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ARCHIVES

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

                                                                       

BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

ANNAN VISITS EDUCATIONAL PROJECT IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL



On the last day of his stay in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Secretary-General Kofi
Annan visited an innovative educational project in a poor district on the
outskirts of the sprawling city of 17 million people.

He and Nane Annan visited the educational center, which aims to bring
education, culture, sports and art, to the community of nearly 200,000 in
Campo Limpo, where a tenth of the people live in shantytowns. They were
escorted by the Mayor of Sao Paulo, Marta Suplicy, who initiated the
project.

Before that visit, the Secretary-General delivered opening remarks at the
High-level Panel on Innovative Sources of Financing for Development, part of
the ongoing

UNCTAD
Conference in Sao Paulo.

The Secretary-General is expected to be back in New York on Wednesday.



ANNAN NOTES UN CONTRIBUTION ON IRAQI INTERIM GOVERNMENT


On Monday afternoon, the Secretary-General


spoke to the press
in Sao Paulo, telling them that he is convinced that the crucial role the UN
has, to provide a framework for international solutions, is needed today
more than ever. The successful UN contribution to the establishment of the
Iraqi interim government, he said, was a case in point.

Asked about the security situation in


Iraq,
he said that "the signs we are seeing now are not very good. The indications
are that the violence will continue."

He added that the UN remains committed to helping Iraq, subject to
security conditions.

Asked about UN views on Iraq in the post-June 30 period, the Spokesman
noted the worrying security situation on the ground, and said that the
Secretary-General condemned recent terrorist acts and all acts that could
undermine the transition. He added that there is hope that, after the
transfer, such acts could lessen.



UN ENVOY FOR WESTERN SAHARA RESIGNS, ANNAN REPORTS

Security Council

members received
on Monday a letter from the Secretary-General, saying that James Baker, his
Personal Envoy for
Western Sahara, has turned in his
resignation. Baker said that he believed he has done all he can do on that
issue.

The Secretary-General accepted the resignation with deep regret, and also
voiced regret that the parties did not take better advantage of Baker’s
assistance.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Western Sahara, Alvaro
de Soto, will continue to work with the parties and with neighboring
countries in pursuit of a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political
solution.

Asked how the Secretary-General was informed of Baker’s resignation, the
Spokesman said that the Personal Envoy conveyed his decision in a private
letter to the Secretary-General, which has not been released to Council
members or others.



UN HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS NEED $2.25 BILLION FOR REST OF 2004


The United Nations needs $2.25 billion until the end of the year to
address the critical needs of close to 50 million people affected by 25
crises in Africa, Europe and Asia, the


Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs says as it
performs its mid-year review of progress since the Consolidated Humanitarian
Appeals were made last November.

At that time, UN humanitarian agencies and their NGO partners appealed
for some $2.95 billion to reach vulnerable populations around the world
during 2004. To date, less than $700 million has been received.

According to Jan Egeland, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, "The
response so far is too little, too late, for millions of victims in
forgotten emergencies." He adds that timely and increased funding is
essential for an effective humanitarian response.



UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ENDS VISIT TO DARFUR, SUDAN

Carol Bellamy, the executive director of


UNICEF,
the UN Children’s Fund, today ended her three-day visit to
Darfur, Sudan,
with a call
for greater efforts to avert a humanitarian disaster.

Bellamy urged the Government of Sudan to remove all bureaucratic hurdles
that could slow down humanitarian relief work, and called on the world
community to respond quickly to calls for urgently needed funds.

Along with Sudan’s Ministry of Health and the


World Health Organization,
UNICEF is currently in the middle of a mass measles vaccination campaign
intended to reach over two million children.



UN HUMANITARIAN ENVOY BEGINS MISSION TO SOUTHERN AFRICA


James Morris, head of the


World Food Programme
and the Secretary-General’s
Special Envoy for
Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa,
today led his fourth
mission to that region, to review
achievements and take stock of Southern Africa’s future aid requirements.

Morris, who is accompanied by a team of senior UN staff, is in Malawi
today, and will also travel to Mozambique, Swaziland and Namibia.

However, he will not be visiting Zimbabwe, because officials from that
country’s Government were unavailable for meetings.



UNICEF LAUNCHES SCHOOL ENROLMENT CAMPAIGN


In honor of the Day of the African Child, the


UN Children’s Fund
today officially launched a child-powered project in Ethiopia to account for
children not in school and to accelerate the enrolment of all children.

Called the Child-to-Child Survey, it involves teams of school children
who interview out-of-school children to find out the reasons why they are
not enrolled.  An estimated 121 million children are out of school
worldwide, the majority of whom are girls.

Carol Bellamy, the head of UNICEF, says the Fund wants to start a chain
reaction, whereby the children and their teachers will not only identify
those out of school but will also commit authorities, communities and
parents to getting the children enrolled and helping them succeed.

Kenya, Malawi and Chad will be launching their own surveys, and plans are
underway to take the project global, starting later in the year with South
Asia.



UN DRUGS AND CRIME EXPERTS AID AFGHANISTAN


Experts from the


UN Office on Drugs and Crime
recently provided
assistance to Afghan officials in Kabul on the legislative measures needed
against terrorism
and transnational organized
crime.

Together with Afghan officials, the team of experts explored in detail
the implementation of the 12 international legal instruments against
terrorism and of the


UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

The two-day workshop was attended, among others, by representatives from
various ministries, including the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. The mission took place last week, following an official
visit to Afghanistan by


Antonio Maria Costa, Executive
Director of UNODC.



OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNAN AWARE OF OIOS ALLEGATIONS: Asked about allegations concerning the
Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the Spokesman said that the
Secretary-General was made aware of allegations regarding appointment and
promotion of staff in OIOS by a letter from the President of the Staff Union. He
said that Nair was asked to respond and he is in the process of doing just that.
It is normal procedure in matters such as these for the Secretary-General to
request information before deciding on the course of action.

INDEPENDENT INQUIRY ON OIL-FOR-FOOD CONTINUES WORK: Asked about the work
of the Independent Inquiry into the


Oil-for-Food Programme,
the Spokesman said that the Inquiry, headed by Paul Volcker, was going about its
work, and had information up on its new
web site.
He said that the Inquiry was working on the basis of an initial budget while the
United Nations awaits a fuller budget for its work.

NO SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGS SCHEDULED: There are no


Security Council
meetings or consultations scheduled for today.

ANNAN WELCOMES ST. PETERSBURG FORUM: The Secretary-General


commended
a meeting of policy makers, industrialists, bankers and international
representatives that began today in St. Petersburg, Russia, saying that much
work remains to be done to improve the quality of life in the Commonwealth of
Independent States. He added that the CIS has been one of the most dynamic
regions of the global economy over the past four years.

FAO SAYS GLOBAL CEREAL STOCKS WILL FALL: Global cereal stocks are
forecast to fall in the new 2004/2005 marketing season, a fifth consecutive
annual decline,

according
to forecasts
from the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization. FAO says the
fall comes despite an expected increase in cereal production for 2004.

ILO STRESSES SAFETY FOR FISHING SECTOR: The


International Labour
Organization stressed the need to
improve the safety and working conditions of some 35 million people who work in
the global fishing sector, at its annual conference in Geneva. ILO estimates say
that fatality rates for fishermen are higher than those for fire fighters or
police in some countries.

  

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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