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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS FROM ACROSS THE U.N. SYSTEM

UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday,
November 28, 2008

[There was no
noon briefing today.
The noon briefing will resume on Monday, 1 December.]

BAN KI-MOON MEETS IN DOHA WITH WORLD
LEADERS ON GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Emir of Qatar held today in Doha,
  Qatar, a high-level informal discussion on the implications of the financial
  crisis for development, climate change and multilateralism.
   

• The four-hour,
  closed discussion on the eve of the
  Conference on Financing
  for Development was attended by about 30 delegations, including 10 heads
  of states, government and international agencies.
   

• Speaking to reporters
  after the meeting, the Secretary-General said that one of the main goals
  of the discussion, and indeed of the conference itself, was to build a
  bridge between the G-20 and the rest of the world. This requires a truly
  global stimulus plan that meets the needs of emerging economies and
  developing countries, one that protects the poorest and most vulnerable, not
  only the rich and powerful, he said.
   

• He stressed the
  need for a globally coordinated response to the financial crisis, one that
  also addresses the development and climate change emergencies. “If we focus
  only on the financial crisis, we will find no solutions at all,” he said.
  
   

• He called for
  promoting sustainable development, through investments in green
  technologies, and for a new multilateralism that gives emerging economies a
  greater voice in institutions. He also urged developed nations to stand by
  their commitments to Official Development Assistance.

UNITED NATIONS
CONDEMNS TERRORIST ATTACKS IN MUMBAI

• The
  Secretary-General, in remarks to reporters in Doha today, strongly condemned
  the violence we have seen in Mumbai in the past two days.
   

• "No cause or
  grievance can justify indiscriminate attacks against civilians, and the
  perpetrators must be brought swiftly to justice," he said. "I send my
  deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and the wounded, and
  express my solidarity with the people and Government of India."
   

• In a
  statement
  issued Wednesday, the Secretary-General had said, "Such violence is totally unacceptable."
  
   

• The members of
  the Security Council, in a press statement issued Thursday, condemned in the
  strongest terms the terrorist attacks in Mumbai that started on 26 November
  2008, which included the taking of hostages and caused numerous deaths and
  injuries.
   

• The members of
  the Security Council expressed their condolences to the families of the
  victims and to the people and Government of India.
   

• The members of
  the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers,
  financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice
  and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under
  international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate
  actively with the Indian authorities in this regard.
   

• The members of
  the Security Council reiterated that all acts of terrorism are criminal and
  unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, and reaffirmed the need to
  combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,
  threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. The
  members of the Security Council reminded States that they must ensure that
  measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under
  international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and
  humanitarian law.

Arbitrary arrest and detention are rife in various parts of Sudan

• Arbitrary arrest and detention are widespread in many
  parts of Sudan, and are often linked to further serious human rights
  violations, including torture and other forms of ill-treatment, according to
  
  a report issued today by the UN High
  Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
   

• The 51-page report covers the capital Khartoum and
  other parts of Northern Sudan, Southern Sudan, and the three central areas
  of Abyei, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile State (but not Darfur, which has
  been the focus of previous OHCHR reports.)
   

• The report concludes that intelligence and security
  services, police, and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), as well as the Sudan
  People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in the South, have all committed violations
  of Sudanese and international law in the form of arbitrary arrests of
  civilians, in the length and manner of their detention, and in the physical
  treatment of detainees.

EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR CONCLUDES
VISIT TO SOUTHERN SUDAN

• John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for
  Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator today concluded a two
  day mission to Juba in Southern Sudan.
   

• Holmes met the Government of South Sudan and assured
  them of continued support in confronting critical humanitarian issues
  particularly in the health sector. He urged continued donor support for this
  and noted that a huge construction and development effort is still needed in
  the south, particularly building up rapidly the road system, and basic
  health and education services. Government of South Sudan capacity also has
  to be built up to takeover the needs in all these areas.
   

• Earlier he Holmes met President of southern Sudan Salva
  Kiir. As well as discussing the continuing scale of the needs confronting
  the south, they also expressed shared concerns for the full implementation
  of the comprehensive peace agreement.
   

• As well as mutual commitment to a rapid and successful
  negotiated solution to the Darfur conflict, both also strongly urged the
  Lords Resistance Army (LRA) leadership to go through with their promise to
  sign the peace agreement on the 29 November.
   

• Prior to visiting Juba, Holmes had traveled to Agok
  where he met some of the 30,000 people who fled Abyei when fighting broke
  out on 14 May. The internally displaced persons stated they need assured
  security before returning home. Holmes also met the new Administrator and
  his Deputy and assured them of the continued commitment of the humanitarian
  community to assisting the displaced and helping them return to their homes
  as soon as conditions allow. He urged them to promote inter community
  reconciliation and full implementation of the road map.

BAN KI-MOON IS DISAPPOINTED THAT MILITARY
ACTIVITY BY GOVERNMENT PERSISTS IN DARFUR

• The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur
  (UNAMID) investigated reports of aerial attacks by the Government of Sudan
  from 21 to 22 November in Abu Dangal, South Darfur, and confirmed visible
  effects of air strikes, including four craters created by bombing and the
  presence of unexploded ordnance on the ground.
   

• In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, the
  Secretary-General reiterates his call for all parties to use restraint and
  renew their commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
   

• The Secretary-General further expresses his
  disappointment that military activity by the Government continues in Darfur,
  particularly in light of the 12 November announcement of an immediate
  ceasefire by the Government.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL OPENS SPECIAL
SESSION ON DR CONGO

• The Human Rights Council opened a
  
  
  special session on the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier
  today in Geneva.
   

• In her address to the delegates, the High
  Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay warned that the North Kivu
  violence is part of a now entrenched pattern fuelled by widespread impunity.
  “The periodic cycles of bloodshed and destruction that have for so long
  affected the DRC will keep recurring unless the perpetrators of human rights
  violations are brought to justice,” she said.
   

• She added that little will improve unless
  the illegal exploitation of natural resources, too, is adequately and
  comprehensively addressed.

SPECIAL ENVOY FOR EASTERN D.R.C. BEGINS REGIONAL VISIT

• The
  Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for eastern DR Congo, Olusegun
  Obasanjo, has begun another regional visit in search of a peaceful solution
  to the crisis in the Kivus. Obasanjo arrived this morning in Kinshasa where
  he was meeting with President Joseph Kabila. He will also visit Goma, the
  capital of North Kivu, for discussions with rebel leader Laurent Nkunda
  before meeting with regional leaders.
   

• In North
  Kivu, the UN Mission (MONUC)
  reports a number of clashes between rebels led by General Nkunda and the
  armed PARECO militants. It is unclear if there were any casualties. Nkunda’s
  rebels are also reported to have clashed with ethnic Mai-Mai fighters in
  towns near the Uganda border, causing a displacement of civilians. 
   

• The
  situation is somewhat better in the northern reaches of North Kivu, from
  where humanitarian agencies report notable improvement and the return of
  some IDP returns.
   

• The UN refugee agency
  (UNHCR) has begun the voluntary relocation of some 25,000 internally
  displaced civilians from the Kibati camp, some 12 kilometers north of Goma,
  to a secure site away from rebel lines. Some 1,000 IDPs will be transferred
  today and UNHCR hopes to maintain this pace over the coming week.
   

• UNHCR, meanwhile, says that
  thousands of
  
  civilians have fled to Uganda in the past two days ahead of a new
  outburst of violence in North Kivu. The wave of fleeing civilians continues
  as of today, the agency notes. It estimates that some 13,000 Congolese have
  reached the Ugandan border town of Ishasha since Tuesday. Some 27,000
  Congolese civilians are now believed to have fled into Uganda since August,
  bringing to 50,000 the total of Congolese refugees in Uganda.

 SECURITY
COUNCIL WRAPS UP VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN

• A Security Council mission wrapped up a
  visit to Afghanistan today urging the country's leaders and its
  international partners to intensify their efforts in bringing
  stability and security to the war-torn country while expressing
  cautious optimism for its future.
   

• Speaking at a press conference, delegation leader
  Ambassador Giulio Terzi of Italy said Afghanistan was faced with a difficult
  security situation, but not a security crisis. “We should avoid any
  inclination to disillusion and frustration, “he said. “This is instead time
  for Afghans and their international partners to redouble their joint 
  efforts.”
   

• The three-day visit included meetings with President
  Hamid Karzai, Government leaders, parliamentarians, civil society
  representatives, and members of the international community, including the
  United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the NATO-led
  International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

AFGHANISTAN:
DRUGS FINANCE TALIBAN WAR MACHINE

EMERGENCY HEALTH STOCKS AIRLIFTED TO COPE
WITH CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN ZIMBABWE

• The Office for the Coordination of
  Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports total number of cholera cases since the
  first outbreak on August 18, 2008 stands at 9,908 cases and 412 deaths. This
  is an increase of 445 cases, and 23 more deaths since 27 November.
   

• Water trucking, sensitization and
  education programmes, the procurement of emergency medical supplies,
  construction of latrines and support to health centers are ongoing.
   

• The World Health Organization and its
  partners were monitoring and responding to the outbreaks and supporting
  cholera treatment centres in 26 districts. WHO was airlifting emergency
  stocks of supplies from its warehouse in Dubai and mobilizing additional
  drugs and supplies. WHO and its partners were working on deployment of a
  full outbreak investigation and response team, including logisticians,
  epidemiologists, social mobilization, media management and water/sanitation
  specialists.

SOMALIA: MORE CIVILIANS FLEE MOGADISHU AS
FIGHTING RESUMES

• Fifty-five civilians are reported to have
  died in recent clashes in Mogadishu, the Office for the Coordination of
  Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says. The dead include six children.
   

• The fighting has caused yet another exodus
  from Mogadishu, with families rushing toward the relative safety of
  UN-assisted camps for the internally displaced on the Afgooye-Mogasishu
  road, temporary home to some 360,000 people. OCHA says more than 100,000
  people have already fled the violence in Mogadishu since September. An
  estimated 250,000 people have been displaced from the capital this year
  alone.
   

• Meanwhile, off the coast of Somalia, NATO
  and Dutch Naval Frigates successfully escorted in three humanitarian vessels
  from the World Food Programme (WFP) with some 18,730 tons of food.

RISING NUMBERS OF HAITI CHILDREN ARE AT RISK OF MALNUTRITION

• The UN Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
  is concerned by the increasing number for Haitian children dying of malnutrition
  less than two months a wave of tropical storms and hurricanes inflicted massive
  damage on the island. 27 children are reported dead from malnutrition and more
  than 60 are now hospitalized in Baie d’Orange.
   

• The Mission says that the
  situation is particularly worrisome in the greater Baie d’Orange region where
  children have been hospitalized with a combination of malaria, respiratory
  problems and scab, in addition to having all the usual signs of severe
  malnutrition.   

FLOODS IN SRI LANKA DISPLACE THOUSANDS

• Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by
  floods following heavy rainfall in the northern Sri Lankan districts of
  Jaffna, Mannar, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu during the past few
  days.
   

• UNHCR will coordinate the distribution of non-food
  relief items as a soon as assessments have been completed. UNICEF will
  assist with water and sanitation related items, while WFP will provide dry
  rations at the request of the local authorities.
   

• Humanitarian agencies report that sufficient stocks of
  relief items, including food and shelter material, are available in the
  Jaffna peninsula to help the affected families for the next few days.
   

• In Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, increasing water levels
  few days have caused floods in some areas. Two to three reservoirs are at
  risk of overflowing in the area, which poses threats to populations and
  displaced settlements. Vehicle movement is obstructed by flood water and bad
  road conditions are also likely to affect the movement of weekly
  humanitarian convoys.

ADOLESCENTS AND
YOUNG ADULTS WITH HIV AT HIGH RISK OF TREATMENT FAILURE

• In research published today in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization
  (WHO),
  WHO says that adolescents and young adults with HIV are at high risk of
  treatment failure and of transmitting the virus to their sexual partners.
   

• More
  than half of all new HIV infections in the world now occur in adolescents and
  young adults, and are acquired predominantly through sexual contact, WHO says.
  
   

• In a study conducted in Haiti, WHO found that, 12 months after beginning
  therapy, only 73% of patients were still in medical care (the remainder having
  died or left therapy); of these; less than half adhered well to antiretroviral
  treatment, and nearly three-quarters engaged in unsafe sex. 

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA)
BOARD OPEN DELIBERATIONS: IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei
opened a
busy Board of Governors meeting today in Vienna, Austria, by addressing issues
of technical cooperation, nuclear power, safety and security, and nuclear
verification.

FAO HONORS
MALAWI’S PRESIDENT FOR FOOD INITIATIVES:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
yesterday awarded its Agricola Medal to Malawi’s President Bingu wa Mutharika,
for his contribution towards transforming the country’s economy from a state of
food deficit to a net exporter of maize.  Since 2005, Malawi has succeeded in
restoring national food security by increasing access to fertilizers and
improved seeds by poor farmers and other vulnerable population groups, FAO say

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, November 29

From
today through Tuesday, the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for
Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus takes place
in Doha, Qatar.

Today
is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Sunday, November 30

Today
is the last day of Costa Rica’s Security Council presidency.

Monday, December 1

Today
is the first day of Croatia’s Security Council Presidency.

At 10.30 a.m. in Room S-226, Jimmy Kolker, Chief of
the HIV and AIDS section at UNICEF; Bertil Lindblad, Director of the UNAIDS Office in New York; Andrey Pirogov, Executive Director of the World
Health Organization office in New York; a representative from the U.N.
Population Fund; and Joan Laporta, President of the Futbol Club Barcelona,
present the Third Stocktaking Report on children and mothers affected by HIV and
AIDS.

From
today through 12 December, the latest round of U.N.-backed climate change talks
takes place in Poznań, Poland.

In
Doha, Qatar, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs is scheduled to
launch its World Economic Situation and Prospects 2009 report.

From
today through 15 December in Geneva, the Human Rights Council holds its 3rd
Universal Periodic Review session.

The
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict,
Ms. Coomaraswamy, begins a 12-day visit to Nepal and the Philippines to assess
the situation of children in armed conflict, and of child soldiers in
particular.

From
today through Friday in Rome, Italy, the 9th Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals takes place.

Today
is World AIDS Day.

Tuesday, December 2

This
morning, the General Assembly is scheduled to take up the reports of its First
Committee.

At 12.30 p.m. in Room S-226, Ambassador Neven Jurica,
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia and President of the
Security Council for December, briefs on the Council’s programme of work for the
month.

Wednesday, December 3

Today
is the International Day of Disabled Persons.  Numerous activities are scheduled
at Headquarters, with an opening event at 9:30 a.m. in Conference Room 4.

At 1.30
p.m. in Room S-226, International Criminal Court
Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo will be joined by other speakers to brief on the
Court’s report on the situation in Darfur.

Thursday, December 4

In
Geneva, the World Health Organization and UNICEF launch the World report on
child injury prevention.

Friday, December 5

The guest at the noon briefing is John Holmes, who
will brief on the Central
Emergency Response Fund.

Today
is the International Volunteer Day for Economic & Social Development.
 

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