HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday,
December 2, 2005
ANNAN POSTPONES
ASIA TRIP AT CRITICAL STAGE OF U.N. BUDGET PROCESS
Secretary-General Kofi Annan
has informed the governments of China, Republic of Korea, Japan and Vietnam of
his intention of postponing the upcoming Asian visit because of pressing
matters, in particular the discussions over the UN budget, and other urgent
political issues.
Asked whether the budget was the only reason for the
postponement of the Secretary-General’s travels, the Spokesman said that the
central reasons were the budget issue and the reform issues that had not
progressed sufficiently.
Asked who had chosen to postpone the travel, the
Spokesman
asserted that it was the Secretary-General’s choice.
Asked about recent comments made by U.S. Ambassador John
Bolton on the matter, the Spokesman said that there would be 186 other Member
States who would likely appreciate it that the Secretary-General had stayed
on. Many people might want to claim credit for the postponement of the
Secretary-General’s travel, he observed, but the decision was the
Secretary-General’s and his alone.
SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS WITH KEY COUNTRIES ON U.N. REFORM
The Secretary-General spoke today to Member States
representing the regional groups and negotiating groups, such as the Group of
77 and the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as the five Permanent Representatives
of the Security Council.
He
told them of his concern regarding the follow-up to the reform summit and
appeal to them, as key players within the membership, to work in a spirit of
compromise to move
the process
forward more than two and half months after the end of the summit, notably on
the Peacebuilding Commission, the Human Rights Council and, of course, the
budget talks.
ANNAN PAYS TRIBUTE TO U.N. STAFF KILLED
IN LINE OF DUTY
The Secretary-General
paid tribute to UN staff who have lost their lives in the cause of peace
at a wreath-laying ceremony this morning, in which he said he was struck by
the courage, dedication and determination of UN staff.
He said that, when he visited Iraq last month, he saw
that morale among staff there was high, two years after the attack on the UN
Headquarters in Baghdad.
And he noted that one UN military observer based in
Pakistan was determined to continue his work on the Indian-Pakistani border
even after he had lost his wife and three children in the October earthquake.
“These are the types of courage our colleagues have,” he said.
ANNAN TELLS STAFF 2005 A “ROLLERCOASTER
YEAR” FOR THE UNITED NATIONS
The Secretary-General today
addressed UN staff as the
Organization marks Staff Day, and he told them that this has been a
rollercoaster year for the United Nations.
He said that the United Nations has drawn the right
lessons from the revelations of sexual exploitation by UN peacekeepers and the
oil-for-food investigation.
Asked by staff about the budget, he said the United
Nations lives on the contributions made by its Member States. If a budget is
not passed, he said, there would be a financial crunch. “The business of the
UN is not reform,” he said, but rather is about carrying out the mandates it
has been given. “That business must continue,” he asserted, adding that was
why he was remaining in New York.
ANNAN WELCOMES NEPAL CEASEFIRE EXTENSION
The Secretary-General
welcomes the news that the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has decided
to extend by one month the unilateral ceasefire that it had declared in
September. It will be recalled that the Secretary-General had recently called
for an extension and urged His Majesty’s Government of Nepal to reciprocate
the ceasefire.
Asked about a recent visit by a
UN official to Nepal, it was later announced that the official met with all
key players, and conveyed the message that the cease-fire should be extended
and that the government should reciprocate. He also conveyed a message to the
government to act with restraint and allow people to exercise their right to
peaceful protest.
SECURITY COUNCIL AGREES ON WORK PROGRAM
The Security Council today held its first consultations
for the month of December, under the Presidency of the United Kingdom, and
agreed on a
program of work for the month. This afternoon, the members of the Council
held their monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General.
Asked whether the Secretary-General would brief the
Security Council, under other matters, on Myanmar, the Spokesman said first
the Secretariat would await the request from the Council for such a briefing.
It would then consider who would provide the briefing.
U.N. ENVOY LAUNCHES HUMANITARIAN APPEAL
FOR SUDAN
Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for
Sudan, gave a press conference today in Geneva where he was
launching the 2006 humanitarian and reconstruction appeal for Sudan to the
international donor community.
Asked about reaching a peaceful agreement in Darfur by
the end of the year, Pronk said it would not be possible to have a detailed
peace agreement like that for the North and the South by the end of the year.
He added that a framework agreement which ensured a sustainable ceasefire and
outlined the future Government structure and wealth-sharing and security
agreement was possible.
Also on Darfur, he said the African Union force was very
good, but it was too small. He noted the Security Council should follow up its
own commitment of last year to guarantee more security, also with
international presence.
UNITED NATIONS GENOCIDE EXPERT VISITS
COTE D’IVOIRE
Juan Mendez, the Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on
the Prevention of Genocide continued his visit to
Cote d’Ivoire today.
Mendez said his mission was to “assess the situation and
make recommendations to the Secretary-General, and through him to the Security
Council, if necessary, to prevent human rights violations based on ethnic,
racial or religious background.”
He flew to the west of the country to visit towns that
were the scenes of brutal massacres in June. He ends his visit on Saturday.
IRAQI POLITICAL PROCESS MUST BE
INCLUSIVE AND CREDIBLE
Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative, today emphasized that
Iraq’s political process should be inclusive and
credible, with every segment of Iraqi society fully empowered to participate
in the upcoming 15 December elections.
Qazi has consistently advocated
the visible presence of international observers, and he called upon electoral
and government bodies to maintain vigilant accountability to ensure the
integrity of the vote, and refrain from imposing measures that will discourage
voters. He encouraged voters and local observers to report voting
irregularities promptly, in writing, and through the established mechanisms
for filing complaints.
He urged all Iraqis to vote,
especially since this election will bring about their first permanent Council
of Representatives, which will in turn determine the government.
IRAQ: WEAPONS INSPECTORS STILL AT WORK
Out as a document today is the latest quarterly
report by the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC)
dealing with Iraq.
The Commission says that its imagery analysts have
continued to review the status of sites subject to inspection and monitoring
in Iraq, and have noted that the number of sites cleaned to varying degrees
has risen by two, from the previously reported total of 118.
The Commission says that work continues on some parts of
the compendium of Iraq’s proscribed weapons and programs. An annex to today’s
report describes the procurement methods that had been used by Iraq.
MORE THAN 400,000 TENTS DELIVERED TO
SOUTH ASIA QUAKE VICTIMS
On the South Asia quake, according to the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), new priorities have been
established for December.
They include: continued assistance for up to 380,000
people, who will choose to remain in their homes in remote locations;
sufficient and appropriate camp accommodations for some 250,000 people, who
will move to lower elevations; support for particularly vulnerable
populations; and continued monitoring of the changing situation.
In the eight weeks since the quake hit, 410,000 tents and
3.1 million blankets have been distributed; 300,000 children have been
vaccinated; almost 90% of water needs are now being covered in planned camps;
and more than 2,000 ‘School in a Box’ kits are being handed out.
Much, however, remains to be done to consolidate and
sustain these gains—especially as winter closes in and the UN’s appeal remains
only 40% covered.
EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO ENSURE SMOOTH
TRANSITION
IF HARIRI PROBE IS EXTENDED
Asked whether Detlev Mehlis, the head of the
International Independent
Investigation Commission examining the February 14 bombing in Beirut,
would leave that job after December 15, the Spokesman said that Mehlis had
said from the beginning that he could only stay at that job for six months.
His obligations in Germany compel him to return.
However, the Spokesman said, he intends to ensure a
smooth transition if the Commission’s work is extended.
At the same time, Dujarric said, the United Nations was
looking at possible successors to Mehlis if the Commission continues its work
past mid-December.
Asked about a request from the Government of Lebanon for
the Commission’s extension, the Spokesman said that the request would be
transmitted to the Security Council, since any extension of the Commission
past December 15 would require a new decision by the Council.
VOLCANIC ERUPTION SURVIVORS IN COMOROS
RECEIVE WATER
According to the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a volcano in the Comoros Islands has been
erupting for the last two weeks, causing up to 250,000 people to flee
their homes.
UNICEF reports that it has so far provided 280,000 litres
of drinking water, and will probably have to continue to do so, given that
some 250,000 people are without water supplies.
For its part, the World Health Organization
will provide technical expertise to the authorities in
order to assess public health and water and sanitation conditions.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED BY NEW EUROPEAN ASYLUM MEASURE:
The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees has
expressed concern that a controversial European Union (EU) directive on
asylum procedures may cause a serious downgrading of asylum standards in the EU
and beyond. The 25 EU member states formally adopted the directive without
discussion on Thursday in Brussels. The asylum procedures directive sets minimum
norms on how decisions on asylum claims in EU member states should be made.
ANNAN MARKS ANTI-SLAVERY DAY: Today is the
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. To
mark the occasion, the Secretary-General has issued a
message, saying that people who perpetrate, condone or facilitate slavery
must be held accountable by national and, if necessary, international means.
ANNAN REPORTS ON CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT: In the
Secretary-General’s latest
report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, he notes that, over
the past five years, there have been new challenges to the safety and well-being
of civilian populations, and that the tools that we have at our disposal to
address those concerns need to be developed accordingly. The Secretary-General’s
suggested tactics include improvements in the design of peacekeeping missions,
namely through mandates that address specific protection needs, and the
enhancement of regional organizations.
DISABLED PERSONS DAY TO BE OBSERVED TOMORROW:
Tomorrow is the International Day for Disabled Persons, and the
Secretary-General has issued a message saying that equal participation requires
not only dismantling environmental, social and legal barriers that marginalize
persons with disabilities. It also means making jobs, education, health,
information and other services just as accessible to them as to everyone else.
*** The guests at the noon briefing were Antonio Maria
Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and Goodwill Ambassadors Bianca
Jagger and Julia Ormond. They spoke about human trafficking.
THE WEEK AHEAD
AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Saturday, December 3
Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland is expected to arrive in Zimbabwe to assess the
humanitarian situation in that country. He will be in Zimbabwe until 7 December.
Under-Secretary-General for
Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari will be in Bamako, Mali, to deliver a
statement on behalf of the Secretary-General to the 23rd Summit of Heads
of State and Government of Africa and France; it is a two-day meeting.
Today is the International Day for Disabled Persons.
Sunday, December 4
Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) will address the opening of the 14th International
Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, in Abuja, Nigeria.
Monday, December 5
Today is International Volunteer
Day for Economic and Social Development.
The film "Hunt for Justice" --
about how High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour indicted Slobodan
Milosevic when she was the Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia -- will be screened in the Dag Hammarskjold
Library Auditorium.
Tuesday, December 6
There will be a public
meeting in the Security Council this morning on the report of the Security
Council’s mission to Central Africa.
Wednesday, December 7
There will be a private
meeting in the Security Council this morning for troop-contributing countries of
the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). There will also be morning
consultations on UNFICYP and the UN Monitoring,
Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC).
The Deputy Secretary-General will
address the opening of the High-level Segment of the UN Climate Change
Conference in Montreal.
High Commissioner for Human
Rights Louise Arbour will hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m.
At 1:30 p.m., there will be a
press conference on microcredit. Speakers will include Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury,
Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, Sam Daley-Harris, Director of the
Microcredit Summit Campaign, and Richard Weingarten, Executive Secretary of the
UN Capital Development Fund.
The World Health Organization
will unveil a new feature page on its web site (www.who.int)
on human rights violations, stigma and discrimination for people with mental
disorders.
Claudia Garcia Moreno, the World
Health Organization’s Coordinator for Gender, HIV/AIDS and Violence, will lead a
panel discussion on domestic violence from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in the ECOSOC
Chamber.
Today is International Civil
Aviation Day.
Thursday, December 8
Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland will be the noon briefing guest, and will talk
about his just-concluded trip to Zimbabwe.
There will be consultations this morning in the Security
Council on Côte d’Ivoire, including a sanctions review.
The Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights and the World Health Organization, in
collaboration with the NGO Committee on Mental Health, will mark Human Rights
Day from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in Conference Room 3, with a discussion on the human
rights of people with mental disorders.
Friday, December 9
There will be an open debate in the Security Council this
morning on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
The noon briefing guest will be
Anwarul Chowdhury,
Under-Secretary-General for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing
Countries and Small Island Developing States. He will talk about World Trade
Organization negotiations.
Saturday, December 10
Today is Human Rights Day.
Office
of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
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