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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

DEPUTY
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
 

 UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday,
December 23, 2008

GUINEA: BAN KI-MOON STRESSES NEED FOR
PEACEFUL AND DEMOCRATIC TRANSFER OF POWER 

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has learned of the death
  of the President of the Republic of Guinea, General Lansana Conté. He wishes
  to extend his sincere
  
  condolences and respect to the family of the late President and to the
  Government and people of Guinea as a whole.
   

• He acknowledges President Conté’s long-standing
  commitment to the maintenance of peace and unity in Guinea and to the
  promotion of stability and regional cooperation in the Mano River Basin. He
  commends, in particular, Guinea’s generosity in hosting hundreds of
  thousands of refugees fleeing conflict in neighbouring countries.
   

• At this time of transition in Guinea, the
  Secretary-General stresses the need for a peaceful and democratic transfer
  of power, in accordance with the Constitution.  He calls for calm and urges
  the armed forces and all stakeholders to respect the democratic process.

D.R. CONGO:
U.N. PEACEKEEPERS ON HIGH ALERT AMID REPORTS OF REBEL BUILD-UPS 

• The UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic
  of the Congo (MONUC)
  says there is mounting evidence of a buildup along key roads by rebels from
  Laurent Nkunda’s Congrès National pour la Défense
  du Peuple (CNDP). Peacekeeping bases in Masisi territory have been
  placed on high alert, and peacekeepers are now conducting additional patrols
  in strategic areas in the region.
   

• MONUC is also concerned about a reported clash today
  between the CNDP and ethnic Mai Mai forces.
   

• It calls on all armed groups to cease any and all
  build-up and movement of troops likely to inflame the situation and cause
  new displacement of civilians.
   

• MONUC also urges all parties to refrain from threats or
  the use of force.
   

• The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
  (UNHCR)
  
  says it remains concerned about the safety of hundreds of families in
  villages around the town of Dungu in the Orientale Province of the DRC.
  Among these civilians are many elderly and some disabled people, who are
  unable to make their way to safety as a massive military operation against
  the Lord’s Resistance Army is underway in the region, according to UNHCR.
  
   

• The agency reports that a convoy carrying 23 tons of
  aid has reached Dungu after an 11-day trip across the DRC. The aid delivery
  includes jerry cans, kitchen sets and plastic sheeting, among other items,
  that UNHCR and UNICEF plan to hand out to some 9,000 people.

 CHOLERA NOW AFFECTS ALL PROVINCES OF
ZIMBABWE

• Earlier today, the UNICEF representative in Zimbabwe,
  Roeland Monasch, briefed reporters in Geneva by telephone from Harare on the
  cholera situation in Zimbabwe.
   

• The outbreak is not under control, he said.  Since the
  last UN figures were published, there have been almost three thousand new
  cases, bringing the total to 23,712 cases.  The number of deaths has also
  risen – to 1,174.
   

• The disease now affects all provinces in Zimbabwe, with
  half the cases in Harare. There continue to be staffing issues at cholera
  treatment centres, as many medics are going without salaries and cannot show
  up to work. Only a handful of professionals are staffing clinics, where
  several dozen are needed.
   

• UNICEF is providing 700,000 litres of clean water a
  day, and even digging boreholes in urban areas.  It is also procuring 4,000
  tons of water treatment chemicals for urban areas.

DARFUR: NEW
PERSONNEL FROM ETHIOPIA ARRIVE IN PEACEKEEPING OPERATION 

• The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in
  Darfur (UNAMID)
  reports that it has received 45 members of the Ethiopian Medium Transport
  Company in West Darfur.  The remaining 80 personnel are expected to
  arrive later this week. 
   

• The Ethiopian company will primarily support the
  distribution of cargo between sector logistics bases, the movement of bulk
  cargo, including water and fuel tankers, and provide transport capabilities.
   

• Ethiopia’s contribution to UNAMID includes an Ethiopian
  Engineering unit, one Infantry Battalion and one Multi-Role Logistics
  Company,
   

• United Nations Security Council resolution 1769 (2007)
  authorized UNAMID to have a strength of up to 19,555 military personnel,
  including 360 military observers and liaison officers.
   

• Today’s deployment brings the total number of UNAMID
  military personnel in Darfur to 12,242, bringing the total percentage of
  military personnel in Darfur to just over 60 percent.

 CHILDREN NEED SAFER SCHOOLS

• UNICEF today
  
  called for more concerted action to make schools safe for children.
   This comes after a string of school collapses in 2008, resulting from
  natural disasters and poor construction.
   

• In China, May’s devastating earthquake damaged more
  than 40 per cent of the schools in Sichuan Province. In Myanmar, more than
  4,000 schools still need to be repaired or rebuilt following Cyclone Nargis.
   

• In Haiti, more than 1,000 schools were damaged by
  hurricanes and tropical storms, while more than 90 children and teachers
  perished in November, when their poorly constructed school collapsed.
   

• Schools are unlikely to topple when natural disasters
  strike if they have a strong structural design, their construction is
  closely monitored, and they undergo regular maintenance, UNICEF notes.

OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNITED NATIONS WORKING TO RESOLVE ISSUE OF
MISSING ENVOY: Asked about details of the case of special envoy Robert
Fowler, the Deputy Spokeswoman reiterated that the United Nations, the
Government of Canada and the government of Niger are working in close
partnership with each other and regional actors to resolve this case and were
pursuing all appropriate channels to seek further information about this case
and to secure their safe return. She went on to say that the United Nations will
not comment or release any information which may compromise these efforts and
endanger the safety of these persons, and that the United Nations was in regular
touch with the families to provide assistance and support.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM GROWS: The Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

reports that disasters related to extreme weather events dominated the work
of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams in 2008. OCHA adds
that 67 Member States have now joined the UNDAC system, which ensures that more
trained disaster managers can be made available to the international community.
Since its inception in 1993, UNDAC members have carried out 183 missions. 

NEW MEMORANDUM TO STRENGTHEN CHILD PROTECTION IN SUDAN:
UNICEF today

welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between itself and the
Sudan Armed Forces and National Council for Child Welfare as an important
commitment to strengthen the effective protection of children in Sudan. “This is
considered a remarkable step forward and a significant commitment in
implementation of the International and Regional Treaties and Conventions in
Sudan related to children,” according to UNICEF.

PHILIPPINES:
U.N. AGENCIES HELP INVESTIGATE VIRUS SEEN IN PIGS: The Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are

helping the Government of the Philippines investigate the discovery of the
Ebola-Reston virus for the first time in pigs. While this particular strain of
Ebola can affect humans, no serious illness or deaths among people have been
reported to date. WHO and FAO are helping with field and laboratory
investigations, to track down the source of the virus and how it’s transmitted.
 Until these questions can be answered, the agencies are stressing the
importance of good hygiene and food handling measures.

 
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