HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, July 31, 2008
SECURITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON EXTENDING DARFUR MISSION
The Security Council is scheduled to meet at 5:00 this afternoon to vote on a resolution extending the mandate of the UN-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). That Mission’s current mandate expires tonight.
Today is the last day of the Vietnamese Presidency of the Security Council. Tomorrow, Belgium will take over the Council’s rotating Presidency for the month of August.
In response to a question, the Spokeswoman later noted that the new Security Council President would brief the press on the programme of work for August next Monday.
SECURITY SITUATION IN DARFUR REMAINS RELATIVELY CALM
The UN-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) reports that the security situation in its area of operations has remained relatively calm. The Mission is conducting its routine patrols and escorts in all its locations.
The Mission has scheduled a team today to visit the Kalma Camp for internally displaced persons in South Darfur. On Monday, Sudan’s National Intelligence Service Security carried out a search in the Kalma Camp, confiscated some arms and ammunition and apprehended a number of suspects who were taken to Nyala. Afterward, some of the displaced persons at the camp said that the Security officers also confiscated their personal belongings.
Asked about a recent report about countries that could provide helicopters to UNAMID, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General has repeatedly appealed the international community to contribute helicopters to UNAMID.
This report, she said, strongly encourages capable countries to make available transport helicopters for UNAMID. It is essential, Montas added, that we redouble our efforts to equip UNAMID with helicopters and the necessary capabilities to carry out its renewed mandate.
U.N. MISSION IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA TO CEASE OPERATIONS
As of midnight tonight, the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) will have ceased operations. In its last formal press release, issued on Wednesday afternoon, the Mission said that it will remove its equipment and other assets from the Ethiopian side starting today.
Troops and equipment have already left Eritrea, as military operations ended there in February 2008 following Eritrea’s refusal to supply the mission with fuel.
For more than seven years, troops and civilian staff from some 46 countries served in the mission. As of now, just over 700 people remained employed by the mission, including 320 troops and 130 civilian staff in Ethiopia and another 250 civilian staff in Eritrea.
FACT-FINDING MISSION ASSESSES SITUATION ON DJIBOUTI-ERITREA BORDER
On the instructions of the Secretary-General, a fact-finding mission led by the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) is currently in the Horn of Africa to assess the political, security and humanitarian situation along the frontier between Djibouti and Eritrea, in light of the recent tensions there.
DPA is joined on the mission by representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The group convened in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, where it will meet with the African Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and other partners.
While in Djibouti, it will hold meetings with civilian and military authorities and conduct a field visit to the border area to collect information about recent incidents. The mission is expected to complete its work on 6 August, and will submit a report to the Secretary-General upon its return.
BAN KI-MOON DISAPPOINTED BY COLLAPSE OF WORLD TRADE TALKS
In a statement issued on Wednesday on the conclusion of the Doha Trade Talks, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed disappointment that the tremendous efforts made by key players to conclude the seven-year long Doha Round this year have not yielded the desired outcome.
Success was particularly important at this juncture when the world faces major development challenges that include the food, fuel and financial crises, climate change, weak progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and the fight against poverty, and growing protectionist sentiments amid concern over global recession.
The Secretary-General spoke on Wednesday to Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on this issue. Looking forward, the two leaders stressed the need to ensure that the break in negotiations would not be long. They hoped that by regrouping forces, the Doha negotiations could be revitalized before the end of the year.
In Geneva, Pascal Lamy on Wednesday urged ministers at the Trade Negotiations Committee to agree together not to lose the potential benefits of what was almost agreed, even if it takes longer then originally hoped.
The progress made in agriculture, non-agricultural market access and other subjects should be preserved, Lamy said.
He called upon all ministers to reaffirm the commitment to the multilateral trading system and reflect on the next steps as the dust settles.
LEBANON BORDER TEAM WRAPS UP MISSION
The Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team, dispatched by the Secretary-General, completed a two-week mission to Lebanon on Wednesday.
During its visit, the four-member team met with a number of Lebanese officials and conducted several field visits along the country’s northern and eastern borders. The team had been sent to assess progress made in enhancing border management and security, as stipulated in UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
The team will include its findings and recommendations in a report that it will submit to the Secretary-General soon.
U.N. AGENCIES ANNOUNCE MASSIVE SCALE-UP IN FIGHT AGAINST H.I.V. IN MOTHERS AND CHILDREN
In connection with the 17th International AIDS Conference, which the Secretary-General will help open on Sunday in Mexico City, UNITAID -- an international financing facility committed to the scale-up of treatment and care for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis -- along with UNICEF and the World Health Organization, today announced an infusion of US$50 million aimed at halting mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
For its part, the International Labour Organization (ILO) will be hosting a ‘workplace advice centre’ in the networking zone of the Conference’s Global Village, which will offer advice and materials on how to draft HIV/AIDS policies and carry out effective prevention at the workplace. The centre will be supported by UN Plus, the support group for HIV-positive UN staff. The Secretary-General will also be visiting the Global Village when he is in Mexico City early next week.
U.N. OFFICIALS WELCOME U.S. INITIATIVES TO COMBAT AIDS & MALARIA
UNAIDS chief Peter Piot was in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to witness President George W. Bush’s signing of the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through 2013. The legislation authorizes US$48 billion for the Plan.
In a statement, Piot called the signing a “historic event,” adding that the generosity of the U.S. Government has enabled all of us to make a qualitative and quantum leap forward.
UNAIDS officials report that, as they understand it, the new law has lifted HIV as a criterion for denying visitors entry into the United States. And they look forward to quick regulatory implementation of the law by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Meanwhile, Ray Chambers, the UN Special Envoy for Malaria, today applauded the passage by the U.S. Congress and the President of legislation that increases the U.S. Government’s commitment to fighting malaria more than four-fold from present levels, to five billion dollars from 2009 to 2013. The legislation, he said, ensures that we are on track to meet the Secretary-General’s goal of universal coverage of life-saving prevention and treatment in Africa by 31 December 2010.
WEST AFRICA: HEAVY RAINS & FLOODS HURTING FOOD SECURITY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has released its latest report on West Africa. It notes that the region is experiencing renewed flooding caused by heavy rains. The situation threatens to compromise regional food security, which is already weakened by rising food prices.
More than 50,000 people have already been affected by flooding in seven West African countries. In Mauritania, for example, some 4,600 people have been displaced by the rising waters of the Senegal River. Another 10,000 in Togo were displaced by flooding, and several bridges were made unusable, disrupting trade links between Togo and Burkina Faso. In Mali six people died in the floods.
Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, all landlocked countries, are worst affected by heavy rains and floods.
U.N. OFFICIAL CONDEMNS VIOLENCE AFFECTING KIDS IN SOMALIA
UNICEF’s Representative to Somalia has deplored the escalating violence affecting children in the southern and central parts of the country.
In a statement, Christian Balslev-Olesen said that, in just the past year, the UN has received reports of more than 150 children killed or injured through indiscriminate shelling, bombings and cross-fire. Last week, seven children died in battles between anti-government elements and Ethiopian troops; five were fleeing from school, and two were playing football on a public field.
Balslev-Olesen also expressed concern about the recruitment of children in the ongoing conflict. UNICEF is carrying out an advocacy campaign against child recruitment. It is also working with communities to protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse. But the agency notes that its work is being seriously hampered by the deteriorating security situation and the targeting of aid workers.
U.N. PROVIDES CLEAN ENERGY BUSES FOR BEIJING OLYMPICS
Counting down to the 2008 Summer Games, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Beijing Olympic Committee and the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau today launched a new method to help achieve China’s goal of a Green Olympics.
Through the financial support of the Global Environment Facility, UNDP is providing four electric buses to be used as the official transport fleet for athletes between the Olympic Village and the Olympic Sports Venues. They will form part of an overall fleet of 50 electric buses being used by the local Government.
The clean energy buses are the first in Beijing to use an advanced lithium ion electric battery. UNDP and the entire UN system aims to help China achieve a “Green, Scientific, and Humanistic Olympic Games” while also achieving the UN’s goal of combating global climate change through low-emission public transports.
U.N. AGENCY HELPS PERUVIAN FARMERS SAVE THEIR ANIMALS
Responding to a recent cold wave in the highlands of Peru, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has provided poor farmers with medicine and vitamins to save some 18,000 alpacas.
FAO distributed anti-parasitic medicines, antibiotics and vitamins to smallholders who have no source of income other than raising alpacas and sheep.
A combination of low temperatures, frost, snow and hail has left pastures frozen over, making grazing impossible leaving the animals weak and susceptible to disease.
INCREASING NUMBER OF PATENT APPLICATIONS FILED GLOBALLY
The new 2008 World Patent Report shows a worldwide growth in the filing of patent applications and confirms increasing internationalization of innovative activity.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the overall growth has been driven by a major increase in innovative activity in China, the Republic of Korea and the United States.
This reflects a consolidation of earlier trends which demonstrate a marked shift in innovation hubs around the world.
KOSOVO: EXISTING U.N. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS TO REMAIN VALID UNTIL THEY EXPIRE
Asked whether Kosovo is now issuing its own passports, the Spokeswoman said that, as of 30 July, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo started the issuance of passports with the “Republic of Kosovo” name and logo. The previous day, she noted, the stock of blank UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) travel documents ran out.
The entities that were responsible for producing and distributing UNMIK travel documents are under the authority of Kosovo institutions, Montas said. These entities have retooled the hardware and software used in the production of UNMIK travel documents to the specifications of the Kosovo passport. Therefore, no facility will exist to produce UNMIK travel documents.
The Spokeswoman said that it is now de facto impossible for UNMIK to continue issuing UNMIK travel documents. However, existing UNMIK travel documents will remain valid until they expire.
Asked whether UNMIK would keep track of countries that accept Kosovo passports, Montas reiterated that UNMIK remains status-neutral. In this particular case, UNMIK has had to adjust to the reality on the ground after the Constitution went into effect.
BAN KI-MOON DISCUSSES MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS WITH ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER
Asked about the Secretary-General’s meeting this morning with Israeli Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the Spokeswoman said that they discussed the Middle East peace process, including Lebanon. They spoke about operational issues for humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank, and the situation of Palestinian students who are unable to exit Gaza. They also discussed the Annapolis process.
Asked whether they had also discussed the question of Israeli settlements, Montas said that that topic had come up in the Secretary-General’s meeting on Wednesday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The Secretary-General, she noted, has repeatedly said that settlements are unhelpful to the peace process.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
NO ANNOUNCEMENT YET ON NEW U.N. LEGAL CHIEF: Asked when a new Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs will be announced, the Spokeswoman said that interviews for that post are still being conducted, with no final decision made yet.
NEW ENERGY-SAVING EFFORT STARTS ON FRIDAY: In response to questions, the Spokeswoman reminded reporters that the temperature in the UN Headquarters building will be a few degrees warmer starting on Friday and that staff can dress accordingly to respond to the warmer weather.
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