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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ
ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
BAN KI-MOON TO
CONVENE SUMMIT ON FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT IN DOHA
At last weekend's summit in Washington, D.C.,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pressed world leaders to attend the up-coming
conference on financing for development, to be held in Doha beginning
November 28.
This meeting has since grown to be a full-fledged
summit, with some 40 heads of state or government from the developed and
developing world arriving to discuss the next steps for follow-up to the
Monterrey Consensus, and managing the global financial crisis.
The Secretary-General's goal at Doha is to broaden the
debate beyond the need for a global stimulus package--the main theme in
Washington--to include 1) protections for the needs of developing nations,
by maintaining international commitments on aid and trade and minimizing
negative impact on global security and well being of people. 2) to promote
"green jobs" and "green economy" as an integral element in any stimulus
package; and 3) to ensure that inclusive multilateralism be the watch-word
for institutional financial reform.
As the Secretary-General sees it, the world does not
face a single crisis. It faces a nexus of interrelated crises which can only
be dealt with comprehensively. Solutions to each challenge must therefore be
solutions to all.
In Geneva today, the Secretary-General
spoke at the inauguration ceremony for the new Human Rights and Alliance
of Civilizations Room at the Palais des Nations, which was donated by Spain.
Saying that “human rights are a fundamental part of the work of the United
Nations and of the Organization’s very identity”, the Secretary-General said
that he was pleased to inaugurate the new room on the eve of the 60th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
He said that the
Alliance of Civilizations is a “very important and practical initiative
that is linked intrinsically to human rights”, adding that Spain and Turkey
have played a dynamic role as conveners of the Alliance.
Later, the Secretary-General met with the King and
Queen of Spain; and with Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez
Zapatero. He also spoke with the Minister for Economic Cooperation and
Development of Germany, in conjunction with her role as a Special Envoy to
the Conference on Financing for Development.
Earlier today, the Secretary-General met with the head
of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
and had a town hall meeting with WIPO staff.
Asked about how the
renovations to the new Human Rights Council and Alliance of Civilizations
(Room XX) at the Palais des Nations were funded, the Spokesman later said
that they were entirely funded by ONUART, a foundation formed by Spain’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in place to collect public and private money
from Spanish society.
DARFUR: U.N. MISSION RECEIVES
REPORTS OF INCREASING MILITARY ACTIVITIES
The UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
has received reports from various sources pointing to increased military
activities throughout Darfur during the past few days. These include reports
of aerial bombings by the Government of Sudan in the Kutum area; UNAMID is
trying to confirm these reports.
Meanwhile, Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special
Representative for Sudan,
welcomes the National Assembly’s approval of the appointment of a
National Elections Commission. Qazi congratulated the new Commissioners and
pledged the UN Mission in Sudan’s readiness to support and assist with
preparations for upcoming elections to ensure that they are carried out in
accordance with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
has welcomed the announcement by Sudan’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs on
the extension of the Moratorium facilitating humanitarian aid to Darfur
until the 31 January 2010.
This should further enhance the delivery of vital
humanitarian assistance for up to 4.7 million conflict affected people as
well as enabling humanitarian organizations to operate in Darfur.
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER CALLS FOR
IMMEDIATE END TO GAZA BLOCKADE
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay today
called for an immediate end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza. She added
that, because of the blockade, 1.5 million Palestinian men, women and
children have been forcibly deprived of their most basic human rights.
Pillay said, “This is in direct contravention of international human rights
and humanitarian law. It must end now.”
According to the Office of the UN Special Coordinator
for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), no fuel, humanitarian supplies or
commercial commodities were allowed into Gaza today.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
in the Near East (UNRWA) is drawing attention to what it calls
“unprecedented levels of hardship.” For example, it says, mothers are being
turned away from UNRWA food centres without powdered milk for their babies.
The agency also notes that it is unable to get in supplies even for blind
children.
ACCUSED
CONGOLESE WARLORD LUBANGA DENIED PROVISIONAL RELEASE
The International Criminal Court says Congolese warlord
Thomas Lubanga Dyilo will
remain in its custody until the start of his trial in January 2009. The
Court earlier today lifted the stay of proceedings in the case against
Lubanga after a status conference in The Hague.
The suspension was imposed in June when judges deemed
that Lubanga would not receive a fair trial because the Prosecutor had
failed to share with the defense confidential information from the United
Nations and other agencies that he has used in his case against Lubanga. The
Court now says that the reasons for imposing a halt “have fallen away”.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the
UN Mission (MONUC)
says that some 25,000 internally displaced persons have gathered around its
base in Bambu, about 80 kilometres north of Goma. According to the Mission,
the displaced civilians are without assistance, as there are currently no
humanitarian workers in or around Bambu.
In the provincial capital, Goma, the World Food
Programme says it is stepping up food distribution to some 100,000 displaced
people. The agency also intends to cross into rebel territory to assist some
100,000 civilians.
UNICEF, meanwhile, says that some 150,000 school
children have stopped going to school as a result of the insecurity.
Asked whether the Secretary-General wants to see any
change in the mandate of the UN Mission in the DRC, the Spokesman said that
the Secretary-General’s focus is on obtaining an additional 3,000 personnel,
who would be able to deploy quickly.
The request for additional personnel had preceded the
latest fighting, Haq added, but the violence underscored the urgency of the
request for additional troops.
DEPUTY
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO FOCUS ON AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT NEEDS
DURING TRIP TO ADDIS ABABA
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro
leaves New York later today for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend the Second
Meeting of the Africa Commission convened by the Government of Denmark from
20 to 21 November.
The Meeting will focus on the creation of jobs in
furthering economic growth in Africa as a way to enhance implementation of
the Millennium Development Goals. The Commission will examine underlying
issues relating to education, youth and women employment and climate change.
In addition, the Deputy Secretary-General will address
the Sixth African Development Forum meeting, where she will give remarks on
gender equality and the elimination of violence against women.
HONDURAS AND GUATEMALA STRUGGLING TO
RECOVER FROM RECENT FLOODING
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA)
says that the reports it has received on Honduras following the floods there
indicate that the living conditions for 313,350 affected people will remain
precarious for several months, owing to the extent of damage to livelihoods
and infrastructure.
However, only 10 percent of the $17 million requested
in a Flash Appeal has been committed, and the limited resources available so
far are slowing down the humanitarian response.
UNICEF is providing cleaning equipment and material to the families that
were sheltered in school buildings, in order for them to keep the premises
clean, and it has also developed a work plan to restore the provision of
safe water in the affected areas. The World Food Programme (WFP),
meanwhile, urgently needs at least 2,000 metric tons of food in order to
start recovery activities.
In neighbouring Guatemala, floods have affected 30,000
families. UNICEF and WFP have sent in teams to plan a response, and the
UN Population Fund is distributing 2,000 hygiene kits. WFP has already
delivered food for more than 28,000 people.
U.N. AGENCIES HELP KYRGYSTAN PREPARE
WINTER RESPONSE PLAN
The United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, with other UN
agencies and NGO partners, is concerned about some 700,000 vulnerable people
in Kyrgyzstan facing the winter season without adequate shelter and
facilities.
This includes 250,000 people at risk of electricity and
water shortages during the extremely cold winter months, and 580,000 people
considered to be food insecure.
To ensure minimum standards of critical services during
the winter months, from this December to April 2009, the agencies are
working to complement government efforts to ensure priority interventions
through a Winter Response Plan. The response plan requires some $18 million.
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE TO HEAR
CASE BETWEEN GREECE AND FYROM
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) reports that
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has
instituted proceedings against Greece. FYROM contends that Greece
violated a previous agreement between the two States when it decided to veto
FYROM’s application to join NATO because of the “name issue.”
FYROM requests the Court to order Greece to cease and
desist from objecting in any way to its membership of NATO or any other
organization of which Greece is a member.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for
the talks between Greece and FYROM, Matthew Nimetz, says that the FYROM
Government assured him that this latest action did not lessen its commitment
to continue the process under the Secretary-General’s auspices to seek a
solution to the “name issue.”
In other developments at the ICJ, the Court today,
despite Serbian objections,
affirmed that it has jurisdiction to rule on a Croatian case alleging
that Serbs committed genocide during the Balkans conflicts of the 1990s.
LATEST UPDATE ON U.N. MEMBER STATE
BUDGET CONTRIBUTIONS AVAILABLE
The latest update on the status of Member States’
contributions to the United Nations regular budget, from 17 November, shows
that a total of 131 Member States have paid in full their assessments to the
regular budget for 2008.
With inclusion of current assessments, a total of
approximately $4.3 billion is still outstanding as of today. Of this, $533
million is for the Regular budget and $3.6 billion relates to peacekeeping
operations. The remaining outstanding contributions consist of $52 million
for the international tribunals and $79 million for the Capital Master Plan.
Details on the contributions by each Member State are available online at:
www.un.org/ga/contributions.
Asked when the deadline for regular budget dues had
passed, the Spokesman said that the deadline had been on 31 January. At the
same time, he added, the United Nations is aware that different countries
have different budgetary cycles, so some payments may come later.
Asked about penalties for non-payment, he said that, if
a country’s unpaid dues equal or exceed the amount it had owed for the
previous two years, it can lose its voting rights in the General Assembly,
unless the Member States grant an exception under Article 19 of the UN
Charter. Dues, Haq added, are a treaty obligation and must be paid by all
Member States on time, in full and without preconditions.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW DEVELOPMENT PROJECT LAUNCHED IN
PAKISTAN: The UN Development Programme in Islamabad has joined hands with a
French anthropologist to launch a project titled “A Treasure in My Backyard:
Suleiman Markhor” to promote conservation and development in the country with
the local communities. The project, supported by Society for Torghar
Environmental Protection (STEP), promotes conservation and development with
local communities while simultaneously addressing the urgent need for
development in the area. The study highlights the inter-linkages between natural
resources and the wellbeing of local communities and will be of interest to all
those who believe sustainable development can occur through community efforts at
a grass-roots level.
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER WROTE TO IRAQI GOVERNMENT
REGARDING CAMP ASHRAF: Asked whether the Secretary-General had written to
the Iraqi Government about the Mujahedin-e-Khalq, the Spokesman clarified that
the Secretary-General has not written to the Government of Iraq regarding that
issue, which concerns Camp Ashraf. The letter, he added, was written by High
Commissioner Navanethem Pillay; the relevant information appears in the human
rights section of the Secretary-General’s latest
report on Iraq.
SECRETARY-GENERAL HAS EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER PIRACY:
Asked about piracy off the coast of Somalia, the Spokesman noted that the
Secretary-General has repeatedly expressed his concern about such piracy and his
support for naval escorts protecting shipping in the area, particularly for
humanitarian deliveries.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION HEAD ELECTED TO THIRD
TERM: Juan Somavia of Chile was elected to a third term as Director-General
of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
today. There was no other candidate for the position. Somavia is the ninth
Director-General to hold the office and formally begins his new five-year term
in March 2009.
CONFERENCE TO EXAMINE MANAGEMENT OF COMOROS VOLCANO:
Beginning tomorrow, international experts are meeting in the capital of
Comoros for a three-day conference on managing and promoting the Karthala
Volcano. Covering two thirds of the country’s largest island, this active
volcano has long been considered a threat to the population. But recently, it
is increasingly being recognized for its development and economic potential, in
the areas of eco-tourism and geothermic energy.
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