SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS KILLING OF PEACEKEEPERS IN D.R.
CONGO, CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION

• The
  
  Secretary-General is saddened by the deaths of three Indian
  peacekeepers serving with the
  
  United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic
  Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), who were killed early this morning
  following a surprise attack by a group of unidentified armed men on an
  operating base in Kirumba in the eastern province of North Kivu. At
  least six additional UN military personnel were injured in the attack,
  three of them critically.
   

• The Secretary-General conveys
  his sincere condolences to the Government of India and to the families
  of the three soldiers. The Secretary-General condemns the assault and
  calls on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to
  launch an immediate investigation into this incident and ensure that the
  perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice.
   

• The Secretary-General would like
  to take this opportunity to commend the men and women serving in MONUSCO
  in various capacities, for their efforts to protect civilians,
  facilitate humanitarian assistance and bring peace to the
  
  Democratic Republic of the Congo.
   

• Asked about the attack, the Spokesperson said
  that, earlier today at about 0150 hours (local time), a MONUSCO company
  operational base in Kirumba, North Kivu (28 km north of Kanyabayonga),
  manned by Indian peacekeepers, was attacked by a group of 55 to 60
  unidentified persons armed with machetes and spears.
   

• A number of peacekeepers engaged the
  attackers, forcing them to retreat, Nesirky said.  However, during the
  attack, three Indian soldiers were killed and at least six injured, some
  critically.  The attackers also stole two MONUSCO weapons during the
  attack.
   

• The motives of the attackers are unclear, he
  added. A UN investigation would be conducted, in addition to the one
  requested of the Congolese authorities.

SECOND FOLLOW-UP REPORT ON GAZA CONFLICT ISSUED

• The second follow-up
  
  report of the
  
  Secretary-General to the report of the
  
  United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict was issued
  on Tuesday.
   

• The report contains inputs
  received from the
  
  Israeli and Palestinian side on the efforts which they have
  undertaken so far to investigate allegations of violations of
  international humanitarian and human rights law during the Gaza
  Conflict.  It also contains a summary of the consultations conducted by
  the Government of Switzerland regarding the convening of a Conference of
  the High Contracting Parties.
   

• As he states in the report, the
  Secretary-General believes that international human rights and
  humanitarian laws need to be fully respected.  It is his hope that
  resolution 64/254 has served to encourage investigations by the
  Government of Israel and the Palestinian side that are independent,
  credible and in conformity with international standards.
   

• In his report, the
  Secretary-General recalls that in its resolution 13/9, the
  
  Human Rights Council decided to establish a committee of independent
  experts to monitor and assess any domestic, legal or other proceedings
  undertaken by both the Government of Israel and the Palestinian side, in
  the light of
  
  General Assembly resolution 64/254.
   

• Consistent with the request made
  by this resolution, the Secretary-General is conveying today to the
  
  UN High Commissioner for Human Rights the documents received from
  the State of Israel and the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to
  the United Nations, for transmittal to the committee of independent
  experts.
   

• Asked why the
  Secretary-General had not assessed the information received by the
  parties, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General conformed to
  the request of the General Assembly.  He asked the parties to report to
  him on their implementation of resolution 64/254, and transmitted their
  responses to the General Assembly.
   

• The Secretary-General,
  Nesirky added, has not been requested to express his views on the
  responses received.
   

• He further noted that,
  as obligated by the Human Rights Council resolution, the
  Secretary-General is passing the required information to the Human
  Rights Council’s committee of independent experts.    

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO BRIEF GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON PAKISTAN
ON THURSDAY

• The
  
  Secretary-General will brief the
  
  General Assembly on Thursday afternoon on his recent visit to
  
  Pakistan as well as its humanitarian needs.
   

• The
  
  UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says
  that the funding response to the floods is improving, but much more is
  needed. The effort must be sustained in the days and weeks ahead in
  order to have the resources to reach the people who desperately need
  help.
   

• The Office says that the scale
  of the response is still not commensurate with the scale of this
  disaster of almost unprecedented magnitude. OCHA estimates that at least
  six to eight million people are currently in desperate need of emergency
  aid, among them 3.5 million children.
   

• Many affected communities are
  still waiting to receive basic assistance with food, clean water, basic
  sanitation, and healthcare.
   

• OCHA says a second wave of
  deaths caused by waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and hepatitis can
  still be prevented, but only with the financial and material resources
  that are needed. Even as flood waters are receding from some areas, new
  floods are affecting others, particularly in the south, and rains could
  continue for another month.
   

• Asked about the lack of food and medicine for
  Pakistan, the Spokesperson said that was part of the challenge that the
  entire international community was facing, and was one reason why the
  Secretary-General would address the General Assembly, to underscore the
  needs on the ground.
   

• Nesirky said that there has been an increase
  in the pace of pledges, but we still need more funds, tents, food, water
  and medical supplies. Challenges are expected to vary over time as the
  crisis continues to unfold.
   

• At the same time, he added, the
  Secretary-General is aware of the enormous generosity that has been
  shown so far and wants to see more aid delivered on the ground.

U.N. MISSION: AID GROUPS ALLOWED INTO KALMA CAMP IN
DARFUR

• The
  
  
  UN-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
  
  
  reports that aid groups were allowed into the
  
  
  South Darfur Kalma camp for internally
  displaced persons, after being denied access on Tuesday by local
  authorities who had cited security concerns.
   

• UNAMID also
  
  says that it is dispatching a team to the region around the town of
  Kass, in South Darfur, to look into reports of deadly tribal clashes.
  The fighting is believed to have occurred on 16 August, and reports
  suggest that at least 25 people were killed.
   

• Asked about reports that UN personnel in
  Darfur are being expelled, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations
  has still received no official notification of any expulsions or reasons
  for them, and discussions with the Government are continuing. Some
  issues have already been resolved, and others are being pursued.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF U.N. OFFICE TO THE
AFRICAN UNION

• The
  
  Secretary-General has appointed Mr. Zachary Muburi-Muita of Kenya as
  the Head of the
  
  United Nations Office to the African Union, based in Addis Ababa.
  This office was established by the
  
  General Assembly on 1 July 2010.
   

• Since 2006, Mr. Muburi-Muita has
  served as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New
  York. He brings to this position many years of considerable diplomatic,
  political, civil-military and management skills and experience from his
  work with the Kenyan Government, which he joined in 1982.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

MEETINGS OF U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY
FOR HAITI FOCUSED ON ENERGY, EDUCATION AND DEBRIS:
The UN Special Envoy for Haiti, former US president

Bill Clinton, is presently in


Haiti and this morning held meetings with
Government ministers and representatives of UN bodies, partner NGOs, and
private sector donors. The meetings focused on education, energy, and debris
management initiatives. The Special Envoy also met with the leadership of
the

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

PANEL OF EXPERTS ON SRI LANKA TO
START WORK SHORTLY:
Asked about the advisory

Panel of Experts on

Sri Lanka, the Spokesperson said that the Panel is expected shortly to
start its work officially.

LEBANESE
PARLIAMENT’S RATIFICATION OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS BAN WELCOMED:
The


UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon,

Michael Williams,
warmly welcomed the


Lebanese
Parliament’s decision on Tuesday to approve the ratification of the

Oslo Convention (2008), which bans the use and production of cluster
munitions. “This is a very important signal of Lebanon’s commitment to
international law and will reinforce the international will to ban these
deadly devices,” he said today.