HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE
MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N.
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Monday, April
23, 2007
SECRETARY-GENERAL DEPLORES
TARGETING OF CIVILIANS IN SOMALIA FIGHTING
The
Secretary-General is gravely
concerned
about the continuing heavy fighting in Mogadishu, which has reportedly killed
more than 250 people and forced more than 320,000 from their homes in the past
six days alone. He deplores the reported indiscriminate use of heavy weapons
against civilian population centers, which is in disregard of international
humanitarian law.
The
Secretary-General calls on the parties to immediately cease all hostilities
and to facilitate access for the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian
assistance. He reiterates that there is no military solution to the Somali
conflict and renews his call for an urgent resumption of political dialogue.
Asked
about UN actions in response to the violence in Somalia, the Spokeswoman noted
that the Security Council was seized of the matter.
BAN KI-MOON EMPHASIZES NEED FOR
PROGRESS ON DOHA ROUND TRADE TALKS
The
Secretary-General arrived in Doha, Qatar from Geneva late Sunday afternoon, to
open the Seventh Forum on Democracy, Development and Free Trade.
He began
the day Monday with a meeting with the President of Finland, who was also
scheduled to open the Forum later in the day. The Secretary-General then held
talks with the Prime Minister of Qatar and then with the Emir of Qatar.
The
Secretary-General told reporters traveling with him that the international
conference being convened by Qatar on democracy, free trade and development
focuses on three key issues that the United Nations is working for in the
region, as well as worldwide.
He added
that, on free trade, he was frustrated by the level of progress concerning the
Doha Round
of trade talks. In his speech today, he
emphasized
progress on the Doha Round as soon as possible.
The
Secretary-General is scheduled to leave Doha for Damascus tomorrow morning.
Over the
weekend, the Secretary-General chaired the meeting in Switzerland of the Chief
Executives Board that brings
together all the leaders of the UN System.
The Board
agreed, at the conclusion of its meeting, to restructure arrangements for
cooperation among UN organizations to ensure a more transparent,
cost-effective and coherent approach to developing common programmes. The
Board will meet again in six months to complete the new arrangements.
It also
decided to develop a coherent approach to support the Aid-for-Trade
initiative
launched at the Hong Kong Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization
(WTO), to build capacity to
underpin the efforts of developing countries to benefit from the changing
international trade regime.
SUDAN: NORTH-SOUTH PEACE
AGREEMENT AT DELICATE STAGE
The
Security Council this morning is holding consultations on the UN Mission in
Sudan (UNMIS), with a
briefing by Taye Brook Zerihoun, the acting head of that Mission.
In his
most recent
report to the Security Council on the Mission, which came out last week,
the Secretary-General says that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between
North and South Sudan has reached a delicate stage, and the parties must
devote considerable attention to the verification of the redeployment of their
forces.
SECURITY COUNCIL MISSION HEADS
TO KOSOVO TOMORROW
The
Security Council is holding consultations this afternoon on Kosovo and other
matters. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping
Operations Jean-Marie
Guéhenno will brief Council members on the current situation on the ground in
Kosovo.
The
Security Council will be sending a
mission
tomorrow to Belgrade and Kosovo. The six-day trip will also cover Brussels and
Vienna. Its objective is to get a firsthand look at the political, economic
and social situation on the ground. For details about the mission’s
composition and terms of reference, the relevant letter from the Security
Council Presidency to the Secretary-General is out on the racks today.
U.N. ADVISER WORKS TO BUILD
SUPPORT FOR IRAQ COMPACT
Ibrahim
Gambari, the Secretary-General’s Special Advisor dealing with the
International Compact with Iraq, is
beginning a week of travels to build up support for the Compact. He is
accompanied by the Governor of Iraq’s Central Bank.
Gambari
is in the United Kingdom today, and will travel from there to Kuwait, Bulgaria
and Belgium before returning to New York next week. The Compact will be
launched formally in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 3-4 May.
WHEAT SHIPMENT LETS U.N. AGENCY
FEED SUDANESE SCHOOLCHILDREN
The World
Food Programme (WFP)
reports
that, because of a Russian wheat shipment that arrived in Sudan today, it will
be able to feed nearly 300,000 schoolchildren. Those children are enrolled in
WFP's school feeding programmes in three chronically food insecure Sudanese
states.
WFP will
also be able to feed 6,000 participants in food-for-work projects.
WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME CHIEF MAKES
FIRST VISIT TO AFRICA SINCE TAKING OFFICE
Also from
WFP, the agency’s new head, Josette Sheeran, is currently on her first
visit to
Africa since taking office earlier this month. She was in Ethiopia today to
discuss how WFP can increase the amount of food it buys on local markets.
On
Wednesday, she will head to Sudan, where WFP has its biggest aid operation.
She intends to visit Khartoum, Darfur and Juba, before heading to Chad this
Saturday.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN
KINSHASA, REAFFIRMS U.N. COMMITMENT TO CONGOLESE PEOPLE
The
Deputy Secretary-General is
currently on a three-day visit to the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. Asha-Rose Migiro arrived Sunday in Kinshasa. At the airport, she
reiterated the United Nations’ commitment to assist the government and the
Congolese people in their efforts towards reconstruction and reconciliation.
During
her visit, she is expected to meet President Kabila and Prime Minister Gizenga.
She will depart tomorrow.
U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME TO
WITHDRAW REMAINING INTERNATIONAL STAFF FROM NORTH KOREA
At the
request of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) authorities, the
UN Development Programme (UNDP) will
withdraw its remaining two international staff members from Pyongyang on 3
May. They will proceed to Beijing and will be accessible to facilitate the
audit.
WFP has
agreed to provide storage and support for current UNDP office assets, as well
as to make any necessary further payments on behalf of UNDP. All UNDP records
are secured.
UNDP’s
programme in DPRK remains formally in suspension. UNDP will retain its lease
on its Country Office building in Pyongyang until further notice.
Asked
whether the United Nations believes that the DPRK had rendered UNDP staff
persona non grata, the Spokeswoman noted that UNDP had taken the decision to
leave the country considerably beforehand. UNDP had announced that it was
withdrawing, and had only kept two staff there on a temporary basis.
Asked
about the work being done by External Auditors to review UNDP activities in
the DPRK, Montas said that the auditors will have full access to UNDP records.
Priority records are being copied and transported out of the country.
Whether
or not the External Auditors are able to visit UNDP projects will be up to the
DPRK authorities, she added.
The
Spokeswoman said that the United Nations does not anticipate that the
suspension of UNDP’s programme in DPRK and the departure of its staff will
have an impact on the audit of other UN agencies in the country.
Asked
about the work of the auditors, Montas said it was proceeding. She noted that
the DPRK was the first step in the auditing process, before the auditors deal
with other issues.
HAITIAN GANG LEADER ARRESTED
The arrest of gang leader
Belony Pierre on Saturday 21 April by the Haitian National Police marks
another significant step forward in the fight against Haiti's armed gangs.
Belony, who led a gang in Bois-Neuf, Cite Soleil, was arrested by HNP officers
in St. Michel de l'Attalaye, 100 kilometers north of Port-au-Prince. He was
immediately transferred to the capital, where he faces charges of murder and
kidnapping.
Belony's arrest was carried
out by the HNP. The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
provided additional security during his transfer and subsequent detention at
the headquarters of the police judiciare in Port-au-Prince.
The gang leader has been on
the run since the end of February, when MINUSTAH forces, in support of the HNP,
seized control of his Cite Soleil headquarters.
GOVERNMENTS URGED TO STEP UP
FIGHT AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME
The head
of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is
urging
Member States to develop a more coherent global regime for fighting organized
crime.
Speaking
to the 16th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal
Justice, Antonio Maria Costa said law enforcement is operating in an
“informational fog”, due to a lack of information on organized crime
activities.
He urged
countries to improve tracking methods and to provide information similar to
what UNODC already collects on illicit drugs.
He also
urged member states to support UNODC’s recently launched Global
Initiative
to Fight Human Trafficking.
BAN KI-MOON URGES GREATER
INVESTMENT IN ROAD SAFETY
Today
marks the start of the first UN Global Road Safety
Week. Road collisions
kill more than a million people each year and are the leading cause of death
for people aged 10 to 24, according to a new World Health Organization
report.
The
Secretary General has issued a message urging Governments to improve road
safety and invest in prevention measures.
He noted
that road traffic collisions, in addition to their devastating human impact,
are a major obstacle to development, costing low and middle income countries
more than one per cent of their Gross National Product.
UNESCO ADOPTS DECISION ON WORLD
HERITAGE SITE IN JERUSALEM
The UN
Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has adopted a
landmark
decision on protecting the Old City of Jerusalem.
The
unanimous reaffirmation by UNESCO’s Executive Board of the need to safeguard
the World Heritage site marks the first time that Israelis and Palestinians
have worked together on this issue. Both sides consulted with the board on
reaching this decision and continue to work together.
UNESCO
sent a technical mission to Jerusalem in February after Islamic authorities
there complained about an Israeli construction project they said threatened
the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
LEBANON:
U.N. PEACEKEEPERS FROM INDIA ORGANIZE SPECIAL CLINIC FOR CLUSTER BOMB AND MINE
VICTIMS
Indian
peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
have organized a special clinic in their headquarters in Ibil as Saqi to
provide artificial limbs to victims of mine and cluster bomb explosions in
southern Lebanon. The artificial limb, known as the ‘Jaipur Foot,’ was
developed and manufactured in Jaipur, India.
The
peacekeepers have identified over 100 Lebanese people who could benefit from
the artificial limb, and around ten patients are currently being fitted with
the limbs each day. These patients have started receiving free medical
examinations and limb fittings by a medical team flown over from India
especially for this project.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N.
HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF TO TRAVEL TO CENTRAL ASIA:
High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour
leaves tomorrow for
Central Asia.Her two-week trip will take her to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Arbour’s aim is to increase her office’s engagement
in the region.
U.N.
POPULATION FUND HEAD VISITS AFGHANISTAN:
Thoraya Obaid, the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA),
is in Afghanistan today, where she will meet with the country’s president, vice
president, and ministers of foreign affairs, education and women’s affairs, as
well as UN officials and civil society representatives. Obaid told reporters
that she will make a strong call for greater investment in the health and
well-being of Afghanistan’s women and their families.
BAN KI-MOON
APPEALS FOR CALM AFTER NIGERIAN ELECTIONS:
Asked about the reported irregularities in Nigeria’s weekend elections, the
Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General continues to closely follow
developments in Nigeria, including the reports from observer groups who have
expressed concerns about the recent elections. He strongly urges those with
grievances to use legal and constitutional means to address their complaints,
and he appeals to all national actors to resist any resort to violence. Montas
added that the United Nations did not have observers for the elections.
TIMELY
ACTION ON CÔTE D’IVOIRE AGREEMENTS URGED:
Asked whether the United Nations was satisfied with developments in Côte
d’Ivoire, the Spokeswoman expressed the hope that the Ivorian parties will
proceed on schedule with the agreements that have been reached.
U.N.
LEGAL COUNSEL EXPECTED TO BRIEF PRESS NEXT WEEK:
Asked when the press might hear from UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel, the
Spokeswoman said that he will be traveling soon, and will talk to reporters when
he returns next week.
***The
guest at noon today was Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General’s
Special
Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, who briefed on her recent
two-week mission to Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Office of the Spokesman for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
