ARCHIVES

 




ARCHIVES

 


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
 

BY MICHELE
MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

 

UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, October 27, 2008

 

D.R. OF CONGO:
BAN KI-MOON URGES ALL PARTIES TO CEASE HOSTILITIES

  • Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is extremely

    concerned
    by the further deterioration in the security situation in
    North Kivu, and in particular developments in Rumangabo and in Goma and its
    impact on civilians. He condemns the deliberate attacks on peacekeepers of
    the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)
    by forces of the Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP).  He
    denounces the continued hostilities between CNDP forces and those of the
    Defence forces of the Democratic Republic, in violation of the ceasefire.

     

  • The Secretary-General urges the Government and
    provincial authorities to make every effort to restore calm among the
    affected populations and to work in close cooperation with MONUC. He
    reaffirms that MONUC will take all necessary measures within its mandate to
    protect civilians and United Nations personnel and property.
     

  • Recent developments demonstrate without doubt the need
    for all parties to implement the Actes d'engagement and to disengage. 
     

  • The Secretary-General calls on all parties to
    immediately cease hostilities and pursue in good faith in efforts to resolve
    peacefully the issues that have thus far hindered progress in the Nairobi
    and Goma processes.
     

  • Asked about a reported incident in which MONUC troops
    were alleged to have fired on demonstrators outside their compound, the
    Spokeswoman said that we are still awaiting additional information on that
    incident.

U.N. FORCE
COMMANDER IN DR CONGO STEPS DOWN
 

  • Lieutenant General Vicente Diaz de Villegas y Herrería
    of Spain, who was recently appointed as Force Commander for

    MONUC
    , has

    indicated
    that for personal reasons he will not be able to continue with
    his assignment as planned. 
     

  • The Department of Peacekeeping Operations is pursuing
    arrangements to ensure continuity of command and to replace General Diaz as
    quickly as possible.
     

  • In the interim, Brigadier General Ishmeel Ben Quartey
    of Ghana will serve as Acting Force Commander pending the appointment of
    General Diaz’s successor.

UNITED NATIONS
RESPONDS RAPIDLY TO HELP THOSE DISPLACED BY FIGHTING IN EASTERN DRC
 

  • As the security situation continues to deteriorate in
    the eastern DRC, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
    says it is concerned about the humanitarian situation there.
     

  •  The upswing in fighting has caused a sharp
    increase in the number of internally displaced persons, with an estimated
    250,000 people made homeless since August. That comes on top of some 850,000
    internally displaced persons registered in North Kivu before the resumption
    of fighting. The displaced are facing significant shortages of shelter,
    food, water and sanitation, health and protective security measures.
     

  • Meanwhile, OCHA and

    UNICEF
    have launched a Rapid Response Mechanism to address as many of
    these needs as possible. Overall humanitarian access is extremely restricted
    due to the fighting. The reduced access is variously blamed on roadblocks,
    the intimidation of aid workers, the hijacking of their vehicles, and angry
    demonstrations by civilians in some parts of the regions.
     

  • OCHA says it is also concerned that the warring parties
    are engaging in widespread looting of civilian infrastructure, including
    health centres.
     

  • Serious human rights abuses are also being reported in
    Province Orientale, where some 28,000 people have been made homeless and
    fled into Sudan after attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army.

 SOMALIA: U.N. ENVOY WELCOMES CEASEFIRE
AGREEMENT
 

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
    Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, has

    welcomed
    the ceasefire agreement signed this weekend in Djibouti between
    the Transitional Federal Government and the opposition Alliance for the
    Re-Liberation of Somalia.
     

  • The agreement also outlines a gradual withdrawal of
    Ethiopian troops from Somalia and measures to avoid a security vacuum. Those
    measures involve a joint security role for the African Union peacekeeping
    mission (AMISOM), the transitional government and the Alliance until there
    is a possible deployment of UN peacekeeping forces.

  • According to the agreement, the ceasefire will take
    effect starting on November 5th.
     

  • Special Representative Ould-Abdallah said that with
    this agreement, “some very important principles have now been established.
    The challenge is to ensure that concrete action is taken to show the Somali
    people how this will benefit them.”

 SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON WORK OF U.N.
PEACEKEEPERS IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE
 

  • The Security Council discussed Côte d’Ivoire this
    morning, with the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Choi Yong-jin,
    briefing Council members in a formal meeting on the work done by UN
    peacekeepers in that country.
     

  • He said that accumulating delays in Côte d’Ivoire’s
    electoral process constitute the UN

    Mission’s
    primary concern because they may put at risk the entire
    Ivorian peace process.
     

  • At the same time, he noted recent milestones that were
    reached, saying, “The Ivorian electoral process now seems irreversible.”
    Choi called on the international community to redouble efforts to bring
    timely financial, technical and logistical assistance to the Ivorian
    identification and electoral process.
     

  • The meeting was followed by consultations on Côte
    d’Ivoire, as well as on the work of the sanctions committee dealing with
    that country, which is chaired by Ambassador Jan Grauls of Belgium.
     

  • After those consultations, the Security Council
    discussed “provocations in the security zone”. On that subject, David
    Harland of the

    Department for Peacekeeping Operations
    briefed Council members on recent
    events in Abkhazia, Georgia.

RISING
DISPLACEMENTS REPORTED IN COLOMBIA
 

  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
    (OCHA) reports that it is seeing population displacements in several areas
    of Colombia.
     

  • In the southern department of Amazonas, for example,
    members of the Baro indigenous tribe, which is currently considered at risk
    of extinction, have fled to the regional capital, Leticia, following the
    incursion into their territory of an unidentified armed group. OCHA reports
    that the displaced are facing difficulties in being registered, as they have
    no identification documents. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR)
    has identified the Baro as being at serious risk due to their lack of
    experience in urban settings.
     

  • Also, in the southwestern department of Putumayo,
    nearly 60 indigenous families have been displaced following alleged threats
    from the Army. The UN refugee agency is investigating these claims, an
    inter-agency mission is planned, and humanitarian aid is being distributed.

 HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER VISITING
COLOMBIA AND HAITI
 

  • High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has
    arrived in Colombia to

    review
    the human rights situation there. Pillay plans to meet with
    President Alvaro Uribe and senior ministers, as well as members of Congress,
    the judiciary, civil society, and UN colleagues, to discuss a range of human
    rights concerns.
     

  • The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
    has a major country office in Colombia, and while there, Pillay will visit
    her agency's field operations outside the capital, Bogotá.
     

  • Pillay’s week-long trip will be followed next week by a
    stop in Haiti.

 U.N. FOOD AGENCIES TO PROVIDE US$10
MILLION IN AGRICULTURAL AID TO HAITI
 

  • The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the
    International Fund for Agricultural Development today

    announced
    more than US$10 million in aid for Haiti’s agriculture sector.
     

  • Under the programme, which is being implemented through
    FAO’s Initiative on Soaring Food Prices, hundreds of thousands of small
    farmers will receive seeds and plants.
     

  • The aim is to quickly boost local production,
    increasing the availability of basic food products in the markets and
    strengthening food security in the population at large. 

 WHO RELEASES NEW STUDY ON GLOBAL HEALTH 

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) today published a
    new

    study
    that provides a comprehensive picture of the global and regional
    state of health. The report features health comparisons for 2004 as well as
    projections up to the year 2030.
     

  • The study shows that, with both malaria and HIV/AIDS,
    Africa accounts for nine out of every 10 child deaths. It also says the top
    five causes of death in low-income countries are: pneumonia, heart disease,
    diarrhoea, HIV/AIDS and stroke. But in high-income countries the list is
    topped by heart disease, followed by stroke, lung cancer, pneumonia, and
    asthma/bronchitis.
     

  • Meanwhile, men between the ages of 15 and 60 have much
    higher risks of dying than women in the same age category in every region of
    the world – mainly due to higher levels of heart diseases and injuries,
    including from violence and conflict.

  IMF REACHES AGREEMENTS WITH UKRAINE,
HUNGARY AND ICELAND
 

  • Over the weekend, the International
    Monetary Fund (IMF) announced separate, tentative agreements with Ukraine
    and Hungary.  Under the Ukraine plan, the IMF will

    lend
    the country US$16.5 million dollars over the next 24 months to
    address economic problems linked to the recent international financial
    turmoil.  The agreement hinges on the approval of legislative changes to
    Ukraine’s banking system.
     

  • On Hungary, the IMF also

    announced
    yesterday an agreement on policies designed to improve both
    near-term stability and long-term growth.  A substantial financing package
    is expected to be announced in the coming days.
     

  • On Friday, the IMF announced an initial

    agreement
    to loan Iceland more than US$2 billion over two years.  The
    funds will support an economic recovery program to help restore confidence
    in Iceland’s banking system and stabilize its currency.
     

  • Asked about

    comments
    that the Secretary-General made on Friday about the possible
    restructuring of the Bretton Woods Institutions, the Spokeswoman noted that
    the Secretary-General did not refer to specific measures, which are not part
    of his mandate. He does not have a direct role in dealing with the
    structures of the World Bank or International Monetary Fund, although they
    are part of the larger UN family.
     

  • At the same time, Montas said, the Secretary-General
    talked about the need for an inclusive process that would mitigate the
    impact of the financial crisis on the poorest and middle-income countries.
    He will attend the G-20 meeting in Washington on 15 November to discuss the
    matter.
     

  • She added that the General Assembly President would
    hold a meeting on 30 October on the Bretton Woods Institutions.

DEPUTY
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT REPUBLIC OF KOREA AND CHILE
 

  • Tomorrow, the

    Deputy Secretary-General
    leaves for Seoul, Republic of Korea.  While
    there, she will attend the World Leaders Forum commemorating the 60th
    Anniversary of the Republic of Korea and deliver remarks on international
    cooperation for green growth.
     

  • She will also address 100 women leaders in Korea on
    climate change and the role of women internationally. The Deputy
    Secretary-General will give a special lecture at the Kyunghee University on
    the financial crisis and implications for the UN’s development work. She
    will also hold bilateral meetings with senior government officials,
    including the Prime Minister.
     

  • On November 3rd and 4th, the Deputy Secretary-General
    will visit Santiago, Chile, to open the Regional Coordination Meeting of
    U.N. agencies in Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to reviewing
    progress on key inter-agency activities and discussing future work, the
    focus of discussions will be on the impact of the international crisis and
    climate change on development of the region.  While in Santiago, the Deputy
    Secretary-General will also meet with the Chilean President.

OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

U.N. HAS NO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON REPORTED U.S.
ATTACK IN SYRIA:
  Asked about reported claims by Syria that US forces
attacked Syria near its border with Iraq, the Spokeswoman said that the United
Nations does not have any information on the incident beyond what is being
reported in the media. She noted that the United Nations has always encouraged
regional cooperation to solve issues of common concern, including border
security, through the expanded ministerial process of Iraq and its neighbours.
The United Nations is committed to helping to promote regional dialogue to bring
stability to Iraq and the region as a whole.

 

AUCTION OF CHILDREN’S PAINTINGS RAISES US$21,000 FOR
UNICEF: 
All 26 children’s paintings from last week’s U.N. Environment
Programme (UNEP) Paint for the Planet event were

auctioned
yesterday at the Harvard Club of New York City. The event raised
US$21,000 for UNICEF. The funds will be used to help children in areas affected
by climate-related disasters. The 26 paintings were chosen from roughly 200,000
entries from UNEP’s International Children’s Competition.

 

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



Back to the Spokesperson's Page