Noon briefing of 7 June 2011

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESPERSON’S NOON BRIEFING

BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 7 JUNE 2011

SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESSES SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING ON IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS ON PEACE AND SECURITY

• The Secretary-General spoke at the Security Council’s open meeting this morning on the impact of HIV/AIDS on peace and security, telling Council members that, whenever AIDS is part of the equation, the United Nations is working to be part of the solution.
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• He said that, for UN personnel, pre-deployment HIV training is standard. We have trained over 1,500 peacekeepers as peer counsellors. Meanwhile, the number of blue helmets seeking voluntary counselling and testing increased from fewer than 2,000 to more than 14,000 in just five years.
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• The Secretary-General also urged all Member States to link efforts to combat HIV and AIDS with our campaigns against sexual violence and for the rights of women. That means addressing the dangerous interaction between AIDS, the international drug trade, sex trafficking and the abuse of women.
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• The Security Council also adopted a resolution underlining the need for urgent and coordinated action against HIV.

U.N. MIDDLE EAST SPECIAL COORDINATOR CONDEMNS DESECRATION OF MOSQUE IN WEST BANK

• Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, condemned the desecration of a mosque today in the village of Al Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank.
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• Mr. Serry said that the actions of Israeli extremists are highly provocative and threatening. And he also noted the condemnation of this attack by the Israeli Government and stressed the need for forceful action against this and other attacks.

IRAQ: U.N. URGES GOVERNMENT TO DO MORE TO PROTECT CIVILIANS

• At the end of his 10-day visit to Iraq, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Simonovic, urged the Iraqi Government today to do more to protect civilians from violence.
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• He added that it is important that the Government does all it can to ensure that any person suspected of perpetrating acts of violence is held accountable according to the law.
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• Mr. Simonovic condemned the numerous cases of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and alleged torture that have been reported throughout Iraq. He reiterated that torture is unequivocally prohibited under international law and cannot be condoned under any circumstance.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY WARNS OF LOOMING AID CRISIS AFTER VISITING CONFLICT ZONES IN LIBYA

• Staff from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) visited conflict zones south and east of the Libyan capital Tripoli last week and found significant displacement, widespread violence and an urgent need to support Libyan organizations in providing basic supplies and services.
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• Displaced people that one team from the Refugee Agency met in Government-held parts of Libya seem to be coping, albeit under difficult circumstances. However, an aid crisis could be looming. Although warehouses are well stocked with basic food items, it is apparent that the combined impact of protracted conflict and sanctions is eroding the Government's ability to deliver assistance effectively.
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• A separate UNHCR team that visited Misrata spoke to several people who reported kidnappings in the city and its surroundings. Local relief agencies and human rights groups in Misrata estimate that at least 1,000 people, mainly men, have been kidnapped or have disappeared since the conflict started in February.

HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF SAYS MEETING WITH BAHRAINI OFFICIALS WAS ‘GROSSLY MISREPRESENTED” IN MEDIA

• The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, made clear that a meeting she had last Friday with several Government officials from Bahrain was grossly misrepresented in a report by the Bahrain News Agency.
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• The Bahrain News Agency, which was not present at the meeting, stated that the High Commissioner had “recognized misinformation” about the Kingdom of Bahrain, and quoted her as saying: “Certain information which we received about the developments in Bahrain are untrue.”
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• The High Commissioner would like to stress that she made no such statement, and is disturbed by this blatant distortion of her words. She will formally request the Government officials who attended the meeting to issue a correction.

ABYEI: HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE INCREASING BEFORE START OF RAINY SEASON

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the situation in Abyei town remains quiet but unpredictable.
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• The humanitarian response operation is gaining momentum, with aid agencies working hard to meet emergency needs before the rainy season starts cutting off access to parts of Warrap State.
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• Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says the number of displaced in Abyei is close to 100,000, of whom 67,000 have so far been registered.
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• UNHCR staff monitoring the situation says that many people are still on the move or hiding in the bush amid heavy military activity in the region.
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• UNICEF says it is ramping up relief supplies in the region to assist the internally displaced, half of whom are children. UNICEF says it was paying particular attention to disease prevention, although no major outbreaks have been reported.

U.N. URGES ACTION TO CURB DEATHS FROM AIDS THROUGH TB PREVENTION, TREATMENT

• A new health plan by the World Health Organization (WHO) says that it is possible to reduce AIDS deaths through tuberculosis (TB) prevention and treatment.
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• According to the plan, published by the Stop TB Partnership and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in 2009, nearly one in four deaths among people living with HIV were due to TB, a disease that can be both prevented and cured.
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• The new model shows that, through scaled-up efforts, it is possible to save one million lives by the end of 2015.
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• Its recommendations include testing for HIV and TB every three years in places where both diseases are prevalent and ensuring that HIV and TB treatment is accessible and of good quality.