Noon briefing of 12 February 2010

MARTIN NESIRKY
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, February 12, 2010

Please note that on Monday, February 15, UN Headquarters in New York will be closed for a U.S. National Holiday.
The noon briefing will resume on Tuesday, February 16.

UN AGENCIES URGE COUNTRIES TO SUSPEND ALL INVOLUNTARY RETURNS TO HAITI

• A day of mourning is being observed today in Haiti to mark the one-month anniversary of the earthquake.
  

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are urging countries to suspend all involuntary returns to Haiti due to the continuing humanitarian crisis.
  

• OCHCR and UNHCR say that while the international response to the disaster is well under way, assistance efforts and services have still to reach a significant portion of the affected population.
  

• The World Food Programme (WFP) is today hosting a high level meeting to discuss the Haiti’s medium and long-term agricultural development, food security and nutrition planning process. A Task Force to be jointly led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and WFP was announced at the meeting.
  

• The Task Force will support the Haitian government as it strives to implement immediate and long term food security strategies that integrate agricultural production and social safety nets.
  

• WFP says it is partnering with the Haitian Government to roll out an urgent early recovery strategy by using food and cash to empower local populations to rebuild their lives.
  

• The UN Development Programme said that Australia has committed $4.5 million to support Haiti’s recovery. Australia’s Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, announced the commitment during a meeting with UNDP Administrator Helen Clark in Sydney, Australia.
  

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is encouraging all UN staff to make a voluntary donation to assist UN personnel affected by the earthquake in Haiti and their families. This will complement the benefits provided by UN regulations to staff who perished as a result of the natural disaster. The Fund will be administered by the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management.
  

BAN KI-MOON IS ENCOURAGED BY CEASEFIRE IN NORTH YEMEN

• The Secretary-General is encouraged by the news that a ceasefire agreement has been reached in the North of Yemen. He hopes that the ceasefire will hold and that it will provide an opportunity to fully resolve this conflict.
  

• The United Nations continues to call for full access for humanitarian assistance to be provided to the affected civilian population.

BAN KI-MOON REAFFIRMS UN’S COMMITMENT TO TRIBUNAL ON ANNIVERSARY OF HARIRI ASSASSINATION

• As Lebanon marks the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack that took the lives of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others, the Secretary-General stands with the people of Lebanon in commemorating the life and achievements of Mr. Hariri and renews his condolences to the families of the victims of this terrible crime.
  

• The Secretary-General reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to the efforts of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to uncover the truth, so as to bring those responsible to justice and end impunity in Lebanon.

NEW ADVISORY GROUP ON CLIMATE CHANGE FINANCING LAUNCHED

• This morning, the Secretary-General launched a new high-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing in a joint video press conference with Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.
  

• The two Prime Ministers will co-chair the group which aims to mobilize the financial resources for climate change pledged at the recent Copenhagen Conference.
  

• The Secretary-General said the Advisory Group will develop practical proposals to significantly scale-up both short-term and long-term financing for mitigation and adaptation strategies in developing countries.
  

• The Secretary-General added that, as millions of people in Africa and around the globe are suffering from the effects of climate change, providing resources for adaptation was a moral imperative and a smart investment in a safer, more sustainable world for all.

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS ON: "UN PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS: TRANSITION AND EXIT STRATEGIES"

• The Secretary-General this morning addressed an open debate in the Security Council on peacekeeping issues, saying that the United Nations has learned many valuable lessons about how best to ensure a transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding. He said that peacekeeping activities must pave the way for what comes next.
  

• For peace to be sustained, the Secretary-General said, there must be an overarching strategy that unites the efforts of all UN actors and the international community, and that strengthens national capacity. And he added that peacekeeping missions should not stay longer than necessary, but we should also be wary of withdrawing prematurely, only to have to return because of renewed violence.
  

• Under-Secretaries-General Alain Le Roy and Susana Malcorra also discussed ways to move from peacekeeping to peacebuilding during the Security Council’s open debate.
  

• Later on Friday, the Secretary-General had his regular luncheon with the members of the Security Council.
  

IT IS ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THAT IRAQI ELECTIONS ARE PARTICIPATORY AND INCLUSIVE

• The Secretary-General says that Iraq’s national elections, scheduled for 7 March, will be an important milestone, so it is essential to ensure that they are as broadly participatory and as inclusive as possible.
  

• In his latest report to the Security Council on Iraq, the Secretary-General says that it is imperative that the electorate is able to vote in an environment that is largely free of intimidation and violence.
  

• And he encourages a transparent and non-discriminatory review of candidates who appealed the decision of the Accountability and Justice Commission, in line with Iraqi law and international standards. The Secretary-General appeals to all political blocs and leaders to demonstrate true statesmanship during the election campaigns and to use the mechanisms in place to submit formal complaints.
  

• The head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, Ad Melkert, will brief the Security Council on the report next Tuesday.

SECOND ROUND OF INFORMAL TALKS ON WESTERN SAHARA ENDS

• Last night, the second round of informal talks on Western Sahara concluded in Armonk, New York.
  

• The Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, read a communiqué in which he said that, as was the case in the first informal talks in August 2009, the discussions took place in an atmosphere of serious engagement, frankness, and mutual respect.
  

• He also said that the proposals of the two parties were again presented and discussed. By the end of the meeting, neither party had accepted the proposal of the other as the sole basis of future negotiations.
  

• Ross also noted that the parties reiterated their commitment to continue their negotiations as soon as possible. To that end, the Personal Envoy intends to travel to the region to consult further with the parties and other stakeholders.
  

MIDDLE EAST: RETURN TO NEGOTIATIONS HAMPERED BY DEVELOPMENTS ON THE GROUND

• The Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernández-Taranco, is attending a meeting in Malta in support of the Israel-Palestinian peace process, and he read out a statement on the Secretary-General’s behalf in support of that meeting.
  

• In his message, the Secretary-General welcomed Israel’s efforts and willingness to resume talks.
  

• However, he warned, a return to negotiations is being seriously hampered by developments on the ground. He called on Israel to adhere to international law and its obligations under the Road Map, noting in particular its settlement activity.
  

• In Gaza, the Secretary-General said, the protracted suffering by civilians is a source of tremendous concern, and he called the continued blockade there “unacceptable and counter-productive.”
  

• The Secretary-General also condemned renewed rocket fire from Gaza, which indiscriminately targets Israeli civilians.

UN MISSION IN COTE D’IVOIRE CLOSELY FOLLOWING ELECTORAL DEVELOPMENTS

• Asked about the UN response to the postponement of the electoral process in Cote d’Ivoire, the Spokesperson said that the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) is closely following the unfolding events related to the ongoing controversy over the electoral process.
  

• He said that the violence in Vavoua and other locations in the country is a cause for serious concern. The UNOCI has called upon the population to remain calm as a solution to the problems encountered by the electoral process is being sought. The Mission is also on alert, and ready to assist the Ivorian authorities to contain violent incidents.
  

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Choi Yong-jin, has intensified his consultations with the stakeholders in the Ivorian peace process. He intends to meet with the leaders of the major political parties with a view to forging a solution to the controversy, Nesirky said.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UN POLITICAL AFFAIRS CHIEF CONVEYED MESSAGE TO D.P.R.K. OFFICIALS: Asked about Special Envoy B. Lynn Pascoe’s visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Spokesperson said that Pascoe had conveyed a verbal message to his interlocutors, with the attention of having it passed on to Kim Jong-il. Pascoe had talked to the press in Beijing upon his departure from the DPRK, and would also speak to reporters in other stops, including New York, over the coming week.

UN AGENCIES HELPING MONGOLIA AMIDST FREEZING CONDITIONS: In Mongolia, weeks of freezing temperatures and heavy snows had left more than half of the country’s 21 provinces in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, with the winter conditions – locally known as the dzud – leaving temperatures hovering between –40 and -50 degrees Celsius, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which added that 12 provinces have been declared as disaster status. Along with UNICEF, other UN agencies had mobilized to help children and families, addressing their most urgent humanitarian concerns, including food, fuel for heating and cooking, blankets and warm clothing.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Friday, 12 February

The UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, will start his first official visit to Jamaica, from 12 to 19 February.

Monday, 15 February

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination will hold its seventy-sixth session at the Palais Wilson in Geneva from 15 February to 12 March 2010 to review anti-discrimination efforts undertaken by the Governments of Argentina, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala, Iceland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Monaco, the Netherlands, Panama and Slovakia.

The Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, will carry out his third mission to the country, from 15 to 19 February.

The UN Headquarters in New York will be closed for Presidents’ Day.

Tuesday, 16 February

The Security Council will hold a briefing and consultations on the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Ad Melkert, will be the guest at the Spokesperson’s Noon Briefing.

The UN University will hold a book launch to discuss issues raised in “Rethinking Poverty: Report on the World Social Situation 2010,” published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The launch will take place at Conference Room A, at the Temporary North Lawn Building at UN Headquarters in New York.

At 11:00 a.m., the Committee to Protect Journalists will have a press conference for the release of their annual report “Attacks against the Press” at the Dag Hammarskj!7;ld Library Auditorium, at the UN Headquarters building.

Wednesday, 17 February

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on UN Peacekeeping operations.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will hold a revised Flash Appeal for Haiti.

The 33^rd session of the Governing Council, the annual meeting of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), will be held 17-18 February at IFAD’s Rome headquarters.

At 11:00 a.m., the Permanent Representative of Chad will hold a press conference about the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad at the Dag Hammarskj!7;ld Library Auditorium, at the UN Headquarters building.

At 4:45 p.m., the President of Guatemala is scheduled to hold a press conference following his meeting with the Secretary-General at the Dag Hammarskj!7;ld Library Auditorium, at the UN Headquarters building.

Thursday, 18 February

The Security Council will hold a briefing and consultations on the Middle East.

At its headquarters in Paris, UNESCO will hold the official launch of the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures.

Friday, 19 February

The Security Council will hold a briefing and consultations on Haiti