Friday,
April 23, 2010
 

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC AND CHAD

• The
  
  Security Council is holding consultations today on the UN Mission in
  the Central African Republic and Chad, known as
  
  MINURCAT. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain
  Le Roy briefed the Security Council on recent discussions with the
  Governments of those two countries to extend the mandate of that
  Mission.
   

• The Security Council extended the mandate of
  MINURCAT until 15 May. The United Nations has made clear its preference
  for the Mission’s mandate to be extended beyond that date.
   

• Also on the Council, the Secretary-General’s
  report on women and peace and security is out as a document today.
  The Council is scheduled to discuss the report next Tuesday.

BAN KI-MOON URGES ALL LEBANESE TO
WORK TOGETHER TO SAFEGUARD ACHIEVEMENTS

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a
  
  report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559,
  says that the formal parliamentary endorsement of the Government of
  national unity in Lebanon last December, six months after the
  parliamentary elections, is an important achievement. He says that
  Lebanon is currently witnessing its longest period of domestic stability
  and all Lebanese must continue to work together in a spirit of
  coexistence and democracy to safeguard the achievements they have made
  since 2004.
   

• The Secretary-General adds that progress in
  Lebanese-Syrian relations was evident in Prime Minister Hariri’s visit
  to Damascus and is a positive trend for the sake of regional stability
  and prosperity.
   

• However, he adds, the presence of Lebanese and
  non-Lebanese militias continues to pose a threat to the stability of the
  country and the region. The Secretary-General calls upon the leaders of
  Hezbollah to complete the transformation of the group into a solely
  Lebanese political party.

 U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF ARRIVES IN
SENEGAL ON FIRST LEG OF WEST AFRICA MISSION

• The
  
  Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency
  Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, arrived in Senegal today – on the first
  leg of his mission to West Africa.
   

• Holmes will meet Senegalese government officials
  and representatives of humanitarian organizations and discuss the main
  challenges affecting the region. He will also explore means to
  strengthen cooperation among the various actors who provide humanitarian
  interventions in West Africa.
   

• On Sunday, the humanitarian chief will travel from
  Senegal to Niger to assess the human impact of the food crisis that is
  affecting some 7.8 million people.

 D.R.CONGO: U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY
ALARMED BY CONTINUED SEXUAL VIOLENCE

• The UN’s Refugee Agency, UNHCR,
  
  says it is alarmed by the large numbers of women who continue to be
  affected by sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
  
   

• UNHCR says that in the first 3 months of this year,
  1,244 women were sexually assaulted throughout the country – an average
  of almost 14 assaults each day. The Agency adds that the real number
  could be much higher since many victims keep silent for fear of being
  ostracized.
   

• According to
  
  UNHCR, more than a third of the recorded cases are in North and
  South Kivu provinces in eastern DRC – a region that hosts some 1.4
  million internally displaced persons (IDPs).
   

• In the camps it runs, UNHCR says it put in place
  prevention measures -- such has providing firewood so that women need
  not venture beyond safe areas. The Agency is also working to follow up
  on rape cases by providing counseling, medical treatment and legal
  advice.

 U.N.-A.U.
MISSION IN DARFUR CANNOT CONFIRM REPORTS OF IMMINENT ATTACK

• Asked about reports by
  the Justice and Equality Movement of a possible attack that may soon
  take place in Darfur, the Spokesperson said that the UN-African Union
  Mission there (UNAMID)
  has also received an unconfirmed report from a local leader in West
  Darfur, claiming that the JEM had begun the recruitment of combatants in
  preparation for war. However, he said, the Mission has not received any
  reports that confirm signs of an imminent attack by the Government or
  the presence of the JEM in East and North Darfur.
   

• Asked about a separate
  attack in Darfur, Nesirky said that UNAMID had received reports of an
  attack on Sudan Border Guard Police north of Nyala, as a result of which
  15 guards were killed and 24 were injured.

 AFGHANISTAN GOVERNMENT BEING BRIEFED
ON BOARD OF INQUIRY FINDINGS

• We are in the process of briefing the Government of
  Afghanistan and other key parties about the findings of the Board of
  Inquiry that looked into the 28 October attack on a
  
  UN guest house in Kabul.
   

• That process is still underway, but we are
  arranging for you to have a briefing by a senior UN official about the
  Board of Inquiry’s findings on Monday.
   

• Asked how the decision was taken not to release the
  Board of Inquiry report, the Spokesperson noted that in general, such
  reports are not made public, to protect those who provided information.
  At the same time, he said, briefings are frequently provided on such
  reports, particularly when there is an overriding public interest.

KOSOVO
ENVOY CONCERNED OVER HARASSMENT OF RETURNEES

• Lamberto Zannier, the Secretary-General’s Special
  Representative for
  
  Kosovo, remains concerned about incidents of harassment targeting
  the returnees to the area of Zallq/Žac, where stones were thrown at
  tents housing returnees on several nights.
   

• Zannier welcomed the Pristina authorities’ strong
  condemnation of the attacks and similar statements from a wide range of
  stakeholders in the returns process.
   

• He adds that a sustainable solution to the issues
  surrounding the return of displaced people to Zallq/Žac – and to other
  parts of Kosovo – can only come about through open and honest dialogue
  between the communities that must live side by side.

 W.H.O. LAUNCHES IMMUNIZATION
CAMPAIGNS IN 112 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES 

• For the first time, the World Health Organization (WHO)
  will launch tomorrow immunization campaigns simultaneously in 112
  countries and territories in the World Health Organization Regions of
  the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean and Europe. The goal is to expand
  immunization coverage and raise awareness of the importance of vaccines.
   

• The simultaneous immunization weeks promote
  national and cross-border activities in a collaborative effort to
  prevent disease and save lives.  Many countries are working to eliminate
  measles, and most are expanding vaccination to reach those who have been
  excluded up to now.
   

• In addition to vaccinating children and adults and
  delivering integrated packages of health interventions such as vitamin
  fortification, countries are planning a variety of activities including
  workshops, training sessions, social mobilization, round-table
  discussions, exhibitions and media events addressing vaccine-related
  issues. Beyond impact on populations through increased immunization
  rates, the immunization week initiative is intended to communicate the
  value of immunization and demonstrate WHO leadership in assisting
  national programs.

 UNESCO LAUNCHES ANTI-PIRACY
OBSERVATORY TO MARK WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY 

• Today is World Book and Copyright Day. UNESCO is
  
  celebrating the Day by highlighting the need to preserve creativity
  from piracy.
   

• UNESCO recently established the World Anti-Piracy
  Observatory (WAPO), a free on-line platform that provides information on
  anti-piracy measures and policies implemented by Member States.
   

• “In the light of the emergence of new forms of
  books, of changes in the design, production and access to contents of
  books, it is urgent to recall that there can be no book development
  without respect for copyright,” the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina
  Bokova, said in a message for the Day.
   

• The Day also marks the launch of celebrations in
  Ljubljana (Slovenia), World Book Capital for 2010.

 THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS[1]
 

Saturday, 24 April

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay
will hold a press conference in Abu Dhabi, before wrapping up her ten-day
visit to all six Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on
Monday, 26 April.

Sunday, 25 April

Today
is World Malaria Day.

Monday, 26 April

This morning, the Security Council will hold
consultations on the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).

At 1:00 p.m., on the second floor of the North Lawn
Building, the Vice President of the Government of Spain, H.E. Ms. María
Teresa Fernández de la Vega, will speak to correspondents following her
meeting with the Secretary-General.

In Geneva today, the Committee against Torture will
open its forty-fourth session which will run until 14 May. 

Today marks the 24th anniversary of the Chernobyl
nuclear disaster.

Today is World Intellectual Property Day.

Tuesday, 27 April
 

This
morning, the Security Council will hear a briefing on women and peace and
security (resolutions 1888 and 1889).

Her
Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan will visit United Nations
Headquarters today to launch a new children’s book on cross-cultural
understanding, entitled “The Sandwich Swap.” The Secretary-General and the
Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public information, Kiyo
Akasaka, are expected to participate in the special event which will take
place in the UN Bookshop.

At
3:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, there will be a press
conference by the Truce and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC),
sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations.

Wednesday, 28 April

At 10:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library
Auditorium, the Secretary-General will launch the report of the
Secretary-General's Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change.
Participants include UNIDO Director General Kandeh K. Yumkella, and Statoil
CEO Helge Lund.

Today, the Security Council will hold a debate on
the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

Today is World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

Thursday, 29 April

Today, the Security Council is expected to adopt texts on the UN Mission in
Sudan (UNMIS) and the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
(MINURSO).

Friday, 30 April

This morning, the Security Council will hold
consultations on its 1559 report.

At 9 a.m., the Second Conference of States Parties and
Signatories to Treaties that Establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and
Mongolia will be held in Conference Room 4 (NLB).

At 2:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library
Auditorium, the Permanent Mission of Lichtenstein will hold a press
conference.