Noon briefing of 3 May 2005
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, 3 May 2005
ANNAN WELCOMES MAYORS' VISION OF A GLOBAL BAN ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Secretary-General Kofi Annan met today with the
Mayors for Peace who are attending the Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"We must revitalize the long-term vision of a world free of nuclear weapons because that is the only way to guarantee that these terrible weapons will never be used again," he
told them. "I am therefore truly delighted that you, the Mayors for Peace, are here today to promote your vision of a global ban on nuclear weapons by 2020."
The Secretary-General this morning
congratulated the Women’s International Forum on its 30th anniversary, and he discussed the proposals he has made to reform the United Nations.
He told them that, four months before the September Summit, it is natural to see Member States stake out their positions on UN reform. But, he added, "We will not get very far if each advocates only its own interests. There must be flexibility, and a willingness to respond to the needs of others."
COTE D’IVOIRE: U.N. MISSION ORGANIZES RECONCILIATION MEETING
AFTER ETHNIC FIGHTING CAUSES HUNDREDS TO FLEE
The
UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire has reported that some 600 people have been staying at a church and the mayor’s office in the town of Duékoué, after fleeing their homes in the wake of inter-ethnic clashes.
Humanitarian workers traveled to the town today to assess the situation and verify the number of displaced persons.
The UN mission, which has reinforced its patrols in Duékoué, yesterday organized an inter-ethnic reconciliation meeting, which was attended by traditional leaders from the different ethnic groups, local administrators, government authorities and representatives of militia groups.
The participants agreed, among other things, that joint patrols would be increased, that the market would be reopened and public transport resumed.
The UN mission reported today that tensions had eased in the area, which was slowly returning to normal.
Meanwhile, the UN mission transported a Force Nouvelles delegation to the capital, Yamoussoukro, today to attend a seminar on the disarmament process.
At UN Headquarters, the
Security Council this heard a briefing on the latest developments in Cote d’Ivoire from Dmitry Titov, Director of the Africa Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations
SUDAN: U.N.-HIRED TRUCKS LOOTED IN NORTH DARFUR
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Sudan, Jan Pronk, is in Nairobi, Kenya, where he is to meet with John Garang, Chairman of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) to discuss the implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement and the deployment of UN peacekeepers.
Meanwhile, the UN Mission in Khartoum reports that the security situation in Darfur continues to be fluid. In North Darfur, banditry has been prominent with two incidents where commercially hired UN trucks were looted. An international non-governmental organization staff member and vehicle were detained and released two days later.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and its non-governmental organization partners today
opened the twelfth camp in eastern Chad for refugees from Darfur to ease overcrowding in some of the other camps.
AIDS EPIDEMIC KEEPS EXPANDING, ANNAN SAYS
Despite encouraging signs that AIDS is beginning to be contained in a small but growing number of countries, the overall epidemic continues to expand, the Secretary-General says in a
report to the General Assembly. He warns that much of the world risks falling short of the targets set forth in the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS.
The report adds that, while political commitment to responding to AIDS has become significantly stronger since 2001, it remains inadequate in many countries in which the epidemic is emerging as a major problem.
MALARIA REPORT LAUDS NEW MEDICINES & GREATER MOSQUITO NET USE
BUT NOTES CONTINUING THREAT
Today
marks the launch of the first-ever joint World Malaria Report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
It notes that more countries are turning to the most modern malaria medicines, and that more people are getting long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets through innovative new programmes.
At the same time, however, the report finds that the disease still kills one million people every year, mostly in Africa.
And according to Ann Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF, malaria
takes more children’s lives in Africa than any other infectious disease —three times as many as HIV.
HEALTH AGENCY CALLS FOR FUNDS TO PREVENT POLIO OUTBREAKS
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the polio virus found recently in Indonesia may be traced back to a recent West African outbreak, which started when polio vaccination activity stopped in Nigeria.
WHO also says it needs to raise $50 million between now and the end of July to conduct polio vaccination campaigns for children in the so-called "polio virus reservoir countries," such as Nigeria and India. And an additional $200 million are required for next year's activities.
SIERRA LEONE: FIVE CHARGED WITH CONTEMPT OF COURT
The
Special Court for Sierra Leone has ordered the prosecution of five individuals for contempt of court, for allegedly revealing the identity of, and threatening, a protected witness.
The Court’s decision, taken last Friday, was announced today in Freetown. The Court accuses one of the five individuals, Brima Samura, of revealing one witness’s name to two other people, who in turn said they would attack the witness’s house.
ETHIOPIA FLOODS DEATH TOLL CONTINUES TO RISE
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the number of confirmed dead and missing in Ethiopia continues to
rise following the floods that submerged parts of the country’s Somali Region.
Thousands more remain homeless, and emergency relief teams are hampered in their efforts to provide assistance, since many areas remain inaccessible and communication has been difficult.
SECRETARY-GENERAL SALUTES JOURNALISTS’ COURAGE
ON WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
Today is
World Press Freedom Day, and in a message to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General says he salutes the courage and dedication of journalists struggling against risk and outright brutality to exercise their right to seek and tell the truth.
Noting that, in 2004, nearly 60 journalists were killed in the line of duty, he reminds governments that the right to "seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media" is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In a separate
message, Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says that, without freedom of expression and a free media, "democracy cannot prevail and development remains unattainable."
U.N. RELEASES ANNUAL LIST OF 10 UNDER-REPORTED NEWS STORIES
Today, for the second year in a row, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the Department of Public Information has
released a list of 10 stories that the United Nations feels the world should hear more about.
The list which was put out earlier today, include the crippling child bearing disease fistula, the humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda and the new growth of infectious disease in places where man has degraded and destroyed the environment, to cite just three.
The Department of Public Information hopes that this initiative can encourage media outlets to consider giving these more space and airtime.
MAURICE STRONG DIDN’T CONCEAL RELATION TO U.N. STAFF MEMBER
Asked whether Special Adviser Maurice Strong had hired a relative, the Spokesman noted that, in light of the recent disclosures involving Strong, the United Nations began a routine examination of his administrative file.
It was discovered that his step-daughter, Kristina Mayo, who had been working for him in his capacity as Special Adviser, had not disclosed her relationship to Strong in her UN personnel form. That is a violation of UN rules. Mayo resigned on April 21.
The Spokesman made clear, however, that Strong himself had not concealed that she was his step-daughter and had indeed sought approval of the appointment.
The United Nations is now examining why UN staffing policies and procedures were not followed in this particular case.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON COTE D’IVOIRE: The
Security Council this morning approved its programme of work for the month of May.
SECURITY COUNCIL TAKES NOTE OF SOMALIA ENVOY APPOINTMENT: Also, out as documents today are the
exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and the Security Council on the appointment of Francois Lonseny Fall of Guinea as the next Special Representative for Somalia.
REFUGEE AGENCY TRANSFERS CONGOLESE REFUGEES AWAY FROM RWANDA-CONGO BORDER: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has started
transferring thousands of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to a new site away from the Rwanda-DRC border. Those refugees fled to Rwanda after fighting in North Kivu in the second half of 2004.
NUMBER OF PEOPLE FLEEING TOGO KEEPS RISING: The outflow of refugees sparked by the ongoing political crisis in Togo is still
rising, with 18,500 refugees now reported in neighbouring Benin and Ghana by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
SPOKESMAN NOT AWARE OF SENATOR’S COMMENTS: In response to a question, the Spokesman said he was not aware of comments by Senator Norm Coleman that there may be tapes implicating the Secretary-General.