Noon briefing of 13 May 2011
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2011
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS DEADLY ATTACK IN NORTH-WEST PAKISTAN
- The
Secretary-General condemns
today’s attack at a military training centre in the north-west of Pakistan,
which reportedly killed over 80 people and injured many more. The United
Nations stands by Pakistan
in its efforts to combat terrorism, which continues to claim the lives of
so many of its citizens.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the Government and people of Pakistan and the families of the victims.
SENIOR U.N. OFFICIAL WRAPS UP VISIT TO MYANMAR
- Vijay
Nambiar, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser
on Myanmar,
completed his three-day working visit to that country today.
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<![endif]> - He said that he
had engaged with senior members of the new six-week old Government and
with other stakeholders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the Central Executive Committee of
the National League for Democracy.
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<![endif]> - Mr. Nambiar said that the United Nations welcomes the
important themes and reforms announced by President Thein
Sein in his inaugural speeches but stressed that
implementation is key.
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<![endif]> - He said that, in all his meetings, he emphasized the need for the release of all political prisoners and inclusive dialogue with all segments of society, as well as greater outreach to the international community to ensure that the proposed reforms enjoyed broad buy-in. There is no time to waste if Myanmar is to move forward, he noted.
U.N. RELIEF CHIEF BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON PROTECTION OF CIVIILANS IN CHAD
- Valerie
Amos, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs, briefed the Security
Council in its consultations this morning on the Secretary-General’s
new report concerning the protection of civilians in Chad. The
report also provides information on human rights violations, including
reports of arbitrary arrests and detention, particularly at the time of
legislative elections in February.
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<![endif]> - So
far, Ms. Amos has noted, the withdrawal of the former UN Mission,
MINURCAT, does not appear to have adversely affected the security
situation in eastern Chad.
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<![endif]> - Under-Secretary-General
for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe also updated Council members on a
range of recent political issues.
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<![endif]> - Earlier, the Security Council unanimously extended the mandate of the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) until the end of July 2011.
TOP U.N. HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL TO VISIT OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY, ISRAEL
- Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General
for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency
Relief Coordinator, is setting out on a four-day trip to the occupied
Palestinian territory and Israel,
starting on Saturday. She will be accompanied by the EU Commissioner for
International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva.
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<![endif]> - During her visit, the
Under-Secretary-General will meet representatives of the most vulnerable
people, particularly those living in the West Bank's “Area C,” in East
Jerusalem, in Gaza
and in Sderot.
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<![endif]> - She is also scheduled to hold meetings with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad, high-level Israeli officials, humanitarian organizations and international partners on the ground.
U.N. RIGHTS OFFICE URGES SYRIAN GOVERNMENT TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT
- The Office
for the High Commissioner for Human Rights today cited reports from
non-governmental organizations that suggest that between 700 and 850
people have been killed in Syria
since the start of the protests on 15 March, and thousands of other people
have reportedly been arrested.
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<![endif]> - The
High Commissioner’s Office cannot verify these numbers but deems the
reports to be extremely worrying, and it urges the Government to exercise
utmost restraint, cease the use of force and of mass arrests to silence
opponents.
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<![endif]> - The
Human Rights Office has been in contact with the Syrian Government,
seeking their full cooperation on the Human Rights Council mandated
fact-finding mission to assess the situation on the ground. That team
should be ready to deploy as soon as it is granted access.
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<![endif]> - Asked about contacts with the President of
Syria, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General had spoken
recently with President Bashar al-Assad. He said that a UN humanitarian assessment team
has not yet been able to get into the Syrian town of Deraa.
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<![endif]> - The Spokesperson noted
that on Wednesday, the Secretary-General said that he was disappointed
that the assessment team did not get into Deraa
so far.
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<![endif]> - Meanwhile, on Thursday, the High Commissioner’s Office received written confirmation from the Permanent Mission of Yemen in Geneva welcoming a visit by a human rights team to Yemen at the end of June.
LIBYA: U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY STAFF MEET WITH SURVIVORS OF STRANDED BOAT
- Staff
from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, met with three Ethiopian
men who say they are among only nine survivors from a boat carrying 72
people that left the Libyan capital, Tripoli,
in late March.
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<![endif]> - One
of the men told UNHCR staff in a Tunisian camp that their 12-metre-long
boat, destined for Europe, ran out of fuel, water and food, drifting for
more than two weeks before reaching a beach in Libya.
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<![endif]> - He
added that military vessels passed their boat twice without stopping, but
that a military helicopter dropped food and water onto the boat.
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<![endif]> - The
boat’s passengers had paid smugglers $800 to make the journey and were
expected to operate the boat on their own.
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<![endif]> - One man told UNHCR that people started to die one by one on the boat, followed by further deaths from exhaustion upon reaching a beach between Tripoli and the Tunisian border.
NEARLY SIX MILLION UPROOTED BY CONFLICT, DISASTERS IN EASTERN AFRICA, U.N. HUMANITARIAN ARM SAYS
- More than 5.5 million people
have been displaced by internal conflicts and natural disasters in 10
eastern African countries since April, according to the latest “Displaced
Populations Report” from the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which notes that the affected
populations include both refugees and internally displaced persons.
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<![endif]> - Droughts have also left some 8.8 million people in acute food and livelihood crisis. Ethiopia was affected the most, with 3.2 million people now in need of humanitarian aid. Inside Somalia, more than 50,000 people were displaced by a combination of armed conflict and natural disasters during the month of March alone.
BAN APPOINTS SENIOR OFFICIALS IN DARFUR, U.N. ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME
- The
Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Jean Ping, have appointed Aïchatou Mindaoudou Souleymane of Niger as
Deputy Joint Special Representative (Political) in the African
Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Ms. Mindaoudou
will replace Mr. Henry K. Anyidoho of Ghana.
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<![endif]> - The Secretary-General has also appointed Ms. Amina Mohamed, a Kenyan national, as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Ms. Mohamed will succeed Ms. Angela Cropper of Trinidad and Tobago.
COUNTRIES FACE HEALTH THREATS FROM BOTH INFECTIOUS AND CHRONIC DISEASES, NEW REPORT FINDS
- More
countries are facing a double health threat, as the prevalence of risk
factors for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancers
increase, while they still struggle to reduce maternal and child deaths
caused by infectious diseases, according to the World Health
Statistics 2011 released by the World Health Organization (WHO) today.
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<![endif]> - The report’s release coincides with the launch of WHO’s new Global Health Observatory, which provides data and analyses on health priorities around the world. It brings together WHO data from all major health and diseases programmes.
U.N. RIGHTS CHIEF HAILS 100TH RATIFICATION OF CONVENTION ON RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
- Colombia
this week became the 100th country to ratify the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a move welcomed by
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.
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<![endif]> - “These states have recognized and affirmed that a person with a disability is not the problem that needs treatment – they are ready to treat the discrimination in society that is the real problem,” she said.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECRETARY-GENERAL NOTES NEED FOR INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION IN KOSOVO: In response to a question, the Spokesperson noted that the Secretary-General says in his latest report on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) that there is a need for a thorough, impartial and independent investigation into these serious allegations, with a strong witness protection programme and with the full cooperation of all relevant stakeholders. He adds that UNMIK is ready to extend its full cooperation to any investigation that may be conducted.
SECRETARY-GENERAL, RIGHTS COMMISSIONER CONCERNED ABOUT SITUATION IN BAHRAIN: Asked about Bahrain, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights take the situation very seriously and have repeatedly made their concerns clear.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
14 - 20 MAY 2011
Saturday, 14 May
Today, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Associate Administrator Rebecca Grynspan will attend the inauguration of Haitian President-elect, Michel Martelly.
Today, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos, together with European Union Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, will begin a four-day visit to the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel.
Today is World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), a global awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats.
Today, the Sixth Colloquium of International Prosecutors,
hosted by the Special Court
for Sierra Leone, begins in Freetown, Sierra
Leone. It ends on 15 May.
Sunday, 15 May
Today is the International Day of Families.
Today, Juan Méndez, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, will begin a visit to Tunisia.
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Monday, 16 May
This morning, the Security Council will receive briefings on the 1267 Committee (Al-Qaida and the Taliban and Associated Individuals and Entities), the 1373 Committee (Counter-Terrorism Committee), and the 1540 Committee (on prevention of proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons).
At 1:10 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference to launch the 2011 Summit of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Speakers will include Mirna Cunningham, Chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Today, the Tenth Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues begins in New York. It ends on 27 May.
Today, the Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly (WHA) starts in Geneva. It ends on 24 May.
Today, the Conference on Disarmament Part II begins in Geneva. It ends on 1 July.
Today, Fatsah Ouguergouz, United Nations Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Burundi, will begin a visit to Burundi.
Today, the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent will begin a five-day visit to Portugal.
Tuesday, 17 May
At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference on extractive industries and mega projects on indigenous peoples' territories.
Speakers will include Devasish Roy, member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Today is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The theme for this year is “Better life in rural communities with ICTs [Information and Communications Technology].”
This morning, the Security Council will receive a briefing and hold consultations on the United Nations Office in Burundi (BNUB), followed by consultations on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea sanctions committee (1718 Committee).
Today, World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan and Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will hold a press conference on health issues in Geneva.
Today, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, will brief reporters in Geneva on the situation in the country.
Wednesday, 18 May
This morning, the Security Council will hold a debate on the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Today, the Fourth International Memory of the World Conference starts in Warsaw, Poland. The conference is organized in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference on human rights, in the context of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Speakers will include Dalee Sambo Dorough, member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
At 1:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference to launch a 2011 report, with the theme “Governing development - the role of the state in economic transformation,” by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Speakers will include Robert Vos, Director of the Development Policy and Analysis Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
At 1:15 p.m., in the Rio Room of the UNDP Building, there will be a conference entitled “Towards Full and Effective Participation of Indigenous Peoples in REDD [United Nations Collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation].”
At 1:15 p.m., in Conference Room 1 of the North Lawn Building (NLB), there will be a UNDP conference on “Funds to support indigenous peoples: possibilities within the United Nations system for support and funding of participation and projects by indigenous peoples.”
At 6:00 p.m., at the Millennium U.N. Plaza Hotel, UNDP will host the screening of a documentary entitled, “Indigenous Identity and Democracy in Mexico.”
Thursday, 19 May
This morning, the Security Council will receive a briefing on and hold consultations on the Middle East.
At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference on indigenous peoples in Latin America. Speakers will include Saul Vicente Vasquez, member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
At 4:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Erika Feller, Assistant High Commissioner on Protection in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on the 60th anniversary of the 1951 convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 50th Anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
Friday, 20 May
At 10:00 a.m., in Conference Room 2 of the NLB, Francis Deng, the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, and John Prendergast, founder of “The Enough Project” and human rights activist, will hold a conversation on genocide prevention, followed by an afternoon workshop for educators, organized by the Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme.
At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a joint press conference to launch the UN Indigenous Peoples’ Partnership (UNIPP). Speakers will include Ambassador Carsten Staur, Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations; Ivan Šimonovi3;, Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights; Cleo Doumbria-Henry, Director, International Labour Standards (ILO); and Devashih Roy, Member, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
* The guests at the noon briefing were Under-Secretary-General for Management Angela Kane and Controller Jun Yamazaki.
Office of the
Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, SA-1B15