Thursday, May 27, 2010

NEPAL: ''NOW IS THE TIME TO PUT NATIONAL INTEREST FIRST"

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is seriously concerned that due to
  political differences the parties in Nepal have yet to reach an
  agreement to extend the term of the Constituent Assembly past the 28 May
  2010 deadline for completing its critical work.
   

• The Constituent Assembly and its progress to date toward the adoption of
  Nepal’s new constitution represent a significant and hard-won
  achievement of the peace process.
   

• The Secretary-General calls urgently on the party leaders to regain
  their unity of purpose in order to preserve the Assembly and the peace
  process. Now is the time to put national interest first.

SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
VISITS FAVELA

PAYS TRIBUTE TO PEACEKEEPERS IN
BRAZIL

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
  landed in Rio de Janeiro early today, ahead of the Alliance of
  Civilizations
  
  Forum which opens tomorrow.
   

• His activities today are giving
  him the opportunity to see up close Brazil’s progress in eradicating
  extreme poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
   

• In the afternoon, he visited a
  favela in Rio de Janeiro where he met youth from the local community as
  well as other favelas from around Rio and hear directly from them about
  the reality of their lives regarding access to services and
  opportunities, in the context of the MDGs.
   

• He then met with the families of
  Brazilian peacekeepers who were killed in the Haiti earthquake as well
  as the unveiling of a commemorative plaque for the peacekeepers.
   

• In a press conference at the
  start of his visit, the Secretary-General underlined the importance of
  the Rio Forum in bringing together a powerful network of political,
  corporate and religious leaders, civil society and youth to agree on
  joint actions, improve relations across cultures, combat prejudice and
  build conditions for long-term peace.
   

• He also noted Brazil’s remarkable
  commitment to peacekeeping operations, especially in Haiti.
   

• Later this evening, the
  Secretary-General will hold several meetings in preparation for the
  Forum’s opening on Friday.

BAN KI-MOON SENDS MESSAGE TO NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE 

• In a letter distributed to all
  delegations attending the
  2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the
  Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Secretary-General conveyed
  his personal message of support for a successful outcome.
   

• The 2010 NPT Review Conference
  offers an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen the nuclear
  non-proliferation regime, to make progress towards fulfilling the goals
  and objectives of the Treaty
  with the highest possible levels of accountability and transparency,
  and to achieve advances in the implementation of its three pillars:
  disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the
  Secretary-General wrote.
   

• “Now is the time for delegations to
  be pragmatic and coalesce around solutions that will advance the
  interest of the whole community of nations,” he wrote. “I encourage all
  States parties to the NPT to step up their work with flexibility and in
  a cooperative spirit, to reach agreement on an outcome document that
  will contribute to strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime
  and to further progress on nuclear disarmament. “

ON SECURITY COUNCIL AGENDA TODAY:
PEACEKEEPING, DR CONGO AND CÔTE D’IVOIRE

• This morning, the Security
  Council held consultations on UN peacekeeping operations as well as on
  the interim
  
  report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the
  Congo.
   

• At 3 p.m., this afternoon, the
  Council will hold an open meeting on Côte d’Ivoire and will then hold
  consultations on its
  
  1718 Committee.

SOUTHERN SUDAN FACES “RECIPE FOR
DISASTER”

• John Holmes, the UN humanitarian
  chief, is in Sudan for a four-day visit. And today he traveled to
  Southern Sudan, where the rising concerns over food insecurity,
  displacements and inter-tribal violence are threatening an already
  vulnerable population.
   

• Holmes visited Warrap state, one
  of the two states in Southern Sudan most heavily affected by
  inter-tribal fighting, according to the Office for the Coordination of
  Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
  
   

• Holmes said the increasing level
  of the violence –which is disproportionately affecting women and
  children -- was alarming. He said that the violence was occurring in
  areas that are suffering from lack of food and malnutrition and where
  humanitarian agencies cannot reach. “This is a recipe for disaster,” he
  added.
   

• OCHA says that an estimated
  one-quarter of the population of Warrap state suffers from acute
  malnutrition. Holmes said that the situation in Southern Sudan was
  poised to become more desperate over the coming months and that the
  humanitarian community must gear up to respond to the needs from forced
  displacement and the deteriorating food security situation.
   

• Meanwhile, the African Union-United
  Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID) reports that access to water, health
  and educational facilities are the main humanitarian concerns in Jebel
  Moon, West Darfur. UNAMID says these are the findings following a field
  assessment mission conducted by several humanitarian agencies and UNAMID
  to the mountain enclave on 20 May.
   

• The team, which used observation and
  interview methods in the area, also received claims by the local
  population of wide-spread looting.
      

• The last humanitarian mission to
  enter Jebel Moon, the site of repeated clashes between Sudanese Armed
  Forces and the Justice and Equality Movement, was in July 2008.
   

•  UNAMID said it also concluded on 25
  May a field mission to the town of Shangil Tobaya, North Darfur. The
  purpose of the two-day assessment was to analyze the general situation
  in the area following recent fighting in the area. The team also
  reviewed the progress of reconciliation efforts made between the Zaghawa
  and Birgit tribes, which began in February. UNAMID reported that the
  security situation in the area was calm.

YEMEN:
HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY ASSISTS INTERNALLY DISPLACED BUT FACE LACK OF FUNDS

• In Yemen, the Office for the
  Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
  says that despite the operational constraints and limited funds,
  humanitarian assistance is provided to 322,309 internally displaced
  persons (IDPs) in all conflict-affected Governorates. Even in Sa’ada
  Governorate, where access remains severely constrained by the security
  situation, some assistance is being provided in Sa’ada City and
  surrounding areas, as well as in Al-Mandaba, Baqim District on the
  border with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
   

• The World Food Programme (WFP)
  and its partners are providing food assistance to more than 275,600 IDPs
  in the five conflict affected Governorates. Since August 2009, more than
  207,300 IDPs have received non-food items and emergency shelter from
  agencies including the UN refugee agency,
  
  
  UNHCR, and the International
  Organization for Migrations (IOM).
   

• OCHA also says that funding
  received through the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan is not
  commensurate to the humanitarian challenges faced by the country. To
  date, the appeal is only 26 percent funded. The situation is dire and
  many agencies have started to cut their projects.

 U.N.
HUMANITARIAN MISSION IN D.P.R.K. ASSESSES USE OF FUNDS AND NEED FOR SUPPORT

• Asked about humanitarian
  assistance in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the
  Spokesperson said that a mission from the Office of the Coordination of
  Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had been in the country in recent days. He
  added that the delegation was headed by Rashid Khalikov, Director of
  OCHA in Geneva.
   

• The aim of the mission was to
  get a better understanding how the funds provided by the Central
  Emergency Response Fund (CERF) were being used and to see if there is
  scope for increased support to the UN in DPRK to provide aid to those in
  need, said Nesirky. He added that it was not unusual for OCHA to
  undertake such missions to areas where CERF funding is provided.
   

• Noting funding shortfalls, he
  said this was a chance to assess their consequences on the grounds and
  how best to assist UN staff working in the country and assisting
  vulnerable groups, children in particular.

GAZA: "WE STRONGLY URGE THAT ALL
INVOLVED ACT WITH SENSE OF CARE AND RESPONSIBILITY"

• In response to questions on Gaza, the Spokesperson
  later said: "We understand from press reports that private citizens have
  assembled a number of ships carrying material intended for Gaza and will
  seek to deliver these materials directly by sea to Gaza.
   

• We are closely following these developments. We
  strongly urge that all involved act with a sense of care and
  responsibility and work for a satisfactory resolution.
   

• We have repeatedly made clear our opposition to the
  closure of Gaza and our concern at the insufficient flow of material
  through legitimate crossing points to meet basic needs, begin
  reconstruction, and revive economic life. There has been a modest
  improvement in recent months but much more is required.
   

• We continue to urge the Israeli authorities to
  facilitate a greater range and quantity of traffic through legitimate
  crossings to meet urgent needs in Gaza."

 UNICEF
SAYS TRIAL OF CHILD SOLDIER COULD SET DANGEROUS PRECEDENT

• 
  
  UNICEF is expressing its concern about the impending trial of
  Guantanamo Bay detainee, Omar Khadr.  Omar Khadr was arrested in
  Afghanistan in 2002 for crimes he is alleged to have committed when he
  was a child of 15 years of age. He is the last child soldier held in
  Guantanamo Bay.
   

• Anthony Lake, Executive Director
  of UNICEF said, in a
  
  statement, that “the prosecution of Omar Khadr may set a dangerous
  international precedent for other children who are victims of
  recruitment in armed conflicts.”
   

• He added that the recruitment and
  use of children in hostilities is a war crime, and those who are
  responsible – the adult recruiters – should be prosecuted.  “The
  children involved are victims, acting under coercion. As UNICEF has
  stated in previous statements on this issue, former child soldiers need
  assistance for rehabilitation and reintegration into their communities,
  not condemnation or prosecution,” he stressed.
   

• At a time when the UN celebrates
  the 10th anniversary of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of
  Children in Armed Conflict, Lake also called on all governments that
  have ratified this treaty, including the United States, to uphold the
  spirit of the Protocol and all its provisions.

 EMPLOYED
U.N. STAFF CANNOT BECOME POLITICAL CANDIDATES

•  Asked about the provisions
  in place concerning UN staff members who decided to become political
  candidates, the Spokesperson said that the rules were very clear and did
  not allow employed UN staff to be politicians at the same time.
   

• He added that UN officials could
  not declare their aspiration to be a political figure while being
  employed by the Organization.