Noon briefing of 20 October 2009

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

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.

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