Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 13 November 2009

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING


BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, November 13, 2009

BAN KI-MOON JOINS FAST AGAINST CHRONIC HUNGER
AHEAD OF WORLD SUMMIT ON FOOD SECURITY

  • Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon intends to join a call by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to fast ahead of the World Summit on Food Security, which will open Monday in Rome.

  • The call for a fast by FAO is meant to show solidarity with the more than one billion people who live in chronic hunger.

  • And as you know, the Secretary-General deliver a speech at the opening of the World Summit on Food Security, Monday. He is expected to say that it is unacceptable that more than one billion people are hungry when the world has more than enough food.

  • He will also highlight the human cost of the recent food, energy and economic crises and say that these crises are a wake-up call for tomorrow. In particular, he will emphasize the link between food security and climate change.

  • The Secretary-General will say that next month's climate change meeting in Copenhagen must conclude a comprehensive agreement that will provide a firm foundation for a legally binding treaty on climate change.

  • Asked where the Secretary-General will be when he is fasting over the weekend, the Spokeswoman noted that he would be in transit on his way to Italy for the summit.


SECURITY COUNCIL HOLDS DEBATE ON AL-QAEDA, THE TALIBAN AND COUNTER-TERRORISM

  • The Security Council today is holding a meeting to receive briefings on the work of the chairmen of three of its committees – which deal respectively with Resolution 1267, concerning al-Qaeda and the Taliban; Resolution 1373, concerning counter-terrorism; and Resolution 1540, concerning weapons of mass destruction.

  • The chairmen of these three committees are, respectively, the Ambassadors of Austria, Croatia and Costa Rica.

  • They provided details of the work of their committees over the past six months.

  • The open debate is continuing, with 31 speakers inscribed in all.

BAN KI-MOON URGES IRAQ’S NEIGHBORS TO RESPECT COUNTRY’S SOVEREIGNTY AND SECURITY

  • The Secretary-General’s latest report to the Security Council on the work of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq, (UNAMI), is out as a document today.

  • In it, the Secretary-General notes that, following a request from Iraq’s Government, he had sent Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco to Iraq for consultations related to Iraq’s sovereignty and security. Fernandez-Taranco visited Iraq from 1 to 4 November and met with the Prime Minister and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Defense, Justice, National Security and the Interior, among other senior officials.

  • The Secretary-General calls upon all Member States, and in particular Iraq’s neighbors, to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and to adhere to the principle of non-interference, a fundamental tenet of the UN Charter. For its part, and within the scope of its mandate, the United Nations is committed to supporting efforts towards a productive regional dialogue and cooperation in all key areas.

  • The Secretary-General says that he welcomes the agreement reached on 8 November in the Council of Representatives on amendments to the Electoral Law in Iraq. He encourages all Iraqis to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming elections, which will shape their country’s future. And he reaffirms the United Nations commitment to continue to support and assist Iraq during the electoral process.

  • Ad Melkert, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, is scheduled brief the Security Council on Monday about the report, in an open meeting, followed by consultations. And he intends to brief reporters following his appearance in the Council, at approximately 12:30.

MORE YEMENI CIVILIANS AFFECTED BY FIGHTING IN THE NORTH

  • The UN Refugee Agency, (UNHCR), says that more and more Yemeni civilians are fleeing the embattled Sa'ada province in northern Yemen, as the fighting between Government troops and Al Houti forces enters its fourth month.

  • They are seeking shelter in camps and with host families in the neighboring southern. This new displacement puts increasing pressure on UNHCR's attempts to alleviate the suffering of the people in need.

  • Over the past few days, some 150 new families have been arriving every day at Al Mazrak camp in Hajjah province. This is a significant increase over the 20 to 30 families per day in the previous weeks. The camp has now exceeded its capacity, with nearly 10,000 internally displaced people living there. Three or four families now share a tent normally meant for one.

  • UNHCR is trying to improve conditions in that camp and to assist local authorities in speeding up the construction of a new camp that can take in thousands of displaced persons. An estimated 175,000 people have been affected by the conflict in Yemen since 2004, including those displaced by the latest crisis.

  • And UNICEF says it is deeply concerned about the escalation of the conflict in northern Yemen. Fighting has now spilled into Saudi Arabia, reportedly causing 240 villages to be evacuated and more than 50 schools to be closed.

  • UNICEF urges all parties to ensure that children were protected from violence and that they received the assistance they needed.

GREECE-FYROM: MORE EFFORTS BEING MADE OT SETTLE “NAME ISSUE”

  • The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the talks between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Matthew Nimetz, will meet later today in New York with Zoran Jolevski, Skopje’s negotiator for the “name issue.” They will discuss the positions of Mr. Jolevski’s Government as well as next steps.

  • Yesterday, Mr. Nimetz met with the negotiator from the Greek side, Adamantios Vassilakis, and was presented with the approach and policies of the new Greek Government towards the “name issue.”

  • Mr. Nimetz was told that there was a desire in Athens to settle this matter and to negotiate a lasting solution.

  • He was also informed about the general parameters, in Greece’s view, of what an acceptable solution would involve.

CYPRUS: GREEK AND TURKISH LEADERS DISCUSS PROPERTY ISSUE

  • Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met today under UN auspices in Nicosia.

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, spoke to the press afterwards.

  • He noted that the leaders mainly discussed the issue of property. And they will continue on that issue until they feel satisfied that they have reached a sufficient level of agreement to move on to another chapter, Downer said.

  • The Cypriot leaders will meet again next Tuesday.

KIDNAPPINGS AND ACTS OF BANDITRY FORCE AID GROUPS TO SUSPEND WORK IN EASTERN CHAD

  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (OCHA), says that serious acts of banditry in eastern Chad are jeopardizing humanitarian operations.

  • Over the last two weeks, an international employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was kidnapped and a local staff working for the NGO Solidarite was killed.

  • OCHA says that to date five NGOs and the ICRC have decided to temporarily suspend their activities in eastern Chad. It adds that this will affect 37,000 people.

  • OCHA says that there is an urgent need to reinforce the capacities of the government and of the UN Mission there, MINURCAT, to address the new security challenges.

  • According to OCHA, 110 security incidents affecting humanitarian workers were recorded in 2008 in eastern Chad. Since the beginning of 2009, the number of incidents recorded is around 190.

SRI LANKA: U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF TO ADDRESS CONCERNS OF THE DISPLACED

  • As I informed you yesterday, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, will be visiting Sri Lanka from 17 to 19 November. We have a media advisory out with more details.

  • Holmes will travel to assess the situation of internally displaced persons and those returning to their places of origin. And he will address ongoing concerns, particularly those related to continued restrictions on the freedom of movement for IDPs who remain in the camps and conditions in areas of return.

  • Holmes will also follow up on the commitments that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa made earlier this year to the Secretary-General and later to the Under-Secretary-General of Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe.

AFRO-BRAZILIANS AND INDIGENEOUS BRAZILIANS FACE SERIOUS DISCRIMINATION

  • High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has wrapped up a week-long visit to Brazil.

  • Speaking in Brasilia today, she said that, despite Brazil’s impressive human rights laws and policies, Afro-Brazilians and the country’s indigenous people continue to face serious discrimination, injustice and violence.

  • Until those groups are lifted out of poverty and given better access to basic services and employment opportunities, Brazil’s progress on many other fronts will be hampered, Pillay added.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW ONLINE RESEARCH TOOL FOR MEMBER STATES TO BE LAUNCHED: “UN Member States on the Record”, a research tool to highlight the work and actions of each individual Member State, will be launched tomorrow, 13 November, by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library. Based on frequently asked questions, the Library developed this tool to highlight and consolidate information scattered in multiple databases in one user-friendly resource. Information available for each Member State includes the key documents related to its membership in the United Nations, statements made before the principal organs, draft resolutions sponsored, periodic reports submitted on human rights conventions, etc.

U.N. DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE TO OPEN IN REPUBLIC OF KOREA: The 8th annual UN-Republic of Korea Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non-proliferation Issues will take place in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, from 16 to 18 November. Representatives from governments, international organizations, academic and research institutions, as well as civil society members, will participate in this year’s Conference, under the theme “Prospects for a New Era of Progress on Disarmament and Non-proliferation” The conference will discuss actions towards a nuclear-weapon-free world; challenges and possible solutions to nuclear non-proliferation; promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and non-proliferation challenges in Northeast Asia.

GAZA FACT-FINDING MISSION REPORT TRANSMITTED TO SECURITY COUNCIL: In response to a question, the Spokeswoman recalled that the Secretary-General had transmitted the report of the Fact-finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, to the Security Council.

WORLD DIABETES DAY: Saturday 14 November is World Diabetes Day. In a message to mark this occasion, the Secretary-General urges the international community and international development agencies to support developing countries in preventing diabetes and increasing access to health care. He adds that prevention can help reduce poverty, promote economic productivity and keep countries on track in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

**** The guest at today’s Noon Briefing was Mike Smith, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, who briefed on the outcome of an initiative to build counter-terrorism cooperation among countries in South Asia.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

14-20 November, 2009

Saturday, 14 November

World Diabetes Day.

Sunday, 15 November

Starting today and until 23 November, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict will be visiting Sudan, at upon the invitation of the Government.

Starting today and until 18 November, the Internet Governance Forum will hold its fourth meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on the theme of "Creating opportunities for all."

The “International Conference on Family Planning: Research and Best Practices” will convene in Kampala, Uganda, until 18 November. Over 1,200 leading policymakers, researchers, academics and health professionals from 59 countries are expected to meet to share the latest scientific findings and refocus the world’s attention on family planning’s contribution to development.

Monday, 16 November

The Secretary-General will be in Rome, Italy, to participate in the World Summit on Food Security. The Summit will run through 18 November.

Today, the Security Council will hear a briefing and hold consultations on the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). It will also hold consultations on Somali sanctions.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Ad Melkert, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq.

Today is the International Day for Tolerance.

Tuesday, 17 November

The guests at the noon briefing will be Dmitry Titov, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the Department of Peacekeeping

Operations (DPKO), and Maxwell Kerley, Director of the UN Mine Action Service. They will provide an update and overview of the work of the Mine Action Service.

Wednesday, 18 November

This morning the Security Council is expected to adopt a resolution on Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will also hold a debate on piracy off the coasts of Somalia.

At 11:00 a.m., in Room-S226, UNFPA will launch its State of World Population 2009 report, entitled "Facing a changing world: women, population and climate."

Thursday, 19 November

This morning, the Security Council will hold consultations on its 1718 Committee.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Michael Adlerstein, Director of the UN Capital Master Plan.

The first Global Ministerial Conference on Road safety will take place today and tomorrow in Moscow.

Friday, 20 November

Today is Africa Industrialization Day.



Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055

Transcript

The Security Council today is holding a meeting to receive briefings on the work of three of its committees -- which deal respectively with resolution 1267 (1999), concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban; resolution 1373 (2001), concerning counter-terrorism; and resolution 1540 (2004), concerning weapons of mass destruction.

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