HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS,
Tuesday, November
24, 2009
BAN KI-MOON
CONDEMNS BRUTAL KILLING OF CIVILIANS IN SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
In a
statement, the Secretary-General expressed his sadness at the reports of
the brutal killing of more than 40 civilians in the Maguindanao province,
Southern Philippines. He condemns this heinous crime committed in the
context of a local election campaign.
The Secretary-General extends heartfelt condolences to
the families of the victims and hopes that no effort will be spared to bring
justice and to hold the perpetrators accountable.
SECRETARY-GENERAL ENCOURAGES IVORIANS TO MOVE FORWARD AFTER PUBLICATION OF
VOTERS’ LIST
In a
statement, the Secretary-General welcomed the
publication of the provisional list of voters by the Ivorian Independent
Electoral Commission on 23 November 2009. The Secretary-General believes
that with this important development, the Ivorian parties and institutions
have made significant progress towards the establishment of a consensual and
transparent voters list. He notes that his Special Representative, Choi
Yong-jin, has endorsed the provisional list of voters as well as the process
followed in compiling it.
The Secretary-General now
encourages all the Ivorian parties to build further on this critical
milestone in order to prepare the final voters list and move forward in
determining a new election date as soon as possible.
The Secretary-General thanks
the Facilitator, President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso, for his
continuing efforts and assures the Ivorian parties that the United Nations
will continue to provide the necessary financial, technical and logistical
support to help them organize and conduct open, free, fair and transparent
elections.
INVESTMENT IN
H.I.V. TREATMENT HELPS TO REDUCE NEW INFECTIONS
New HIV infections have been reduced by 17% over the
past eight years. That’s one of the key findings of a new report, which was
launched today by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report also shows that some 33 million people –
more than ever before – are living longer with HIV, in part because of
antiretroviral therapy. It adds that the number of AIDS-related deaths has
declined by over 10% over the past five years as more people have gained
access to treatment. UNAIDS and WHO note that, since the availability of
effective treatment in 1996, nearly 3 million lives have been saved.
According to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan,
“International and national investment in HIV treatment scale-up have
yielded concrete and measurable results. We cannot let this momentum wane.
Now is the time to redouble our efforts, and save many more lives.”
SECURITY
COUNCIL WARNED OF DANGER OF VACUUM IN MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS
The
Security Council today held its periodic meeting followed by
consultations on the
Middle East. Briefing Council members this morning, Assistant
Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios said the UN has not
yet received a satisfactory response from Israel to the proposal, put
forward in May, to complete stalled UN projects in Gaza, in the area of
housing and school and health facilities.
He said it is “completely unacceptable” that no
meaningful progress has been made in kick-starting UN civilian construction
activities in Gaza, which are essential for the well-being and recovery of a
war- and blockade-affected population, half of whom are children.
Menkerios added that, without a credible political
horizon in the Middle East, forces of violence, tension and extremism on
both sides will fill the vacuum. He said that we now face a very real danger
of such a vacuum, with no Israeli-Palestinian negotiations underway, no
agreed terms of reference for such negotiations, and no framework in place
to ensure implementation of Road Map obligations.
Menkerios said the decision of President Abbas not to
seek a new term as Palestinian President reflects a worrying assessment that
the political process lacks sufficient content and credibility at this time.
He added that, if we cannot move decisively forward to a final status
agreement, we risk sliding backwards, with both the Palestinian Authority
and the two-State solution imperiled. It is vital at this juncture that the
international community takes a clear and united position, Menkerios said.
Asked whether the Secretary-General would make a bold
proposal to break the impasse in the Middle East, the Spokeswoman said that
the United Nations had worked closely with the Quartet (which also includes
the European Union, Russia and the United States), particularly in the last
few weeks, on the political impasse in the region and to advance the peace
process.
BAN KI-MOON
CALLS ON MEN TO CHANGE ATTITUDES TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
The Secretary-General launched this morning the Network
of Men Leaders to end violence against women. The Network consists of men –
young and old – who have pledged to work to end violence against women and
girls.
The establishment of the network comes in support of
the “UNiTE to End Violence against Women” campaign, which the
Secretary-General launched last year.
"In launching this campaign, I acted not only as the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, but as a son, a husband, a father,
a grandfather,"
said the Secretary-General. The Secretary-General said that unless
attitudes and behaviour change, violence against women would continue. He
called on men and boys everywhere to join the fight to end violence against
women.
We must act together, he emphasized. We must build on
the efforts of so many women and women’s organizations who have worked
tirelessly to address this epidemic, he said. Violence against women and
girls will not be eradicated until all of us – men and boys - refuse to
tolerate it, he added.
PAKISTAN: U.N.
REFUGEE AGENCY HELPS WITH WINTERISATION EFFORTS TO BENEFIT THE INTERNALLY
DISPLACED
As temperatures drop in north-west
Pakistan, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
has begun to distribute additional relief supplies to some 85,000 internally
displaced people (IDPs) living in camps. This aid will help the camp
residents to cope with the hardships of winter.
The first phase of the winterization
drive started on Monday in the Jalozai camp. Each family will receive six
blankets, four sleeping mats and two plastic sheets for warmth and
insulation, in addition to other relief supplies that they received when
they initially registered.
Up to 900,000 people in northwestern
Pakistan could still be displaced and staying with host communities,
according to overall relief distribution figures. In partnership with other
agencies, UNHCR is carrying out a re-screening process in five districts of
the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to better understand the scope and
needs of the remaining displaced population.
AFRICAN UNION
DELEGATION BEGINS VISIT TO DARFUR
A delegation from the African Union (AU) Peace and
Security Council today held meetings in North Darfur with regional
Government officials, community leaders and
UNAMID staff, as part a three-day visit to Sudan.
The delegation, headed by Ambassador Joseph Nsengimana
of Rwanda, was in El Fasher to gain a first-hand assessment of the security
situation and to take part in discussions with UNAMID officials on matters
related to the implementation of the Mission’s mandate.
BAN KI-MOON CONCERNED ABOUT GROWING TENSIONS IN WESTERN SAHARA NEGOTIATIONS
In response to questions
over the past few weeks about Western Sahara, the Spokeswoman said that the
Secretary-General is concerned by the growing tension between the parties to
the Western Sahara negotiations, which has increased following the recent
detention of several groups of Saharawi activists and the situation of
Aminatou Haidar. He has responded in writing to letters received from the
Frente Polisario in this regard.
The Secretary-General has
urged both parties to continue to cooperate with his Personal Envoy,
Christopher Ross, in seeking to schedule another set of talks and to work
together to achieve progress toward a mutually agreed political solution.
Regarding the human
dimension of the conflict, the Secretary-General has reiterated his call to
the parties to remain engaged with the
Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.
CYPRIOT LEADERS HOLD FRUITFUL TALKS ON CITIZENSHIP
Greek Cypriot leader
Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met today
under UN auspices in Nicosia.
The Secretary-General’s
Special Representative for
Cyprus, Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, spoke to the press afterwards. He noted
that the leaders had had “very fruitful” discussions on citizenship,
immigration and asylum.
W.F.P. HEAD
CALLS FOR CEASEFIRES, SECURE CORRIDORS IN NORTHERN YEMEN
As the holiday of Eid al-Adha
approaches,
World Food Programme Executive Director Josette Sheeran says that our
thoughts are with tens of thousands of displaced people in northern Yemen
who will not be able to celebrate Eid in their own homes.
Since the conflict in
northern Yemen re-erupted in August, the World Food Programme and its
partners have distributed more than 2,000 metric tons of food to more than
100,000 people in the region. While access has been difficult, it has opened
up new supply routes, including bringing assistance across the border from
Saudi Arabia.
WFP is still worried about
the situation in Sa’ada town, which has been virtually cut off from the rest
of the world for more than three months now. Sheeran called for localized
humanitarian ceasefires and humanitarian corridors to allow for safe and
uninterrupted access to families trapped by the conflict.
FREE MEALS SERVE AS KEY INCENTIVE TO GET CHILDREN INTO SCHOOL
School meals and other
food-based safety nets are vital to keeping children in school, improving
their learning and health, and promoting food security, as governments still
grapple with the global economic crisis. That’s according to a new
study by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank.
The report stresses that in
many countries school feeding programs are one of the key incentives to get
children― especially girls and the poorest and most vulnerable children
―into school. It adds that providing school meals to children in qualifying
families can be the equivalent of adding an extra 10 percent to average
household incomes.
HONDURAS: BAN
KI-MOON STILL SUPPORTS SEARCH FOR CONSENSUAL SOLUTION
In response to a question about Honduras on Monday, the
Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General has been supporting the search
for a consensual solution to the political crisis in Honduras. He is
concerned that the election is approaching in Honduras without such a
consensus in place, and amidst divided opinions in the region.
The Secretary-General will continue to monitor this
situation carefully, in close consultation with regional counterparts as to
the appropriate way forward.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N. CONTINUES TO WORK WITH NIGERIA, CAMEROON ON
DISPLACED PERSONS: In response to a question about the Bakassi Peninsula,
the Spokeswoman said that UN Civilian Observers are liaising closely with the
Government of Cross-River State in Nigeria to assess the situation of those
displaced from Bakassi. The UN works with both Nigeria and Cameroon in the
framework of the Follow-Up Committee to ensure continued compliance with
Greentree Agreement.
SECURITY COUNCIL TO DETERMINE WHEN SUDAN MISSIONS END:
Asked about remarks from Sudan’s UN Ambassador
asking for UN peacekeepers to leave Sudan, the Spokeswoman said that the two
United Nations peacekeeping missions in Sudan - UNMIS and UNAMID – were
established in the country based on express mandates from the Security Council.
Any change in the mandates, she said, is up to the Security Council members.
U.N. REGULARLY CONSIDERS EXIT
STRATEGIES: Asked further whether the
United Nations has an exit plan for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (MONUC),
the Spokeswoman said that all UN peacekeeping missions develop exit strategies
as a matter of course. However, she said, it is up to the Security Council to
determine when peacekeeping missions end their work.
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