.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE
MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday,
December 9, 2008
SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR COLLECTIVE RESISTANCE TO TERRORISM AT SECURITY
COUNCIL DEBATE
The
Security Council today is holding a debate on terrorism, which is
chaired by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic.
The Secretary-General
opened the meeting by saying that terrorism is a global scourge, and
pointing to the attacks in Mumbai two weeks ago as the most recent example
of mad, misguided individuals run amok.
The best response to a corrosive, malevolent ideology,
he said, is a strong assertion of collective resistance. At the same time,
he said, we need to defend the values enshrined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the sixtieth anniversary of which
we commemorate on Wednesday.
The Secretary-General said that today’s meeting takes
place just two days before the first anniversary of the bombing of the
United Nations offices in Algeria, which took the lives of 17 UN staff and
injured some 40 more.
He said that, although the United Nations is becoming
more of a target of terrorists, the recent tragedies in which UN staff have
been killed have deterred neither our will nor our ability to serve the
international community.
Also today, the Secretary-General and the members of
the Security Council held their monthly luncheon.
Asked how the Secretary-General would defend
human rights in the fight against terrorism, the Spokeswoman said that the
Secretary-General would be speaking out extensively on the issue of Human
Rights when he addresses the General Assembly on Wednesday through a video
message and when he speaks at a human rights event in Geneva this Friday for
the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Asked about the Security Council’s list of
individuals and entities linked to terrorist organizations, the Spokeswoman
noted that the Council, not the Secretary-General, controls that list.
DIALOGUE BEGINS
BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND REBEL GROUP IN D.R. CONGO
The Department of Political Affairs confirmed that
dialogue between the Congolese Government and the Laurent Nkunda-led rebel
group, Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple, began today at the UN
Nairobi headquarters. The Secretary-General is represented at the talks by
his special envoy for the Great Lakes Region, former Nigerian President
Olusegun Obasanjo. Benjamin Mkapa, the former President of Tanzania, is
co-facilitating the meeting on behalf of the African Union and the
International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
In their opening remarks to the talks, the two envoys
urged participants to find a workable solution to the political and
humanitarian crisis in eastern
DRC. The talks are expected to continue on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in the eastern DRC, the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, while the transfer of
internally displaced civilians from the Kibati camps to a safer location
continues, some 9,000 newly displaced people have arrived in Kibati.
While some displaced civilians are returning to their
original homes, the looting of private property was reported from several
regions in the past week. Looting also affected five former relief sites for
IDPs in Rutshuru, with houses and shelters forcibly emptied and destroyed.
According to the
UN Refugee Agency, some 50,000 IDPs across North Kivu cannot be provided
for at this time for lack of means.
Asked about the European
Union’s response to the Secretary-General’s request for additional troops in
the DRC, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General is waiting to be
informed officially by the EU about its decision.
CONFERENCE ON
PIRACY AROUND SOMALIA OPENS THIS WEEK
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, has confirmed the holding of an
international Conference on Piracy around Somalia, on Wednesday and Thursday
in Nairobi.
Ould-Abdallah said that a meeting of technical experts,
to be held Wednesday, will be followed by a day-long conference at the
ministerial level, which will have as keynote speaker President Mwai Kibaki
of Kenya.
Ould-Abdallah said some 140 officials from 40
countries, regional and international organizations will be attending. He
also welcomed the fact that the Conference comes on the same week as the
first naval operation carried out by the European Union, known as Operation
Atalanta, an anti-piracy task force aimed at protecting ships from pirate
attacks off the Somali coast.
SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES INCLUSIVE POLITICAL DIALOGUE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC
The Secretary-General on Monday
welcomed the convening of the Inclusive Political Dialogue in the
Central African Republic, which demonstrates the political will of the
Central African stakeholders to give new momentum to the development of
their country. He said that the dialogue's inclusive nature has the
potential to produce the results which all Central Africans have awaited for
a long time.
While conflicts in the sub-region will continue to
threaten stability in the Central African Republic, the Secretary-General
noted with satisfaction the solidarity and support that regional states have
continued to extend to the Central African Republic. The UN system, for its
part, will do everything in its power to help implement the recommendations
of the Inclusive Political Dialogue.
HIGH-LEVEL
DELEGATION ARRIVES IN ZIMBABWE TO ASSIST IN DEALING WITH CHOLERA OUTBREAK
A high-level delegation from the
World Health Organization arrived over the weekend in Harare, headed by
Eric Laroche, Assistant Director-General for WHO's Health Action in Crises
cluster. That trip follows a call by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health seeking
international assistance to deal with the nation’s cholera outbreak.
Laroche met with the Zimbabwean Health Minister on
Monday and offered WHO’s support for coordination of the specific cholera
response and the overhaul health interventions.
Today, WHO hosted a meeting of 50 representatives of
non-governmental organizations, the UN and Ministry of Health partners.
Laroche called for a strong control and command mechanism to be established
to lead the containment and response to the outbreak of cholera, as well as
to coordinate the activities of the multiple health providers operating in
Zimbabwe.
WHO reports that the number of suspected cases of
cholera has risen above 15,000 (15,219), and 774 deaths had been recorded
since August in two-thirds of the country's 62 districts.
Roughly half of cases have been recorded in Budiriro, a
heavily populated suburb on the western outskirts of the capital, Harare.
Other major concentrations of reported cholera cases include Beitbridge, on
the South African border, and Mudzi, on the border with Mozambique.
WHO cautions that it does not yet know how fully the
currently reported numbers reflect the true extent of the outbreak, as
reporting from many of the more remote areas of the country is incomplete.
WHO and its partners were working on a scenario for an outbreak of 60,000
cases, in order to ensure an adequate response.
U.N. MISSION IN
KOSOVO STARTS PHASING OUT POLICE COMPONENT
In response to earlier questions, the Spokeswoman noted
that the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)
has now started phasing out its police component, and the EU Rule of Law
Mission, known as EULEX, has phased in Kosovo-wide.
This marks the start of EULEX policing throughout
Kosovo under the overall authority of the United Nations and within the
framework of resolution 1244 -- after nine and a half years of UNMIK
policing.
During that time, UNMIK has succeeded in establishing
from scratch a local police force that is well respected in Kosovo and in
the region.
U.N. TRUCKS
CARRYING GOODS ENTER GAZA FROM ISRAEL
The Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle
East Peace Process (UNSCO)
reports that some goods were able to enter Gaza from Israel today. Those
goods included ten trucks of flour for the
World Food Programme.
For its part, the UN Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
managed to get in three trucks of tinned meat and three of cooking oil. But
this is still not enough, according to UNRWA.
Meanwhile, in New York, UNRWA's annual pledging
conference will be held Wednesday morning at 11:00 a.m. in Conference Room
4. UNRWA’s general budget requirements for 2009 amount to nearly $550
million. That sum covers the costs of the Agency’s education, health, social
support and microfinance services. The Secretary-General has urged Member
States to fully fund the budget so that UNRWA can maintain its essential
services for 4.6 million registered Palestine refugees.
Asked about the Secretary-General’s reaction to
the blocking of shipments of aid into Gaza, the Spokeswoman noted that the
Secretary-General, while not commenting on that specific issue, has
repeatedly called for an easing of humanitarian aid into Gaza. In
particular, she said, he has asked for an opening of the crossing points so
that aid can reach the population.
Asked about the situation of Palestinian
prisoners, she said that the Secretary-General has called for the release of
prisoners.
MIDDLE EAST
QUARTET MEETING TO BE HELD NEXT WEEK AT UNHQ
In response to a question, the Spokeswoman
confirmed that the
Quartet will be meeting at UN Headquarters on 15 December, in the
afternoon. It will be followed by a press conference in Conference Room 4 at
4:00 pm.
The Secretary-General will then host Quartet
members and a number of Arab foreign ministers for a discussion, Montas
added.
REPORT SAYS
HARIRI INVESTIGATION MAKES FURTHER PROGRESS
The latest
report of the International Independent Investigation Commission dealing
with Lebanon is available as a document today. In it, Commissioner Daniel
Bellemare notes new information that may allow the Commission to link
additional individuals to the network that carried out the assassination of
former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. He adds that the Commission has made
further findings that help to identify the possible geographic origin of the
suicide bomber.
Given that its current mandate expires on 31 December,
while the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is on track to begin functioning on 1
March 2009, the Commission requests that the Security Council extend its
mandate until the end of February 2009, so that it can continue its
investigation without interruption.
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED BY INACTIVITY ON KUWAITI REMAINS
In a new
report, the Secretary-General said that the inactivity on the exhumation
and repatriation of the remains of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals in
Iraq during the last year is of serious concern.
He is also concerned at the absence of progress with
regard to finding the Kuwaiti archives. The Secretary-General stresses the
need to translate statements of goodwill into concrete activities to speed
up progress on the ground and the implementation of Security Council
resolution 1284.
REPORT SAYS
FOOD AID NEEDED FOR 8.7 MILLION PEOPLE IN D.P.R.K.
A joint
report released Monday by FAO and the World Food Programme says around
40 percent of the population of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
- an estimated 8.7 million people - mostly young children, pregnant and
nursing women and the elderly, will urgently need food assistance because of
an expected cereals deficit in the coming months.
The Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission report
states that despite favorable climate conditions during the past growing
season, the country's agricultural production will not meet basic food needs
this year. In the first such comprehensive field assessment mission since
2004, the joint mission visited the DPRK from 9-24 October 2008.
The Chief of the FAO Global Information and Early
Warning System said the DPRK will face a severe food situation over the
coming months, adding that the prospects for next year are bleak, with a
substantial deficit of basic foods that will only partly be covered by
commercial imports and anticipated food aid.
UNITED NATIONS
LAUNCHES OPERATION BLUE SHIELD IN HAITI
The UN Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
has launched Operation Blue Shield in support of an urban security plan
floated by the Haitian National Police. The plan aims to reduce crime in
urban centers by increasing police presence and nighttime patrols. UN
peacekeepers are expected to make up a substantial part of the patrolling
force. Peacekeepers will also double the number of mobile checkpoints.
The Mission says Operation Blue Shield
comes in response to the staggering rise in acts of banditry, including
kidnapping, which have gone up by some 40% in recent months, especially in
Port-au-Prince.
HIGH-LEVEL REGIONAL POLICY DIALOGUE OPENS IN INDONESIA
A high-level meeting
kicked off today in Denpasar, Indonesia, aimed at finding strategies to
address the impact of the food, energy and financial crises on Asia and the
Pacific, in the context of climate change – and preventing the triple crises
from becoming a development emergency.
The High-level Regional Policy Dialogue on “The
Food-Fuel Crisis and Climate Change – Reshaping the Development Agenda,”
jointly organized by the Government of Indonesia and the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), has
attracted a wide-ranging group, including policy-makers, finance experts,
climate change specialists, and private sector entrepreneurs.
The two-day event is the first time that the issues of
the food, energy and financial crises, and climate change, have been
addressed in a comprehensive and integrated manner in the Asia-Pacific
region.
U.N. MARKS
INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST CORRUPTION
Today is the International Day against Corruption. In
a
message to mark the day, the Secretary-General notes that greed and
corruption are partly to blame for the current global financial crisis.
While this is bad enough, there is another, silent
financial crisis that is afflicting the world’s poorest and attracting far
less attention: the billions of dollars for health care, schools, clean
water and infrastructure that are stolen or lost through bribes and other
misdeeds.
The Secretary-General calls for making the UN
Convention against Corruption, which entered into force three years ago, the
global norm. He asks everyone to do their part to strengthen integrity, play
by the rules and turn the tide against corruption.
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime is
leading an initiative called “Your No Counts”, aimed at showing
individuals that they are not at the mercy of corruption and often have the
power to prevent it.
REPORT: 963
MILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD STILL HUNGRY
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO)
latest
report, the number of hungry people around the world has risen to 963
million. An additional 40 million people were pushed into hunger this year,
mainly because of higher food prices.
Although prices have dropped since earlier this year,
they are still 28 per cent higher than they were two years ago, FAO says.
Prices for seeds and fertilizers have more than doubled, which means that
poor farmers have not been able to increase production.
FAO also warns that lower prices for food, combined
with the credit crunch, could force farmers to plant less, which would lead
to another round of dramatic increases next year.
OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
UN AND PAKISTAN DISCUSS
FORMAT AND FUNDING FOR POSSIBLE COMMISSION ON BHUTTO ASSASSINATION:
Asked about an inquiry into the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto, the Spokeswoman said that discussions continue between the UN
Secretariat and the Pakistani authorities about the format and funding of a
possible commission.
LIBERIAN PRESIDENT AWARDED FOR EFFORTS IN FOOD SECURITY:
Over the weekend, FAO
awarded its Ceres Medal to Liberia’s President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, in
honour of her outstanding contribution to food security and agricultural
development. In conferring the medal, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf noted
President Johnson-Sirleaf’s determination to invest in agriculture, despite the
current international financial crisis.
U.N. LAUNCHES SURVEY OF ON SLAVERY: UNESCO has
launched its first-ever survey of historical and contemporary slavery.
Entitled “Unfinished Business”, the project is a comparative analysis of
historical slave systems and modern forms of human bondage.
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
