine flu outbreak shows yet again that, in our interconnected world, no nation can deal with threats of such dimension on its own. Poorer nations are especially vulnerable. They have been hit hard by other crises this year: food, energy, the global economy, climate change. We must ensure that they are not also hit disproportionately hard by a potential health crisis.
The World Bank and other UN development and humanitarian agencies will therefore mobilize to ensure that countries needing additional financial resources to combat an epidemic will have them.
I will continue to be in close consultation with senior UN officials and, through Dr. Chan, with affected governments, international health officials and international organizations such as the International Red Cross to provide any and all assistance that might be required.
So far, our response has been an example of multilateral cooperation at its best. I am confident that it will continue to be so.
Thank you very much for your support.”

W.H.O: SWINE FLU A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY OF INTERNATIONAL CONCERN

According to a statement issued over the weekend by World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan, the current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
As of now, WHO – which is currently in emergency 24-hours operations mode – confirms that there have been 40 cases of swine flu in the United States, 26 lab-confirmed cases in Mexico, six cases in Canada and one verified case in Spain.
The only cases considered severe have all been in Mexico, and for that reason, WHO has teams on the ground in that country, trying to learn more about the source and path of infection and about why Mexico has been the most affected.
WHO experts are also helping the Mexican authorities, at Mexico’s request, in their investigations and in strengthening labs.
WHO’s Emergency Committee met over the weekend and is now meeting at this very moment to continue assessing the situation and to advise on appropriate responses.

BAN KI-MOON: ECONOMIC CRISIS IS EXPOSING “DANGEROUS WEAKNESSES” IN GLOBAL SYSTEM

The Secretary-General this morning addressed the High-Level Meeting convened by the Economic and Social Council with the Bretton Woods Institutions and other leading economic bodies, telling them that their work at this year’s meeting is more urgent than ever. The current global economic and financial crisis is exposing dangerous weaknesses and flaws in the international economic system.
He said that the G-20 Summit’s commitment of more than a trillion dollars to deal with the crisis was a huge step, but only a first step. Now, he added, we have to examine where the funds will come from, and make sure that countries make good on their pledges.
The Secretary-General added that recent events have proven that the current system of global economic governance is not adequate to today’s challenges. Our institutions and governance structures must become more representative, credible, accountable and effective.

TOP HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL PRESSES FOR ACCESS TO CIVILIANS IN SRI LANKA’S CONFLICT ZONE

In Sri-Lanka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes arrived in Colombo over the weekend for a two-day visit, to seek increased humanitarian access.
On Sunday, he met with the UN Country Team, NGOs and donors in Colombo. In these meetings, the Humanitarian Chief discussed urgent humanitarian concerns including the situation inside the conflict zone, problems with the delivery of food and medical supplies into the conflict zone, conditions of Internally Displaced Persons accommodated in the IDP camps, and continuing protection concerns on the displaced at the screening points in transit.
The UN Country Team raised concerns on the delay in the shipment of more than 1,000 metric tons of food; the urgent need to access screening points at Omanthai and Kilinochchi; and overcrowding of the IDP sites, among other issues.
In meetings with Government officials, Holmes stressed the need for a humanitarian pause to conduct an assessment of the conflict zone and to bring in emergency supplies including food and medical supplies.
He also underscored the urgent need for access by the United Nations Country Team to the conflict zone in the northeast, and to the screening centers through which tens of thousands of displaced persons are passing on their way to the camps. Holmes also raised the issue of need for access to IDPs in transit who receive limited assistance, and addressed the issue of congestion in camps in Vavuniya and the need for more people to be accommodated with host families, as well as the need for the release of UN staff.
Today, Holmes traveled to Vavuniya and Omanthai screening point. He visited a camp for IDPs in Manik Farm, Zone 2, where he was able to speak to the displaced, who number in total some 38,000-40,000.
At present over 151,000 displaced are in camps and in hospitals. The UN estimates that there are still at least 50,000 still in the conflict zone, which is now less than 10 square kilometers.
Meanwhile, a United Nations refugee agency’s emergency airlift carrying humanitarian aid for tens of thousands of people displaced by fighting in north-eastern Sri Lanka began Monday morning with the arrival in Colombo of a plane carrying 2,850 family-size tents from the refugee agency's stockpiles in Dubai.
The Boeing 747 cargo plane, the first of two scheduled flights to deliver more than 200 tonnes of UNHCR tents landed in Colombo at 10:45 a.m. local time.
High Commissioner António Guterres also approved the immediate release of an extra US$2 million for UNHCR's Sri Lanka operations helping internally displaced people. The additional funds will provide shelter, protection and other aid for civilians fleeing the conflict zone in the north.
In addition, UNICEF says 50 metric tons of airlifted emergency relief supplies landed today in Colombo.
Asked whether a UN humanitarian assessment team will go to Sri Lanka, the Spokeswoman said that Holmes is trying to arrange that.
In response to a further question about UN staff detained in Sri Lanka, Montas said that the United Nations has 13 staff members in the zone of conflict at present.

SECURITY COUNCIL IS BRIEFED ON DARFUR; CRISIS NOW “A CONFLICT OF ALL AGAINST ALL”

The Security Council today received a briefing in an open meeting from the Joint UN-African Union Special Representative for Darfur, Rodolphe Adada.
Adada said that Darfur today is a conflict of all against all, with Government forces clashing with armed movements, who have fought among each other, along with inter-tribal conflicts. He pointed to two major sources of risk: the military engagement between the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudanese Government, and the poor state of relations between Sudan and Chad.
Adada warned that political progress in Darfur has been frozen, and civilians remain at an unacceptable risk of violence. At the same time, he added, the UN-African Union Mission (UNAMID) has been working around the clock to prevent new killings and has increasingly played a preventive role in the conflict.
Meanwhile, UNAMID Deputy Force Commander, Major-General Emmanuel Karake Karenzi, last week took the opportunity to bid farewell to UNAMID officials. Major-General Karenzi, a Rwandan national, has served in UNAMID since its inception in January 2008. He will be leaving the Mission soon and will be replaced by Major-General Duna Dumisani from South Africa.
Also, a team from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations arrived in Darfur yesterday to conduct an evaluation and assessment of the Mission over the next two weeks. The purpose of the evaluation is to review the operational objectives of UNAMID’s military, police and civilian components and look at challenges and constraints. The evaluation will also provide best practices and lessons learned in all areas of activity conducted by UNAMID that could be used by other missions.

SOMALIA ENVOY APPEALS FOR QUICK DISBURSEMENT OF PROMISED RECOVERY FUNDS

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, has appealed for a quick disbursement of funds pledged last week in Brussels at the Somalia donors’ conference. He also said that the Somali authorities must ensure that the funds are spent wisely and responsibly.
The Secretary-General and other conference participants last week announced that $213 million had been pledged to support Somalia’s security forces and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Special Representative Ould-Abdallah notes that while improving security, youth employment and aid delivery are essential, peace and stability can only be firmly secured through continued dialogue as laid out in the Djibouti Agreement.

DR CONGO: DISARMAMENT DRIVE PICKS UP SPEED

The Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) reports that Rwandan rebels are now surrendering at a rate of 146 fighters a month. That’s 4 times last year’s average of 37 fighters a month. More than 660 Rwandan rebels have heeded the call and returned to civilian life since the start of this year, along with 1000 of their dependents.
This past weekend, another 10 members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) surrendered to a joint UN/Congolese army patrol near Goma. The rebels brought with them 31 of their dependents along with a sizable weapon arsenal. The Mission says the new additions to its disarmament program are now being processed for repatriation to Rwanda. It calls on remaining FDLR fighters to follow suit.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL ISSUES WEEKEND STATEMENT ON IRAQ: Over the weekend, the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Claude Heller of Mexico, issued a statement to the press on Iraq, saying that the members of the Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in Baghdad and Diyala on 23 and 24 April 2009, which caused numerous deaths and injuries.

SPOKESWOMAN IS NOT AWARE OF PRISONER EXCHANGE IN RELATION TO RELEASE OF UN STAFF: In response to a question, the Spokeswoman said that she was not aware of any exchange of prisoners made in relation to the recent release of two abducted UN staff, Robert Fowler and Louis Guay.

*** The guest at the noon briefing today was Rodolphe Adada, Joint AU-UN Special Representative for Darfur.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055

Full transcript All transcripts