Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 10 June 2009

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK


Wednesday, June 10, 2009

BAN KI-MOON TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE TOMORROW

  • At 11 a.m. Thursday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to hold his monthly press conference at UN headquarters.

  • There will no noon briefing tomorrow.

PAKISTAN: BAN KI-MOON STRONGLY CONDEMNS BRUTAL ACT OF TERROR AGAINST INNOCENT PEOPLE

  • As more information emerges about yesterday’s terrorist attack on the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar, Pakistan, the Secretary-General is further dismayed by the news that the confirmed death toll is rising and includes two UN staff members – Mr. Aleksandar Vorkapic of the UNHCR and Ms. Perseveranda So of UNICEF. Four UN colleagues – two from WFP, one from WHO and one from UNICEF - were injured.

  • A number of Pakistani nationals supporting UN programmes were also killed and injured. The search for casualties is continuing.

  • The Secretary-General reiterates his strong condemnation of this brutal act of terror against innocent people, many of whom were in Peshawar to carry out humanitarian work.

  • The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes those injured a speedy recovery.

  • Last night, the Secretary-General condemned the attack as “a heinous terrorist attack which no cause can justify.”

  • UN agencies including the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UNICEF, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have issued statements condemning the attack in Peshawar.

  • For security considerations, WFP has delayed the resumption of its food distributions at humanitarian hubs and settlements for internally displaced persons by 24 hours. All WFP food distributions for the humanitarian emergency operation will resume tomorrow.

  • Fikret Akcura, the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, said in a statement that the United Nations is determined to continue its support to more than two million Pakistanis who have been affected by the ongoing displacement crises.

BAN KI-MOON CONCERNED ABOUT HEIGHTENED TENSIONS IN NIGER

  • The Secretary-General expressed his concern over recent developments in Niger and the heightened political tension in the country following the President’s decision to dissolve Parliament. These developments come at a time when Niger had made significant progress in the efforts to resolve the Tuareg conflict and to consolidate democratic and economic progress.

  • The Secretary-General urges all parties to act in full respect of the country’s Constitution and to refrain from any action that would undermine Niger’s democratic gains, as well as the stability of the country. He welcomes the recent initiatives launched by Regional Leaders and urges Niger’s stakeholders to extend the fullest cooperation to those initiatives in order to resolve the current problems peacefully.

IRAQ: ENVOY CONDEMNS “CRUEL” CAR BOMBING IN NASIRIYAH

  • Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, today condemned in the strongest terms the car bombing in Nasiriyah, which left more than 35 people dead and scores of others wounded. He described the bombing as “a cruel crime against innocent civilians that aims to derail Iraq’s stability.”

  • De Mistura extended the United Nations’ sincere condolences to all the bereaved families and his wishes for the speedy and full recovery for the wounded.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES DRAFT RESOLUTION ON NORTH KOREA

  • The Security Council held consultations just a short while, to discuss a draft resolution concerning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

  • The Security Council yesterday afternoon concluded its discussion of Burundi by issuing a press statement, commending the advances in that nation’s peace process. Council members urged all the Burundian parties to pursue their efforts to address the remaining challenges, in particular the completion of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process.

  • The Council President also read a press statement condemning in the strongest terms the killing last Friday of one of the presidential candidates in Guinea-Bissau and of the country’s former Defense Minister. Council members called on the Government of Guinea-Bissau to bring to justice those responsible for these violence attacks and expressed their deep concern over the resurgence of political violence.

BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR CONTINUED ASSISTANCE TO SIERRA LEONE

  • Earlier today, the Secretary-General has called on the international community to provide continued support to the people and Government of Sierra Leone, as they strive for the dividends of peace after years of war.

  • Speaking at today’s high-level special session of the Peacebuilding Commission on Sierra Leone, the Secretary-General said that though the country has made remarkable progress since the war, the situation remained fragile.

  • “Seven years after the end of the civil war, the people of Sierra Leone expect to see tangible improvements in their lives and their country’s welfare,’ he said.

  • The Secretary-General commended the President, Ernest Bai Koroma, his government and the opposition leaders for their joint efforts in dealing successfully with the outbreak of political violence in March this year.

  • He hailed the adoption of the Joint Communiqué of the Political Parties as an event that has renewed hope in Sierra Leone’s journey to peace and prosperity. He also welcomed the UN’s Joint Vision strategy in support of the government’s Agenda for Change.

ENVOY PLEADS FOR SPEEDY DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS PLEDGED FOR SOMALIA RECOVERY

  • The International Contact Group on Somalia, (ICG), has, at the end of a two-day meeting in Rome, called on the international community to take concrete action in support of the progress being made by the Somali Government.

  • Under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the ICG urged those who made pledges at the recent Brussels Donors Conference to disburse and expedite the use of funds and pledged without further delay. These funds should enable the Somali security sector to become more effective and also strengthen the capabilities of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, AMISOM.

  • The ICG communiqué also expressed grave concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation, especially the plight of the displaced and of refugees.

  • The ICG also supports initiatives aimed at combating piracy, which it described as an international security threat that also affects the Somali people.

TOP U.N. POLITICAL ADVISOR TO DISCUSS PEACE & SECURITY WITH CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC LEADERSHIP

  • The Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, is expected early tomorrow in Bangui for a working visit.

  • According to the UN peacebuilding office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA), Mr. Pascoe will be meeting with senior government officials for consultations on the current political and security situation and relations between the UN and the country. Security sector reform and disarmament of armed groups will also be discussed.

  • Mr. Pascoe is also expected to confirm the date of arrival in Bangui of the newly-appointed Special Representative of the Secretary General there, Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia.

  • He will also meet members of the foreign diplomatic corps to discuss issues of development and peace consolidation.

TOP U.N. PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL BEGINS WEST AFRICA VISIT

  • The Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Alain Le Roy, is traveling to West Africa and is scheduled to arrive in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, this evening.

  • In addition to Côte d’Ivoire, Mr. Le Roy will travel to Burkina Faso, Liberia, Mali and Nigeria, where he will meet with Government officials and local authorities. The trip includes familiarization visits to two peacekeeping operations in the region, the UN Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, and the UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire, UNOCI.

  • This trip, which ends on Friday 19 June, is Mr. Le Roy’s first visit to West Africa as Under Secretary-General.

SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS IS BEING MADE AT CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS

  • Negotiations in Bonn on an international climate change deal, to be concluded in Copenhagen in December, continue to make slow but steady progress, according to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

  • It says that more than 200 pages of comments and suggestions for the text that will ultimately be adopted in Copenhagen are now on the table.

  • UNFCCC adds that countries have made significant progress in two areas: how to approach the issue of reducing deforestation and how to facilitate and finance technologies that can help developing countries address climate change. This, it stresses, will pave the way for these key issues to be included into the eventual outcome document.

  • The talks are to conclude Friday.

MYANMAR EDUCATION SECTOR NEEDS SUPPORT

  • More support is required for the education sector in Myanmar. That was the key message in the donor meeting on Education, organized by the United Nations in Yangon.

  • In a press release issued in Yangon, the top UN official in Myanmar, the resident coordinator, says there are shortages of learning material and qualified teachers. Further education or vocational training opportunities for dropout students from general education are limited.

  • In addition to the meeting, the participants took a field visit today to several villages in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta.

  • So far 1,400 of the more than 4,000 schools destroyed and/or damaged by Cyclone Nargis have been repaired. The objective is to build back all the destroyed schools with permanent structures designed to reduce the risk of possible future disasters, by April 2011. According to the Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness plan, some $150 million is needed for the Education sector for the next three years.

ECONOMIC CRISIS COULD HAVE POOR FAMILIES FORCE DAUGHTERS INTO CHILD LABOUR

  • The global financial crisis could push an increasing number of children, particularly girls, into child labour. That’s according to a new report issued by the International Labour Office (ILO), ahead of the World Day Against Child Labour, Friday.

  • More than 100 million girls are already involved in child labour worldwide, says ILO, adding that an increase in poverty, resulting from the crisis, could mean families will be faced with a choice as to which children stay in school, often to the detriment of girls. Other factors which could push up the numbers in child labour include cuts in national education budgets and a decline in remittances of migrant workers.

MORE PEOPLE PLANTING MORE TREES AROUND THE WORLD

  • The Billion Tree Campaign has mobilized thousands of people around the world to put more trees on the planet, says the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and has already surpassed the four billion mark, in a crucial step towards its target of seven billion trees to be planted by the end of 2009.

  • To date, 166 countries around the world have been planting trees, and groups such as the World Organization of the Scouts Movement and UN Peacekeepers have also joined the campaign on World Environment Day.

BAN KI-MOON CONGRATULATES GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT-ELECT

  • The Secretary-General this morning congratulated Ali Abdessalam Treky of Libya on being elected President of the 64th session of the General Assembly. He also congratulated the current President on his valuable contribution.

  • From climate change to hunger, from the economic crisis to the urgent need to reach the Millennium Development Goals, the General Assembly will be challenged to forge new levels of international cooperation to solve our common problems, the Secretary-General said. He adds that his own experience tells him that the Assembly can rise to this challenge.

“BOLD AND SWIFT” ACTION NEEDED TO COUNTER ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC CRISIS IN AFRICA

  • The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union Conference of Ministers of Finance and Economy said in a joint statement today that the continent must take “bold and swift” action to cushion the impact of the global financial and economic crisis. The call came following the conclusion on Sunday of a gathering of African finance, planning and economy ministers in Cairo.

  • Speaking at the event, Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Abdoulie Janneh, said the economic crisis is a setback, but also an opportunity for innovation, self reliance, and practical solutions. Janneh joined other participants in reaffirming their commitment to improve economic and fiscal reforms and improve governance and accountability.

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