Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 29 October 2007

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

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

Monday, October 29, 2007

BAN KI-MOON URGES ISRAEL TO RECONSIDER MEASURE TO LIMIT FUEL/ELECTRICITY TO GAZA RESIDENTS

  • Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterates his call for the cessation of indiscriminate rocket attacks by Palestinian militants targeting Israel and strongly condemns these actions.

  • However he also believes strongly that punitive measures taken by Israel which harm the well-being of the entire population of the Gaza Strip are unacceptable.

  • The limitation of fuel and electricity supplies deepens the humanitarian distress of the 1.4 million residents of Gaza, as does the reduction of the supply of essential commodities and the tightening of restrictions on movement and access.

  • The Secretary-General calls upon Israel to reconsider its actions and for all concerned to protect civilians and to meet their obligations under international law.

SENIOR ENVOYS INTENSIFY EFFORTS TO ADVANCE DARFUR PEACE TALKS

  • The Darfur Political Talks opened, as planned, over the weekend in Sirte, Libya.

  • Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a message read out by his Special Envoy for Darfur, Jan Eliasson, expressed his disappointment that some movement leaders chose to stay away from Sirte.

  • He said that, while the doors remain open, if they continue to stay away, there is much they stand to lose. The United Nations and the African Union believe that all Darfurians should be represented, and hope that they will be.

  • “This will neither be easy nor will it be necessarily quick,” the Secretary-General said. “Painful compromises will need to be made by all sides. However, violence has continued for far too long, and further delays would be dangerous. The situation could rapidly worsen and become even more intractable.”

  • Meanwhile, the senior mediators at the Sirte talks, Jan Eliasson and his African Union counterpart, Salim Ahmed Salim, are currently engaged in substantive preparations with the parties on the way forward for the peace process and on the key issues and the order in which they are to be addressed. They include security, wealth-sharing and power-sharing.

  • The two envoys met today with the delegations from the Government of Sudan, civil society and international partners, as well as with representatives of the movements present in Sirte. They also plan to meet today with the regional partners represented.

  • Meanwhile, preparations are being made for a senior-level team to travel back to Sudan to consult with those who are not present in Sirte.

  • In a press conference yesterday, Eliasson said that there was no interruption to the peace process. He added, “The train has left the station for the road to peace. The question is how many passengers will get on the train.”

  • Asked whether the Secretary-General is concerned about the non-attendance of some rebel groups from the Sirte talks, the Spokeswoman asserted that we are at the beginning of a process, which the United Nations is facilitating with a team of about 100 people.

  • She said the talks are on track and noted the strong presence of civil society, including victims of the conflict, in Sirte. The process, she cautioned, will take time, but it is ongoing, and the United Nations had expected that it would be difficult. The Secretary-General, she said, recognized that it would be a slow process.

NEW SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE MEETS WITH SUDANESE PRESIDENT

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, met today with President Omar al-Bashir, who welcomed him to Sudan and assured him of the fullest cooperation of his Government in the fulfillment of his mandate.

  • Qazi later said that the President welcomed the UN’s role in supporting the Government and the Sudanese people in achieving the objectives of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

  • Qazi also met over the weekend with Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Karti, who assured him of the desire of the Government of National Unity to maintain good working relations with the UN Mission in Sudan.

  • Qazi added that he intends to visit Juba in the next few days to meet with First Vice President of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan Salva Kiir.

EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR IS ALARMED BY REPORTS
OF FORCED RELOCATION IN DARFUR

  • Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes has said he is alarmed by reports of forced relocation from a camp in South Darfur last night – because of both the manner of the relocation and the possibility of such action contributing to more violence.

  • According to Holmes, security forces were threatening internally displaced persons at the camp with sticks and rubber hoses.

  • Holmes added that, while the United Nations notes the Sudanese Government’s security concerns in the camps, any relocation must be wholly voluntary.

U.N. CHIEF EXECUTIVES BOARD SUPPORT SYSTEM-WIDE APPROACH ON ETHICS

  • The Secretary-General chaired a meeting of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) on 26 and 27 October in New York.

  • The CEB, composed of the Executive Heads of all UNs Specialized Agencies, Funds and Programmes as well as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, International Atomic Energy Agency and World Trade Organization, committed itself to increasing the coherence of its efforts in meeting critical developmental and management challenges.

  • Executive Heads pledged their full support to the recently-launched initiative of the Secretary-General in establishing the Africa MDG Steering and Working Groups, and discussed the specific roles that organizations of the UN system would play in the initiative. In this connection, CEB underscored its commitment to provide full support to Member States in their efforts to attain the MDGs in Africa.

  • The CEB also decided to establish a process for the evaluation of the “One UN” pilot projects, which would yield relevant and timely information from all stakeholders on lessons learned in order to enhance country-level coherence of operational activities for development.

  • The Board agreed to work expeditiously towards the development of an agreed strategic approach by the UN system to support international commitments to meet the immense challenges presented by climate change. The Secretary-General, on behalf of the Board, will submit the anticipated system-wide strategy to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali in December 2007. CEB also agreed to commit to a process that would ensure that the UN system moves decisively toward establishing climate neutrality in its operations world-wide, and adopted the attached statement.

  • The CEB also pledged its support to the Secretary-General, who, with the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, will launch a year-long UN system-wide human rights advocacy campaign on 10 December 2007 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

  • On management issues, the CEB adopted an ambitious programme for the harmonization of UN system business practices in the areas of human resources, information and communication technology, and finance and budget. Initiatives for the harmonization of practices related to procurement and legal matters will be added to the programme in coming months. It is expected that the harmonization programme will make a major contribution to increased efficiency and effectiveness of the UN’s management and administrative practices, with cost-savings being directed to programmes, particularly at the country level.

  • The Board discussed the disclosure of information contained in Internal Audit Reports following intensive consultations among the UN system’s internal auditors. It agreed to move toward the development of a common policy for the disclosure of information that would also take into account the particularities among the various organizations. Individual organizations would approach their respective governing bodies in this regard.

  • With respect to the issue of Ethics within the United Nations, the Secretary-General announced at the meeting of the Board that the United Nations and its Funds and Programmes had agreed to establish one ethical code and one system of ethics within which they will all operate. Specialized agencies also expressed an interest in the development of a system-wide approach on Ethics. The Secretary-General believes that it is crucially important for the UN system to uphold the highest ethical standards. Since taking office, he has worked to cultivate a culture of ethics, integrity and accountability. A Secretary-General’s Bulletin on the new system of ethics will be issued shortly.

  • The UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination also expressed serious concern over the recent number of violent attacks against humanitarian workers and UN staff operating in various regions of the world. The CEB called upon all Member States of the United Nations to renew their commitment to the protection of humanitarian workers and to ensure safe and unhindered access to all people in need, in keeping with international law and humanitarian principles. The CEB expressed its full support to all those UN staff involved in essential work across the world and its condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in pursuit of their noble mission.

  • Asked whether staff from other UN agencies, funds or programmes can now take their complaints to the Ethics Office, the Spokeswoman said that there is one system for ethics, but there continue to be internal mechanisms at the individual UN bodies that would be the first recourse for their respective staff members. So staff would first go through the process in their fund or agency, but could then also rely on the Ethics Office.

SECURITY COUNCIL IS BRIEFED ON SUDAN

  • The Security Council received a briefing in its closed consultations today from Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno about the work of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).

  • Guéhenno had earlier briefed troop contributing countries about the Mission’s work. Its current mandate expires at the end of the month.

  • Council members also adopted a resolution on the extension of sanctions on Côte d'Ivoire.

U.N. CALLS ON AFGHAN FACTIONS TO ALLOW HUMANITARIAN ACCESS

  • The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today called on Afghanistan’s warring factions to allow safe passage and access for humanitarian workers delivering vital aid to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable families before the winter cuts off remote regions of the country.

  • Tom Koenigs, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, said that insurgents and criminal gangs have killed or abducted 110 aid workers, and 55 humanitarian aid convoys have been looted, so far this year. Such attacks, he said, are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and must stop.

  • UN agencies are currently pre-positioning essential food and medicine around the country before the winter weather can prevent access to remote parts of the country.

U.N. MISSION WELCOMES SURRENDER OF CONGOLESE MILITIA LEADER

  • The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) says it has taken note with satisfaction of the surrender of Kibamba Kasereka, leader of the Forces patriotiques Mayi-Mayi, also known as Forces armées populaires de libération (FAPL).

  • The self-proclaimed “General” Kasereka surrendered to UN peacekeepers with 29 of his men on Saturday morning in the town of Kisharo, in the North Kivu province.

  • The Mission also notes that the surrender is the result of a military operation by the Congolese Army and the strong pressure it placed on Kasereka and his militia.

  • The Mission calls on all remaining illegal armed elements to lay down their weapons and to join the process of integration into the national army.

PREFERENCE FOR SONS WILL HAVE SEVERE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES

  • A new study commissioned by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warns that the high preference for sons in some parts of Asia will have severe social consequences in the coming years.

  • Studies show that India and China were found to have the most dramatic imbalance between births of boys and girls, followed by Viet Nam and Nepal.

  • The resulting skewed sex ratios at birth have been noticeable in China for over 15 years, rising to 120 males for every 100 females born in 2005 and as high as 130 in several provinces.

  • UNFPA warns that the growing number of men will be unable to find wives, which may lead to a rise in sexual violence and trafficking of women.

NARROWING DIGITAL DIVIDE A KEY PART OF AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT

  • The Connect Africa Summit opened today in Kigali, Rwanda. The two-day meeting of public and private organizations is focused on expanding the continent’s information and communication technology infrastructure, especially internet broadband.

  • In a message delivered by Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang, the Secretary-General stressed that narrowing the digital divide is a key part of global development. Such technologies can empower women and the poor; facilitate the delivery of health services; create business opportunities; and enable young people to act as catalysts for change, he said.

  • Microsoft and the International Telecommunication Union today launched a joint project to track development in this area, while the World Bank announced it would double its commitment for information technology infrastructure in Africa to $2 billion over the next five years.

IRAN: NUCLEAR WATCHDOG REITERATES HOPE FOR DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION

  • Asked about comments made by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei’s, the Spokeswoman noted that the transcript of his comments to CNN is available on the IAEA web site.

  • He said that “we are doing right now is, through the IAEA and the European Union, Javier Solana, is to try to make sure that we control the nascent enrichment capability in Iran and create the conditions for Iran and the Europeans, particularly the U.S., to go into negotiation … We are trying to make sure that the future intention of Iran is peaceful, and that’s really what we are talking about.”

  • Montas noted that ElBaradei repeated that he has urged Iran to suspend enrichment, and that he hopes there will be a diplomatic solution to this problem.

  • Asked about the Secretary-General’s view on ElBaradei’s comments, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General has expressed, and continues to express, his full confidence in Dr. ElBaradei.

  • Asked whether the Security Council would close its file on Iran, the Spokeswoman said that was a matter for the Council members to decide. She noted that the IAEA was continuing its technical assessment work on Iran's nuclear programme.

  • Asked about ElBaradei’s comments concerning the Israeli attack on a Syrian facility, Montas said that the Secretary-General had no comment. She noted that Syria had mentioned the incident to the Security Council without requesting further action.

  • She added that, because of his tight schedule, ElBaradei would not be able to hold a press conference while he is in New York.

GUARDS PREVENTED FROM JOINING U.N. IN IRAQ
FOLLOWING CRIMINAL ALLEGATIONS

  • Asked about allegations made against some Fijians who were scheduled to travel to Iraq, the Spokeswoman confirmed that the United Nations has received information of criminal allegations against a number of individuals scheduled to deploy to Iraq as part of the regular rotation of the Fiji Guard Company.

  • As per standard UN policy and procedures and in close cooperation with Fijian authorities, seven individuals were prevented from leaving the country and will not be part of the UN deployment, she said. The issue now rests with the Fijian authorities.

NEW DRIVE AIMS TO COUNT ALL BIRTHS AND DEATHS

  • The Health Metrics Network, which is hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), today launched a drive to encourage countries to count all births and deaths through civil registration.

  • WHO says such statistics are needed to show whether health programs are working and whether development aid is being well spent.

  • Also, when children's births are not registered, they are less likely to benefit from basic human rights, the agency says.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

TOURISM CAN FOSTER SPIRITUAL AND CULTURAL RESPECT: The UN World Tourism Organization (WTO) today opened the International Conference on Religions and the Dialogue of Cultures, in Cordoba, Spain. In his message to mark this occasion, the Secretary-General said that in a global environment marked by rising intolerance and cross-cultural tensions, tourism can foster spiritual and cultural respect among peoples and create economic opportunities to benefit disadvantaged populations.He added that this conference has the potential to strengthen the UN initiative for an Alliance of Civilizations.

LEBANON REPORT SHOULD GO TO SECURITY COUNCIL SOON: Asked about the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of resolution 1701, concerning Lebanon, the Spokeswoman said that the report is going though the standard approval process and should go to the Security Council soon.

DISCIPLINARY FINDINGS NOT PUBLIC: Asked about the Joint Disciplinary Committee proceedings concerning Andrew Toh, the Spokeswoman said that the findings are not made public.