U.N.
SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON'S PRESS CONFERENCE
U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON: Good
morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great pleasure to see you. I am sorry
that I couldn’t have a press conference with you last month, because of my very
hectic schedule. I am pleased to have this monthly regular press conference
today.
Yesterday, as you know, I briefed the General Assembly on the latest
developments regarding the H1N1 epidemic.
As you know, this outbreak is yet another reminder that we live an
interconnected world. A threat to one country is a threat to all, requiring a
collective, global response.
I understand that the World Health Organization does not plan at this time to
raise its alert level.
That said, there is still much that is not known about this new strain and the
dangers it poses. We must therefore be prepared.
Whatever trajectory the current outbreak may take – and so far we have been
fortunate that its consequences have been relatively mild – we have learned
valuable lessons.
Our watchword in potential health crises, now and in the future, must be
solidarity — a global solidarity.
In this spirit, I will therefore be asking governments in the coming weeks to:
First, reach agreement on sharing of samples of viral and other materials, as
well as data on outbreaks, in line with the International Health Regulations;
Second, agree to establish coordinated long-term financing mechanisms for
supporting poorer countries so that they are able to build their defenses
against global health threats;
Third, ensure that WHO has all the resources it needs, when it needs them;
Fourth, reverse restrictions on trade and travel unless there is clear
scientific evidence that it is necessary.
I will begin these discussions in earnest when I travel to Geneva later this
month for the World Health Assembly.
I will also meet with donors, technical partners and the private sector,
including pharmaceutical companies, to explore how all can contribute.
As I say, we still do not know how this particular health challenge will proceed
and we must be prepared. As previous pandemics in the 20th century showed, the
situation can unfold in stages – what begins as mild in the first stage might be
less so in the next.
As we look forward, we must remain vigilant and alert to the warning signs. This
will help ensure the proper response that benefits all the people of our world.
And I am very pleased to sit together with Dr. David Nabarro who is working as a
senior UN Coordinator for Influenza, and who will be very happy to answer any
questions you may have after presenting my remarks.
Let me turn, here, to the Middle East.
This morning I transmitted to the President of the Security Council a summary of
the report of the Board of Inquiry regarding incidents affecting United Nations
personnel, premises and operations during the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip
and southern Israel.
Let me emphasize from the outset the independent nature of this Board and its
work.
I want to thank the chairman, Ian Martin, and its Members for concluding this
inquiry. I recognize the difficulty of conducting investigations such as this
one.
I wish to place on record my appreciation for the cooperation provided by the
Government of Israel in the course of the Board’s work. The Board also
appreciated its reception by the Palestinian Authority and meetings with local
authorities in Gaza.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would emphasize that a Board of Inquiry is not a judicial body or court of
law. It does not make legal findings and does not consider questions of legal
liability.
My purpose in establishing this Board was to develop a clear record of the facts
surrounding these serious incidents and their causes and to determine where
responsibility might lie, bearing in mind the complexities of the overall
situation.
As with all United Nations Boards of Inquiry, this report is an internal
document.
It contains information shared with the Board in strict confidence. It also
contains information whose disclosure could prejudice the security or proper
conduct of the UN’s operations.
For this reason, the Secretariat is releasing a summary of the Report for the
purposes of sharing its findings with the Security Council and other bodies.
This summary is a faithful and objective reflection of the Board’s full report.
I fully respect complete independence of the Board’s activities and assessments.
As to those matters that did not fall within the Board’s terms of reference, it
is not my intention to establish any further Inquiry. I intend to address any
other incidents relating to UN personnel on a case by case basis, and through
dialogue with the Government of Israel.
The Government of Israel has informed me that it has reservations and objections
to elements of the summary. At the same time, I am pleased that the Israeli
Government has agreed to meet United Nations officials to address some of the
Board’s recommendations, in so far as it relates to Israel. It has further
confirmed to me that it is eager to improve existing coordination mechanisms.
The plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is reflected in the report of the
Board of Inquiry. We should keep in mind that Israeli civilians in southern
Israel faced and continue to face indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hamas and
other militant groups.
In a larger sense, the report reminds us that there has still been no progress
on the critical elements that would secure long-term peace for the people of the
region.
As I have said before, we need a durable ceasefire, which includes an end to
arms smuggling, the opening of the crossings, recovery and reconstruction in
Gaza, and steps toward Palestinian reconciliation.
More importantly, we need to give new momentum to the search for a resolution of
the conflict in the Middle East. For this, direct Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations must resume, and the international community must engage.
I understand that US President [Barack] Obama will meet Israeli President
[Shimon] Peres today and Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority
President [Mahmoud] Abbas in the near future.
I also commend Russia for convening a special meeting on the Middle East in the
Security Council on 11 May. I hope this will be an opportunity for the
international community to reinvigorate the process.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me turn to other areas.
With respect to the crisis in Sri Lanka, I have been monitoring the situation
daily. This morning, I spoke once again to President [Mahinda] Rajapaksa of Sri
Lanka.
I called for a humanitarian pause in the fighting. This would allow more
desperately needed aid, above all food and medicines, to get in. It will allow
the UN to have access to the conflict zone to assess the situation properly. It
will save lives.
I have urged the authorities to avoid the use of artillery and heavy weaponry in
zones where civilians are especially at risk. I have also appealed to the LTTE
[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] to let civilians go and stop forced
recruitment. Above all, there is an urgent need for the two sides to bring the
conflict to a peaceful and orderly end.
It is very important that the Government lay out the conditions under which this
conflict can end without further bloodshed.
I repeat: Protecting civilians and respecting international humanitarian law,
must be priority one. The world is watching events closely, including for
violations of international law.
On Nepal, let me add that I am seriously concerned about the political
situation. I call for dialogue and consensus to preserve and enhance the gains
made from the peace process.
Last but not least, the economic crisis is still with us. Following up on the
G20 Summit in London, we will support a Global Jobs Pact to generate decent
work—a mainstay of any global stimulus. We will also launch a UN Global
Vulnerability Alert, an early warning system on the social fallout of the
economic crisis.
Taken together, these issues provide a sobering reminder of the scale and
velocity of change in our times.
We are living in an age when a credit crunch in one country can trigger the
biggest global economic crisis in decades; when melting ice can threaten a
tropical island; when an upheaval in one area can spread through a region and
spill into the seas: when a cough in one corner can infect the world.
All of this cries out for global cooperation. We must harness power, purpose and
principle to build a new multilateralism.
Thank you very much for your attention, and
with that, I will be happy to take your questions.
Q: Secretary-General, thank you so much for
this press conference. But we’d like to remind you, you still owe us one from
last month. And on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association
(UNCA) and our president, Giampaolo Pioli, I’d like to welcome you, sir.
My question is concerning the report that we
received in the last half hour, or the summary of the report, concerning Gaza.
The report states that [in] eight cases of the nine cases investigated, Israel
did not implement sufficient effort and precaution to fulfil its
responsibilities to protect property and personnel. In six cases, death and
injury and damage was caused by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), and in one case
[damage to] the vehicle, the property, was also caused by IDF forces. However,
many might describe your reaction to the report, or the summary of it, in the
Middle East as “timid”. There’s no future inquiry. There’s only case-by-case
basis dialogue with Israel. There’s no talk about compensation. Don’t forget
there’s damage that the report itself estimates at $10.4 [million] to United
Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA),
and three quarters of a million [dollar] to the United Nations Office of the
Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process [UNSCO]. There’s no talk
of compensation.
And I would like to remind you here, the report states that Israel, in many
cases, the attacks happened after apologizing for the last attacks and
promising, to take all precautions not to repeat it. So what gives you
confidence that this dialogue, this time, will succeed? And what about the
compensation for the damage and the lives of the people? I understand this is
not a legal document and no legal action is anticipated by the United Nations.
But the people in the Middle East expect more from the United Nations. Thank
you, sir.
SG: You have covered a wide area of all the reports, without leaving any
opportunities for other people, maybe, to raise questions.
As I said, I took the initiative of establishing a U.N. Headquarters Board of
Inquiry to investigate the nine most serious incidents involving U.N. personnel
and property. These have already been thoroughly investigated by the Board of
Inquiry. It is my considered view that I can adequately address the remaining
incidents involving the United Nations on a case-by-case basis, at the
operational level. It is my full intention to do so.
On the other question about compensation: I intend to seek reparation or
reimbursement of loss and damage incurred by the United Nations. As you know, I
have been carefully reviewing these recommendations with a view to determining
what course of action the United Nations and I, as the Secretary-General, should
take in future, if any. As I said in my letter to the President of the Security
Council and this morning to you, I do not consider it necessary for me to
initiate any further formal inquiry in this regard, which are outside the terms
of reference of this Board. But again, the Israeli Government, in our
consultations, stated that they would engage with the United Nations Secretariat
to address the Board’s recommendations in so far as they relate to Israel. This
has been quite a thorough investigation, and I hope you will understand all
these situations. This Board’s report is quite extensive and provides the
factual circumstances surrounding all these incidents that have taken place.
Q: If I may follow up, the report states very clearly that many of the attacks
also happened after assurances and dialogue and verbal and written communication
by the United Nations. What gives you the confidence now that these things will
not repeat in the future? Because you had assurances in the past.
SG: In fact, in the course of all these happenings, I was in the region. I
immediately took action to talk to concerned ministers of the Israeli
Government, including the Prime Minister and Defense Minister and Foreign
Minister. They all assured me that this will not happen again and they would
look into the cases. Unfortunately, after that, other incidents also took place.
That, we have protested. And this has been looked into by the members of the
Board of Inquiry. One of the recommendations states that there needs to be a
much more effective and closer coordination mechanism to avoid all these kinds
of happenings in the future.
Q: On the same topic, Secretary-General, there are media reports out there that
you’ve personally worked over the last several days to somewhat water down the
details contained in this Board of Inquiry report. Can you, will you, confirm or
deny those reports? And if so -- if you worked in some way to prepare details of
this report -- can you address why?
SG: This is an independent Board of Inquiry, even though I have appointed,
established this Board of Inquiry. The nature and work of the Board of Inquiry
is completely independent. And therefore I respect the independence and
activities and findings of this Board of Inquiry. Therefore I have no authority
to edit or change or alter any recommendations and conclusions of this Board of
Inquiry’s judgment. However, because it contains some very sensitive
information, then I decided to summarize, respecting the full integrity of this
report and conclusions.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, although we do have maybe a lack of medical knowledge
still on what’s going on with this influenza -- Swine Flu or whatever it is to
be politically correct, and go with the other name -- we do have some
statistical data. And we also have some media knowledge. After all, we have the
experience of our Joe Lauria, who made that quarantine story. There is also an
extreme situation that’s going on, that was developed in China, that all
Mexicans were put in quarantine. And also, for example, in Croatia, a leading
newspaper went and gave 100,000 masks as a gift to the possible Croatians who
were going to get that influenza. So what would be your clear message? Should we
stay on high alert? Or should we calm down, because the media went hyper? What
is the clear message from you that you would offer?
SG: I will answer in general terms and I will ask Dr. David Nabarro to answer in
more detail.
First of all, I’d like to voice appreciation to the role of media and journalism
in, first of all, letting this information... disseminating it all throughout
the world so that everybody, every country can be prepared for this virus.
Whatever actions and measures individuals or a sovereign nation should take
should be based on scientific evidence, as well as be in accordance with
international humanitarian regulations. There may be some difference of levels
of measures that each individual government may take, according to where this
happens and according to where people travel. But that is their own decision.
What I’d like to emphasize is that the World Health Organization and
international public health experts, in accordance with all these regulations,
have provided guidelines. These guidelines should be respected.
Dr. Nabarro: I think you’ve said it very precisely. We want to be very clear
that the World Health Organization is not recommending travel restrictions
related to the outbreak of this novel influenza. The science and evidence
available suggests that any effort to limit travel or to impose travel
restrictions would have very little effect on stopping the virus from spreading.
And it would also be extremely disruptive to the functioning of the world
community. Of course we have advice for individuals who are ill -- we ask them
not to travel. And also we have advice for people who fall ill, if they travel,
about the care that they should seek. We do notice that some countries have
adopted measures that are significantly interfering with international traffic,
such as detaining travellers and delaying them for a period of time. The
situation is that countries do have a duty to explain to the World Health
Organization the public health rationale for these measures because, under the
International Health Regulations 2005, that is their obligation. I hope that
answers your question on this specific issue.
Q: Secretary-General, what is your message to the world with that, your clear
message to the world after all that you just heard here? And what is your
message after these two extreme situations in China and the boosting of the
circulation of the leading newspaper in Croatia by giving 100,000 masks for the
people? So what’s your message to the people?
SG: I have clearly stated my position yesterday in the General Assembly. And
again, I stated it clearly, to be followed by Dr. Nabarro.
Q: You know my case. Simply, I came down with the flu. I travelled from an
airport where there are 30 flights a day from Mexico. I simply wanted to get
tested -- I was unable to. And my question to you is, what are the World Health
Organization’s guidelines about testing? The health authorities explained to me
it’s not necessary to test a lot, or even at all. They wanted to see where there
was a small outbreak and control that. But I’d think that my experience and my
story shows the problem may not be with the policy, but with explaining to the
public, to people who are not expected -- because they are laymen -- to know
these things. Do you think they’re doing a good job –the authorities -- to
explain it? What is the policy on testing? And what about the public relations
aspect of it?
Dr. Nabarro: Thank you very much indeed. In fact, I am familiar with your case,
sir, that you fell ill and you believed that you might have influenza A, and you
tried to get yourself tested and it was difficult. And I think it’s fair to say
that it’s not been easy to make sure that there is adequate capacity everywhere
in the world for the tests to be done for this new virus. You would appreciate
that you have to develop new testing capacity for a new virus. It’s now clear
that from a public health perspective it’s not necessary for everybody to be
tested, and so that is the situation right now. This is sufficiently mild a
disease at present, that it is not absolutely essential for everybody who gets
it to have the test. All we do ask is for people who are sick to keep themselves
away from others if they can, and also that a high quality of personal hygiene
is practiced. And I’m really glad to see that you’re so well.
Q: But are the public officials doing a good enough job explaining what you’ve
just said? To get out there in front?
Dr. Nabarro: We believe that the authorities here in this country are doing a
fantastic job of public communication, and we also have a lot of confidence, of
course, in what the World Health Organization is doing.
Q: Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General. On the release of the four Generals in
Lebanon for insufficiency of evidence, since then the UN and the Lebanese
judiciary is under attack, and yourself you have been under attack by [Sheikh
Hassan] Nasrallah. How much do you take seriously all the attacks, and are you
ready to engage into full revision of the investigation?
SG: The release of the generals was a decision taken by the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon, which is an independent body and whose work, I believe, is a positive
contribution to the people of Lebanon. I would not comment on the decision of
the Tribunal, which it takes independently. I would like to point out, however,
that the generals, they were detained by the Lebanese authorities according to
Lebanese law. The Tribunal has now taken their decision after it was officially
established as of March 1st. Therefore I respect the decision that has been
taken.
Q: Just a follow-up, Mr. Secretary-General. Do you believe that the judiciary
system in Lebanon was endangered by this decision taken by the international
tribunal? And can you say please a word about the Israelis withdrawal from
Ghajar?
SG: The Special Tribunal was established in accordance with a Security Council
resolution for a specific purpose, for a specific case. Therefore, in terms of
legal precedence, the decision should be respected. This is the purpose and
principles of international law, as I understand them. Therefore it has nothing
to do with infringing upon the legal judicial system of Lebanon when the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon has requested and decided to release the detained generals.
So I hope there should be no misunderstandings in that regard.
About Ghajar, we have been working very intensively and closely on this issue.
As you know, whenever I have been meeting with the Lebanese and Israeli
authorities, this issue has always been discussed at my level and at other
senior levels. The UNIFIL [UN Interim Force in Lebanon] has made a proposal and
this has been accepted, agreed to by the Lebanese Government. Now, still we are
awaiting the response from the Israeli Government. We have seen some reports of
the new Israeli administration on this issue, but we have not yet been able to
do that. One of my senior advisors [Alain Le Roy] is going to visit Israel at
this time and to discuss this matter. I sincerely hope that this issue, Ghajar,
will be resolved as soon as possible. But there is some encouraging atmosphere
which has been created on this issue. I am going to work very hard on this
matter with the new administration of Israel.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, the U.S. today submitted its proposal on climate
change for a global warming treaty which you hope to get enacted in Copenhagen
later this year. What is your feeling about the significance of this submission
by the U.S, in terms of the likelihood of getting an agreement? Are you
disappointed at all that there was no specific numerical goal contained in that
[proposal] for the U.S. to cut emissions by a certain date?
SG: In general, I am very encouraged by the very proactive and constructive and
forthcoming position and attitude of the U.S. administration in addressing this
climate change issue which is a global threat for which we must really “seal the
deal” in Copenhagen in December. President Obama has made it quite clear, this
is one of the priorities and they have taken the initiative by convening a Major
Economies Forum last week, which was again quite different from the past major
economies meetings. We are encouraged. All these domestic measures which the
U.S. Government and Congress will take will be very important. Now what is
important at this time for developed countries is to set a target for the
midterm by 2020. I know that this is not sufficient still, there is some more to
do by the United States Government, but this is a good step and I would
encourage further that the United States take more concrete and more bold
initiatives. The European Union has also taken leadership and at the same time,
major developing countries should also be ready to take some mitigation actions
among themselves which may not necessarily be within the international
framework, but nationally appropriate measures should be taken by them.
Q: My question is about the Gaza report. You said in your opening remarks that
the Board of Inquiry is not a judicial body or a court of law and that it does
not make any legal findings. But the second recommendation of the Board is that
the UN should take appropriate action to seek accountability. You also mentioned
that you are going to seek reparations, that is a separate recommendation. My
question is what actions will be taken to seek accountability.
SG: As I said in my opening statement and my follow up questions, at this time I
do not see that it is necessary for me to establish any further inquiry on this
issue. And whatever the cases there may be, where appropriate, I will take some
action on a case-by-case basis on this.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, is the Secretariat or any of the UN bodies seeking to
stop the use of children in armed conflict and tend to examine the extent of
Hamas’ alleged use of children as human shields in Gaza? I believe there was a
petition that was going to be submitted to your office asking for such an
inquiry. Have you gotten such a petition and if so, have you taken any action on
it?
SG: As a matter of firm principle, it is a totally unacceptable situation to use
children against any international humanitarian law. That must be eliminated
wherever, whenever it may happen by any country, any group or any individuals.
As you may remember, last week, I have appointed a special representative on
violence against children and I have made quite a strong commitment to eliminate
such intolerable and unacceptable human rights violations of children and women
and all other persons particularly when it comes to children like child soldiers
and children being used for forced labour and all other purposes; those
practices must be eradicated. The United Nations has a firm commitment and we
continue to do that.
Q: Just as a follow-up. Did you receive any petition, which I believe was
supposed to be submitted by some human rights organizations, asking for a
specific UN inquiry into Hamas’ alleged use of children as human shields in
Gaza?
SG: I am sure that my special advisor on children and armed conflict will look
at this case, whatever complaints have been received.
Q: There has been a lot of focus about President Obama’s first 100 days and I am
curious to know your take on how relations between the United States and the UN
had gone over the course of first 100-plus days. And perhaps you could be
specific in some of the details.
SG: First of all that I am very happy to work with President Obama and his new
team. They have shown great commitment and support for the United Nations.
President Obama has shown strong commitment for multilateralism. This is very
encouraging. I have had many opportunities of engaging with President Obama
including my own formal meeting at the White House in early March. I have been
able to discuss many important issues with President Obama. And I am very much
grateful for his strong commitment and support for the United Nations on all
global issues. I sincerely hope that the United States will continue to exercise
such leadership and participation in working together with the United Nations in
addressing many global issues and many regional conflict issues.
Q: Because of the new relationship that you have with the Obama administration,
was there any pressure put on your office for you to water down the report that
you were talking about on Gaza and to only issue a summary to the Security
Council, robbing the Palestinian people of their day in the media, once again?
SG: First of all, I would like to categorically reject any impression, any word,
called “watered down.” I told you that this Board of Inquiry is independent. I
respect the complete independence of this report. You may ask all our senior
advisors who have been working on this. I do not have any authority to edit or
change any wording on this conclusion and recommendations. You should have no
doubt about that.
Q: Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General. You said in your statement that your busy
schedule is hectic and you were not able to give a press conference last month,
which is understandable. In fact, you have been very dynamic in the past five
months, traveling to every continent, meeting Heads of States, attending
meetings and, in general, advancing the cause of peace and development around
the world and yet some of your critics, both inside of the UN and outside, say
that you have been traveling too much and staying away from headquarters for too
long, letting decisions pile on your desk. What is your answer to these critics?
SG: I admit that recently I have traveled extensively away from headquarters but
in this era of communications, you should understand that wherever I may be
staying there is absolutely no problem, no difficulty in communicating and
consulting with our senior advisors or the government leaders of any Member
State. I have been receiving telephone calls any place in the world with any
government leaders or ministers, prime ministers and presidents. So, as far as
performing my duties as Secretary-General, I do not see that there was any such
gap. My physical absence from headquarters had made it very difficult to meet
you in person like this, as we are engaging and meeting my colleagues at the
United Nations. I regret that I have been away, but you should also understand
that I have been receiving many invitations and there are many such multilateral
settings where my presence is essentially required. In many cases, I was the
convener of multilateral meetings like the donor conference on Haiti, donor
conference on Somalia, and I was invited by many multilateral summit places like
Summit of the Americas, African Union meetings, League of Arab [States] summit
meetings. All those are very important responsibilities of a Secretary-General.
I hope you will understand this.
Q: How many countries did you visit since you took office, and how many miles
did you fly, and how many days did you stay in the office, on average? I know
you keep that data very updated, and you ask your staff to do so. And would it
be wrong to say that you spent more time on the red carpets than in the office?
And, if so, how can the UN Secretary-General strike the right balance between
being the top world diplomat, and, on the other hand, exert your function as UN
Secretariat top manager, and also being the guardian of the UN Charter?
SG: First of all, I haven’t counted how many countries I have traveled to so
far. But, as you know, sometimes I had to visit the same countries many times.
Therefore I have to count again how many countries, in terms of number of
countries – I’ll let you know later. In terms of distance I have traveled, I
have not calculated this year. But as of last year, I think I had traveled
almost 450,000 km last year: This is about 13 times around the globe - so that
means I have been travelling more than one [time] around the globe every month.
That has been quite hectic. Now, you have asked quite a pertinent question, how
to strike a balance between being a top diplomat and being a Chief
Administrative Officer – that I try to balance and I spend quite a significant
amount of time and energy on managing this Secretariat. As you may ask any
senior officers; quite a significant amount of time I spend on managing, to make
this Organization more reformed, to meet the expectations of the international
community.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, I appreciate the number of calls you’ve made to the
President of Sri Lanka. Some questions have arisen about the UN’s objectivity
and protection of civilians there. What people are saying is that, for example,
the number of civilian casualties were compiled by the UN, but not released.
Recently there have been satellite photos that were taken by UNOSAT, but, unlike
in Gaza and Sudan, weren’t released. When UN staff were detained in IDP camps,
nothing was said until the question arose here. NGOs were driven out of the
northern part of the country and nothing was said. I guess what people have
wondered is why in this conflict you didn’t call for a ceasefire, only for a
humanitarian pause. Mr. [Vijay] Nambiar went, and you said there was a
commitment to a humanitarian assessment team. I don’t mean to make a litany
here, but why is this conflict different? Are you, in fact calling for a
ceasefire? If the Security Council can’t discuss it, would you invoke Article
99? What’s your view of civilians standing there getting bombed from the air –
it seems like you’re treating it differently than you have from the situation in
Gaza certainly, and Darfur, on humanitarian grounds.
SG: Thank you very much for your question. It is very important and useful that
the agenda - this issue of Sri Lanka should always be kept as a high priority on
the agenda of the international community. That is why I have been spending,
again, quite a significant time in addressing this issue. This morning, I had a
quite lengthy telephone call with President [Mahinda] Rajapaksa covering all the
pending issues. The highest priority is on the humanitarian issues - how we can
protect the civilians still caught in the war zone. The situation is quite
worrisome at this time, where we have not been able to see much progress in
evacuating people trapped there. We have been trying to provide, through ICRC
[International Committee of the Red Cross] and our UN Mission, to provide
humanitarian assistance, but it is far [too] short to feed them. As far as UN
staff detained, I was told this morning that all the people whose names have
been provided by us have been released. This is what he told me this morning.
That was encouraging. I have again and again urged him to allow the UN
humanitarian team into the conflict zone, not only these IDP camps. John Holmes
was able to visit the IDP camps and humanitarian teams were able to visit there.
Since they are still confronting militarily, this is a very difficult situation,
even for the Sri Lankan Government to ensure safety and security. While the Sri
Lankan Government is allowing us to approach by ship through ICRC, my position
was that it’s not enough – they should be able to land and deliver all
humanitarian assistance and assess the exact situation; how many people are
trapped and how the international community can help them evacuate safely to a
safe zone. I am working on that, in close coordination with many members of the
international community. As you know, already, many European leaders, Foreign
Ministers also have visited - some parliamentarians from Europe are going to
visit. We will continue to do that until we can see the end of this, a
resolution. I have made it quite clear to President Rajapaksa that the United
Nations stands ready to provide any post-conflict facilitation.
Q: Have you thought about sending an envoy?
SG: That, we will discuss later on.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, thank you. You spoke about crises in the Middle East,
Sri Lanka, Nepal, but nothing about Pak-Afghan region, especially in Pakistan –
the rise of Taliban insurgency and grave situation that prevails for peace, and
with the Pakistan Army confronting the Taliban in Swat region now. Does the UN
have any role in this situation Sir? And secondly, where does the inquiry
commission on the Benazir Bhutto investigation stand?
SG: For your second question, we are still looking for a third member for this
Bhutto Inquiry Commission. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find an
appropriate person, who will work on that. I am working very hard to establish
that Inquiry Commission as soon as possible. The United Nations has been very
closely cooperating with the Pakistani Government in their very efforts to
address these very difficult challenges. Recently I have appointed, as a Special
Advisor on Pakistan, Mr. Jean Arnault, and he has been meeting in the Group of
Friends for a Democratic Pakistan, which was held in Tokyo last month. We are
working very closely with many countries in the world.
Q: How much chance do you have of seeing in September in New York the next G-20,
organized under the big and more enthusiastic umbrella of the United Nations?
What do you do to achieve that goal eventually?
SG: I am not in a position to tell you clearly what the status of this next
meeting of the G-20 would be in September. In my understanding, at the time of
the G-20 Summit in London was that there was a proposal to have a G-20 Summit
Meeting in New York at the time of the General Assembly. Since then, there has
not been any further consultation on this matter. But I think that there will be
a G-20 Summit Meeting around that time, and I understand that the countries
concerned are now discussing this matter.
SECURITY
COUNCIL BRIEFED ON “MISTRUST” IN NEPAL
The
Security Council this morning heard a briefing, in an open meeting, from
the Secretary-General’s Representative for Nepal, Karin Landgren, who warned
of the differences among the country’s political parties, the high level of
acrimony and weak consultation over major decisions, and the atmosphere of
mistrust.
In a
statement issued on Monday afternoon, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
reacted to the resignation of the Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal
Dahal ('Prachanda'), by saying that, while he is saddened by developments
leading to this resignation, he is encouraged by the Maoist party's
assurances of its commitment to the peace process, including continued
participation in the drafting of the constitution.
The Secretary-General reiterated his call for restraint
and political consensus. He appealed to all concerned to strictly adhere to
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and related accords, especially the
Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA), which
stipulates clear and specific restrictions on the Nepal Army and the Maoist
army.
In her briefing to the Security Council, Landgren said
that the Prime Minister’s resignation was part of a “volatile moment in
Nepal’s peace process”. She said that unfulfilled commitments are “the
Achilles heel of the peace process” and threaten the peace dividend that the
people of Nepal so richly deserve. Landren noted that a high-level,
multi-party monitoring mechanism was envisaged in the peace agreements,
adding that it is still needed and should be formed.
She called on the Nepalese parties to take steps
urgently to rebuild trust and work together in a spirit of compromise and
consensus.
OTHER
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE U.N. SYSTEM
UNHCR REVISES
GUIDELINES FOR IRAQI ASYLUM CLAIMS
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
says that the improved security situation in Iraq, particularly in the
southern governorates and in Al-Anbar, has allowed the Agency to revise its
guidelines on eligibility for Iraqi asylum seekers for the first time since
the end of 2007.
UNHCR believes that international protection needs for
people originating from Anbar and the southern governorates should be
individually assessed from now on. However, UNHCR advises that people
belonging to specific groups from these governorates which have been
identified as at risk should receive favourable consideration.
U.N., SRI
LANKAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCH $50 MILLION APPEAL
The United Nations and the Government of Sri Lanka said
today that an urgent appeal has been
launched for $50 million to meet the most immediate humanitarian needs
of civilians fleeing fighting in the country’s north.
The appeal comes at a time when aid agencies and the
Government of Sri Lanka are struggling to cope with a sudden rise in
displaced crossing into Government territory, and as fighting continues over
the last pocket of land held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The number of people being held in government camps rose from 65,000 to
190,000 in just a few days after a mass civilian exodus when government
forces breached the combat zone on 20 April. Thousands of civilians remain
trapped inside that zone.
The displaced now in Government-held territory are
being housed in 42 separate sites in four districts in Sri Lanka’s north,
while 2,000 injured and accompanying relatives have been accommodated in
hospitals.
“It’s a critical time,” said Neil Buhne, the UN
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka. “Around a quarter of
under-five year olds in the camps are under-nourished, and they need
immediate help. Tens of thousands more civilians are expected to come from
the remaining zone.”
The United Nations has urged the Government of Sri
Lanka to continue to release people from camps and return them to their
homes as quickly as possible.
U.N. ENVOY
DISCUSSES ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN ISSUES WITH EGYPTIAN OFFICIALS
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace
Process Robert Serry met today in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed
Aboul Gheit, Minister Omar Suleiman and Secretary-General of the League of
Arab States Amre Moussa. Serry discussed with his counterparts Palestinian
reconciliation efforts, conditions in Gaza, settlement activity in the West
Bank, the situation in Jerusalem, and prospects for a resumption of credible
and sincere efforts to achieve a two-State solution.
On Gaza, Serry said: “We urgently need Palestinian
reconciliation, and recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, if the fragile calm
is to be solidified. Egypt’s reconciliation efforts need full support, and I
urge all Palestinian factions to put national interest first and find a way
forward so that the suffering of ordinary people and the many political
challenges can be addressed. Reconciliation is the way out of the impasse on
the Palestinian side.”
Serry also stressed the UN’s determination “to provide
more than food and medicine to the long-suffering people of Gaza. We have
plans to help Gazans rebuild their shattered lives, starting with people
whose homes have been damaged or destroyed, and we want to get projects up
and running. It is crucial for Israel to open the passages and allow the
materials into Gaza so that the United Nations can help the suffering
population there and kick-start the economy.”
Serry concluded, “I believe there is a strong consensus
in the international community that there must be transformative change on
the ground and an irreversible and vigorous drive to reach an agreement to
end the occupation and end the conflict. The coming weeks will be crucial to
pave the way ahead.”
U.N. CONCERNED
AT IMPACT OF VIOLENCE ON CHILDREN IN SOUTHERN SUDAN
UNICEF is voicing deep concern at the impact on
children of continuing violence and localized conflict in a number of states
of Southern Sudan. Since the start of 2009, thousands of children are
estimated to have been displaced from their homes due to attacks by the
Lord's Resistance Army in Central and Western Equatoria, while repeated
clashes between tribal groups in Jonglei, Lakes and Warrap States are
believed to have resulted in the death and abduction of children.
UNICEF is calling on the groups involved in fighting in
Southern Sudan to show immediate restraint and ensure the full protection of
children, those who care for them, and the services on which they depend for
their survival and development - in line with the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child, to which Sudan is a signatory.
UNICEF also says that progress made in primary
education and health care since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement in 2005 is being jeopardized by the current level of
violence.
NOLLYWOOD
CLOSING GAP ON BOLLYWOOD
Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry, is
closing the gap on Bollywood, according to an international cinema
survey conducted by the Institute of Statistics for the UN Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
While India remains the world’s leading film producer
with 1,091 feature-length films in 2006, Nigeria produced 872 films in video
format. Nigeria has overtaken the United States for second place where 485
major films where produced.
UNESCO says that the growth of Nollywood attracts
considerable attention, especially in developing countries looking for
alternatives to the U.S. or European models of film production and
distribution. It adds that Nigerian filmmakers rely on video instead of film
to reduce production costs; that about 99% of screenings occur in informal
settings, such as “home theatre” and that more than half of Nollywood films
are produced in the country’s local languages, although English remains a
prominent language.
The UNESCO survey notes that American films continue to
dominate admissions globally.
U.N. CALLS FOR
CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IN RESPONSE TO INTERNATIONAL CRISES
The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social
Affairs, Sha Zukang, is attending the
World Civic Forum, in Seoul Korea. The Forum,
a joint initiative of UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA),
address civic values for global justice, civic engagement in public
and global governance and civic action for the global agenda, including
climate change.
Making remarks at the opening ceremony of the Forum, he
said that citizen engagement was particularly important today, as we face a
series of crises, from food insecurity, energy challenges and climate change
to the global financial turmoil and economic downturn. Decisions on policies
and strategies that are made without the participation of those who bear the
cost of crises – that is, the citizens – can hardly be expected to be
effective and sustainable, he added. The Forum runs through 8 May.
GREEN STAR
AWARDS TO BE AWARDED THURSDAY
The inaugural
Green Star Awards ceremony will be held Thursday 7 May 2009 in Brussels
to award governments, organizations, and individuals that have demonstrated
outstanding dedication to preventing, preparing for, and responding to the
environmental impacts of man-made and natural disasters.
The awards are a joint initiative of the United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Green Cross
International and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). There is
more on this upstairs.
SAUDI FUNDS TO HELP REBUILD REFUGEE CAMP IN LEBANON
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
reports that it has received from Saudi Arabia a $25 million grant for the
reconstruction of the Nahr el-Bared camp in northern Lebanon. That camp was
destroyed in 2007 as a result of fighting between the
Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam.
The Saudi grant is the
largest contribution so far to the reconstruction project, which is costing
$328 million over three years. It is also one of the largest project
donations ever received by UNRWA. The 30,000 displaced Palestine refugees,
who were living at Nahr el-Bared, have now been homeless for 20 months.
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