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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ
ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, November 14, 2008
BAN KI-MOON TO
CALL FOR GLOBAL STIMULUS PACKAGE AT WASHINGTON SUMMIT
The Secretary-General is in Washington. D.C., today,
where this evening he will speak to leaders gathered for the Group of 20
(G-20) Summit about the impact of the current financial crisis, and his
concern that it should not evolve into tomorrow’s human crisis.
He will tell the G-20 leaders about the key messages he
has developed from his dialogue with UN Member States, about the need for a
truly global stimulus package; access to liquidity for emerging markets and
other developing countries; the moral imperative to fulfill the
Millennium Development Goals; and the need for financial reform to be
inclusive.
The Secretary-General will also participate in the
Saturday G-20 meeting.
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED BY WORSENING SITUATION IN GAZA AND SOUTHERN ISRAEL
The Secretary-General is deeply
concerned at the deterioration of the humanitarian and security
situation in Gaza and southern Israel, and at the potential for further
suffering and violence. He calls on all parties to uphold international
humanitarian and human rights law.
The Secretary-General reiterates his condemnation of
rocket attacks. He calls for an end to such attacks and urges full respect
by all parties of the calm that has been in effect since 19 June 2008. The
Secretary-General is concerned that food and other life saving assistance is
being denied to hundreds of thousands of people, and emphasizes that
measures which increase the hardship and suffering of the civilian
population of the Gaza Strip as a whole are unacceptable and should cease
immediately.
In particular, he calls on Israel to allow urgently the
steady and sufficient supply of fuel and humanitarian assistance. He also
calls on Israel to resume facilitating the activities of the UN Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
and all humanitarian agencies, including through unimpeded access for UN
officials and humanitarian workers.
Asked what the United Nations can do to provide essential aid to Gaza, the
Spokesman emphasized the importance for Israel to open the crossing points.
The United Nations, he said, was using all available channels to bring that
about.
Asked whether the
Secretary-General had spoken about the humanitarian situation in Gaza with
senior officials recently, Haq noted that he had discussed that matter,
among other topics, when he met with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on
Wednesday.
POWER CUTS
START IN GAZA AS CROSSINGS REMAIN CLOSED
The Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle
East Peace Process (UNSCO)
reports that all crossings into Gaza were closed today – including for fuel
and aid workers. It has now been nine days in a row that commercial and
humanitarian food deliveries have been kept out of Gaza.
Because the fuel pipelines were blocked today, parts of
Gaza are now experiencing power cuts of 8 to 12 hours a day.
Among the items that the UN Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
is trying to get into Gaza is wool for a rehabilitation center, where blind
women knit sweaters.
LEBANON: BAN KI-MOON
ENCOURAGED BY NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON DEFENSE STRATEGY
Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for
Lebanon, met today with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, and said
that he had conveyed to the Prime Minister the strong support of the
Secretary-General for the establishment of diplomatic relations between
Lebanon and Syria. The Secretary-General, he said, is following this issue
with very close interest.
With regard to other issues, Williams added, the
Secretary-General is very encouraged by the national dialogue on a defense
strategy that Lebanese leaders have engaged on and by the reconciliation
initiatives that have taken place in Lebanon in recent weeks.
IRAQ SEES
STEADY REDUCTIONS IN VIOLENCE
Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for
Iraq, told the
Security Council in an open meeting this morning that this summer and
fall have witnessed, despite some occasional spikes, a steady reduction in
the levels of violence in Iraq.
Iraq, he said, now enters a delicate electoral period
where every small security gain likely to give space to political dialogue
should be built upon, in order to avoid any electoral-related violence
linked to the provincial elections scheduled for next January. Iraqis should
not relent in grasping the momentum to advance on gains attained in 2008, he
added.
U.N.
HUMANITARIAN AID REACHES THOUSANDS OF CONGOLESE
There were no major violations of the ceasefire or
attacks on civilian lives or property in North Kivu, says the UN
Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).
Though the overall situation is tense and
unpredictable, the World Food Programme (WFP)
says its convoy of 12 trucks, carrying 100 tons of food, encountered no
problems on its trip from Goma to Rutshuru and Kiwanja. Some 12,000 people
are being helped today out of 50,000 who have registered for food aid. The
WFP convoy, which was escorted by UN peacekeepers, also brought blankets,
plastic buckets, clothes, jerry cans and plastic sheeting.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
meanwhile, says that because of persisting security threats, it has
agreed with North Kivu authorities to transfer the more than 60,000
people in the two Kibati camps to a new site west of Goma. The transfer is
due to start next week.
UNICEF said that recruitment of children by armed
militias took place in Kitchanga. A number of 14-year-old children are also
reported to have been forcibly enlisted in Rugare and Rutshuru, bringing to
some 3,000 the estimate of children drafted into the ongoing conflict.
EGYPTIAN
BATTALION STARTS DEPLOYING IN DARFUR
The Egyptian Infantry Battalion has begun deploying in
Darfur, as part of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in
Darfur (UNAMID).
The first batch of 164 personnel arrived in El Fasher
on Thursday, and further personnel of the same battalion, comprising 326
personnel, are expected to arrive today and Saturday.
They will be deployed in Umm Kadada, North Darfur,
where they will join the 177-member advance party that is already on the
ground. The rest of the battalion, consisting of 184 personnel, is expected
to arrive at the end of this year.
Egypt’s contribution to UNAMID includes a Signal
Company, Engineering Company, a Heavy Transport Company and another Infantry
Battalion that is expected to arrive in the near future.
In addition to the 10 Battalions currently on the
ground from Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa, UNAMID is expecting
an additional eight Infantry Battalions, from Egypt (2), Ethiopia (2),
Thailand (1), Senegal (1), Burkina Faso (1) and Tanzania (1).
INTERFAITH
DIALOGUE AN IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD
The two-day General Assembly meeting on the interfaith
dialogue wrapped up Thursday afternoon. The Secretary-General read out a
declaration in which, among other things, participating States affirmed
their rejection of the use of religion to justify the killing of innocent
people and actions of terrorism, violence and coercion, which directly
contradict the commitment of all religions to peace, justice and equality.
Speaking in
a joint press conference with the Saudi Foreign Minister, the
Secretary-General said that the General Assembly had sent a strong message
to the world. “The challenge now is to go beyond the powerful, positive
words we have heard these past two days,” he added. “It may take time to see
results, but I am convinced that this meeting is an important step forward.”
HAITI:
HURRICANE SURVIVORS GET “RETURN KITS”
Regarding hurricane relief efforts in
Haiti, in Gonaïves, people who had sought refuge in schools when storms
destroyed their homes are being encouraged to return home. As of Tuesday,
some 1,700 families had received “return kits”, which contain tents,
mattresses, a cash donation and hygiene and sanitation tools.
Other items include building materials, such as
shovels, saws, hammers and spatulas, as well as bags of cement and nail
boxes.
SOMALIA: NAVAL
ESCORTS TO ENSURE FOOD DELIVERIES
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
estimates that newly available Dutch naval and NATO escorts of food convoys
will ensure that the World Food Programme can bring some 59,000 tons of food
into Somalia this month.
The food shipments, to be delivered by eight vessels,
will be enough to feed 2.3 million people for six weeks. Some 3.2 million
people, or 43 percent of Somalia’s population, are currently in dire need of
humanitarian assistance.
DISARMAMENT
RESEARCH BODY GETS NEW CHIEF
The Secretary-General has appointed Theresa A. Hitchens
of the United States as the fifth Director of the United Nations Institute
for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
She will take up her duties in Geneva in January 2009. Ms. Hitchens
replaces Ms. Patricia Lewis of the United Kingdom.
Ms. Hitchens currently serves as the Director of the
Center for Defense Information (CDI) in Washington, D.C., in charge of CDI’s
Space Security Project. She brings to the independent Institute years of
experience in research and writing on a broad array of subjects in the field
of international security, defense, disarmament, and non-proliferation.
U.N. BUILDING
TO BE LIT UP IN BLUE TO MARK WORLD DIABETES DAY
Today at 6:30 p.m. UN Headquarters will join 800
monuments throughout the world in being lit up in blue to observe World
Diabetes Day.
In a
message to mark the day, the Secretary-General notes that people must be
more informed about the warning signs of the disease, particularly in the
developing world, because diabetes is often diagnosed late or misdiagnosed
as the flu. Many children in the developing world die from diabetes because
they do not have insulin, he adds.
In the message, he also says that, according to the
World Health Organization (WHO), more than one million people died from the
disease in 2005. WHO projects that, without urgent action, deaths from
diabetes will increase by more than 50 per cent in the next 10 years.
YOUTH NETWORK
TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
today launched its first-ever North American Youth Network to help combat
climate change. Twenty youth representatives from the US and Canada are
meeting in Chicago this weekend, as part of UNEP’s new Kick the Carbon Habit
Education Campaign.
The goal is to form a network of North American youth
leaders, who will engage their communities through education events, such as
resource conservation fairs at elementary schools and distributions of
eco-friendly light bulbs to homeowners.
ACTRESS
CHARLIZE THERON TO JOIN U.N. AS MESSENGER OF PEACE
The Secretary-General has designated Academy
Award-winning actress and activist Charlize Theron, of South Africa and the
United States, as a United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus
on ending violence against women. Recognized for her work to focus attention
and mobilize support on social issues, particularly in South Africa, Ms.
Theron joins nine other United Nations
Messengers of Peace who advocate on behalf of the Organization.
Ms. Theron will be officially inducted as a Messenger
of Peace on Monday, at a brief ceremony led by the Deputy-Secretary-General,
on behalf of the Secretary-General, who will be in Geneva. Immediately
following the ceremony, Ms. Theron will be formally introduced at a press
conference at UN Headquarters at 10:00 a.m.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BAN KI-MOON TO HEAD TO GENEVA TO MEET WITH ENVOYS:
In response to a question, the Spokesman said that primary purpose of the
Secretary-General’s trip next week to Geneva was to attend a meeting bringing
together his Special Representatives. Asked about a trip to Los Angeles that the
Secretary-General had been scheduled to make this week, the Spokesman noted that
the high-level meeting in New York had caused him to reschedule that trip.
ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS REPEATEDLY CONDEMNED:
Asked about the reported shooting of a journalist in Pakistan, the Spokesman
noted that the Secretary-General and the Director General of the UN Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have repeatedly condemned the
killings of journalists around the world.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED
NATIONS
15 November – 21 November 2008
Saturday, November 15
The Secretary-General is in Washington, D.C., to
attend a summit of G-20 leaders on the global financial crisis.
Sunday, November 16
Today is the International Day for Tolerance, as well
as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Monday, November 17
Today and tomorrow, the Secretary-General is in Geneva
for a two-day meeting of his Special Representatives.
At 10 a.m. in Room S-226, Academy Award-winning
actress and activist Charlize Theron will be formally introduced as a U.N.
Messenger of Peace, following her induction at a ceremony led by the Deputy
Secretary-General.
At 11 a.m. in Room S-226, Amb. Irakli Alasania,
Permanent Representative of Georgia, briefs on the situation in Georgia.
At 1 p.m. in Room S-226, Evo Morales, President of
Bolivia, and General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann brief
following Mr. Morales’ address to the General Assembly.
From today through 28 November, the independent expert
on the situation of human rights in Haiti, M. Michel Forst, visits Haiti.
From today through Wednesday in Bamako, Mali, UNESCO,
the World Bank, and the World Health Organization are among the co-organizers of
a Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health.
Today and tomorrow in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the U.N.
Economic Commission for Europe is among the organizers of a special
international conference on “Water Unites – Strengthening Regional Cooperation
on Water Management in Central Asia”.
Tuesday, November 18
The International Court of Justice is scheduled to
deliver its Judgment concerning Serbia’s preliminary objections to jurisdiction
and admissibility in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia).
From today through Saturday in Rome, the Food and
Agriculture Organization’s member countries meet for a special session to
discuss and adopt a three-year Plan of Action for reform of the organization.
Wednesday, November 19
This morning, the Security Council is scheduled to
hold a high-level open debate on strengthening collective security and armament
regulation.
In Geneva, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes launches the Humanitarian
Appeal 2009.
In Kabul, Afghanistan, U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees Antonio Guterres co-chairs an international conference on return and
reintegration of Afghan refugees.
From today through Friday in Addis Ababa, the sixth
African Development Forum focuses on “Action on gender equality, women’s
empowerment and ending violence against women in Africa”.
Thursday, November 20
Today and tomorrow, the Deputy Secretary-General is in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the Second Meeting of the Africa Commission and
the sixth African Development Forum meeting.
At 11:15 a.m., in Room S-226, Hania Zlotnik, Director
of the Population Division at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
provides an update on global migration, reviews this year’s Global Forum on
Migration and Development in Manila and discusses next year’s Forum in Athens.
Today is Universal Children’s Day. At 1:30 p.m. in
Room S-226, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and
Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy; Amb. Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, Permanent
Representative of Italy to the U.N.; Saad Houry of UNICEF; and former child
soldiers and youth advocates Ismael Beah, Grace Akallo, and Kon Kelei launch a
new global network of children formerly affected by war.
At 2.30 p.m. in Room S-226, Aira Kalela, Head of
International Affairs at the Ministry of the Environment of Finland, and Liane
Schalatek, Associate Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in North America,
brief on issues relating to gender and climate change.
At 6 p.m. in the Visitors Lobby, there will be an
opening of a photo exhibit on Child Soldiers - Children of War: Broken
Childhood.
In Geneva, the World Health Organization holds an
international Foodborne Disease Stakeholder Event, which will discuss a
five-year project on the effect of foodborne diseases on health, as well as
economic costs to countries.
Today is Africa’s Industrialization Day.
Friday, November 21
In Geneva, the U.N. Institute for Disarmament Research
and Landmine Monitor release the global findings of the Landmine Monitor
Report 2008.
Today is World Television Day.
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