HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS,
Tuesday, October
20, 2009
AFGHAN
ELECTIONS: CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS MUST BE FULLY RESPECTED
Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon, in
remarks to reporters this morning, warmly welcomed the statement today
by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, making it clear that the constitutional
process regarding the Afghan elections must be fully respected.
He said that the
United Nations will do its utmost for the conduct of the second round of
elections scheduled for 7 November 2009 in a free, fair, transparent and
secure environment.
The Secretary-General said
that the courage and patience demonstrated by the Afghan people and their
leaders must be recognized and applauded.
And he added that the United
Nations has supported the work of the Afghan institutions in their efforts
to ensure that all valid votes cast in the elections of 20 August were taken
into account and that the voice of the Afghan people was clearly heard.
Asked about steps to ensure
that fraud can be prevented during the second round of elections, the
Secretary-General said, among other things, that the United Nations will
advise the Independent Election Commission not to re-recruit those officials
who might have been involved in fraudulent electoral processes. “We must not
repeat what they have done last time,” he said.
Speaking in Kabul today, the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, said
that Afghanistan’s electoral institutions have functioned the way they
should. He said that, in a country in conflict which is a young democracy,
it is of particular importance that the institutions that underpin that
democracy work solidly."
Asked about what the United Nations is doing
differently as a result of the lessons it has learned after the first round
of elections, the Spokeswoman said that the UN Assistance Mission for
Afghanistan (UNAMA)
reports that some 200 district field coordinators will be replaced either
because they did not follow correct procedures, ignored or were complicit in
attempted fraud.
She said that the Afghan electoral institutions and
Afghan and international security forces, with UN support, will revisit the
number of polling stations that can be opened and planned for. We will try
to make sure that as many Afghans can vote as possible, Okabe said, but
polling stations that were not open in the first round will not be opened
for the second round.
Also, the Afghan authorities are reviewing the polling
stations from which complaints were received, to determine whether they
should be opened.
The Spokeswoman added that the Secretary-General and
his Special Representative Kai Eide will continue to appeal to the
candidates and their supporters not to interfere with the electoral process.
Recent developments demonstrate that it is in nobody’s interest when
irregularities are committed.
She noted that the Secretary-General made clear in his
remarks that, at the end of the day, what is essential is that the mechanism
be in place to ensure that, if fraud happens, it is detected and dealt with
– just as has been the case for the first round. The United Nations will
continue to support the Afghan authorities in this effort.
U.N. AGENCY
SUPPORTING REGISTRATION FOR DISPLACED PAKISTANIS
According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), Pakistani civilians continue to flee South Waziristan
following the start of military operations against insurgents over the
weekend.
UNHCR is
supporting the registration of new arrivals in two neighbouring
districts of the North West Frontier Province where some 32,000 internally
displaced people (IDPs) - comprising almost 4,500 families - have been
registered by local authorities since 13 October.
They join more than 80,000 people (11,000 families) who
had fled South Waziristan since May this year, bringing the total number of
registered displaced to more than 112,000 people.
So far, the IDPs have been accommodated by the host
families. Generally, this has been the trend in the north-west part of
Pakistan.
However, the government has informed UNHCR they are
considering the establishment of camps and the refugee agency says it stands
ready to assist in providing all-weather tents and site preparation if
required. Various sites are being explored by the government, according to
UNHCR.
Meanwhile, access to people in need remains the key
challenge for humanitarian agencies in this operation given the volatile
security environment in the displacement areas. In addition to the aid given
to individual families, assistance will need to be extended to hospitals,
schools and other public facilities that may come under strain with large
influxes of people.
Asked about funding for humanitarian activities in
Pakistan, the Spokeswoman said humanitarian agencies, including UNHCR, would
do what they can to assist people in need while we press to have the appeal
funded.
INSECURITY
HAMPERING HUMANITARIAN ACCESS IN D.R. CONGO
Insecurity in the North Kivu province of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo is seriously
hampering humanitarian access, according to the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
OCHA says that attacks on humanitarians have risen
sharply in recent weeks -- with seven incidents reported during last week
alone. Since the beginning of the year, a total of 108 attacks against
humanitarians workers were recorded in North Kivu, compared to 105 during
the entire year of 2008.
John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that by
decreasing access to the areas concerned, those responsible are contributing
to the suffering of millions of vulnerable people. He also added that
unfortunately, they are almost never brought to justice. According to OCHA,
of the105 attacks against humanitarians reported during 2008, less than ten
have been the object of formal police investigations.
Also on the eastern DRC, OCHA is denouncing human
rights violations in Uvira, South Kivu – where attacks against civilians by
unidentified armed elements and rape against women remained widespread.
OCHA says that on 5 October, five women were raped by
armed men believed to be members of the national army. One of the victims
was killed. At least 5,387 cases of rape against women were reported in the
South Kivu province in the first six months of 2009. OCHA adds that
humanitarian agencies continue to call for these violations to stop and for
their perpetrators to be brought to justice.
EXPELLED
ANGOLANS NEED HUMANITARIAN AID
Tens of thousands of Angolans recently expelled from
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are in dire
need of humanitarian assistance, according to the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Nearly 60,000 expelled people, currently camped in
various sites around the town of Mbanza Congo in northern Angola, are in
urgent need of shelter, food, medicine and sanitation facilities.
An assessment by UNHCR personnel in the area shows that
the supply of clean water is insufficient at the various sites and some of
the expelled have to drink from nearby contaminated rivers.
UNHCR is particularly concerned that there are
significant numbers of Angolan refugees among the people who have been
forcibly returned.
UNHCR welcomes the official agreement between the DRC
and Angola to end to the tit-for-tat cross-border expulsions. And at the
request of the Angolan government, which has been trying to help those
forcibly returned, UNHCR plans to provide assistance to the groups expelled.
LIBERIA MISSION
GETS NEW FORCE COMMANDER
The Secretary-General has informed the Security Council
of his intention to appoint Lieutenant General Sikander Afzal of Pakistan as
Force Commander of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
Lt. Gen. Afzal will replace Lieutenant General A.T.M. Zahirul Alam of
Bangladesh whose duty ended yesterday.
Lt.Gen. Afzal’s career in the Pakistani military began
in 1972 and, between 1994 and 1995, he was also in command of the quick
reaction force of the UN Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II).
IRAQ: ROLE OF
MEDIA IS KEY IN ENSURING FREE AND FAIR DIMENSIONS OF ELECTIONS
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Iraq, Ad Melkert, yesterday brought together the heads of the three main
Iraqi institutions involved in ensuring responsible, fair and accurate
reporting on elections.
With just 90 days to go before important parliamentary
elections in Iraq, the meeting was called to understand the constraints
faced by each institution in performing its role in the electoral process
and to identify how the United Nations could provide support.
Melkert said afterward, “The role of the media is key
in ensuring the free and fair dimensions of elections, and this meeting is
an important step in finding the common ground on which to work.”
UNICEF GOODWILL AMBASSADOR HIGHLIGHTS
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN YEMEN
UNICEF says
that its Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and Africa, Mahmoud Kabil,
issued an
appeal today following a visit to Yemen. Kabil said he had seen
children on the brink of death due to acute malnutrition and dehydration.
Insecurity and the fighting were stopping humanitarian aid from reaching
many children.
UNICEF and other humanitarian agencies had repeatedly
called for safe corridors to deliver urgently needed supplies.
An estimated 150,000 Yemenis have been affected by the
fighting since 2004, including those displaced by the latest escalation,
according to UNHCR .
DARFUR: RECENT ACTIVITIES MAY SIGNAL START OF NEW
CYCLE OF ARMED CONFRONTATIONS
Asked about reports regarding
a buildup of forces in Darfur, the Spokeswoman recalled that the African
Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)
on Monday expressed grave concern over a military build-up by the Government
of Sudan and by the forces of the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid Faction,
observed by peacekeeping field personnel in two areas in North Darfur.
UNAMID says that the sizeable
and unusual military activities may signal the impending start of a new
cycle of armed confrontations in the area.
The mission has issued a
solemn call on all parties in Darfur to refrain from resorting to any new
acts of violence. UNAMID further stresses that the only way for a peaceful
resolution of the Darfur conflict is through dialogue and negotiations.
U.N. AGENCIES
WORK TO MEET SHELTER & WATER NEEDS IN QUAKE-HIT INDONESIA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) says shelter remains the biggest need in areas of Indonesia that were
hit by the recent earthquake. But there are also crucial water and
sanitation needs, OCHA says. In West Sumatra’s capital, for example, only 20
percent of the population remains connected to the water distribution
network. For its part, UNICEF is working to provide generators to ensure
continuous running of the four water pumping stations.
OCHA also reports that nearly three thousand classrooms
in more than 200 schools were severely damaged by the earthquake, affecting
the education of some 90,000 students. Aid agencies have responded by
building 48 temporary classrooms, providing nearly 300 school tents, and
donating materials for teaching, learning, sports and recreation, for
thousands of children.
Meanwhile, a team of engineers fielded by the UN
Development Programme and New Zealand have assessed the structural damage to
120 public buildings.
FOOD AGENCY
CHIEF HEADS TO STORM-RAVAGED PHILIPPINES
The Executive Director of the World Food Programme
(WFP), Josette Sheeran, will start a three-day
visit to the Philippines tomorrow, to witness at first hand the huge
impact of the catastrophic floods that have affected more than 7 million
people.
Sheeran will travel with President Gloria Arroyo to
some of the worst-affected areas, and see how food assistance is being
provided. Ahead of her visit, she said that WFP would work closely with the
government to ensure that food assistance is provided to all who need it in
the coming weeks.
SENDING MONEY
HOME TO AFRICA REMAINS TOO EXPENSIVE
Restrictive laws and costly fees are hampering the
power of remittances sent home by African workers to lift people out of
poverty. This is the key finding of a new report by the UN’s rural poverty
agency, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, (IFAD).
The report, titled, “Sending Money Home to Africa”,
says African workers send home more than forty billion US dollars each
year.
Globally remittances home by migrant workers total more
than $300 billion a year – an amount that is more than foreign direct
investment and development assistance combined. But the IFAD report reveals
that while transfer costs have declined in Latin America and in Asia,
sending money home to Africa remains expensive.
The report recommends that increasing the number of
payout locations, especially in rural areas could help address the problem.
BAN KI-MOON TO
UNVEIL OLYMPIC TRUCE SCULPTURE
Tonight, here at Headquarters, the Secretary-General
will unveil a sculpture dedicated to the Olympic Truce, ahead of the Winter
Games to take place in Vancouver, early next year.
The sculpture will stay at the United Nations for a
month before being moved to the Olympic village.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to
stress the importance of truces. He will say that these pauses in fighting
save lives, make it possible for humanitarian workers to reach people in
need, and open up diplomatic space to negotiate lasting solutions.
This event will take place at 6:30 tonight and is
taking place in conjunction with the adoption yesterday of the Olympic Truce
resolution for the 2010 Winter Games by the General Assembly.
BAN KI-MOON TO
HEAD TO SEATTLE
Starting Sunday, the Secretary-General is scheduled to
travel to Seattle, Washington, from 25 to 27 October.
The Secretary-General will engage with local leaders,
the private sector, civil society and the local community to discuss the
work of the United Nations to address global challenges, particularly
climate change as well as environmental and economic sustainability.
The Secretary-General will also meet with Bill and
Melinda Gates to discuss the Millennium Development Goals, including joint
efforts to advance food security and global health, particularly maternal,
newborn and child health.
During his visit, the Secretary-General will receive an
honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Washington. As part of
the program at the University, the Secretary-General will also deliver a
lecture on our common future in the face of climate change.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNED IRAN ATTACKS:
Asked about a letter from Iran about a bombing over the weekend in Iran, the
Spokeswoman recalled that the Secretary-General has issued a
statement on Monday condemning the attack and noted that the letter had
requested a reaction from the Security Council.
PROGRESS ON
IRAQ/KUWAIT ISSUES REMAINS FRAGILE: The Secretary-General’s
report to the Security Council on Iraq/Kuwait is out. It says that a recent
confidence- and cooperation-building period have brought about initial
indications of movement on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country
nationals in Iraq. But he warns that progress on the issue remains fragile, and
the main task of discovering and identifying the victims and closing their files
lies ahead.
MORE THAN 20 MILLION PEOPLE ACROSS HORN OF AFRICA
COULD BE BADLY HIT BY HEAVY RAINS, FLOODS:
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that
more than 23 million people across the Horn of Africa could be badly affected by
heavy rains and floods, caused by the El Niño weather system. Population groups
that are most at risk are pastoral, agricultural and rural communities, as well
as internally displaced people and refugees across Somalia, Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania and Djibouti plus Ethiopia and Eritrea. OCHA says these populations are
already suffering from the impact of water and food shortages, pasture scarcity,
conflict and insecurity and an additional shock in the form of flooding would be
devastating.
GLOBAL FOREST MONITORING SYSTEM LAUNCHED:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
has launched a global forest monitoring system which aims to help reduce
emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. The system provides
worldwide, free and ready-to-use high-resolution satellite data. FAO’s Director
General, Jacques Diouf, said that never before have data of this kind been
provided directly to users in developing countries. He added that monitoring
will be cheaper, more accurate and transparent for countries that want to
participate in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
INVESTMENT IN CULTURAL DIVERSITY CAN HELP COMPANIES:
Companies which invest in cultural diversity, whether at the management, human
resources or marketing level, can benefit economically from it. That is one of
the conclusions of a new
report by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
on Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue. The report puts
forward ten recommendations on ways to invest in cultural diversity.
INDIA TO HOST
WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE: The International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council, the body of 46 Member States that governs
the ITU,
began its annual session today in Geneva. Addressing the ITU Council, ITU
chief Hamadoun Touré noted that information and communication technologies are
vital and beneficial in addressing each and every one of the global issues faced
today, particularly in the key areas of climate change, cybersecurity, and the
financial crisis. Such technologies are now clearly recognized as being part of
the solution, not part of the problem, he said. The next ITU World
Telecommunication Development Conference will be held in India next May.
*** The guests at the noon briefing today were Ann-Marie Orler, Acting UN
Police Adviser, and Ata Yenigun, Chief, Mission Management and Support Section
of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations’ Police Division. They briefed on
the UN - Interpol agreement that was singed last week in Singapore. They also
provided an update on the UN’s efforts to recruit more police, especially female
police officers.
United Nations, S-378
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