HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday,
December 27, 2005
[Please note: There will be no Noon Briefings between December 26-30, 2005.
News
developments within the UN system will be posted on this website throughout that
time period, and the Noon Briefings will resume on Tuesday, January 3, 2006.]
ANNAN APPOINTS NEW
SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR AFGHANISTAN
After an
exchange of
letters with the Security Council, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has
appointed Tom Koenigs of Germany as his Special Representative for
Afghanistan and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Koenigs, who succeeds Jean Arnault of France, most
recently served in Guatemala as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative
and Head of the United Nations Verification Mission there (MINUGUA) .
ANNAN APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF ECONOMIC
COMMISSION FOR EUROPE
The
Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Marek Belka of Poland as
the new Executive Secretary of the Economic
Commission for Europe (ECE). Belka will assume his new functions at a date
to be determined in early 2006.
Belka has
outstanding qualifications and numerous accomplishments in the area of economics
and global economic governance. He served as Prime Minister of Poland between
May 2004 and November 2005.
U.N. TERRORISM CHIEF’S TERM IS EXTENDED
The Secretary-General and the Security Council President
have exchanged
letters confirming that the mandate of the head of the Counter-Terrorism
Committee Executive Directorate (CTED),
Javier Rupérez, will be extended for a further year, until 31 December 2006.
ANNAN
WELCOMES FRENCH AIRLINE TICKET LEVY TO HELP DEVELOPMENT
The Secretary-General, in a statement, warmly welcomes
the adoption by the parliament of France of a levy on airline tickets issued
locally that will benefit the health sector of developing countries, starting
July 2006.
This is a significant step, raising additional sources of
innovative financing in support of the efforts by developing countries to
reach the Millennium Development Goals.
The Secretary-General strongly urges other countries to
follow France’s lead with similar measures.
PEACEKEEPER
KILLED IN OPERATION AGAINST ARMED GROUPS IN DR CONGO
A UN peacekeeper
serving with the UN
Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(MONUC) was killed on Sunday during a military operation against an armed group
in the district of North Kivu, in the country’s north-eastern Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Indian
peacekeeper had been part of 1,000 MONUC forces providing support to around
4,000 national DRC troops, also known by the French acronym FARDC, who have been
conducting three simultaneous operations against armed groups.
The first
operation, named “Ituri Eden,” began north of the Ituri district’s capital of
Bunia, against the armed group headed by Peter Karim Udaga, a former leader of
the militia once known by the French acronym FNI.
The goal of this
operation is to restore the authority of the Congolese state and to reestablish
freedom of movement for people living there.
Some 1,500 FARDC
soldiers, supported by 300 Nepalese peacekeepers, are involved in this operation
which led to forces loyal to Karim retreating in a northeasterly direction
towards the Ugandan border. Several Karim followers were killed in firefights,
the town of Nioka was cleared of armed former militiamen, and two of Karim’s
bodyguards were also captured, in addition to 17 weapons and a truck loaded with
precious woods.
The Indian
peacekeeper was killed in action against an armed group, and another four were
wounded, with one of the four having sustained serious wounds. Total FARDC
casualties from the three operations is around 20, with 16 wounded and six dead,
while the armed groups are believed to have sustained around 90 casualties.
The victim, Captain Yousef Algader, who was inspecting
check-points along the Route Nationale 1 at the time of the incident, was shot
in the head. He was immediately transferred to the UN Military Hospital in
Port-au-Prince, but was dead on arrival.
MINUSTAH pays tribute to Captain Yousef Algader, who died
while serving the cause of peace, and presents its deepest condolences to his
family and his comrades.
MINUSTAH would like to salute the courage and exemplary
service rendered by the Jordanian peacekeepers, who brave constant danger in
their mission of maintaining security and stability within their area of
responsibility,
Cité Soleil. In the course of the last three months, the two Jordanian
Battalions have arrested 21 suspected criminals and provided assistance to 10
people who were about to be taken hostages or were shot at by gangs.
SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA’S LEAD-FREE STATUS IS WELCOMED
A promise made
three years ago to rid sub-Saharan Africa of leaded petrol has been met,
according to the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) which today
announced today that as of 1 January 2006 the region’s vehicle fuels will be
lead-free.
The phase-out,
promised at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, means a
healthier world for millions of people across the region.
Lead, a notorious
heavy metal, is linked with a wide range of ailments and ill health including
damage to the brains of babies and young children.
It has been
phased out in many parts of the world already including North America and
Europe. Until a few years ago pretty much all countries in sub-Saharan Africa
were using leaded petrol.
ONE YEAR
AFTER TSUNAMI STRIKES,
ANNAN SAYS RECOVERY PROCESS MUST REFLECT SURVIVORS’ NEEDS
The
Secretary-General yesterday marked the first anniversary of last year’s tsunami
with a message.
In the message,
he says that the tsunami was so brutal, so quick and so extensive that we are
still struggling to fully comprehend it. At the same time, it prompted an
unprecedented response. The Secretary-General notes that, one year on, there has
been tremendous progress in many areas. For example, children are back in
school, epidemics have been prevented, tens of thousands of survivors are
employed in cash-for-work activities, and food aid has reached all affected
families.
Yet in some ways,
he adds, the most challenging days lie ahead. Breadwinners desperately need to
regain secure livelihoods, hundreds of thousands of families need to
re-establish themselves in permanent homes, and communities need to rebuild.
The
Secretary-General concludes that, if we are to “build back better” than what was
there before, we need to strike a balance between quick results and sustainable
development, and we need to ensure that the recovery process reflects the needs
and aspirations of the survivors themselves.
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
MILITIA ACTIVITIES APPEAR ON THE RISE IN
DARFUR: The security situation in
Darfur, Sudan remains volatile, according to the UN mission in Sudan
(UNMIS). Militia activities seem to be in the increase. A number of attacks on
villages have been reported. Harassment, beatings and killings are being
reported. There are reports of rape and attempted rape allegedly of women and
girls by Sudanese government “elements,” according to the mission. Violations by
the rebel Sudan Liberation Army of the Ceasefire agreement also reportedly
continue, UNMIS reports.
AUDIT OVERSIGHT BODY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR IRAQ
TO BRIEF PRESS:
The International Advisory
and Monitoring Board (IAMB), the audit oversight body for the Development Fund
for Iraq, will meet at UN Headquarters tomorrow. The IAMB
members will then brief the press at
4:30 p.m. They are: Jean-Pierre
Halbwachs, Representative from the United Nations and Chair; Khalifa Ali Dau, Representative
from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development; Bert Keuppens,
Representative from the International Monetary Fund; and Fayezul Choudhury,
Representative from the World Bank.
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