HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY
MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
Tuesday, April
29, 2008
BAN KI-MOON TO
LEAD TASK FORCE TO TACKLE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today
spoke to
reporters in Bern, Switzerland, to describe the discussions that he chaired in
that city over the past two days among the heads of UN agencies, funds and
programmes concerning the dramatic escalation of food prices worldwide.
He said that the heads of the UN system, the Chief
Executives Board, said the rise in food costs poses an unprecedented challenge
of global proportions, and that they had agreed on a series of concrete
measures that need to be taken in the short, medium and long terms.
The Secretary-General said, “The first and immediate
priority issue that we all agreed was that we must feed the hungry,” with the
Chief Executives Board calling on the international community and, in
particular, developed countries to urgently and fully fund the emergency
requirement of $755 million for the World Food Programme.
The other main priority, he said, is that we must ensure
food for tomorrow by, among other things, providing support to farmers so that
in the coming years we do not see even more severe food shortages.
The CEB, in its
communiqué
wrapping up its discussions in Bern, said that it has decided that a Task
Force on the Global Food Crisis be established immediately under the
leadership of the Secretary-General, bringing together the heads of the United
Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes, the Bretton Woods
institutions and relevant parts of the UN Secretariat.
The Task Force will be coordinated by
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes in New York and
Senior UN System Influenza Coordinator David Nabarro in Geneva. It expects to
meet in the first week of May.
The communiqué also says that the Secretary-General calls
on world leaders to make every effort to participate in the High-Level
Conference on Food Security in Rome from 3 to 5 June.
After leaving Bern, the Secretary-General traveled to
Geneva, where he later
said that the
food crisis threatens to undo all our good work. If not managed properly, it
could touch off a cascade of related crises—affecting trade, economic growth,
social progress and even political security around the world. But, he added,
he is confident that we can deal with the global food crisis, saying, “We have
the resources. We have the knowledge. We know what to do.”
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture
Organization, meanwhile,
echoed
the Secretary-General’s concern about high food prices. In addition to the
need for emergency measures, Jacques Diouf also highlighted the importance of
planning for the future, by giving farmers in the developing world the tools
they need to boost productivity. This includes ensuring that they have access
to land and water, as well as essential items like seeds and fertilizer.
Meanwhile, the International Fund for Agricultural
Development has
announced more than $70 million in loans and grants for precisely this
purpose. The money will fund rural poverty programs in Africa, Asia and Latin
America. Projects will focus on agricultural practices, water management, and
environmentally sustainable indigenous farming systems, among other things.
Asked about the Secretary-General’s stance on bio-fuels,
the Spokeswoman noted that, in his recent statements and comments to the
press, the Secretary-General has made it clear that there is no single factor
causing the global food crisis.
Asked about other topics discussed by the Chief
Executives Board, Okabe said that the Board looks at priority issues for the
system as a whole. This time, she said, its focus was on the food crisis.
REGISTRAR OF U.N. LEBANON TRIBUNAL
ASSUMES DUTIES
Robin Vincent yesterday
commenced
his duties as Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He was appointed
by the Secretary-General on 10 March 2008 and is the first official of the
Special Tribunal to take up his functions.
Mr. Vincent will work in close consultation with the
Special Tribunal’s Management Committee and the United Nations Secretariat to
take the steps necessary for the Tribunal to be established in a timely
manner, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1757 (2007). He will
initially concentrate his activities on preparing the premises of the
Tribunal, coordinating the transition between the International Independent
Investigative Commission and the Tribunal, recruiting core staff, and
finalizing the Tribunal’s budget.
HEAD OF U.N. PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY CENTRE
IN CENTRAL ASIA IS NAMED
The Secretary-General has informed the Security Council
of his intention to appoint Miroslav Jenca of Slovakia as his Special
Representative and Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive
Diplomacy for Central Asia, which is based in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Mr. Jenca is currently Director of the Office of the
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Slovakia.
SECURITY
COUNCIL RECEIVES BRIEFING ON SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn
Pascoe will be briefing the Security
Council members in closed consultations, under “other matters” on the
Council’s request, about the situation in Zimbabwe. Mr. Pascoe has informed us
that he will speak to reporters at the Council stakeout once those
consultations are over.
Earlier, the Security Council adopted a
resolution on
Somalia, extending the mandate of the Monitoring Group dealing with
Somalia sanctions for six months.
The Council currently is holding consultations on
Cote d’Ivoire, to
receive a briefing on the Secretary-General’s recent report from his Special
Representative in that country, Choi Young-jin. A Presidential Statement on
Côte d'Ivoire was also circulated, which was adopted later in the day.
U.N. MISSION STRONGLY CONDEMNS SUICIDE
ATTACK IN AFGHANISTAN
The UN Mission in
Afghanistan strongly condemned a suicide attack that took place this
morning in the province of Nangarhar and said it shares the outrage of all
Afghans at such indiscriminate targeting of innocent people.
The UN Mission noted that the circumstances of this
attack illustrate the unmistakable bonds of partnership between terrorists and
drug traffickers.
Yesterday, the Security Council President, Ambassador
Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa, issued a press statement condemning the
terrorist attack on Sunday that targeted an official ceremony attended by
President Hamid Karzai. Council members, in that statement, underlined the
need to bring those responsible for the attack to justice.
Asked about the Secretary-General’s response to recent
comments made by Afghan President Hamid Karzai about the peace process
initiated by Pakistan, the Spokeswoman did not comment specifically, but noted
in the statement issued by the Secretary-General over the weekend, the
Secretary-General had reiterated his support for ways to assist the Government
of Afghanistan.
U.N. ENVOY IN TIMOR-LESTE WELCOMES
SURRENDER OF FUGITIVES
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in
Timor-Leste, Atul Khare, today
welcomed the peaceful surrender of armed fugitive Gastão Salsinha and his
men, who were wanted in connection with the attacks of 11 February, when
President José Ramos Horta survived an assassination attempt.
Khare stressed that the surrendered fugitives now must
face justice.
He said the people of Timor-Leste and their leaders
deserve praise for the calm manner in which the events of these past few
months have been handled.
SUSTAINABLE PEACE NEEDED AS PART OF JUST
SOLUTION TO PALESTINE REFUGEE ISSUE
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Angela
Kane is in Paris to deliver a
message from the
Secretary-General to the UN International Conference on Palestine Refugees,
which is being held under the auspices of the
Committee on the
Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
The Secretary-General says that a sustainable peace in
the entire region will have to factor in a viable and just solution to the
Palestine refugee issue.
He adds that negotiations are the only means of realising
the legitimate aspirations of both parties – Palestinian statehood and
self-determination, and security for Israel.
Asked about former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s
proposals for ways to deal with Hamas, the Spokeswoman said she had no
specific comment, and she noted that the Secretary-General would attend a
meeting in London this Friday of the principal members of the Middle East
Quartet, at which discussions on the way ahead would take place.
Asked about food deliveries to Gaza, Okabe recalled that
the UN Relief and Works Agency had said on Monday that it was resuming
deliveries there.
Asked whether the United Nations views what is happening
in Gaza as ethnic cleansing, the Spokeswoman said that the UN’s views are well
known and are directed towards helping as many people as possible.
GIFT HIGHLIGHTS SANITATION PROBLEMS
FACED BY FEMALE REFUGEES
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
says its sprawling
regional warehouse in Dubai recently received an unusual shipment of aid
supplies – three million sanitary pads.
Many people would probably not consider sanitation when
asked to identify the key needs of female refugees and displaced people around
the world: things like shelter, food, water and security would be foremost in
their minds.
But lack of sanitary materials undermines the protection
mandate of UNHCR towards women because it prevents their full participation in
education and employment, as well as programmes and community-based activities
that are organized to help empower them. The issue is central to dignity and
health.
SURVEY FINDS MOST IRAQIS IN SYRIA
UNWILLING TO RETURN HOME
The
UN Refugee Agency
(UNHCR) today said that a survey, conducted for UNHCR by the IPSOS polling
group of nearly 1,000 Iraqis currently
staying in Syria, has shown that 95 percent fled their homeland because of
direct threats or general insecurity.
Only 4 percent currently have plans to return to Iraq,
UNHCR says.
The Refugee Agency says that 61 percent of those polled
stated that they did not want to return because they were under direct threat
in Iraq.
ARMED CONFLICT IN THE PHILIPPINES POSES
SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES
TO RIGHTS OF CHILDREN
In his
report to
the Security Council on children and armed conflict in the Philippines, the
Secretary-General acknowledges the significant challenges in addressing child
rights violations in the country, including recruitment, killing and maiming,
sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals and denial of humanitarian
access.
The Secretary-General recommends that State and non-State
actors enter into dialogue with the United Nations for the preparation of
action plans to end the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and
groups, as well as other grave violations of children’s rights.
He suggests that all parties to the conflict should
facilitate access to their areas of operation and ensure the safety of staff
for monitoring and reporting purposes.
The Secretary-General also urges the Government to take
all necessary measures to investigate and prosecute those responsible for
grave violations against children in the Philippines.
DEVELOPMENT GOALS ARE AT RISK IN
ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
A report jointly launched today by the UN Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Asia Development Bank
warns that
the Asia-Pacific region may miss the Millennium Development Goals if gaps in
key areas are not filled immediately.
Titled “A Future Within Reach 2008”, the third regional
report on Millennium Development Goals highlights the need for international
organizations in the region to better coordinate their assistance to countries
trying to make the Goals a reality by the target date of 2015.
The Secretary-General has pledged to mobilize national
leaders in a drive to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
when they come to U.N. Headquarters for the General Assembly’s annual
high-level debate this September.
BAN KI-MOON PLANS TO TRAVEL TO ATLANTA,
GEORGIA, U.S.A.
As part of his ongoing tour of major U.S. cities, the
Secretary-General plans to visit Atlanta, Georgia, next week. Global health
will be a focus of the trip.
The Secretary-General will be convening a meeting at the
Carter Center with the Elders -- a small group of world figures ranging from
civil society leaders to past Heads of State -- on critical global health
priorities. The meeting’s participants will include top UN officials,
philanthropists, and global health leaders from the private sector,
non-governmental organizations and academia.
The Secretary-General plans to also tour the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
While in Atlanta, the Secretary-General expects to attend
a luncheon hosted by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. He will also join Atlanta
Mayor Shirley Franklin in viewing the Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers
Collection at the Robert W. Woodruff Library.
The Secretary-General also plans to visit CIFAL Atlanta,
a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the UN Institute for Training
and Research, and attend a luncheon with the Atlanta business community.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
IRAQ COMPENSATION COMMISSION TO PAY OUT NEARLY US$1
BILLION FOR DAMAGES FROM 1990 INVASION OF KUWAIT: The
UN Compensation Commission today
announced payments of some $972.4 million to 26 successful claimants, regarding
compensation for damages following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
SECRETARY-GENERAL’S LATEST REPORT ON SOMALIA INCLUDES A
NUMBER OF CONTINGENCY PLANS: The Spokeswoman declined to comment on a draft
resolution on piracy off the coast of Somalia, as it continues to be discussed
by the Security Council. Asked about UN efforts in Somalia, she noted that the
Secretary-General’s recent
report on
Somalia includes a number of contingency plans.
SECRETARY-GENERAL PAYS TRIBUTE TO VICTIMS OF CHEMICAL
WARFARE: In his
message on Remembrance Day for Victims of Chemical Warfare, the
Secretary-General says that this Remembrance Day is a solemn occasion for the
world to pay tribute to all victims of chemical warfare, and to ensure their
suffering will not be forgotten or repeated.
SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP IS A MATTER FOR MEMBER
STATES TO DECIDE: Asked about the Secretary-General’s comments, as cited in
an Austrian media outlet, about Austria’s candidacy for a seat on the Security
Council, the Spokeswoman said that Security Council membership is a matter for
Member States to decide.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
