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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

 


  BY
MICHELE MONTAS

SPOKESPERSON
FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON



UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

 

Monday,
September 8, 2008
 

 


SECRETARY-GENERAL CONGRATULATES CYPRIOT LEADERS ON NEGOTIATIONS

  • The Secretary-General spoke by phone this morning,
    separately, with Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Turkish
    Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat to congratulate them personally on the
    formal launch last week of full-fledged negotiations aimed at a
    comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem.

  • The Secretary-General also spoke today with his
    Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, who is currently in Athens,
    where he met earlier today with top government officials, including
    Prime Minister Karamanlis and Foreign Minister Bakoyannis.  Downer will
    visit Ankara on Wednesday where he is scheduled to meet President Gul,
    Prime Minister Erdogan and Foreign Minister Babacan. 

  • He is scheduled to then return to Cyprus early
    Thursday morning to attend the first substantive meeting between Mr.
    Christofias and Mr. Talat in the context of the negotiations.

 

NEW HUMAN
RIGHTS CHIEF ADDRESSES HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL FOR FIRST TIME

  • In Geneva, the Human Rights Council

    opened
    its ninth regular session today, hearing for the first time
    an address by the new High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem
    Pillay.

  • In her statement to the Council, Pillay highlighted
    the need to tackle discrimination and inequality, and urged greater
    efforts to prevent genocide, which she described as “the ultimate form
    of discrimination.”

  • Pillay, who was herself the victim of both racial
    and gender discrimination in apartheid South Africa, said that
    development, security, peace and justice are all undermined “when
    discrimination and inequality – both in blatant and subtle ways – are
    allowed to fester and to poison harmonious coexistence.”

  • Pillay also urged States not to let “diverging
    points of view” deter them from taking part in the Anti-Racism Review
    Conference scheduled for April 2009. She added that Nelson Mandela had
    taught her that “far from being appeasement, coming to terms with other
    people’s experiences and points of view may serve the interest of
    justice better than strategies that leave no room for negotiation.”

  • The Human Rights Council also heard this morning
    from its new President, Martin Uhomoibhi, and 29 Member States.

 

U.N. FOOD
DISTRIBUTION IN DARFUR AT RISK OF SUSPENSION

  • The World Food Programme (WFP) has

    warned
    that it will have to suspend food distributions in Darfur if
    the security situation does not improve.

  • WFP said that relentless attacks on truck convoys
    in Darfur are pushing to the brink the agency’s ability to feed more
    than 3 million people each month.

  • While WFP managed to recover three hijacked trucks
    and four staff yesterday, following the latest attack in South Darfur,
    69 trucks and 43 drivers remain unaccounted for.

  • WFP says since the beginning of the year, more than
    100 vehicles delivering WFP food assistance have been hijacked in Darfur,
    with many more shot at and robbed. Drivers are refusing to travel along
    certain routes, significantly slowing food aid deliveries to hungry
    people.

 

FOOD
SECURITY SITUATION IN ETHIOPIA DETERIORATING TO ALARMING LEVELS

  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
    Affairs

    reports
    that the food security situation in Ethiopia has
    deteriorated to alarming levels, in the wake of drought conditions
    throughout much of the country.  Relief operations are also grappling
    with considerable shortages of supplies.  The World Food Programme, for
    instance, needs US$136 million worth of food for its operations.

  • Meanwhile, flooding in Ethiopia’s southwestern
    Gambella region has reportedly displaced nearly 35,000 people. The World
    Health Organization has provided emergency drugs and medical supplies
    for 10,000 people there.

 

U.N.
MOBILIZES AID ACROSS CARIBBEAN FOR HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM SURVIVORS

  • In response to the recent hurricanes and tropical
    storms in the Caribbean, the UN is

    mobilizing
    assistance across the region.

  • In Haiti, where as many as 800,000 people may have
    been affected, UN agencies are making available emergency food
    assistance, water, purification tablets, blankets and other supplies.
    The World Food Programme (WFP), for its part, has distributed 140,000
    liters of water, as well as hygiene kits and plastic sheeting.

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Representative,
    Hédi Annabi,

    visited
    Gonaives over the weekend and promised that the UN
    Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) will do all it can to get aid
    to the area.  A Flash Appeal for Haiti is also being organized.

  • The UN has also offered assistance to Cuba. The
    Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is preparing
    an emergency cash grant, as well as an application to the Central
    Emergency Response Fund.  OCHA has also given a US$30,000 cash grant to
    Jamaica.

  • In the meantime, a Disaster Assessment and
    Coordination team has been dispatched to Turks and Caicos.  The UN is
    also closely monitoring the situation in the Dominican Republic, but
    there is no special support needed at present.

 

U.N. TO
ASSIST CASH-STRAPPED FARMERS IN SWAZILAND

  • The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will

    help
    cash-strapped farmers in Swaziland purchase seeds in time for
    the next planting season.  FAO Director General Jacques Diouf made the
    announcement today during a trip to a school-based farming project
    outside the capital of Mbabane.

  • Starting September 29th, FAO will set up Input
    Trade Fairs, where farmers will be able to choose seeds and other
    supplies from local producers.  Farmers will be able to use vouchers to
    pick and choose the varieties they prefer.

  • The programme is part of FAO’s Initiative on
    Soaring Food Prices, which includes emergency projects planned for
    nearly 80 countries.

 

WORLD COURT
HOLDS URGENT PROCEEDINGS ON GEORGIA

  • The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is holding
    three days of urgent proceedings in connection with Georgia’s recent

    case
    against the Russian Federation.

  • The proceedings, which began today, are taking
    place as a result of Georgia’s request that the Court, as a matter of
    urgency, order a number of

    provisional measures
    , pending its determination of this case on the
    merits.

  • Included in the provisional measures requested by
    Georgia is a demand that the Russian Federation ensure that no ethnic
    Georgians are subject to violent or coercive acts of racial
    discrimination.

  • A binding decision on these provisional measures is
    expected within weeks.

 

U.N. WILL
KEEP TRYING TO SEND HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS INTO GEORGIA

  • Asked about reports that a UN convoy had been
    blocked in Georgia, the Spokeswoman confirmed that, today in Georgia,
    the United Nations was attempting to undertake a preliminary
    humanitarian assessment mission in the area north of Gori, while at the
    same time delivering some basic relief supplies. The mission was not
    allowed to move beyond a Russian checkpoint in Karaleti.

  • Montas added that she did not have a specific
    reaction at this point to that blocking. But she confirmed that the
    United Nations will keep trying to send humanitarian missions to the
    area in question.

  • She noted that the Office of the High
    Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP) and
    UNICEF, under the leadership of the Office for the Coordination of
    Humanitarian Affairs, had been involved in today’s convoy.

 

TODAY IS
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY

  • Today is International Literacy Day, which is
    dedicated to the concerns of the one in five adults – some 774 million
    people – who are illiterate, and thus live with no access to the vast
    global store of written communication.

  • The theme of this year’s observance of
    International Literacy Day, “Literacy and Health”, is meant to draw more
    attention to impact of illiteracy on human health. 

  • In a message to mark the Day, the Secretary-General
    says that literacy is indispensable for achieving the Millennium
    Development Goals targeting maternal health and combating HIV and
    malaria, and for addressing some of the world’s most important public
    health challenges. Literacy for all will benefit us all, he says.

 

UNITED
NATIONS EXTENDS ‘COOL U.N.’ INITIATIVE, CONSIDERS SIMILAR MOVE FOR WINTER

  • "Cool UN," the initiative announced by the
    Secretary-General on 30 July to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save
    energy by turning up thermostats in the UNHQ for the month of August
    from 72 to 77°F in the offices and from 70 to 75°F in the conference
    rooms, has been successful.

  • The initiative saved about 30 million pounds of
    steam, which translates into the equivalent of 2,000 tons of CO2.  This
    is the carbon-footprint equivalent to a passenger making 710 round-trip
    trans-Atlantic flights.

  • In view of these concrete results, the
    Secretary-General has decided to extend the "Cool UN" initiative until
    15 September.  A winter program is under consideration.

 

UNICEF VOWS
TO PROVIDE AID TO FLOOD VICTIMS IN INDIA

  • With the humanitarian crisis due to unprecedented
    floods in northern India continuing, UNICEF has

    reaffirmed
    the agency’s commitment to work with the Government and
    partners to provide relief to the flood affected people, especially the
    most vulnerable children and women.

  • UNICEF stressed that their immediate priority is to
    work with the government to ensure that children and women receive all
    necessary relief aid, including medicine, nutrition, clean water and
    access to sanitation.

  • So far over 500,000 water purifying tablets,
    200-litre water tanks, over 2,500 bags of bleaching powder, 65,000 oral
    rehydration salt, first-aid kit and other materials among others have
    already reached the worst-affected districts.

 

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 


DIALOGUE WITH STAFF CONSIDERED HEALTHY
:
Asked about concerns expressed by some staff regarding the
Secretary-General’s recent comments on staff mobility, the Spokeswoman said
that the Secretary-General believes that it is healthy to have reaction from
staff on the issue. She noted that his views on staff mobility include
ensuring that there is proper training and preparation before staff are to
change positions.

 

 

 

**The guest at noon was U.N. Police Adviser Andrew
Hughes, who briefed on the outcome of last month’s 4th International
Policing Advisory Council meeting. 

 

 

Office of the
Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055



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