BAN KI-MOON SADDENED BY DEATH
OF RICHARD HOLBROOKE

• The
  Secretary-General has
  
  written to the family of Richard Holbrooke,
  who died last night, to say how very sad he was
  to hear the news and to express his sympathy.
   

• The
  Secretary-General said that Mr. Holbrooke was a
  giant and a legend in his time. He wrote that
  Mr. Holbrooke’s desire to do good in the world
  was fierce, and he pursued all he set out to do
  with a resolution and tenacity that were second
  to none. His legacy will be his works, an
  inspiration to so many around the world.

 

U.N. ENVOY: SHIFT IN MIDDLE
EAST STRATEGY IS NEEDED

• Robert
  Serry, the UN
  
  Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace
  Process, told the
  
  Security Council today that, following
  recent developments in the region, the need to
  shift strategy is evident.
   

• He said
  that we understand that the United States will
  now engage both sides in indirect talks on all
  the final status issues, and the
  Secretary-General expects the parties to engage
  seriously. He added that Quartet envoys are
  preparing a meeting of the Quartet principals,
  which we expect to take place soon in the coming
  year.
   

• Serry
  added that the parties should show discipline
  and responsibility in refraining from
  provocative actions. In this regard, he
  expressed his worry that there has been a rise
  in demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures
  in recent months.
   

• 
  Asked about the recognition of Palestine by
  different States, the Spokesperson declined to
  comment, saying that such recognition is a
  matter for Member States.

 

MANDATES ARE EXTENDED FOR
CYPRUS MISSION, RWANDA AND FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
TRIBUNALS

• In
  addition to the briefing on the Middle East, the
  
  Security Council, by a vote of 14 to 1,
  adopted a resolution expressing its support for
  the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
  and extending its mandate by six months, until
  15 June next year.
   

• The
  Council also adopted resolutions to ensuring
  adequate staffing of the International Criminal
  Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia
  over the coming months.
   

• And in a
  Presidential Statement, the Security Council
  welcomed the extension of the Peace-Building
  Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA)
  by one year, until the end of 2011. Council
  members called on the political-military groups
  in that country that have not joined the
  political peace process to do so.

 

UNITED NATIONS, COTE D’IVOIRE
TROOPS JOINTLY MAN HOTEL HOUSING PRESIDENT-ELECT

• The UN
  Mission in Côte d’Ivoire,
  
  ONUCI, reports that tensions have eased
  slightly since Monday near the Golf Hotel in
  Abidjan, following a UN-brokered agreement
  whereby two positions near the hotel are now
  manned jointly by the Forces de défense et de
  sécurité (FANCI) and ONUCI troops. 
  Forces Nouvelles personnel are within hotel
  premises.
   

• The UN
  Refugee Agency, UNHCR, is
  
  reporting that more Ivorians have gone to
  northeastern Liberia, due to the continuing
  political uncertainty in Côte d’Ivoire.
   

• As of
  this weekend, an estimated 3,500 people had
  entered Liberia, with new arrivals reported in
  villages along the border at a rate now of
  around 150 people per day.
   

• Asked further about
  UN efforts to resolve the crisis in Côte
  d’Ivoire, the Spokesperson said that the
  Secretary-General continues to explore all
  possible avenues to help resolve the situation
  in Côte d’Ivoire, in a manner that respects the
  democratically expressed will of the Ivorian
  people.
   

• 
  He is emphasising that Laurent Gbagbo must
  respect the will of the Ivorian people and heed
  the unified voice of the entire international
  community by stepping down and allowing the
  democratically elected candidate to take office.

 

SECURITY SITUATION IMPROVING
AROUND DARFUR’S KHOR ABECHE REGION

• The
  United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
  
  reports that the current security situation
  in Khor Abeche is improving but still tense.
  This follows clashes between Sudanese Armed
  Forces (SAF) and Sudan Liberation Army/Minni
  Minawi (SLA/MM) forces in Khor Abeche, which is
  83 km northeast of Nyala, South Darfur.
   

• The
  Tanzanian Battalion, accompanied by the village
  Umda or traditional leader, visited the village
  on Monday to assess the situation.
   

• 
  According to the Mission, some of the displaced
  civilians taking refuge outside the UNAMID camp
  are from neighbouring Kalaka village, which is
  approximately16 km north of the UNAMID camp and
  they fear further Sudanese Armed Forces attacks.
   

• Some
  combatants remain in the general area. There are
  reports of ongoing discussions between different
  groups in Khor Abeche village to avoid further
  clashes.

 

BAN KI-MOON
TO MEET WITH SOUTH SUDAN REFERENDA PANEL

• The UN
  
  
  Secretary-General’s
  
  Panel on the Referenda in the Sudan arrived
  in New York on Monday for meetings with UN
  officials over the next two days.
   

• The
  Panel will be meeting the Secretary-General on
  Wednesday to present their views on the
  preparations for the referenda.  They are
  scheduled to brief the Security Council in
  informal consultations on 16 December, after
  which they are expected to speak to reporters.
   

• The
  Panel will be undertaking its third visit to
  Sudan from 18 until 22 December.
   

• 
  Asked about problems in holding the Abyei
  referendum, the Spokesperson said that we have
  requested the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
  (CPA) parties to quickly resolve this impasse
  and agree on a mutually acceptable way forward
  in the interest of the people of Abyei. In the
  meantime, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
  is conducting daily patrols in the Abyei area
  and has appealed to the residents of Abyei to
  remain calm.    

 

D.R. CONGO MISSION CONCERNED
ABOUT REBEL ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS AS HOLIDAY SEASON
NEARS

• The UN
  Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  (MONUSCO)
  says it shares the concerns of aid groups about
  the possibility of renewed attacks on civilians
  by the Lord’s Resistance Army. The end-of-year
  holiday season has usually been a period of
  increased LRA activities, the Mission notes.
   

• In
  response, the Mission says it is working with
  aid groups to facilitate the delivery of
  humanitarian assistance, and UN peacekeepers
  have also increased their presence in LRA-affected
  northeastern Congo.
   

• Even so,
  the Mission warns, a broader approach is needed
  to deal with the threat posed by the LRA
  presence in the DRC and indeed, the region at
  large. In that regard, it welcomes the call by
  the African Union for a joint mechanism by
  countries in the region to help further the
  fight against the LRA.
   

• 
  Asked about UN activities against the Lord’s
  Resistance Army, the Spokesperson said that,
  based on lessons learned from the previous
  years, MONUSCO has been reinforcing its
  positions in the areas where LRA rebels operate.
  It has recently established operation “Rudia
  Umbrella” centred on the Duru-Niangara-Bangara
  triangle in the Dungu area of Haute Uele. The
  number of reinforcements for the LRA operation
  by MONUSCO is 900.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPEALS FOR
GENEROUS DONATIONS TO CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE
FUND

• This
  morning, the Secretary-General
  
  appealed to countries to continue to give
  generously to the Central Emergency Response
  Fund (CERF), so that it can meet its $450
  million target for the coming year.
   

• The
  Secretary-General was speaking at the
  replenishment conference for the Fund—also known
  as the CERF – which he called one of the world’s
  leading tools for disaster response.
   

• The
  Secretary-General said that in 2010, the Fund
  has been an important part of the humanitarian
  response to nearly every major crisis. “It is
  helping us to ensure that those who need our
  assistance receive it – quickly, effectively and
  efficiently,” he added.

 

REFUGEE AGENCY MARKS SIXTY
YEARS HELPING THE WORLD’S FORCIBLY DISPLACED PERSONS

• The UN
  Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
  marked its 60^th anniversary today
  with a renewed appeal for bolstered global
  commitment to help the world’s forcibly
  displaced.
   

• It was
  originally created by the General Assembly to
  address the post-World War II refugee situation
  in Europe, but its work quickly expanded, and
  the agency has twice been awarded the Nobel
  Peace Prize.
   

• “We have
  many reasons to be proud, but we also have much
  more reasons to be concerned with the challenges
  we face at the present moment,”
  
  said High Commissioner for Refugees, António
  Guterres.
   

• Also
  marking a milestone today is the UN Educational,
  Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
  which celebrated the 65^th anniversary
  of the adoption of its Constitution.
   

• In a
  video message, the Secretary-General
  
  underlines that “UNESCO’s mandate is as
  relevant as ever,” noting that its ability to
  broker new ideas and bring people together are
  vital today and for the century ahead.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS
DECOLONIZATION PROCESS IS NOT COMPLETE

• The
  Secretary-General
  
  addressed the General Assembly today on the
  fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration on the
  Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries
  and Peoples, which he said had been a light of
  hope. In 1960, he said, the General Assembly had
  just ninety-nine members. Today, we have one
  hundred and ninety two.
   

• Still,
  the Secretary-General added, the process of
  decolonization is not complete. There are
  sixteen Non-Self-Governing Territories on the
  list of the Special Committee on Decolonization.
  The United Nations is committed to fulfilling
  the Declaration’s great promise, he said.

 

**The
guest today at the noon briefing was Robert Orr, the
Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning, who
reported on the outcome of the Cancun climate
conference.