Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 12 November 2007

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

Monday, November 12, 2007

BAN KI-MOON CALLS U.N.-FACILITATED D.R.C.-RWANDA ACCORD
A “SIGNIFICANT BREAKTHROUGH”

  • Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commends the Governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda on their joint communiqué, signed in Nairobi, Kenya, on 10 November, through the United Nations.
  • The agreement between them on a common approach and immediate, concrete steps to carry it out marks a significant breakthrough.
  • This approach offers an opportunity for the comprehensive resolution of the fundamental problems posed by irregular armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
  • It is also an important step towards restoring peace and security for the populations that have suffered for so long.
  • The Secretary-General reiterates his calls on all irregular groups operating in the DRC to lay down their arms, and seize the opportunity for a normal life.
  • The Secretary-General notes that the agreed steps include actions to fight impunity.
  • He urges both Governments to act urgently to implement all the agreed measures and calls upon their international partners to support these efforts and to increase humanitarian assistance to respond to the dire situation on the ground.
  • For its part, the United Nations is committed to supporting both Governments in their implementation of their common approach, and to help ensure the protection of civilians.

MYANMAR: BAN KI-MOON HOPES FOR
MEANINGFUL AND SUBSTANTIVE DIALOGUE

  • The Secretary-General has been briefed today by his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, on the outcome of his recent visit to Myanmar.
  • As a result of this visit, a process has been launched that will hopefully lead to a meaningful and substantive dialogue with concrete outcomes within an agreed timeframe. The Secretary-General welcomes the willingness expressed by both sides to work with the United Nations to this end.
  • The Secretary-General reiterates that the return to the status quo that existed before the crisis is not sustainable and he encourages the Government and all relevant parties to redouble their efforts towards achieving national reconciliation, democracy and full respect for human rights.
  • He looks forward to his Special Adviser’s early return to Myanmar, as part of an open and regular process of mutual engagement.
  • Asked how the Secretary-General was briefed, the Spokeswoman said that he and Gambari, who is in New York, had spoken by phone.
  • She added, in response to further questions, that Gambari would speak to the press after he has briefed the Security Council. The briefing has not yet been scheduled.

INDEPENDENT HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT BEGINS VISIT TO MYANMAR

  • Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, arrived in that country yesterday and then held consultations with senior Government officials.
  • Later, he met with the senior abbots of the State Governing Body of the Buddhist Clergy, and he later visited two monasteries involved in the recent demonstrations.
  • Among his other travels, Pinheiro visited the former Government Technical College, where he met with the personnel in charge of the detainees held there during the days of the demonstrations. The Special Rapporteur also visited the Insein Jail. He is expecting to interview detainees before the end of his mission.
  • The Special Rapporteur is expected to travel to Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday.

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS WITH BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT

  • Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is in Brasilia today, where he met with and held a working luncheon with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
  • The Secretary-General spoke to reporters after meeting Lula, and said that he and the Brazilian President had discussed the strong partnership between the United Nations and Brazil; his appreciation for Brazil’s role in UN peacekeeping, especially in Haiti; and plans to hold a high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (NPT) early next year.
  • The Secretary-General discussed climate change, and he also asked for a greater Brazilian contribution to the Central Emergency Revolving Fund (CERF), in light of the growing number of natural disasters.
  • The Secretary-General was asked about Pakistan, and he said that he expects President Pervez Musharraf to meet the expectations of the international community regarding the democratization of the country. He reiterated his hope that Pakistan will do more to release political detainees, including the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.
  • Yesterday, he visited an ethanol plant in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, and in a press encounter afterwards told reporters that he was very much impressed by the efforts of the Brazilian Government and business enterprises to address global warming issues by developing renewable and clean energy sources.
  • He said that the ethanol plant was one of many green technologies that show promise in offsetting global warming. The Secretary-General underscored that biofuels have great potential for good and, perhaps, also for harm. It is up to national governments to responsibly balance the social costs and benefits.
  • On Saturday, the Secretary-General was in Chile, where he flew by helicopter over the Grey Glacier to see firsthand the effects of climate change. Afterwards, he told reporters that he felt both sad and alarmed when he saw the deep cracks in the glacier and how quickly the glacier was melting.
  • Before leaving Chile, the Secretary-General delivered a statement alongside President Michele Bachelet, saying that his travels through Chile and Antarctica had been “an eye-opener on many levels.” As a result of those travels, he now believed, more than ever before, that a global calamity awaits us if we did not act.
  • In a statement issued over the weekend following his visit Friday to Antarctica, the Secretary-General said that Antarctica is on the verge of a catastrophe for the world, with the glaciers on King George Island having shrunk by 10 percent. He said that he had seen Antarctica's beauty – and the danger global warming represents, and the urgency that we do something about it. “I am determined that we shall,” the Secretary-General said.

CLIMATE CHANGE PANEL MEETS AHEAD OF RELEASE
OF MAJOR SYNTHESIS REPORT

  • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) opened its 27th session in Valencia, Spain, today. Over the next five days, delegates will synthesize the information gathered by the IPCC’s various working groups and released in a series of three reports earlier this year.
  • The Fourth Assessment Report will constitute the core source of factual information about climate change for policy-makers in the years to come.
  • The Secretary-General will be in Valencia when the Report is released on Saturday.

SECRETARY-GENERAL IS CONCERNED OVER DELAY
IN DEPLOYMENT OF DARFUR FORCE

  • The Secretary-General, in his latest report on the deployment of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), says he is concerned that the security incidents over the past month and the continuing delays in the deployment of UNAMID could lead to a further deterioration of the situation on the ground.
  • It is urgent, he said, that at this time, those Member States which are in a position to contribute the missing transportation and aviation capabilities for UNAMID do so. Without these critical units, the mission will not be able to implement its mandate, he said.
  • He also urged the Sudanese Government to agree to the troop composition of UNAMID jointly submitted by the African Union and the United Nations.
  • He reiterated that the deployment of a robust peacekeeping force will make a difference and help to improve the security conditions on the ground. However, it is only through political dialogue and inclusive consultations that the parties will be able to reach a viable, sustainable and comprehensive solution to the crisis there.

SOMALIA: DEPLOYMENT OF U.N. PEACEKEEPERS “NOT REALISTIC”

  • In his latest report on Somalia, the Secretary-General says that overall security, political and humanitarian conditions there have worsened.
  • Under the prevailing conditions, he says that the deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation is not a realistic and viable option. Nevertheless, a strategic assessment of UN interventions in Somalia has begun, with a view to provide an integrated approach for continued UN engagement in that country.
  • While the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) reviews and updates existing contingency plans to assist the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Secretary-General says it might be advisable to consider, among other options, the deployment of a robust multinational force or coalition of the willing. Such a force could start as a small and self-sustaining one, and then grow over time by meeting specific milestones. In due time, he says, such forces could reach a level that would allow for a gradual withdrawal of Ethiopian forces.
  • Among the report’s recommendations, the Secretary-General proposes a two-tracked approach based on political dialogue within the transitional government and between it and its opponents, as well as the strengthening of the existing African Union Mission in Somalia.
  • He adds that a coherent peacebuilding strategy is being crafted and an integrated task force is being established to support peacebuilding efforts.
  • In an update, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that another 24,000 people fled Mogadishu last week due to fighting between insurgent and government forces. This brings to 114,000 the number of Mogadishu residents who have fled since October.
  • Meanwhile, in Nairobi, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, this weekend completed a series of consultations with Somali officials, including President Adullahi Yusuf and the Chairman of the National Reconciliation Congress.
  • This morning Ould-Abdallah began a meeting with representatives from civil society and non-governmental organizations involved in Somalia to discuss the difficulties they face in working there.

NEW U.N. ENVOY TAKES UP DUTIES IN IRAQ

  • The Secretary-General’s new Special Representative for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, arrived in Baghdad yesterday and immediately assumed his responsibilities.
  • Upon arrival, de Mistura said, “I look forward to carrying out my responsibilities in light of the newly adopted Security Council resolution 1770, which extended and expanded the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq’s (UNAMI) mandate, in the service of the Iraqi people.”
  • He added that he intends to ensure the maximum UN engagement with both the government and people of Iraq.

U.N. TRIBUNAL ARRESTS CAMBODIA’S EX-FOREIGN MINISTER AND HIS WIFE

  • Today, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia announced that former Cambodian Foreign Minister Ieng Sary and his wife Ieng Thirith have been arrested in execution of an arrest warrant, delivered by the Court’s Co-Investigating Judges.
  • Ieng Sary was charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes and Ieng Thirith with crimes against humanity.
  • They have both been brought to the facilities of the Extraordinary Chambers. Further details are expected to be released tomorrow.

FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC CONTINUE
AS U.N. APPEAL REMAINS UNFUNDED

  • As part of U.N. flood relief efforts in the Dominican Republic, the World Food Programme has so far distributed 14 tons of high-protein biscuits. Another 44 tons are to arrive within a week, while nearly 200 tons of rice, beans, corn and vegetable oil are being purchased for distribution.
  • UNICEF is providing water and sanitation, hygiene, health and nutrition services.
  • While several governments are also providing assistance, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs notes that it has yet to receive any pledges for its $14 million flash appeal, which was launched almost a week ago.

NEW REPORT NOTES FALTERING PROGRESS
TOWARDS CLEARING LANDMINES BY 2010

  • The 2007 Landmine Monitor Report was launched earlier today in Geneva by the UN Institute for Disarmament Research.

    It says global efforts to clear landmines by 2010 are faltering and may not be achieved after all.
  • Except for 14 countries, the report amounts to a rather dismal score card for Member States who have signed the Mine Ban Treaty.

BAN KI-MOON STRESSES U.N. ROLE IN
ENSURING GLOBAL REACH OF THE INTERNET

  • The second meeting of the UN Internet Governance Forum opened today in Rio de Janeiro.
  • In a message to that gathering, delivered by Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Sha Zukang, the Secretary-General said that although the UN does not have a role in managing the Internet, the Organization embraces the opportunity to provide, through the Forum, a platform that helps ensure the Internet's global reach.
  • He hailed the Forum as a unique opportunity to develop an innovative dialogue freed from the constraints of negotiating a text. He also noted that it brought together people who normally do not meet under the same roof, as an example of how Internet technologies can help unite the human family.

GLOBAL FUND GIVES OUT MORE THAN $1 BILLION IN GRANTS

  • The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today approved the largest funding round in its five-year history, in the form of 73 new grants worth more than $1.1 billion over two years.
  • More than 80 percent of that money is for low-income countries, with two thirds of the funds going to Africa.
  • The West Bank and Gaza also joined the Fund’s portfolio for the first time, having successfully applied for support for an HIV-prevention programme.

U.N. SHARES NYC MAYOR’S CONCERNS ABOUT HEADQUARTERS SAFETY

  • The Spokeswoman, in response to a question concerning a story reported in the Washington Times, later confirmed that the United Nations had received a letter on the safety of UN Headquarters from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
  • But she said that the United Nations shares the Mayor’s concerns, and noted that the article had detailed what the United Nations has done in response to the City’s concerns.
  • The long-term plan to improve the building’s security, Okabe said, is the refurbishment detailed in the Capital Master Plan, which is currently being discussed by the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee. Meanwhile, improvements in fire safety and other areas requiring urgent attention are being actively pursued in close coordination with New York City.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

BERLIN PHILHARMONIC NAMED UNICEF GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: The Berlin Philharmonic has become UNICEF’s latest Goodwill Ambassador. A formal ceremony marking the appointment will take place on Saturday at the United Palace Theater, where more than 100 New York City schoolchildren will join the orchestra for a dance project based on Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME CHIEF TO FOCUS ON “SILENT EMERGENCIES” DURING TRIP TO WEST AFRICA: Josette Sheeran, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, today began a five-day visit to Mali and Senegal, during which she plans to highlight the need for renewed attention to West Africa’s “silent emergencies”. She notes that a gathering storm of factors, including desertification, land degradation, spiralling food prices in the face of the rise of biofuels, child malnutrition and low school enrolment rates is making life for the region’s rural poor more challenging than ever.