HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

Thursday,
October 25, 2007

BAN KI-MOON PROPOSES BUDGET TO MAKE THE UNITED NATIONS
 FASTER, MORE NIMBLE AND MORE MODERN

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today
  presented the
  proposed programme budget for the UN’s work during 2008 and 2009 to the
  General Assembly, and told them that the $4.2 billion budget represents real
  growth of $23 million over the previous biennium, or half a percentage point.
  
   
• He said that the proposals reflect strict budgetary discipline, balancing
  growth in some areas with reallocations in others. 
   
• The Secretary-General told the Fifth Committee, “Never has the world so needed a strong United Nations.
  Yet never have our resources been stretched so thin.”
   
• He noted that, last year, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations was
  reorganized, the better to execute on our peacekeeping mandates. This year we
  will turn to the Department of Political Affairs, with a new emphasis on
  anticipating crises and proactive preventive diplomacy. To that end, he asked
  the Committee to support the strengthening of the Department of Political
  Affairs by authorizing $18 million for this purpose.
   
• Development cannot take a back seat to peace and security, the
  Secretary-General added. This is the year to think freshly about the problems
  of the poorest of the world’s poor—the ‘’bottom billion’’ left behind by world
  economic growth. He added that we must think more expansively about
  traditional definitions of social justice and human rights—including the
  implicit right to development, encompassed in the responsibility to protect.
   
• This is the year of reform, and the Secretary-General will roll out
  specific measures to make the UN faster, more nimble and more modern. To aid
  UN reform, the Secretary-General has
  set up a new change-management task force. Its work will focus on human
  resources, budget and finance, and procurement to consolidate rules in each
  area according to clear criteria.
   
• He added that the budget also provides for stiffer internal oversight.
   
• The Secretary-General called for the extension of the vital work of the
  Procurement Task Force for another year, even as we work toward more permanent
  independent auditing and investigative capabilities.

 U.N. ENVOY ON MYANMAR TRAVELS TO JAPAN FROM CHINA

• The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, has
  completed his meetings in Beijing, as part of his consultations in regional
  capitals. He had detailed and extensive discussions today with State Councilor
  Tang Jianxuan and Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as well as yesterday with
  Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei.
   
• Gambari delivered a personal message from the Secretary-General to State
  Councilor Tang, thanking the Chinese Government for its active support to the
  UN good offices so far and encouraging China to intensify its constructive
  engagement in support of UN efforts.
   
• Gambari and his Chinese counterparts discussed the need for the Government
  of Myanmar to move forward by starting a dialogue with the opposition without
  delay and pursuing a more inclusive national reconciliation process in order
  to address the legitimate concerns of the Myanmar people, as well as the need
  for the international community to find new ways of encouraging Myanmar to
  make concrete progress in this regard.
   
• Following the meetings, the Chinese Government issued a statement of
  support to the UN good offices and Gambari’s efforts on behalf of the
  Secretary-General.
   
• Gambari is now in Tokyo where he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister
  Yasuo Fukuda and Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura.
   
• Asked where Gambari will go after his Tokyo visit, the Spokeswoman
  recalled that what is being discussed with the authorities in Myanmar is when
  he can travel there. He is to return to Myanmar sometime in the first week of
  November, but the precise dates have not been set.
   
• Gambari, she said, will probably travel to Singapore before going to
  Myanmar.
   
• Montas added that the United Nations was trying to obtain more information
  about a reported meeting today between Aung San Suu Kyi and a government
  liaison before responding.

BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR UNRESTRICTED HUMANITARIAN ACCESS
 TO CIVILIANS IN NORTH KIVU

• The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the increased
  displacement, human suffering, and sexual violence in North Kivu in the
  Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of fighting in the area between
  Congolese forces, dissident troops and armed militias, as well as elements of
  the FDLR.
   
• The United Nations and its partners are doing their utmost to provide for
  the basic humanitarian needs of civilians caught up in the conflict.  However,
  continued insecurity is complicating these efforts.  He calls upon all
  belligerents to ensure total and unrestricted access of humanitarian actors to
  civilians affected by the conflict, in accordance with international
  humanitarian law.
   
• The Secretary-General urges all dissidents to join the "brassage" process
  immediately, without conditions. He also calls upon the Government of the
  Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure the protection of all civilians in
  the region. 
   
• These are essential first steps towards bringing an end to the suffering
  of the civilian population and towards resolving the root causes of the
  conflict, in particular the continued presence in the DRC of the FDLR and
  other foreign armed groups.

RESTIVE DR CONGO PROVINCE IS PLAGUED BY SEXUAL
VIOLENCE 

• The UN Mission in the Democratic
  Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has
  again voiced grave
  concern over the staggering number of rapes of women by armed men in North
  Kivu. 
   
• The Mission appeals to Congolese authorities to carry out all necessary
  measures in order to arrest and prosecute all those suspected of committing
  acts of rape.
   
• The Mission also affirmed that it is available to support Congolese law
  enforcement and judicial authorities in pursuing and punishing these crimes.

RESULT OF TOKELAU REFERENDUM FALLS SHORT OF
SELF-DETERMINATION

• The result of Tokelau's self-determination referendum was announced today,
  following four days of voting in the presence of a UN electoral monitoring
  mission.
   
• While 64.4 percent of voters supported the option of self-government in
  free association with New Zealand, this was not sufficient to meet the
  two-thirds majority required.
   
• The UN monitoring mission deemed the election process credible and as
  reflecting the will of the people.

BAN KI-MOON IS GRATIFIED BY CONDUCT OF TOKELAU’S REFERENDUM

• The Secretary-General
  has followed with
  interest the referendum that has just taken place in Tokelau.  He is
  gratified that the conduct of this referendum was credible, and reflected the
  will of the people, as witnessed by a United Nations team deployed to monitor
  the vote. 
   
• He takes note of the results and respects the decision of the people of
  Tokelau not to move to self-government in free association with New Zealand.
   
• It is important that the people of Tokelau have had this opportunity.
   
• The Secretary-General commends the Government of New Zealand, as the
  administering Power, for its exemplary commitment and cooperation in this
  process. 
   
• He also expresses his gratitude to the Special Committee on
  Decolonization, whose commitment to the principles enshrined in the 1960
  United Nations
  Declaration on Decolonization made the referendum possible.
   
• The United Nations will continue working to ensure that the people of the
  Non-Self-Governing Territories are afforded the opportunity to exercise their
  right to self-determination. 

 SECURITY COUNCIL URGES ALL PARTIES TO PARTICIPATE FULLY
IN UPCOMING DARFUR PEACE TALKS IN SIRTE, LIBYA

• The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Darfur Jan Eliasson is headed
  from Asmara to Sirte, Libya, the site of the peace talks on Darfur to open on
  Saturday, where delegates have begun to arrive.
   
• The Security Council, in a
  
  presidential statement, called on all parties to participate fully in the
  upcoming Darfur peace talks, and urged, as a first step, to put in place a
  cessation of hostilities to be overseen by the United Nations and the African
  Union.
   
• In a statement read out early yesterday evening by Security Council
  President, Ambassador Leslie Kojo Christian of Ghana, the Council underlined
  its willingness to take action against any party that sought to undermine the
  peace process by failing to respect such a cessation of hostilities or by
  impeding the talks planned for 27 October in Libya.
   
• Expressing its deep concern over delays in deploying the African
  Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), the Council called
  on Member States to make available the aviation and ground transport units
  still required, and on all parties to facilitate and expedite the deployment.
   
• Concerned also over the continuing deterioration of the security and
  humanitarian situation in the region, the Council urged all parties to
  exercise restraint.

 SECURITY COUNCIL IS BRIEFED ON NEPAL
 AND SANCTIONS REGIME FOR COTE D’IVOIRE

• The Security Council held consultations on Nepal, and it received a
  briefing by the head of the UN Mission in that country, Ian Martin. Martin
  presented to the Council the
  Secretary-General’s recent report on Nepal.
   
• Council members also held consultations today on the work of the Sanctions
  Committee dealing with Cote d’Ivoire. Ambassador Johan Verbeke of Belgium, who
  chairs the Committee, briefed the Council on its work, and a draft resolution
  on the extension of the embargo on Cote d’Ivoire was circulated to Council
  members.

 CONDITIONS WORSENING IN GAZA AS HUMANITARIAN ACCESS
DECREASES

• Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes briefed the
  press in Geneva on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the West Bank
  and Gaza Strip. He warned that the situation in Gaza was worsening in recent
  weeks. 
   
• Although the United Nations had managed to get through more than 3,000
  truckloads of humanitarian aid in July, through a number of crossing points,
  that volume had been steadily falling, and had only been 1,508 in
  September. Last week, 663 truckloads had gone through, as compared with 793
  just the previous week.
   
• As for health care, in July, 40 patients a day had been allowed to cross
  into Israel, which had fallen to under 5 a day in September, Holmes said.
   
• He noted that Israel had threatened to cut electricity and fuel supplies
  if the launching of rocket attacks from Gaza continued. While the United
  Nations condemns those attacks, Holmes said that “it did not appear an
  appropriate response to those rocket attacks to punish the population of
  Gaza.”

 BUILDING ON PROGRESS IS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT IN
AFGHANISTAN

• In a report
  launched today, UNICEF cautions that efforts to build on progress since the
  fall of the Taliban will be increasingly difficult, particularly in southern
  Afghanistan, as a result of the recent upsurge in insecurity.
   
• UNICEF says that there has been considerable progress made in health,
  nutrition and education in Afghanistan in recent years. Also, one-third of
  children in school today are girls – up from three percent when the Taliban
  were in power.
   
• Now, however, humanitarian access has become increasingly difficult in
  some areas, and the United Nations now rates at least 78 districts as
  extremely risky.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS TO HUMANITY

• In its
  
  flagship report on the Global Environment Outlook: environment for
  development (GEO-4), which was released today, the U.N. Environment
  Programme says major threats to the planet, such as climate change, the rate
  of extinction of species, and the challenge of feeding a growing population
  are among the many unresolved issues that put humanity at risk.
   
• Despite positive developments, such as the integration of environmental
  concerns into mainstream politics, the reduction of ozone-layer damaging
  chemicals, and the creation of carbon offset markets, persistent and
  intractable problems remain.  
   
• These include the rapid rise of oxygen “dead zones” in the oceans, the
  resurgence of new and old diseases linked in part with environmental
  degradation, and the under-funding of institutions established to counter the
  root environmental causes.
   
• The report, which is the U.N.’s most comprehensive analysis of the
  environment, is prepared by about 390 experts and reviewed by more than 1,000
  others across the world.  

BEIJING AIR QUALITY A CONCERN AMID
 MAJOR “GREENING” STRIDES AHEAD OF OLYMPIC GAMES

• China has made significant strides toward “greening” the 2008 Beijing
  Olympics, according to
  
  a new report by the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) 
   
• UNEP highlights progress in energy efficiency and the phase-out of ozone
  depleting chemicals, as well as environmental measures covering waste
  management, transport systems, water treatment, and new urban green belts. 
   
• The report, however, expresses concerns about poor air quality, the
  under-utilization of public transport, and missed opportunities to offset
  greenhouse gases generated by the event. 

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