UNITED NATIONS HIGHLIGHTS
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, November 24, 2006
ANNAN DISMAYED AT SPATE OF TERRORIST ATTACKS IN IRAQ
The Secretary-General is greatly
dismayed by the
recent wave of terrorist attacks in Iraq, particularly in Sadr-City, Baghdad
and Tal-Afar, which have reportedly caused the death and injury of hundreds of
innocent civilians, and led to a number of reprisal attacks. He condemns
these heinous acts in the strongest possible terms. They cannot be justified
by any cause and are clearly aimed at fomenting sectarian strife and further
undermining the stability and national unity of Iraq.
The Secretary-General urges the Iraqi people to heed the
calls by political and religious leaders from all sides for calm and restraint
to prevent an escalation of the situation, and to engage in a genuine national
dialogue that addresses the needs and aspirations of all.
U.N CHIEF IN IRAQ CONDEMNS BOMB ATTACK ON SADR CITY
The UN
Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says
that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq, Ashraf Qazi,
has strongly condemned the recent spate of violent crimes, in particular
yesterday’s bomb attack on the Baghdad neighbourhood of Sadr City, which
caused the death and injury of hundreds of civilians.
Qazi called on the Iraqi authorities
to seriously pursue and apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
He also urged Iraqis to work together toward overcoming adversity.
U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF ENDS VISIT TO
ISRAEL AND OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES, SAYS CIVILIANS BEAR BRUNT OF
VIOLATIONS
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Louise Arbour
said yesterday that Palestinian and Israeli civilians were the primary
victims of the alarming deprivation of human rights in the region.
Speaking at the end of a five-day visit
to the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, the High Commissioner said
her talks with both Palestinians and Israelis affected by the violence made
apparent "their profound sense of frustration and abandonment, including a
perception that the international community is not doing enough to protect
them".
The High Commissioner said the
situation was particularly acute in the occupied Palestinian territory.
"I left Gaza with a sense that the
right of its people to physical integrity --their right to life -- was
particularly imperiled: Beit Hanoun is only one case in many", she said,
referring to the incident in which 19 Palestinian civilians were killed by
Israeli shelling on 8 November.
The High Commissioner recommended
ensuring appropriate redress in situations in which there has been the lethal
use of force, saying a system of accountability available to Palestinians
allowing for investigations which are law-based, independent, transparent and
accessible was imperative.
Among other recommendations, the High
Commissioner said Palestinians need to be able to enjoy their right to freedom
of movement, which is currently seriously compromised within the West Bank in
particular, but also between the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian access to
Jerusalem also remains of particular concern.
And, in addition to the particular responsibilities that
rest on Israel as an occupying power, it must discharge its obligations
without discrimination towards all individuals in Israel, including its
Palestinian citizens.
IRAN GIVES NUCLEAR WATCHDOG ACCESS TO SOME MATERIALS BUT
FULL COOPERATION STILL LACKING
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
Mohamed ElBaradei,
told the agency’s board of directors that Iran has agreed to provide
access to materials related to its uranium enrichment activities. However,
ElBaradei noted that cooperation is still too limited for any determination
regarding its nuclear ambitions.
Calling Iran’s response a step in the right direction,
ElBaradei stressed that the sooner Iran takes the remaining transparency
measures and addresses the outstanding issues, the earlier the Agency would be
“in a position to provide the needed assurances - assurances that are key to
restoring international confidence regarding the scope and nature of Iran´s
nuclear programme.”
U.N SUPPORTS SECURITY ULTIMATUM IN D.R. CONGO CAPITAL
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, William Lacy Swing,
said that some 50
members of forces loyal to Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba have left Kinshasa
in response to a 48-hour ultimatum imposed by the Congolese army to diffuse
tensions in the capital.
The ultimatum came a day after the Supreme Court building
and police vehicles were burned during a clash between police and Bemba’s
supporters over a court filing challenging the provisional results of the
presidential elections, which forecasted Bemba’s defeat by incumbent President
Joseph Kabila. Swing said that the Congolese army, if necessary, will be
backed by UN peacekeepers in enforcing the ultimatum, whose implementation is
proceeding peacefully.
Meanwhile, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (MONUC) says that a farewell
ceremony took place yesterday in Kinshasa for the Uruguayan contingent of the
UN peacekeeping force. Speaking at the event, Swing said that the Uruguayan
peacekeepers are among the most versatile and most flexible of UN troops for
serving in eight of the African nation’s eleven provinces under difficult
conditions.
U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CONCERNED BY ESCALATING VIOLENCE
AGAINST CIVILIANS IN NORTHEASTERN UGANDA
UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today
urged the Government of Uganda to review its forced disarmament strategy
in Karamoja, North Eastern Uganda, and end violence and human rights
violations against civilians in the area.
The High
Commissioner, in a
report released today, said allegations of human rights violations and
abuses in the Karamoja region have persisted since the May 2006 forced
disarmament exercise initiated by the Government of Uganda. Karamoja is
traditionally characterized by high levels of insecurity relating to the
proliferation of illegal fire arms, cattle rustling, looting, ambushes, but
also political marginalization and the absence of adequate central government
services and institutions, including civilian law enforcement.
ANNAN COMMENDS WORK OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
In a
message to the
fifth session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court, which opened yesterday in The Hague, the
Secretary-General said that the Court has established itself as the
centrepiece of a truly international system of criminal justice and has become
both the embodiment of, and the driving force behind, a profound evolution of
international norms and law.
The Secretary-General noted that the
UN-ICC cooperation has expanded greatly. “The fact that the first ever witness
before the Chambers of the Court in pre-trial proceedings is a United Nations
official again reflects our strong commitment to ending impunity and aiding
the ICC's work,” he said.
U.N. ENVIRONMENT AGENCY CALLS FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO COTE
D’IVOIRE TO HELP CLEAN CONTAMINATED SITES
International
financial assistance should be swiftly
mobilized to pay for the clean-up and rehabilitation of contaminated sites
in Côte d’Ivoire as a result of fresh information indicating that the final
costs of a dumping incident in August could reach into the millions of
dollars.
The call was made today by Achim
Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, on the eve of an
international meeting of the parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
“Irrespective of who will or who will
not be held liable for this incident, it is the people of one of the world’s
poorest countries who have already paid dearly for this irresponsible act of
hazardous waste dumping, who are now being forced to actually pay the bill for
removal and clean up operations,” said Steiner.
U.N.
AGENCIES RUSH RELIEF SUPPLIES TO FLOOD SURVIVORS IN AFGHANISTAN
The World Food
Programme has sent 127 tons of food aid to western Afghanistan, following
flash floods there.
For their part, the Office of the High
Commissioner for Refugees has provided tents, blankets, plastic sheets, jerry
cans and lanterns, and UNICEF, with air support from the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF), has flown in chlorine powder for water
treatment, as well as family kits, tarpaulins and jackets.
Meanwhile, the
Afghan Ministry of Public Health, in coordination with the Afghan Red Crescent
Society (ARCS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), has dispatched a
medical team to the area, along with medical supplies.
U.N.
DRUGS CHIEF WELCOMES MOVE TO REWARD AFGHAN PROVINCES THAT ELIMINATE OPIUM
Antonio Maria Costa, Executive
Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has
welcomed the decision by the Afghan Counter Narcotics Trust Fund to make
development grants to provinces which eliminate opium poppy.
“This is something which I have long
advocated,” he said in response to a statement from the Fund that the current
six opium-free provinces will each receive half a million dollars for
development projects. They will receive the same amount again in 2007 if they
maintain their opium-free status.
“Solving Afghanistan’s opium problem
is not only a question of security, it’s a question of development,” Costa
said.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N. ALLOCATES FUNDS FOR ETHIOPIA
FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS:
The Government of Ethiopia and its humanitarian partners
launched a joint flash appeal for $7 million yesterday to meet the emergency
and rehabilitation needs of some 400,000 flood survivors in Ethiopia’s Somali
Region. The UN immediately stepped forward by allocating more than $ 2.6
million to the relief effort from the Central Emergency Response Fund, but the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the situation
remains critical.
U.N. TRIBUNALS WRAP UP MAJOR
CASES: The Appeals Chamber of the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
has dismissed in its entirety the prosecution's request for review of the
appeals judgment in the
case of Tihomir
Blaškić, a Bosnian Croat general, thus bringing the case to a close.
Meanwhile, in Arusha, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
has closed the case of François
Karera, the former Prefect of Kigali-Rural, after the Prosecution and Defence in
the case yesterday presented their final submissions before the Tribunal.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT
THE UNITED NATIONS
25 November – 1
December 2006
[This document is
for planning purposes only.]
Saturday, November 25
Today is the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Monday, November 27
The Security Council
is scheduled to hold consultations on Cote d’Ivoire.
The General Assembly
will hold an informal thematic debate on progress on the Millennium Development
Goals.
From 1:15 pm to 2:30
p.m. in Conference Room 4, there will be a panel discussion on “Galvanizing
action towards ending violence against women.”
The Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Norwegian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs will convene, in Oslo, a high-level event marking the launch of
the updated “Oslo Guidelines,” for the use of military and defence assets in
disaster relief. Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland
will co-chair.
Vernor Muñoz,
Special Rapporteur on the right to education, will visit Morocco at the from 27
November to 5 December 2006.
The UN Office for
Outer Space Affairs will hold a weeklong workshop on the International
Heliophysical Year 2007 in Bangalore, India, starting today.
Tuesday, November
28
The Secretary-General is scheduled to
deliver a speech at Princeton University on peace and security, focusing on the
subject of nuclear weapons.
The Security Council
is scheduled to hold an open debate on children and armed conflict.
At 1:00 p.m., the
Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima and Shazia Rafi, Secretary-General of
Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), will hold a press conference on the
PGA annual forum, to be held in Japan from 4 to 5 December.
From 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. in Conference room
7, there will be a multimedia panel discussion called: “From Bosnia to Sierra
Leone: an encounter with 2 children of war.”
The world premiere screening of the
Nigeria-themed film “The Imam and The Pastor" will take place at 6:00 p.m. in
the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium.
Wednesday,
November 29
Today
is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
The
Security Council is slated to hold consultations on Somalia.
At 11:00 a.m., the
Canadian Mission will be sponsoring a press conference by David Malone, former
President of the International Peace Academy and author of “The International
Struggle Over Iraq: Politics in the UN Security Council, 1980-2005”, to discuss
“Iraq and the Security Council: Lessons from the Past, Suggestions for the
Future”.
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo will
be a keynote speaker at the International Institute for Labour Studies Research
Conference on decent work, social policy and development in Geneva.
The screening of “Three Needles” will
take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium, in connection with
World AIDS Day.
“Con/Textualization: A Palestinian
Narrative” opens today in the UN
Visitor’s Lobby. This exhibition of Palestinian art is in observance of the
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and is sponsored by
the Division for Palestinian Rights and the Permanent Observer Mission of
Palestine to the UN.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs Jan Egeland will hold his final Geneva press conference on Wednesday
morning at the Palais des Nations.
Thursday,
November 30
The Humanitarian Appeal 2007 will be
launched by the Secretary-General at a half-hour event in the Trusteeship
Council, starting at 11:00 a.m. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
Jan Egeland and World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador Princess Haya will come
to the noon briefing to brief on the Appeal.
The Secretary-General and UNAIDS head
Peter Piot are expected to attend the World AIDS Day Forum at Saint
Bartholomew’s Church in New York. The event lasts from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Friday,
December 1
Today is World AIDS
Day. At 6:30 p.m. the First International HIV/AIDS Cartoon Exhibition will open
in the UN Visitors Lobby.
At 11:00 a.m.,
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland and Dennis Mukwege
Mukengere of the Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will
brief on sexual violence.
At 6:00 p.m. an
event called "Healing the Wounds of War: Sexual Violence in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and other situations of conflict" will take place at New
York University's Tishman Centre. The event will feature Eve Ensler and Denis
Mukwege, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is
one of the organizers.
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
