HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE
MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
U.N.
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Wednesday, May
9,
2007
BAN KI-MOON STRONGLY URGES SUDAN TO CEASE ATTACKS
IN DARFUR
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is deeply
concerned by
reports of aerial bombardments in North Darfur which have taken place over the
last three weeks. These attacks have brought more destruction and loss of life,
including new displacement of civilians. In one instance, the school in the
village of Um Rai was struck by rockets fired from a Government helicopter.
The Secretary General strongly urges the
Government of Sudan to cease all attacks and to comply fully with the Darfur
Peace Agreement, Security Council
resolutions and international humanitarian law.
He reiterates that only a political solution can
bring peace and stability to Darfur and calls on the parties to renounce
military action.
He further calls on both the Government and all
movements to immediately stop military hostilities and cooperate fully with the
African Union and United Nations team which is leading efforts to mediate an end
to this devastating conflict.
Asked about the work being done for the AU-UN
hybrid force in Darfur, the Spokeswoman said that the work was proceeding, but
added that the focus for now is on the heavy support package for the African
Union Mission, on which the United Nations has received offers for
contributions.
U.N.-A.U.
ENVOYS ON DARFUR TRAVEL TO SOUTH SUDAN
IN MISSION TO RE-ENERGIZE DARFUR PEACE PROCESS
Special Envoys
for Darfur – Jan Eliasson of the United Nations and Salim Ahmed Salim of the
African Union – are today in Juba where they are scheduled to meet with First
Vice-President and President of the Government of southern Sudan, Salva Kiir.
The focus of
their discussions will be on the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM)
initiative to assist in re-energizing the peace process, as well as on the way
forward in expediting the political process.
The UN Mission
in Sudan (UNMIS) also
reports
continued population displacements throughout Darfur, as a result of
inter-tribal fighting and militia attacks. Continuous new arrivals in Nyala
have now caused all the camps to exceed their maximum capacity.
BAN
KI-MOON CALLS FOR GREATER USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
The
Secretary-General this morning
addressed the
high-level segment of the fifteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD),
offering them his support as they deal with the critical issues of energy,
climate change, industrial development and air pollution. Addressing those in
unison, he said, creates many win-win opportunities and is crucial for
sustainable development.
The
Secretary-General noted that about 1.6 billion people lack access to
electricity, and 2.4 billion do not have modern energy services for cooking and
heating. He said, “We must do more to use and develop renewable energy sources.”
The
Secretary-General added that the world urgently needs to step up action to
mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, with industrialized countries needing to make
deeper emission reductions, as well as the need for further engagement with
developing countries.
Asked about the
recent focus on climate change issues after last month’s Security Council
meeting
on that topic, the Spokeswoman clarified that the Secretary-General had treated
climate change as a priority before that meeting, noting that he has been
dealing with the issue since he started.
Montas noted
that in recent days, there have been a number of events dealing with climate
change, including the CSD meeting, and a number of findings, including recent
reports. The issue, she said, is “always on the front burner”.
She added, in
response to further questions, that there would be a meeting on climate change
in Bali this December and that there has been new momentum for dealing with the
issue.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
URGES ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS
TO MOVE FORWARD WITH NEGOTIATIONS
The
Committee on the
Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People is convening a
two-day meeting today and tomorrow in Pretoria on the Question of Palestine, and
the Secretary-General has issued a
message marking the
occasion.
In it, the
Secretary-General says that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas have begun to meet regularly to discuss a range of
issues, and he hopes that the internal challenges each faces will not deter them
from moving forward with discussions on the political horizon. He encourages
both parties to demonstrate a true commitment to peace through a negotiated
two-State solution.
TIMOR-LESTE: BALLOT COUNTING BEGINS
AFTER PEACEFUL SECOND ROUND ELECTIONS
The United
Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT)
reports that Wednesday’s presidential run-off between Jose Ramos-Horta and
Francisco Guterres went smoothly and peacefully. According to UNMIT, no security
incidents were reported.
Ballot counting
has begun and provisional results are expected to be released on Friday or
Monday.
NEW
RECTOR OF U.N. UNIVERSITY NAMED
The
Secretary-General today announces the appointment of Professor Konrad
Osterwalder of Switzerland as the next Rector of the Tokyo-based United Nations
University (UNU).
Professor
Osterwalder, a physicist and current Rector, and President ad interim, of the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, will succeed, on 1 September,
Professor Hans van Ginkel of the Netherlands, who has served since 1997.
YUGOSLAV
TRIBUNAL CONVICTS TWO EX-BOSNIAN SERB ARMY OFFICERS
The Appeals
Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has
confirmed the
convictions of former Bosnian Serb Army officers Vidoje Blagojević and Dragan
Jokić for crimes against humanity and violations of laws and customs of war.
The convictions
relate to the participation of the two individuals in crimes against Bosnian
Muslims committed in the area of Srebrenica in July 1995.
In the same
ruling, the Appeals Chamber reversed Blagojević's conviction for complicity in
genocide and reduced his sentence to 15 years' imprisonment, while Dragan
Jokić's sentence of nine years' imprisonment was confirmed.
As of today,
the Tribunal has rendered final judgments against six persons for genocide and
other crimes committed in Srebrenica.
SIERRA
LEONE: U.N. PROMOTES TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
THROUGH MUSIC
The UN
Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL)
is continuing its drive to disseminate the findings and recommendations of the
country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission with the release this week of a
music CD containing messages for greater citizen engagement toward peace
consolidation.
UNIOSIL had
earlier produced and distributed a child friendly version of the Commission’s
findings. It says that the 15 songs on the CD will bring the findings to both
young and old in a country where illiteracy rates remain high and where music
plays an important role in social and cultural life.
GLOBAL
BIO-ENERGY ENERGY PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHES WEBSITE
A day after
UN-Energy launched its report on biofuels, the Global Bioenergy Partnership
today unveiled its new website.
The site is
designed to provide information on the Partnership, which was created last year
to promote the use of bioenergy and other “green” fuels, particularly in
developing countries.
Also today, the
Food and Agriculture Organization, in conjunction with the European Commission,
launched an e-learning course on improving the
collection, analysis and dissemination of food security information.
The course
covers the basic concepts of malnutrition and its underlying causes.
WINNERS
OF NORTH POLE RACE TO USE SPONSORSHIP MONEY
TO HELP REFUGEES
According to an
update on two young
British men, including a former UN Refugee Agency staff member, taking part in a
race to the North Pole, Jake Morland and James Turner reached the Pole last
Wednesday, edging out five other teams to win the 2007 Polar Race.
Morland served
with UNHCR in East Timor, Iraq, Sri Lanka and Sudan; Turner is a teacher.
The two have
raised more than $100,000 from sponsors but hope to raise five times that amount
by the end of the year.
They plan to
use the money to establish a special trust fund for urgent medical evacuations
of refugee children and a quick access fund to enable field officers to bypass
time-consuming paperwork.
EXTERNAL
D.P.R.K. AUDIT REPORT IS EXPECTED SOON
Asked whether
the report by the External Board of Auditors on the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea (DPRK) has been finished, the Spokeswoman said she understood that it
had been, and would go to the General Assembly’s Advisory Committee on
Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
Asked whether
the Secretary-General had set the auditors’ terms of reference, the Spokeswoman
said that he had not; the terms of reference were defined by the auditors.
Asked what
issues were outside the auditors’ terms of reference, Montas declined to comment
on any details of the report until it has gone to the Member States.
Asked when the
auditors’ 90-day timeline had started, she said that the 90 days started on 19
March, when they actually began their work.
The Spokeswoman
stressed that the External Board of Auditors is a fully independent body and
that the auditors do not take instructions from the Secretary-General or any UN
body.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECRETARY-GENERAL’S MEETING WITH SYRIAN PRESIDENT WAS TÊTE-A-TÊTE:
Asked whether the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on the implementation of
resolution
1559,
Terje Roed-Larsen, had joined the Secretary-General’s recent meeting with Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, the Spokeswoman later said that the
Secretary-General’s meeting with Assad was tête-a-tête.
WORLD BANK
DEVELOPMENTS ARE AN INTERNAL MATTER:
The Spokeswoman declined to comment on developments at the World Bank,
describing them as an internal matter for the Bank.
SENIOR U.N.
APPOINTMENTS TO BE ANNOUNCED IN DUE COURSE:
Asked about the process of appointing senior UN
officials, the Spokeswoman said more appointments will be announced in due
course, but noted the Secretary-General’s desire to take time to decide wisely.
SECRETARY-GENERAL ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN U.N. IRAQ EFFORTS: Asked about UN efforts in Iraq, the Spokeswoman noted the
Secretary-General’s active involvement, including his participation in the
launching of the International Compact
with Iraq in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, last week.
**The guest at
today’s noon briefing was Dr. Anna Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary-General and
Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, who briefed on the effect of climate change on
the world’s cities.
Office of the Spokesman for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
