.HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON
BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ
ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN
HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Friday, March 13, 2009
SRI
LANKA: HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF IS ALARMED AT MOUNTING CIVILIAN CASUALTIES
The High
Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, today
expressed growing alarm at the increasing number of civilians reported
killed and injured in the conflict in northern Sri Lanka, and at the
apparent ruthless disregard being shown for their safety.
She
said, “Certain actions being undertaken by the Sri Lankan military and by
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) may constitute violations of
international human rights and humanitarian law.” She described the
situation as “absolutely desperate.”
The
Human Rights
Office said a range of credible sources have indicated that more than
2,800 civilians may have been killed and more than 7,000 injured since 20
January, many of them inside the no-fire zones. The casualties are believed
to include hundreds of children killed.
Pillay
said the brutal and inhuman treatment of civilians by the LTTE is utterly
reprehensible, and should be examined to see if it constitutes war crimes.
The High
Commissioner called on both the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE to
immediately suspend hostilities in order to allow the evacuation of the
entire civilian population by land or sea.
She also
urged the Sri Lankan Government to grant full access to United Nations and
other independent agencies to allow an accurate assessment of the human
rights and humanitarian conditions in the conflict zone.
DARFUR: HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES
FOCUS ON BRIDGING IMMEDIATE GAPS AFTER EXPULSION OF NGOs
The
United Nations is continuing to press for the reversal of the decision of
the Sudanese Government to expel 13 non-governmental organizations. At the
same time, the United Nations is focusing on mitigating immediate risks that
could create a crisis, such as in areas of water or food.
The
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
said that the results of the ongoing joint UN/Sudanese Government assessment
mission to Darfur would be made public next week after it competes its work
on Wednesday, 18 March.
The
World Food Programme (WFP)
said that the planned distribution of two months rations to the 1.1 million
people who were in the area that had been served by the expelled WFP partner
non-governmental organizations would begin in the coming days, probably from
Sunday onwards.
UNICEF, which is concerned by the impact on the quality and the
distribution of water, said it was working with the Government and its
other UN partners to face the immediate needs. The immediate responses were
designed to ensure that the most urgent needs of the affected populations
could be met, potentially, for up to three months.
The
World Health Organization (WHO)
expressed concern over the fact that many of the NGOs had been doing
important work of surveillance and detection, on a daily and weekly basis,
of outbreaks of diseases, water-born and vector-born, malnutrition and
reproductive health issues. The fact that they were no longer operating in
this complex emergency area made it difficult to know what the diseases
circulating or appearing in that region were.
WHO was
very much concerned about the meningitis outbreak in the Kalma Camp in
southern Darfur. They were aware of 54 cases, including four deaths. WHO
was now in discussion with the Government of Sudan to find an alternative to
start an immunization campaign. Meningitis was very dangerous, especially in
crowded areas. If they would not immunize people rapidly, more cases would
arise in this camp, it warned.
Asked
whether the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was
aware that NGOs were providing the International Criminal Court (ICC)
with information, the Spokesperson said that it is not for OCHA or any other
UN entity to comment in any way on questions relating to any aspect of the
relationship between NGOs and the ICC. NGOs, he said, are entirely free to
decide independently of the UN whether, and if so, in what way to cooperate
with the ICC.
Asked
whether any such cooperation is a violation of the code of conduct for NGOs
working with the UN in humanitarian crises, which requires strict neutrality
on the part of humanitarian aid workers, Haq noted that the United Nations
does not comment on questions concerning the relationship between NGOs and
the ICC.
In
response to whether the United Nations itself has provided any information
to the ICC, the Spokesperson recalled that, by resolution 58/318 of 13
September 2004, the General Assembly approved by consensus the “Relationship
Agreement between the United Nations and the International Criminal Court”
which subsequently entered into force upon its signature by the
Secretary-General and the President of the Court.
The UN Secretariat and its units, such as OCHA, are bound by this Agreement,
he said. The Relationship Agreement provides for cooperation between the UN
and the ICC subject to the principle that, for the United Nations,
cooperation can only occur with due regard to the responsibilities and
competence under the UN Charter and subject to its rules. Due to
confidentiality imperatives, Haq added, the United Nations cannot comment on
specific instances of cooperation.
In
response to further questions, he said that he was not aware of any recent
communications between the Secretary-General and senior Sudanese officials
on the ICC issue.
MADAGASCAR: ONLY SOLUTION IS
RESUMPTION OF DIALOGUE
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been following with concern the escalating
tensions in Madagascar. n a statement
issued Thursday afternoon, he reiterated that the only solution to the
current crisis is the resumption of dialogue and called on both parties to
fulfill their commitment to resolve their differences within the framework
of an inclusive National Conference
While
there is concern over divisions within the armed forces, the
Secretary-General welcomes the decision by the armed forces to continue to
respect Constitutional order.
The UN
Senior Adviser, Mr. Tiébilé Dramé, remains engaged to help facilitate the
talks and provide full UN support to the much needed national reconciliation
process.
PLANNING FOR NEXT
MEETING OF SOMALIA’S NATIONAL RECONCILIATION PROCESS UNDERWAY
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative
for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, says that planning is underway for the
next meeting of Somalia’s national reconciliation process. Somali government
and opposition officials will very soon be discussing political cooperation
and justice, among other issues. A meeting of the parties’ joint security
committee is also expected to take place.
Ould-Abdallah says he is encouraged by this
and other steps towards peace and stability in Somalia. He noted that a
number of lawmakers, who had earlier fled violence in Mogadishu, have now
returned and resumed work.
The international community, Ould-Abdallah
said, must now do its part to fully support the new Somali government.
He plans to brief the Security
Council on Somalia next Friday.
ELECTORAL IDENTIFICATION PROCESS SLOWING DOWN IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE
The United Nations Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (ONUCI)
says that the electoral identification process, which was begun in
September, appears to be slowing down with its goals still out of reach.
Some 860 of the 10,000 registration sites across the country have not yet
opened.
Additionally, a lack of work material at some
sites is slowing down the effort while recurrent labor strikes by electoral
workers have disrupted operations in some regions.
The Mission calls on all parties to redouble
their recruitment efforts and to find solutions to the various problems now
facing the initiative.
BAN KI-MOON URGES PAKISTAN'S
LEADERS TO SOLVER THEIR DIFFERENCES THROUGH HONEST DIALOGUE
Asked about recent signs of unrest in
Pakistan, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General is concerned
about the current political and security situation in Pakistan.
Pakistan's leaders, whether in power or in the
opposition, have the responsibility first and foremost to ensure the safety
and security of the Pakistani people. Any action that they undertake should
bear this in mind, Haq said.
The Secretary-General calls upon Pakistan's
leaders to solve all their differences through an honest dialogue to be able
to deal with the multitude of challenges the country and the region face, he
added.
BAN
KI-MOON: AFGHANISTAN FACES A CRITICAL TEST IN 2009
In his latest
report on
Afghanistan, the Secretary-General says that the Government and people of
that country face a critical test in 2009, as it prepares to hold credible
elections over the coming months.
The Secretary-General says that preparations
for the 20 August elections will likely take place during a period of
intensified fighting, and he said that the elections must be held in as
secure an environment as possible, where the freedoms of expression, media
and assembly that democracy requires are guaranteed as much as possible.
While there are reasons to believe that
security in Afghanistan may worsen, there are also some reasons for
optimism, adding that a judicious deployment of additional international
troops to provide security for the Afghan people would be a welcome
development, he says. The report also notes some progress in strengthening
Afghanistan’s own security services and in lowering poppy production.
The report also details the
UN Mission in Afghanistan’s
work over the past year, and the Secretary-General recommends that its
mandate be extended for a further 12 months.
Also today, the
UN Refugee Agency
and the Government of Pakistan signed a letter of intent to allow registered
Afghans to extend their stay in Pakistan until the end of 2012.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
WILL REVIEW REPORT OF INQUIRY INTO DAMAGES AT U.N. FACILITIES IN GAZA
Asked about the UN inquiry into
the casualties and damages at UN facilities during the recent conflict in
Gaza, the Spokesperson recalled that the Board of Inquiry will report to the
Secretary-General upon completion of its investigation, hopefully within a
month of when it began its work. The Secretary-General will review the
report, and decide, at that point, what further steps to take.
He noted, in response to a further
question, that the Secretary-General and UN officials on the ground continue
to contact Israeli officials to obtain an opening to humanitarian aid of all
the crossing points into Gaza. He said that the amount of aid going into
Gaza had improved over the past week, although it remained below what the
United Nations believes is needed.
BAN KI-MOON STRESSES NEED FOR
STRONGER COHERENCE AT UNITED NATIONS
The Secretary-General this morning
spoke at the Informal Consultations of the General Assembly on United
Nations System-wide Coherence, and he told them that stronger coherence is
essential.
The United Nations, he said, needs
to be more efficient and more effective. In that regard, he said that
advancing gender equality and empowering women is one of his top priorities.
At the moment, however, the UN gender architecture lacks a recognized
driver, and the Secretary-General pointed to several options to consolidate
the UN’s work on gender.
On strengthening the governance of
operational activities for development, he said we need to focus on five
areas: transparency, policy coherence, coordination, funding and
accountability.
The Secretary-General added that
strengthening the funding system should be underpinned by a number of
objectives, including: a strong commitment to core resources;
predictability, stability and adequacy of voluntary funding flows; a
simplification of the funding architecture; and more equitable
burden-sharing.
DEPUTY-SECRETARY-GENERAL
CONCLUDES HER TRIP TO TANZANIA
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose
Migiro has wrapped up a visit to Tanzania by giving a
press conference.
The Deputy Secretary-General said
that she had discussed with President Jakaya Kikwete the importance to keep
pushing to attain the
Millennium Development Goals, even at this time of a global financial
crisis. She added that with the UN’s Delivering as One initiative in
progress in the country, Tanzania had a unique opportunity to attain the
Goals.
She added that she had discussed the killings
of people with albinism with the President, who assured the United Nations
that the Government was determined to stop the killings.
ACHIEVING UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO HIV PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
IS PRIORITY
UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibé spoke to the press in Geneva today to outline
his vision for the work of his agency. He said that his number one priority
for
UNAIDS is to help countries achieve universal access to HIV prevention,
treatment, care and support.
He also noted that, in this global economic crisis, economic adjustments
should be made with a human face in mind. In that regard, he said that
resources for AIDS responses are investments, not expenditures. He also
stressed that a mother should not have to choose between continuing HIV
treatment and feeding her children.
Sidibé added that investing in the fight against AIDS now will help
avert nearly 3 million new HIV infections and more than 1 million deaths
over the next two years.
UNESCO MEETING OUTLINES ROLE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN
FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE IN ARCTIC
At a meeting
hosted by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) in Monaco, participants have concluded that to
confront climate change in the Arctic, it is necessary to draw on the
knowledge of indigenous people and to acknowledge the value of maintaining
their traditional cultures.
Participants also noted that the rapidly changing climate in the Arctic
is putting pressure on hundreds of thousands of indigenous people, while
science, development and conservation efforts are often driven by interests
outside the Arctic.
Asked why the Secretary-General seemed
confident that a deal on climate change could be reached later this year in
Copenhagen, the Spokesperson said that was because the Secretary-General
believed that the Member States were more aware of the challenge posed by
climate change and determined to act in response. He noted that the
Secretary-General, in his Thursday
press conference, had pointed to climate change as a threat to our
existence.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS[1]
14– 20 March 2009
Sunday, 15 March
At midnight, the United Nations Mission in the Central
African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) will take over the military and security
responsibilities of the European Union Force (EUFOR). The event will be marked
by a ceremony in Abéché which will be attended by the Under-Secretary-General
for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy.
Monday, 16 March
Today, the Security
Council will hold consultations on the United Nations Mission in the Central
African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT).
The Fifth World Water
Forum opens today in Istanbul and runs through March 20, under the theme
"Bridging Divides for Water". Mr. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for
Economic and Social Affairs, will represent the Secretary-General. The United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Director General Jacques Diouf will
also be present.
From today until Friday,
the 19th session of the FAO Committee on Forestry and the first World Forest
Week will be held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.This year’s themes are
sustainable forest management and climate change and institutional change in a
dynamic world.
Tuesday, 17 March
Greek Cypriot leader
Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat meet today
under UN auspices in Nicosia. They plan to discuss matters concerning the
European Union.
At 11 a.m. in Room-S226,
General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann briefs the
press on his recent trip to Syria, Finland, China, Bahrain, Switzerland and Iran as well as on
current General Assembly issues.
Tonight
at 7 p.m., in the ECOSOC Chamber, the UN Department of Public Information and
Sci Fi Network host a special event in connection with the release of the final
episode of Battlestar Galactica. Moderated by Whoopi Goldberg, “Battlestar
Galactica: A retrospective” will examine themes of importance to both the United
Nations and this TV show: human rights, children and armed conflict, terrorism
and reconciliation among civilizations and faiths. Panelists included actors
and creators of the show; Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; Craig Mokhiber, Deputy
Director, New York Office, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; and
Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy, Planning, Executive Office
of the Secretary-General.
Wednesday, 18 March
The Security Council will hold an open debate on the African Union- United
Nations Panel report.
Today, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Trusteeship
Council chamber, the President of the General Assembly, Miguel d'Escoto
Brockmann, chairs a thematic and interactive debate on the right to 'Education
in Emergencies' such as conflicts or humanitarian disasters. Other participants
include Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned of Qatar and President Pierre
Nkurunziza of Burundi.
Following the noon briefing, Nicholas Burnett,
Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO and Vernor Muñoz, UN Special
Rapporteur on the Right to Education, will be joined by other speakers brief on
General Assembly’s thematic debate.
From 3 to 6 p.m, in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, the
Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) will launch a report and
hold a discussion on “Ways forward for supporting victims of terrorism.”
Thursday, 19 March
This morning, the Security Council mission to Haiti will brief on its trip.
The Council will then hold consultations on the United Nations Mission in
Liberia (UNMIL). In the afternoon, the Security Council will hold a debate on
the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Friday, 20 March
Today, the Security
Council will hold a debate on Somalia.
A conference entitled
“UNESCO Against Racism: Lessons from the past, current challenges and future
perspectives” will be held on 20 March at UNESCO in Paris to coincide with
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March).
Starting today and
through 22 March, the Food and Agriculture Organization and European
professional football leagues are organizing a Europe-wide football week-end
against hunger.
[1]This
document is for planning purposes only and is current as of DATE \@ "HH:mm"
13:57 DATE \@ "dddd, dd MMMM, yyyy" Friday, 13 March, 2009.
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