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nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp ARCHIVES
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE MONTAS
nbsp SPOKESPERSON FOR SE ETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, June
13, 2008
BAN KI-MOON
KOSOVO PROPOSALS REPRESENT A WAY FORWARD
Se etary-General Ban Ki-moon started the day in London
with a working breakfast meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
nbsp
They discussed the upcoming 25 September High-Level
Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, the Middle
East, Kosovo and the rise in food and oil prices.
nbsp
Speaking to reporters afterward, the Se etary-General
said that he
was aware that the proposals he presented to the Security Council a day
earlier on Kosovo may not fully satisfy all sides, yet he fully believes that
what he proposed will prove to be the least objectionable course to all and
can offer us a way forward.
nbsp
The Se etary-General and his wife, Ban Soon-taek, later
had an audience with Queen Elizabeth II. He also addressed the UN Association
of the United Kingdom, discussing the central role of the United Nations in
world affairs and highlighting the UN''''s work on climate change, global health,
terrorism, disarmament and non-proliferation.
nbsp
The Se etary General plans
to fly to Jeddah tomorrow for talks with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz
Al-Saud. nbsp
nbsp
He will be back in London on
Sunday evening for further talks with British officials. He is scheduled to
attend the International Maritime Organization’s 60th Anniversary
Event in London on Monday.
ZIMBABWE:
UNICEF CALLS FOR RESUMPTION OF HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS
In his
remarks to
reporters in London earlier today, the Se etary-General recalled his meeting
with President Robert Mugabe last week in Rome, saying he emphasized the
importance of ensuring that there would be no further violence, and that this
forthcoming Presidential run-off election should be held in a most transparent
and fair and convincing and edible way.
nbsp
The Se etary-General said he had urged President Mugabe
to take all necessary measures to ensure that. And he also said he had urged
the President that humanitarian assistance should be allowed to be delivered
to those in need.
nbsp
Meanwhile, UNICEF, on the eve of the Day of the African
Child, expressed
its deep concern at the Zimbabwe Government’s suspension of access for
non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, who are now prevented from
reaching the country’s most vulnerable children.
nbsp
The UN Children’s Fund called for a full and immediate
resumption of programmes run by NGOs that are itical for the country’s
children.
nbsp URGENT STEPS NEEDED TO BROADEN NATIONAL
RECONCILIATION IN IRAQ
The Security Council
met this
morning on non-proliferation. It was briefed by the Belgian Ambassador, in his
capacity as chair of the Security Council Committee dealing with resolution
1737, which concerns Iran.
nbsp
The Council then met on Iraq.
nbsp
Briefing Council members earlier today, Ibrahim Gambari,
the Se etary-General’s Special Adviser on the International Compact with Iraq
and Other Issues, said that, now more than ever, urgent steps are needed to
broaden national reconciliation.
nbsp
Addressing such fundamental issues as the sharing of
resources, the future federal nature of the Iraqi State, and the resolution of
disputed internal boundaries, requires wisdom, patience and strong political
will, he added.
nbsp
UN Controller Warren Sach also briefed Council members in
his capacity as the Se etary-General’s representative on the
International Advisory and Monitoring Board
(IAMB).
nbsp
Meanwhile, the Se etary-General’s latest
report on
Kosovo, which went to Security Council members yesterday, is now available as
a public document.
nbsp SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS ERITREAN
ACTION IN DJIBOUTI
Yesterday evening, the Security Council
adopted a
Presidential Statement on Djibouti and Eritrea.
nbsp
The Council condemned Eritrea’s recent military action
against Djibouti, called on both parties to commit to a ceasefire, and urged
Eritrea in particular to show maximum restraint and withdraw its forces from
the area.
nbsp U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF TO HEAD TO CYPRUS
NEXT WEEK
The Security Council today adopted a resolution on
Cyprus, extending
the mandate of the UN Mission there until 15 December 2008.
nbsp
Under-Se etary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn
Pascoe, will be visiting Cyprus on 17 June for consultations about the ongoing
political process on the island with the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Dimitris
Christofias, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat.
nbsp ETHIOPIA HUMANITARIAN APPEAL IN EASES
nbsp FOLLOWING DROUGHT amp OP FAILURE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) has
drawn attention to the revised appeal for Ethiopia, which represented a
considerable in ease in the amount previously asked for – from 68 to more
than 325 million. nbsp
nbsp
The majority of that money – some 268 million – is
needed for food, after drought and op failure caused the number of people in
need of emergency humanitarian aid to more than double, from 2.2 million to
4.6 million Ethiopians. nbsp
nbsp
The worst-affected areas were in south and south-eastern
Ethiopia, including Oromia, where livestock had already died from lack of
water. nbsp
nbsp
Assistance was urgently needed to avert loss of life and
further deterioration of the health of an estimated 75,000 children who were
already suffering from acute malnutrition and illness. nbsp
nbsp
John Holmes, the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator and
Under-Se etary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, urged donors to respond
immediately and generously to prevent a recurrence of previous disasters.
nbsp TIMOR-LESTE: U.N. TO SUPPORT SECURITY
SECTOR REFORM
In
Timor-Leste, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão signed an agreement
today between the Government of Timor-Leste and the United Nations Development
Programme in support of the UN Mission’s mandate to formalize support for
reform of the security sector in the country.
nbsp
The agreement, outlined in the Security Sector Review
Project, details the technical assistance and advice that the United Nations
will provide to the Government. The objective is to strengthen the nation’s
ability to protect itse , both internally and externally.
nbsp
According to Atul Khare, the Special Representative of
the Se etary-General for Timor-Leste, “The review, reform and development of
the security sector are vital to strengthening institutions that can weather
future ises without external assistance and that will help Timor-Leste
establish itse as a strong demo acy, upholding the rule of law and
promoting human rights.”
nbsp
The Review will be finalized by early to mid-2009.
nbsp DIESEL FUEL NEEDED IN MYANMAR
Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Se etary of the Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), has
called on
donors to help meet Myanmar’s urgent needs for one million gallons of diesel
fuel.
nbsp
According to Heyzer, diesel is needed to operate some
5,000 tillers, which will help rice farmers to prepare for the June/July
growing season.
nbsp
Cyclone Nargis destroyed livestock and buffaloes, which
are the traditional animals used for plowing, ESCAP says.
nbsp
Heyzer visited Myanmar this week.
nbsp WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME APPROVES NEW
STRATEGIC PLAN
nbsp TO ADDRESS SOARING HUNGER NEEDS
The Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP) has
approved a new
four-year strategic plan that will be itical to addressing soaring hunger
needs due to the global food isis.
nbsp
The strategic plan emphasises life-saving emergency aid,
such as the 3 million vulnerable served in Darfur with emergency food aid. But
it also emphasises prevention, local purchase of food, and using targeted cash
and voucher programs when food is available locally but not accessible by the
hungry.
nbsp
The approval of WFP’s 4-year strategic plan follows last
week’s High-Level Conference on World Food Security in Rome, where world
leaders gathered to discuss hunger and agriculture development issues against
the back of high global food and fuel prices. Recent market shocks and
climate change make the challenges of feeding some 90 million people even
greater.
nbsp CLIMATE CHANGE MEETING WRAPS UP
WITH CLEARER UNDERSTANDING ON POSSIBLE AGREEMENT
The latest round of UN-sponsored global climate change
negotiations
concluded today in Bonn, Germany.
nbsp
The conference, which drew more than 2,000 participants
from 170 countries, was part of a series of meeting designed to negotiate a UN
climate change deal in Copenhagen in 2009.
nbsp
It was the second major UN climate change meeting this
year following the launch of negotiations in Bali in 2007.
nbsp
Three important workshops on adaptation, finance and
technology took place in Bonn, designed to deepen the understanding of the
issues related to the building blocks of the Copenhagen agreement.
nbsp
Yvo de Boer, Executive Se etary of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change, said there was now a clearer
understanding among Governments on what countries would ultimately like to see
written into a long-term agreement to address climate change.
nbsp
The next meeting of the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change will take place in Ac a, Ghana, at the end of August and will
focus on reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries and nbsp
sector-specific approaches - for example for steel or cement sectors - when
tackling climate change.
nbsp CHINA, U.A.E. MAKE IMPRESSIVE PROGRESS
nbsp IN ENSURING SAFE BLOOD DONATION
China and the United Arab Emirates have made impressive
strides nbsp in tackling the risk of contamination from unsafe blood, the World
Health Organization (WHO)
said nbsp today. They have done that by reaching close to 100 voluntary blood
donation.
nbsp
Their efforts to in ease their safe blood base will be
promoted nbsp as models for other countries to follow on the occasion of World
Blood Donor Day, which will be observed tomorrow.
nbsp
According to WHO, access to safe blood is a key component
of effective health care and voluntary donors are the cornerstone of a safe
blood supply.
nbsp INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE NEEDS TO BE
TAKEN SERIOUSLY
In 100 days, the world will take part in the
International Day of Peace.
nbsp
The Se etary-General, in a video
message out
today, says the world needs to take this day of ceasefire and non-violence
very seriously. We need to start planning for it now, he says.
nbsp
He adds, “That is why today, I am asking Governments,
communities and individuals to start preparing con ete activities for the
International Day of Peace and beyond. On 21 September, let us send a real
signal of our universal desire for peace.”
nbsp OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADOPTS REVIEW OUTCOMES FOR 32
STATES: The Human Rights Council
concluded today its adoption of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic
Review on the reports of 32 countries. nbsp Those countries had been the first to
undergo the review process over the course of the first two sessions of the
Working Group, held in April and May this year. nbsp Today, the Universal Periodic
Review covered the reports on Sri Lanka, France, Tonga, Romania, and Mali
TOURISM CHIEF TO STEP DOWN: The Se etary-General of
the UN World Tourism Organization, Francesco Frangialli,
announced that he would be stepping down at the beginning of 2009 to allow
for a smooth transition before the end of his final term of office. He noted
that the membership of his agency had expanded to 153 States during his tenure.
THE WEEK
AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Saturday, June 14
Today is World Blood Donor
Day.
The Se etary-General leaves
for an official visit to Saudi Arabia.
Sunday, June 15
The Se etary-General leaves
for an official visit to the United Kingdom.
Monday, June 16
The Security Council expects
to hold consultations on Liberia, following a briefing on the recent Security
Council mission to Africa.
The Se etary-General is
scheduled to attend the International Maritime Organization’s 60th
Anniversary Event in London.
In
Geneva, Richard Falk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
in the occupied Palestinian territory, presents a report to
the Human Rights Council.
Today through 30 June, Philip
Alston, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary
or arbitrary executions, undertakes a country visit to the U.S.
Chiefs of Public Information
and Spokespersons from some twenty peacekeeping, peacebuilding and special
political missions will meet at UN Headquarters in New York for an annual
workshop organized by DPI and DPKO.
Tuesday, June 17
Today
through tomorrow, the Executive Se etaries of the five UN Regional Commissions
meet in Addis Ababa to coordinate their analytical, normative, advocacy and
operational activities.
In London, UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNH ), António Guterres, marks World Refugee Day (20 June) by
opening UNH ’s “Experience Darfur” refugee camp in Trafalgar Square. nbsp
At 10.30 a.m. in Geneva, UNH
launches its Global Trends Report for 2007.
Under-Se etary-General for
Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, leaves for Cyprus for consultations on the
ongoing political process on the island with the Greek Cypriot leader, Dimitris
Christofias, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat.
At 11.15 a.m. in S226, UN System Influenza Coordinator Dr.
David Nabarro provides an on avian influenza
and pandemic preparedness.
From 1.15 p.m. to 2.45 p.m., the United Nations University
Office at the UN in New York (UNU-ONY) holds a UNU Midday Forum entitled
“Preventive Diplomacy at the UN.”
Wednesday, June 18
The Security Council is
expected to extend the mandate of the Panel of
Experts on Liberia.
Thursday, June 19
U.S. Se etary of State
Condoleezza Rice, is expected to chair a Security Council Debate on women, peace
and security.
In
Geneva, the third annual cycle of the Human Rights Council begins with an
organizational meeting at which the new Bureau and President take office.
nbsp
nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Office of the Spokesperson for the
Se etary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
