HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
BAN KI-MOON STRONGLY CONDEMNS SOMALI
FORCES
“ILLEGAL” ENTRY INTO U.N. COMPOUND AND DETENTION OF U.N. OFFICIAL
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly
condemns the
forceful and illegal entry of Government security forces into the United
Nations compound in Mogadishu, and the detention of a United Nations official.
The Secretary-General calls for the immediate and
unconditional release of the staff member.
The Secretary-General reminds the Transitional Federal
Government of Somalia of its obligation to protect all United Nations staff
members and property. Today’s actions are in flagrant violation of the 1946
Convention on Privileges and Immunity, to which the Somali government formally
committed in the January 2006 agreement.
Asked about UN security arrangements in Somalia, the
Spokeswoman said those arrangements could not prevent the forceful and illegal
entry by the government into the UN compound, which had necessitated the
statement.
WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME SUSPENDS
DISTRIBUTIONS IN MOGADISHU
The World Food Programme
says the
incident happened this morning at 8:15 local time. WFP says that between 50
and 60 armed members of the Somali National Security Service (NSS) entered the
UN compound in an unauthorized manner, over the protests of UN staff members.
No shots were fired, but WFP’s officer-in-charge, Idris Osman, was taken away
at gunpoint. He is now being held in a cell at NSS headquarters near the
presidential palace, according to WFP.
In light of Osman’s detention and the need to safeguard
its staff, WFP says it has been forced to immediately suspend a food
distribution programme that began in Mogadishu on Monday. The programme,
aimed at providing food to more than 75,000 people through local mosques, was
WFP’s first distribution in the Somali capital since June.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
notes that this comes at a time when more than 1.5 million Somalis need
assistance and protection, a 50 percent increase since the beginning of the
year. OCHA notes a deteriorating food security situation in central and
southern Somalia, due to an inadequate rainy season, as well as continuing
internal displacements and a potential looming cholera epidemic.
WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME CONDEMNS KILLING
OF THREE OF ITS DRIVERS IN DARFUR
The World Food Programme (WFP) has
condemned the
killing of three contract truck drivers who were shot to death while working
for the UN's food agency in Darfur.
Approximately 2,000 contract drivers and drivers'
assistants work for WFP in Darfur, where the agency delivers food to three
million people in its largest operation worldwide.
WFP has no information on who is responsible for the
killings.
U.N. CONCERNED ABOUT RISING ATTACKS IN
DARFUR
Increasing insecurity in the
Darfur region of Sudan has resulted in further attacks against civilians,
aid workers, and AU troops, which are significantly impacting the civilian
population and interrupting vital life-saving aid progammes at a time when
they are most needed.
Some 4.2 million people in Darfur are currently in need
of humanitarian assistance. Recent violence in the towns of Haskanita and
Muhajariya in Darfur displaced nearly 90,000 civilians alone.
The United Nations is seriously concerned about the
safety of civilians throughout Darfur.
Asked about comments from International Criminal Court
Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, purportedly saying that recent UN reports did
not do enough to mention justice for Darfur and the outstanding arrest
warrants, the Spokeswoman said that Moreno Ocampo was doing his job to raise
awareness of the need for justice in Darfur. At the same time, she added, the
Secretary-General had also repeatedly raised the issue of justice and has
asserted that there should be no impunity.
SUMMARY OF
PROCUREMENT CONTRACT FOR DARFUR FORCE
TO BE POSTED ONLINE
Asked whether the Pacific Architect Engineers, Inc. (PAE)
procurement contract for the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in
Darfur (UNAMID)
hybrid operation will be published, the Spokeswoman said that, as per the
established procedures, summary information of the contract (such as the
price, name of company, dates, etc.) will be posted on the UN Procurement
website. Actual copies of the
contract are not posted for commercial, legal and security reasons, she added.
Asked why the price of the contract was reduced from $700
million to $250 million, Okabe said that, following negotiations with the
vendor, the initial “planning” requirements were further clarified and better
specified by the logisticians and experts from the Department of Field Support
(DFS), and therefore much uncertainty was eliminated, substantially reducing
the price.
The contractual risk for the vendor and the UN was
reviewed in depth, she added, thus resulting in further price savings.
Finally, additional savings have been achieved through the normal negotiation
process, using benchmarking, market survey, among other things.
Okabe also noted that the $250 million sum is a “Not to
Exceed (NTE)” amount. The price is actually component-based, meaning that the
United Nations pays only for those goods and services actually ordered,
delivered, and approved for payment.
U.N. ENVOY DISCUSSES MYANMAR WITH
REGIONAL LEADERS
The Special Advisor of the
Secretary-General, Ibrahim Gambari, met today with Malaysia’s Prime Minister,
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in the administrative capital Putrajaya. They had very
detailed and substantive discussions on the U.N.'s efforts in Myanmar and the
support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other
neighbouring countries could provide in this regards.
Before departing Malaysia,
Gambari spoke to the press, highlighting that the Secretary-General is
absolutely committed to working with the government of Myanmar, with
neighboring countries, and with ASEAN, to achieve the goals of a peaceful,
democratic, prosperous Myanmar, with full respect for the human rights of its
own people.
Gambari is now in Jakarta where
he is scheduled to meet Indonesia’s President and Foreign Minister tomorrow.
From there, he is expected to move on to India, China and finally to
Japan.
Back at UN Headquarters, the
Secretary-General yesterday, in
remarks to the
press, strongly urged Myanmar authorities to fully implement the seven-point
road map for democratization, adding that the way the authorities treated the
demonstrators was abhorrent and unacceptable.He also stressed that Myanmar
authorities should think about the future of their country and of their
people, reflecting and respecting all the wishes of the international
community.
Asked whether the
Secretary-General supports the government's seven-point roadmap for Myanmar,
the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General had encouraged the Myanmar
authorities to pursue the seven-point plan, which needs to be more inclusive
and participatory. However, she added, Gambari had
elaborated
other elements to the Security Council and the press in recent days.
She said that the new elements
to be pursued were developed following the recent developments in Myanmar,
including the detention and treatment of detainees which the Secretary-General
had deemed “abhorrent and unacceptable."
U.N. MISSION IN DR CONGO DENIES IT IS
SUPPORTING DISSIDENT TROOPS
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(MONUC) has categorically denied Congolese press reports accusing it of
providing support to dissident troops led by renegade General Laurent Nkunda.
The Mission
declared earlier
today in Kinshasa that UN peacekeepers are fully committed to discharging the
mandate entrusted them by the Security Council to assist the Government in
restoring state authority, including in the area of security.
Meanwhile, the situation remains tense in North Kivu in
the east, where the standoff between the Government Army and dissident troops
continues. Some 150 schoolchildren from the Rutshuru area, some as young as 7,
were given refuge yesterday by UN peacekeepers after fleeing attempts to
enlist them into Nkunda’s force. An unknown number of schoolchildren fled in
other directions, and remain unaccounted for, two days after Nkunda troops
surrounded their school in the center of Rutshuru.
In the Ituri province, UN disarmament workers report that
some 1,800 former combatants have now joined the cantonment sites. However, an
undefined number of fighters, in particular those from the FNI armed group,
remain staunchly opposed to joining the disarmament drive.
AMID DECLINING VIOLENCE, U.N. EXPANDS
ROLE IN IRAQ
The Secretary-General, in his latest
report to
the Security Council on Iraq, says that there is now an opportunity in the
country that should not be missed.
September witnessed the lowest number of Iraqi casualties
for the year, and there has also been a decrease in violence resulting from
the ceasefire by the Mahdi Army.
The Secretary-General said that he welcomes the new UN
mandate in Iraq, including the expansion of the UN role in advancing national
dialogue and reconciliation. He said he has already strengthened the UN
team in Iraq, by increasing the staff
ceiling in Baghdad and Erbil, and is also considering other ways to improve
outreach to the provinces, including re-establishing a small UN presence in
Basra.
Asked about UN staff levels in Iraq, the Spokeswoman said
that the ceiling for international civilian staff in Baghdad, which had been
at 65, has been raised to 85. There are also now some 30 international staff
in Erbil.
SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES WORK OF
PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION
The Security Council held an open
debate
today on the work of the Peacebuilding
Commission, which began
with a briefing by the Chairman of the Commission’s Organizational Committee,
Yukio Takasu.
The Commission has taken on Sierra Leone and Burundi as
its first cases.
KOSOVO: ROMA FAMILIES RETURN
TO ORIGINAL LANDS
The UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)
and the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
have helped more than a hundred members of the Roma community to return to
their original lands.
The returns project, which is still ongoing, is also
working towards the reintegration of Roma families back into the social fabric
of northern Kosovo’s Mitrovica municipality.
UNICEF NOTES GAINS IN FIGHT AGAINST
MALARIA IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Significant gains are being
made in the fight against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a
newly-released report prepared by
UNICEF on behalf of
the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.
The report shows that the
supply of insecticide-treated nets more than doubled between 2004 and 2006, to
63 million. There have also been marked improvements in the distribution of
those nets to communities in greatest need, the report notes.
Net usage still falls short of
global targets, however, and not enough infected children are receiving
effective treatment, UNICEF says. It is encouraging greater commitments from
donors and bolder efforts by national governments to scale up malaria
programmes.
U.N. LAUNCHES IMPROVED HIV/AIDS SERVICES
PROJECT IN NEPAL
The UN Refugee Agency yesterday
launched a new project for
strengthening HIV and AIDS services among the conflict-affected populations in
Nepal.
With funding from the
Department for International Development funneled through
UNAIDS, the six-month project will be
implemented in six districts across the country.
UNHCR representative in Nepal,
Abraham Abraham, said the new programme is a result of a joint UN assessment
undertaken in November 2006, and will help better respond to the protection
and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
UNITED
NATIONS “STANDS UP” TO FIGHT POVERTY
The Secretary-General today
observed the
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty at a ceremony on the North
Lawn. He led delegates and staff members in reciting an anti-poverty pledge.
Last year, 23.5 million people in more than 100 countries
took part in the first "Standing Up Against Poverty" event, setting a Guinness
World Record that the organizers hoped to break this year.
In a
message to mark
the day, the Secretary-General says that our global scorecard for fighting
poverty is mixed and he appeals for a show of political will to end the
scourge of poverty once and for all.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Secretary-General, speaking at a
similar event in London today, says that poverty can be eradicated only if
Governments of both developed and developing countries live up to their
promises.
The North Lawn observance featured testimonies from
people facing extreme poverty, a musical piece, and the presentation of awards
to five children who won the UN’s international children’s art competition on
ending poverty. Over 12,000 children took part in the competition; the six
winning designs will be issued as UN stamps in 2008.
UNESCO HELPS LAUNCH DIGITAL LIBRARY
TO MAKE RARE ITEMS AVAILABLE ONLINE
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) and the US Library of Congress joined forces in Paris today to build
a World Digital Library, following an agreement
signed by both institutions.
This library will gather and digitize unique materials
from all around the world, including manuscripts, maps, books, musical scores,
sound recordings, films, prints, and photographs, and make them available free
of charge on the Internet.
MORE THAN 400 PEOPLE DIED WHILE
CROSSING GULF OF ADEN
The UN Refugee agency (UNHCR) is
concerned about
the increasing number of smuggling boats carrying people across the Gulf of
Aden to Yemen, as well as the appalling death toll among the Somalis and
Ethiopians making the crossing.
UNHCR says it continues to receive harrowing
reports of passengers being stabbed, beaten and thrown overboard.
So far this year, more than 400 people are
known to have died during the crossing, while almost that many remain missing.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
