HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, 21 April 2006
U.N. TEAMS MONITORING DEVELOPMENTS IN NEPAL
On Nepal, U.N. human rights officials on the ground say that demonstrations began slowly in the morning, and were generally peaceful in most places. In addition, today’s conduct by security forces in most of Kathmandu was more restrained than in the past days. In general, the types of clashes that had been seen in previous days are not taking place now. Also, there were no reports today of significant numbers of injuries or arrests of demonstrators.
After a protest to the army yesterday, the UN human rights teams were granted a limited number of curfew passes and have been monitoring the situation throughout the city today. Teams visited hospitals where those who were injured yesterday by security forces are being treated. Many of the wounded are suffering from bullet injuries. Some of the victims are in serious condition.
Meanwhile, on the humanitarian front, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Nepal has reported shortages of kerosene and gas, as well as scarcity of cooking oil, sugar and fresh fruit and vegetables. It also warns that hospitals are being overstretched.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) have been able to maintain their humanitarian food convoys to seven refugee camps. Also, the UN and its partners have been successful in distributing crucial vitamin A supplements over the past two days.
In a joint statement issued yesterday, five UN human rights experts expressed their grave concern at the escalating wave of violence surrounding pro-democracy demonstrations throughout Nepal in recent days.
They called upon demonstrators to exercise their right to protest peacefully, and strongly condemned the excessive and deadly use of force by members of the security forces against protestors and innocent bystanders.
Asked about response of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the recent announcement made by King Gyanendra, the Spokesman said that the King’s statement was being studied, and the United Nations may have something more to say later today. For now, he said, the Secretary-General sincerely hopes the statement will lead to the speedy restoration of democratic order, an end to the conflict and the establishment of lasting peace through an inclusive process of dialogue.
Asked whether the United Nations would scale back its use of Nepalese troops in UN peacekeeping, given the reported abuses by the troops in Nepal, the Spokesman said that UN policy at this point remains focused on the activities of individual Nepalese soldiers and police.
If individual soldiers or police who are trying to participate in UN peacekeeping are accused of human rights violations, Dujarric said, the United Nations would address that problem with the Nepalese Government. He said that the United Nations would not want any soldiers accused of any rights violations to serve as peacekeepers.
He noted that Nepal has some 3,500 troops deployed in 12 UN peacekeeping operations at present.
As a general rule, the Spokesman said, the United Nations relied on Member States to assist in providing relevant information about the peacekeepers they contribute. In this case, he added, the United Nations would also rely on the information provided by the UN human rights office on the ground in Nepal, which has been monitoring the actions taken by the Nepalese security forces.
Asked about the level of access by the United Nations, the Spokesman noted that on Thursday, the UN human rights monitors had been denied access, after which they filed a protect. Today, they were given a limited number of curfew passes which allowed them to monitor the recent activity by the Nepalese security forces.
LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council this morning heard from visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora about the latest developments in that country, in an open meeting. The Secretary-General attended that meeting.
Syria’s UN Ambassador also addressed the open meeting. The Council then continued its discussions with the Prime Minister in a closed meeting.
HAITI VOTE BEGINS IN “A CALM AND PEACEFUL MANNER”
The UN Mission in Haiti says that the second round of legislative elections there opened today and it’s progressing in a calm and peaceful manner.
The Mission is providing security for all aspects of the elections and it also provided technical assistance in their preparation.
UNITED NATUONS WARNS OF SERIOUS HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS IN CHAD
The World Food Programme (WFP) warned today that continuation of the conflict in Chad could have serious implications for the humanitarian effort and leave thousands of people short of food in both eastern Chad and Darfur.
Despite the recent relocation of non-essential UN and NGO staff, WFP remains operational in Chad and is completing April food distributions in camps in the east of the country.
But the months of April and May are absolutely critical, since WFP must pre-position enough food for six months in each of the 12 refugee camps in the east before the annual rains make road transport impossible. Insecurity-related delays will have serious consequences, the agency says.
U.N. REFUGEE ENVOY WRAPS UP VISIT TO PAKISTAN
Deputy UN High Commissioner for Refugees Wendy Chamberlin today ended a six-day visit to Pakistan, where she witnessed the signing of a breakthrough agreement with the government on the registration of Afghan citizens in Pakistan.
Signed on Wednesday, the Memorandum of Understanding will pave the way for Afghans counted in the Pakistan government census of March 2005 to be registered at an individual level later this year.
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT HIS ALMA MATER
The Secretary-General will be in St. Paul, Minnesota, this Saturday, where he’ll be an inaugural speaker at Macalester College's newly created Institute for Global Citizenship.
The Secretary-General earned a bachelor's degree at Macalester.
In the afternoon that same day, the Secretary-General will visit the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, before returning to New York.
We expect him back in the office on Monday.
Asked whether the Secretary-General had been a tri-star athlete at Macalester, the Spokesman acknowledged that he had run track and played soccer while there.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL HEADS TO GENEVA
On Monday the Deputy Secretary-General, Mark Malloch Brown, will be at the UN’s Geneva headquarters.
While there he will speak on UN reform at the spring meeting of the so-called Geneva Group, which brings together the major donors to the UN’s humanitarian and development activities.
He will also address the Geneva ambassadors of the Group of 77 on the same issue.
The DSG is also scheduled to address the Geneva staff council on Tuesday and have a town hall meeting for the staff at large.
We expect him back in the office on Wednesday.
ANNAN TO OPEN MEETING OF TRADE AND FINANCE BODIES
On Monday morning the Secretary-General will open a meeting in the Economic and Social Council Chamber of the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO.
The meeting, which is to be a follow- up of the ministerial-level meeting in Washington over the coming weekend, will focus on the Doha Round of trade talks and implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
ANNAN FOCUSSING ON U.N. REFORM, CHAD, SUDAN, CENTRAL AFRICA
Asked about the Secretary-General’s agenda and defining issues during the rest of this year, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General was focussed not on his legacy but on his current work. Among the major issues he is dealing with, Dujarric said, is the need to see the UN reform process through to completion, and to work to resolve the situation that has spread in Sudan, Chad and the wider Central African region.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TO BECOME SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER
General Assembly President Jan Eliasson is leaving this afternoon for Sweden, where he will be assuming his duties as Foreign Minister on Monday, 24 April. He will spend one week in Sweden, and will then be travelling to Amman, Jordan, where he has been invited in his capacity as President of the General Assembly to be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the InterAction Council of former heads of state and government.
Following that he will be travelling to Nairobi, primarily as President of the General Assembly, to discuss environment and other related issues with senior officials at the UN Environment Programme and UN-HABITAT, and with government delegates there. He will also hold some bilateral meetings as Foreign Minister. He will be back at UN Headquarters on 8 May.
Intensive negotiations have been continuing in the Fifth Committee on the management reform issues raised in the Secretary-General’s report “Investing in the United Nations”. The Committee held “informal informal” consultations until 4:00 this morning. The Assembly President is holding meetings today to take stock of the situation and discuss the way forward. A formal meeting of the Fifth Committee has been scheduled for Monday, to take action on the draft resolution under negotiation.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
22-28 April 2006
Saturday, April 22
The Secretary-General will be in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he’ll be an inaugural speaker at Macalester College's newly created Institute for Global Citizenship.
Today and on Sunday, the second annual UN film festival will present 40 documentaries that reflect one or several Millennium Development Goals, at the Tishman Auditorium-New School in New York.
Sunday, April 23
Today is World Book and Copyright Day.
Monday, April 24
The Secretary-General will open a meeting in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. It will focus on the Doha Round of trade talks and implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, among other items.
Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown will be at the UN’s Office in Geneva to speak on UN reform at the spring meeting of the Geneva Group, which brings together the major donors to the UN’s humanitarian and development activities. He will also address the Geneva ambassadors of the Group of 77 on the same issue.
In the morning the Security Council will be holding an open briefing followed by consultations on the Middle East.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime will release a new report on global patterns in human trafficking, as officials from 40 Member States gather in Vienna for a meeting of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
The fourth session of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families would be held in Geneva from today until 28 April.
Tuesday, April 25
In Geneva today, Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown will address the UN staff council and have a town hall meeting with UN staff at large.
In the morning the Security Council will be holding a private meeting with troop contributing countries to the UN Mission in Western Sahara followed by consultations on Western Sahara. In the afternoon the Security Council will be holding consultations on the 1540 Committee, which deals with the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
At 11:15, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is sponsoring a press conference by David Leppan, CEO and Founder of World-Check, on a new partnership between the UN and his organization.
Guests at noon are Peter Smith, Assistant Director-General for Education at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Albert Motivans of UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics. They will brief on the new report, “Teachers and Educational Quality: Monitoring Global Needs for 2015”.
Starting today and running until 9 May in the South Gallery, there will be a photo exhibit on the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. It is sponsored by the UN Development Programme as well as the Permanent Missions of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
The Secretary-General’s Special Humanitarian Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Kjell Magne Bondevik, will begin a mission to the Horn of Africa. Included on the agenda are Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
Wednesday, April 26
In the morning the Security Council will be holding consultations on the implementation of resolution 1559, which concerns Lebanon, and the UN Mission in Sudan.
At 11:15, the Permanent Mission of Canada is sponsoring a press conference by Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict to launch the report, “Struggling to Survive: Children in Armed Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo”.
Thursday, April 27
In the morning the Security Council will be holding consultations on the UN Office in Timor-Leste.
At 11:00, Dr. Cutberto Garza, Director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, will brief on the revised world Child Growth Standards, prepared in co-operation with the World Health Organization.
Friday, April 28
The UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, former US President Bill Clinton, will be at UN Headquarters for the 4th Global Consortium on Tsunami Recovery, along with representatives of tsunami-affected Governments, donors, and NGOs.
In the morning the Security Council will be holding a meeting on the UN Mission in Western Sahara and the 1540 Committee, which deals with the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Today there will be a Teachers Conference on Human Rights in Conference Room 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The five videoconferencing sites are Burnaby, Canada; Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania; Mexico City; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and Washington, DC.
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