HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY EDUARDO DEL BUEY, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
FRIday, 30 MARCH 2012
U.n. delivers relief supplies to MYANMAR’s kachin state
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Two United Nations convoys carrying emergency relief supplies to internally displaced people (IDPs) in two areas affected by the conflict in Myanmar’s Kachin State have returned to base after distributing the items in camps.
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The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar said that the joint effort was made possible through cooperation of the Government, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and humanitarian partners on the ground.
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The United Nations has called for sustained access to IDPs in all areas to ensure that adequate assistance reaches all of those affected by the conflict. The present momentum of aid delivery must be stepped up ahead of the rainy season.
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Asked about elections in Myanmar, the Deputy Spokesperson said that the United Nations’ delegation was scheduled to have arrived yesterday. In response to the government’s invitation, it had been decided that the United Nations will be present with a delegation from UN Headquarters in New York. The delegation will follow the election and report back to the Secretary-General at the conclusion of its mission.
u.n. body urges protection of Syria’s cultural heritage
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The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, on Friday called for the protection of the cultural heritage of Syria.
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Syria’s history extends back over thousands of years. A succession of cultures has left an outstanding wealth of archaeological sites, historic cities, cultural landscapes, monuments and works of art that bear witness to the evolution of human ingenuity.
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Earlier this year, UNESCO alerted the Syrian authorities, through their representative at UNESCO, about their responsibility to ensure the protection of cultural heritage.
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In the framework of the of the 1970 Convention, the Director-General has already contacted the World Customs Organization, INTERPOL, and the specialized heritage police of France and Italy to alert them to objects from Syria that could appear on the international antiquities market.
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She has also called for the mobilization of all UNESCO’s partners to ensure the safeguarding of this heritage.
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Asked about plans for any peacekeeping presence in Syria, the Deputy Spokesperson said that the Department for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) is making contingency plans but they will depend on the implementation of Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point plan.
Further displacements reported by u.n. in eastern d.r. congo
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The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says on-going attacks by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) have killed two people and displaced more than 1,200 in north-east Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this month.
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Thirteen people, including a child, were also abducted.
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It brings the known number of displaced people in that part of the D.R. Congo to more than 4,200 this year; however, UNHCR is warning that the figure could be higher.
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Neighbouring South Sudan and the Central African Republic have also been affected by violence from the LRA.
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UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed aid to 200 families who were displaced in March, in the village of Dungu on Thursday.
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The UNHCR aid included plastic sheeting, sleeping mats, kitchen sets, mosquito nets and jerry cans.
U.N.: OVER 100,000 PEOPLE DISPLACED BY FIGHTING IN NORTHWEST PAKISTAN
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The United Nations Refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Friday that more than 100,000 people, mostly women and children, have become displaced since January by Pakistani military operations against militant groups in parts of the country’s Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), which borders Afghanistan.
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A recent increase in the intensity of the fighting is driving even larger numbers of families flee the region to the safety of the Jalozai camp, where UNHCR is registering them and providing them with basic humanitarian supplies. UNHCR is requesting that the authorities open two other humanitarian hubs to relieve congestion for IDPs hosted outside the camp.
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On Friday, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan, Timo Pakkala, visited Jalozai camp with the UNHCR and World Health Organization (WHO) representatives to assess the humanitarian response.
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United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocations of US$26.7 million have been approved for this crisis, both through the under-funded window, to help people who have been displaced since 2008, and for families newly displaced from Khyber Agency in recent weeks.
Human rights office urges chile to pass new laws against hate crimes and discrimination
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The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is urging Chile to pass new laws against hate crimes and discrimination after the killing of a young gay man.
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The Office says that 24 year-old Daniel Zamudio died on 27 March, 25 days after being viciously assaulted by a group of alleged neo-Nazis in a Santiago park.
The Office deplores the violent criminal act and urges Chile to enact hate legislation that establishes hatred as a crime based on various grounds, including sexual orientation and gender identity, in full compliance with relevant international human rights standards.
U.N. CHILDREN’S FUND to launch vaccination campaign in yemen following MEASLES outbreak
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An outbreak of measles in Yemen has killed over 170 children and left over 4,000 infected since mid last year, according to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).
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It says a near breakdown of health services during Yemen’s political crisis and severe malnutrition amongst children under the age of five were the leading factors behind this outbreak.
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In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Yemeni Ministry of Health and other humanitarian actors in Yemen, UNICEF will launch a major measles vaccination campaign in the country on Saturday aimed at reaching over 8 million children under the age of five.
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It says over 1.2 million children will also benefit from the Polio vaccine and a Vitamin A supplement.
U.N. WEST AFRICA ENVOY SAYS MALI SITUATION UNACCEPTABLE GIVEN COUNTRY’S NUTRITIONAL CRISIS
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Asked about the situation in Mali, the Deputy Spokesperson said that Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, spoke at a press conference in Geneva after attending the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) summit in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, earlier this week. The main focus of that summit was the coup in Mali.
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Mr. Djinnit reported that the summit agreed sanctions would be imposed on Mali if democratic rule was not restored immediately.
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A delegation of several ECOWAS Heads of State was due to visit Mali yesterday to press the coup leaders to restore democracy, but they were unable to land at Bamako airport.
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He added that the coup was even more unacceptable given that the international community was mobilizing to deal with both the nutritional crisis that is affecting the country as well as the rebellion in the north.
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Mr. Djinnit said that he had not spoken to President Touré since the coup but according to President Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, who has spoken to him, the Malian President is doing well.
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He added that it is unclear how much support the junta is receiving from different groups within the armed forces.
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAD SUPPORTED N.A.T.O. ACTIONS IN LIBYA
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Asked about the International Commission of Inquiry on human rights violations committed in Libya, the Deputy Spokesperson said the international community had supported the actions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and that it was up to the Council to follow up to ensure NATO’s cooperation.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
31 MARCH – 4 APRIL 2012
(This document is for planning purposes and is subject to change.)
Saturday, 31 March
At 8:30 p.m., the United Nations Headquarters in New York will turn off its lights for the third year in a row to mark Earth Hour, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund.
Sunday, 1 April
Today, the United States assumes the monthly rotating Presidency of the Security Council.
Monday, 2 April
Today is World Autism Awareness Day.
Today, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union will jointly publish the first Global Parliamentary Report, which examines “The Changing Nature of Parliamentary Representation.”
Tuesday, 3 April
At 10:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference to mark the release of a new report by the group, Watchlist for Children and Armed Conflict, entitled No One to Trust: Children and Armed Conflict in Colombia. Speakers will include Christian Salazar of the United Nations’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
At 11:30 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a mid-term press conference by the President of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser. He will brief on topical global issues and key upcoming events of the General Assembly.
At 12:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, President of the Security Council for the month of April and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations.
At 4 p.m., there will be a panel discussion on “World Autism Awareness Day: Delivering Answers through Inclusive International Collaboration” and the public unveiling of the 2012 Autism Awareness Stamps by the United Nations Postal Administration in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber of the North Lawn Building (NLB).
Wednesday, 4 April
Today is International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. UNMAS-DPKO Director of Mine Action Programmes Mr. Paul Heslop, Director of Mine Action Programmes for the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), will be among the guests at a press briefing on the Day in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium at 12 p.m.
At 1:15 p.m., there will be a panel discussion in commemoration of World Health Day 2012 (Saturday, 7 April) under the theme of “Good health adds life to years” in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Conference Room (NLB). Dr. Jacob Kumaresan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) office at the United Nations will deliver the introductory remarks.
Thursday, 5 April
At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference on the launch of the World Urbanization Prospects report by the United Nations Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
At 1:15 p.m., there will be a multi-media presentation and discussion on the theme, “Through her eyes: A view into the challenges of raising an autistic child,” in commemoration of the World Autism Awareness Day in Conference Room C (NLB).
Friday, 6 April
Today is an official United Nations Holiday in New York.
United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
