HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY
MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN HEADQUARTERS,
NEW YORK
Friday,
March 7, 2008
BAN KI-MOON PRAISES OUTGOING HUMAN
RIGHTS CHIEF
In a
statement
attributable directly to him, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said: “It is with
great regret that I learned of the decision of Louise Arbour not to seek a
second term as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"She has fulfilled her four-year mandate with immense
dedication, and I have been most impressed by her extraordinary courage,
energy and integrity in speaking out forcefully on human rights, which is
among the UN’s most important mandates. She has taken on the challenge of this
difficult assignment in precisely the way that I would have expected.
“She has never hesitated to incur the criticism of States
or other entities by highlighting the victims of abuses, and the inadequacies
of legal systems everywhere. She has consistently represented the highest
ideals of the United Nations, and the many tributes being paid to her today
around the world are richly deserved.
“Her legacy will be one of a strengthened and more
wide-ranging United Nations human rights system, a stronger focus on justice
and accountability, reformed protection mechanisms, and a more balanced
approach to the full range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural
rights.
“On behalf of the United Nations, and personally too, I
thank her for her outstanding service and wish all the best in her future
endeavors.”
Asked about a successor to
Arbour, the Spokeswoman noted that Arbour would stay on until the end of her
term this summer, and in the meantime, the Secretary-General would look for a
qualified candidate to succeed her.
Asked about the
Secretary-General’s satisfaction with Arbour’s work, Montas, recalling what
the Secretary-General had said about her, stressed that he was very satisfied.
LOUISE ARBOUR PRESENTS FINAL ANNUAL
REPORT
AS U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER TO HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today
presented her annual report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. She
announced that this would be her last annual report, adding that she had
informed the Secretary-General that she would not seek a second term after her
mandate expired at the end of June.
Referring to specific regions, Arbour said the situation
of renewed conflict in West Darfur was extremely worrying and that she has
also been concerned by further acts of violence in Sri Lanka.
On a positive note, she welcomed the Government of
Nepal’s efforts to address the issue of statelessness and commended the
Government of Togo for its initiative to hold broad-based, national
consultations on questions of reconciliation and justice.
BAN KI-MOON CONDEMNS ATTACK IN WEST
JERUSALEM
In a
statement issued
late Thursday afternoon, the Secretary-General condemned in the strongest
terms the savage attack on a Jewish seminary in west Jerusalem, and the
deliberate killing and injuring of civilians. He extended his condolences to
the families of those killed.
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the
potential for continued acts of violence and terrorism to undermine the
political process, which he believes must be pursued to achieve a secure and
lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians, based on a two-State solution.
Security Council members, in consultations Thursday
evening, were briefed on the attack in Jerusalem by Under-Secretary-General
for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe.
Meanwhile, the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General for
Children and
Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, voiced her grave concern regarding
the recent targeting of schools in the Middle East, saying that all parties
should respect schools and preserve them as zones of peace.
Asked whether the Secretary-General is considering any extraordinary measures
to deal with the escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence, the Spokeswoman said
that he is contacting leaders by phone on this, and asserted that he was
extremely concerned about the situation.
UNICEF WORKS TO HELP TRAUMATIZED
CHILDREN IN GAZA
On Gaza, UNICEF says it is concerned that teaching kits
and construction materials needed to repair schools continue to be blocked by
Israeli authorities. Because schools remain closed, UNICEF has distributed
enough School-in-a-Box kits for 800 students.
In addition, UNICEF has dispatched 20 educators who
specialize in psychological trauma to areas hit by recent attacks. The agency
reports that clinics that treat children for psychological problems have had a
60% increase in consultations in the last few days.
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CALLS FOR END TO
ATTACKS BY ISRAEL
AND FIRING OF CRUDE ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL
The Human Rights Council yesterday
adopted a resolution on the Middle East. The subject was officially
designated as: “human rights violations emanating from Israeli military
attacks and incursions in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the
recent ones in the occupied Gaza Strip.”
According to the resolution, which was adopted by 33
votes in favor with one against and 13 abstentions, the Human Rights Council
called for the immediate cessation of all Israeli military attacks throughout
the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as the firing of crude rockets
that had resulted in the loss of two civilian lives and some injuries in
southern Israel.
The Human Rights Council also called for urgent
international action to put an immediate end to the grave violations committed
by the occupying Power, Israel, in the occupied Palestinian territory.
BAN KI-MOON INTENDS TO APPOINT KAI EIDE
OF NORWAY
AS U.N. ENVOY IN AFGHANISTAN
The Secretary-General has informed the Security Council
of his intention to appoint Kai Eide of Norway as his Special Representative
for Afghanistan and head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Eide replaces Tom Koenigs of Germany, who completed his
assignment in December 2007.
Eide previously served with the United Nations as Special
Envoy of the Secretary-General to deliver a comprehensive review of Kosovo in
2005, and as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bosnia and
Herzegovina in 1997-98.
The UN Secretariat is awaiting the response from the
Security Council.
U.N. ENVOY MEETS GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN
MYANMAR
On the second day of his visit to
Myanmar, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, met
with Myanmar’s Government Authoritative Team, including the Ministers of
Foreign Affairs, Information and Culture. They held candid discussions on
present and future cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations in the
context of the Secretary-General’s good offices mandate.
Gambari also met with members of the Referendum Convening
Commission and the Constitution Drafting Committee, and had detailed
discussions on the ongoing constitutional process.
Gambari looks forward to holding further discussions with
the leadership and Government on Myanmar and all other relevant interlocutors.
Asked whether Gambari would see
Aung San Suu Kyi, the Spokeswoman said that he had requested such a meeting,
which was being arranged.Asked whether he would see Senior General Than Shwe,
Montas said that he planned to do so.
She declined to respond to
remarks made by Myanmar officials about Gambari, noting that Gambari’s work
was continuing on the ground.
Asked about any sanctions on
the arms trade in Myanmar, Montas said that would be an issue for the Security
Council.
BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES COLOMBIA-ECUADOR
RESOLUTION
In a
statement issued
late Thursday yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General welcomed the leading
role being played by the Organization of American States in addressing the
tensions that have arisen since last weekend between Colombia and Ecuador.
The resolution adopted at the OAS yesterday provides an
impartial mechanism to clarify events and offers both countries a path to
resolve their differences peacefully and cooperatively.
The Secretary-General extends his full support to that
process.
Asked whether the
Secretary-General had spoken to any of the leaders involved in the dispute,
the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General had received a telephone call
from Colombian President Alvaro Uribe earlier this week.
U.N. ENVOY DISCUSSES TURKEY-IRAQ
RELATIONS IN ANKARA
Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Iraq, arrived in
Ankara yesterday, where he met with senior Turkish officials on issues
concerning Iraq.
Both sides shared the view that the encouraging changes
in the security situation in Iraq and the positive developments in the
political process provide an opportunity to make 2008 a year of substantive
progress in the country, although some serious challenges still remain.
They expressed their strong belief that the visit of
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to Turkey would represent an important step for
Turkish-Iraqi relations and for the regional dialogue.
U.N. OFFICIAL WELCOMES ARREST OF
“MERCHANT OF DEATH”
The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) praised Thailand
for arresting the notorious weapons smuggler Viktor Bout in Bangkok.
Antonio Maria Costa also urged Thailand to ratify the UN
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in order to make it easier to
bring criminals of his ilk to justice, for example through mutual legal
assistance and extradition".
Bout, dubbed "the merchant of death", has been accused of
profiting from some of the world's most violent conflicts.
Costa also urged Member States to ratify the UN Firearms
Protocol and implement its measures to stop arms dealers from flooding the
world with illicit weapons. UNODC, the custodian of the Firearms Protocol,
says close to 1 billion guns are in circulation around the world, three
quarters of which are in the hands of civilians.
MORE WOMEN WORKING THAN EVER BEFORE, BUT
HALF IN LOW-PAID JOBS
In its latest
report on global employment trends for women, the International Labour
Office says more women working than ever before. But half of them are in
low-paid and vulnerable jobs, with no social protection or basic rights.
The number of employed women in 2007 -- one-point-two
(1.2) billion -- was nearly 20 percent higher than a decade earlier, but still
two thirds the number of employed men. Over the last decade, the service
sector has overtaken agriculture as the prime employer of women.
Overall, the report found that policies to help women
participate equally in labour markets are starting to pay off. But
significant disparities remain, and many regions still have a long way to go
in the full economic integration of women.
WORLD NEEDS MORE HEALTH WORKERS
The first-ever Global Forum on Human Resources for Health
is wrapping up today in Kampala, Uganda.
Organized by the Global Health Workforce Alliance, which
is hosted and administered by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Forum
called for immediate and sustained action to resolve the critical shortage
of health workers around the world. It also laid out the essential steps
needed over the next decade to turn the crisis around.
According to WHO, the world needs over four million
additional health workers, and at least 57 countries around the world are
suffering from an acute shortage. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected.
INTERNET GAME BRINGS RICE TO WORLD’S
HUNGRY
Since it began last October, the World Food Programme (WFP)’s
internet word game called FreeRice has
generated 21
billion grains of rice for the world’s hungry. That is enough to feed more
than one million people for a day.
The game – in which players donate 20 grains of rice to
WFP every time they get a right answer – attracts up to 500,000 people a day,
says creator John Breen.
The first donations paid for rice for refugees from
Myanmar sheltering in Bangladesh. Later consigments went to schoolchildren in
Uganda and pregnant and nursing women in Cambodia. The next one is destined
for Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. We have more information upstairs.
KEY AFRICA DEVELOPMENT GROUP TO MEET ON
MONDAY
Taking place on Monday will be the second meeting of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Africa
Steering Group,
which is an initiative of the Secretary-General, who has made the MDGs one of
his major priorities this year.
The objective of the Steering Group is to bring together
the international development community to accelerate progress toward the
Goals in sub-Saharan Africa.
At a press conference that will follow the meeting, the
Secretary General will be joined by: Donald Kaberuka, President of the African
Development Bank; Alpha Oumar Konaré, Chairman of the African Union
commission; Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and
Humanitarian Aid, representing the President of the European Community;
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund;
Mohammed Ennifar, Senior Advisor, representing the President of the Islamic
Development Bank; Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and Robert Zoellick, President
of the World Bank.
Over the past few months, the different organizations
that will participate in the press conference have worked together closely to
identify the most promising ways in which progress can be accelerated towards
achieving the MDGs in sub-Saharan Africa, the region where over 40 percent of
the population lives on less than $1 a day.
The Secretary-General first convened the MDG Africa
Steering Group on 14 September 2007, in an effort to mobilize the leaders of
the UN system and major multilateral and intergovernmental organizations in
support of reaching the MDGs in Africa.
The Group is focusing on: strengthening international
mechanisms for implementation in the five areas of: health, education,
agriculture and food security, infrastructure and statistical systems;
improving aid predictability; and enhancing coordination at the country level.
It is supported by the MDG Africa Working Group, composed
of representatives of the UN system and other major multilateral organizations
and chaired by the UN’s Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro.
For the past several months the Working Group has
identified a set of key recommendations and initiatives that, if implemented,
would support African countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY TO BE
OBSERVED SATURDAY
Tomorrow is International Women’s Day.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has
issued a
statement in which she calls on states to end laws that discriminate
against women. Such laws are still on the books in nearly every country, she
said, and repeated promises by states to revise or repeal them have not been
honored.
Meanwhile, UNICEF, in its statement, stressed the
importance of investing in maternal health care, as a way to reduce the
estimated half a million pregnancy-related deaths each year.
Ian Martin, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative in Nepal, also made a
statement, on how that country’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement and
preparations for the upcoming Constituent Assembly elections present a unique
opportunity to invest in women and girls.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
UNICEF ASKED TO OVERSEE REUNIFICATION OF CHADIAN KIDS
WITH THEIR FAMLIES: UNICEF says that it was asked by the Government of Chad
to oversee the reunification with their families of 103 refugee children rescued
from an attempted kidnapping by activists from the French group Arc de Zoe.
UNICEF and its partners had been caring for the children since the arrest of the
activists in October.
SCHOOL CONFERENCE HELD AT U.N.: More than 600
students from around the world are currently taking part in the UN International
School’s 32nd annual conference. This year’s theme is “The Pursuit of Energy:
A Catalyst for Conflict”.
UGANDA ISSUE TO BE RESOLVED BY
COURTS: Asked about the Secretary-General’s
position on whether Ugandan national courts or the International Criminal Court
should try Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony, the Spokeswoman said that
was an issue to be resolved between the two courts.
NEPAL HELICOPTER CRASH BEING
INVESTIGATED: Asked about the cause of the
UN helicopter crash in Nepal, the Spokeswoman said that the matter was being
investigated by the Nepalese authorities, and the United Nations awaits their
results.
BAN KI-MOON TO OBSERVE ISLAMIC
CONFERENCE MEETING: Asked about the
Secretary-General’s expectations at the Organization of the Islamic Conference
meeting next week in Dakar, Senegal, the Spokeswoman said that the
Secretary-General would attend the meeting as an observer. While there, he would
also participate in the mini-summit convened by Senegalese President Abdoulaye
Wade that would bring together Presidents Idriss Deby of Chad and Omar al-Bashir
of Sudan.
UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT
RECOGNIZE STATES: Asked about declarations
of independence made in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Spokeswoman reiterated
that the United Nations does not recognize States; rather, that is done by
individual States.
SPOKESPERSON NOTES
ANTI-CORRUPTION MEASURES IN HAITI:
Asked about one report that millions of people are starving in Haiti, because of
red tape on imports, the Spokeswoman said she was not able to confirm, from the
United Nations Mission in Haiti, the elements in that press account. She only
noted the recent measures taken in that country against corruption in the ports.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS<![if !supportFootnotes]>[*]<![endif]>
08 March – 14 March 2008
Saturday, March 8
Today is International Women’s Day.
Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari continues his trip to
Myanmar, which began on 6 March.
Monday, March 10
This morning, the Security Council is scheduled to hold
consultations on the Secretary-General’s latest report on the implementation of
Resolution 1701, concerning Lebanon.
Today through Wednesday, the General Assembly holds
informal review sessions on Chapter V and VI of the Monterrey Consensus, in
preparation for the follow-up conference on the Monterrey Consensus in Doha,
Qatar (29 November - 2 December 2008).
The Secretary-General chairs the second meeting of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Africa Steering Group, which will review key
recommendations and initiatives to accelerate progress towards achieving the
MDGs in Africa.
At 12.15 p.m. in Conference Room 1, the Secretary-General
holds a joint press conference with Donald Kaberuka, President of the African
Development Bank; Alpha Oumar Konaré, Chairman of the African Union Commission;
Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid at the
European Commission; Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the
International Monetary Fund; Mohammed Ennifar, Senior Advisor, representing the
President of the Islamic Development Bank; Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; and Robert Zoellick,
President of the World Bank.
Beginning at 10 a.m. in the Trusteeship Council Chamber and
running through 4 April, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations holds
its 2008 substantive session.
All week in Vienna, the 51st session of the
Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the UN’s central policy-making body dealing with
illicit drugs, reviews the effectiveness of international drug control.
Tuesday, March 11
This morning, the Security Council is scheduled to hold a
briefing and consultations on the UN/AU Mission in Darfur.
At 11 a.m. in Conference Room 2, there will be an informal
meeting of the General Assembly to hear a briefing by the Secretary-General on
development issues.
At 11.15 a.m. in Room S-226, Ambassador Irakli
Alasania of Georgia, briefs the press on the situation concerning Abkhazia.
From 6.15 to 8.00 p.m. in the General Assembly Hall, the UN
Delegations Women’s Club hosts an event on “Women for Peace”. Mrs. Ban Soon-taek,
Wife of the Secretary-General, will deliver opening remarks.
Wednesday, March 12
This morning, the Security
Council is scheduled to hold an open debate on Afghanistan.
Today and tomorrow in Noumea, New
Caledonia, the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
convenes a high-level meeting on the challenges facing island states.
Thursday, March 13
Today and tomorrow, the
Secretary General is in Dakar, Senegal, to attend the 11th Summit of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference.
This morning, the Security
Council is scheduled to hold consultations on its Sudan Sanctions Committee and
on the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
At 11.15 a.m. in S-226, there
will be a press conference by Kingsley Amaning, UN Humanitarian
Coordinator for Chad.
Friday, March 14
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council
Chamber, the Peacebuilding Commission holds an open, informal meeting of the
Guinea-Bissau configuration.
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[*]<![endif]>This
document is for planning purposes only and is subject to change (current as
of
)
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
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