Noon briefing of 22 September 2010

SECRETARY-GENERAL: THIS CENTURY MUST BE BETTER FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S HEALTH

• Speaking at the second meeting of the Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group this morning, the Secretary-General said that, when it comes to raising public awareness and mobilizing political will, what’s needed is eloquent voices, inspiring leadership and creative minds.
  

• The Secretary-General said their outstanding accomplishments made them obvious choices for the task. They are especially well-placed to hold leaders accountable for sticking to their commitments to the Millennium Development Goals.
  

• He also called for their support for an initiative he was launching later Wednesday: the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health.
  

• Addressing the launch, the Secretary-General noted how in many parts of the world, women have yet to benefit from advances that made childbirth much safer nearly one hundred years ago, with millions of children dying from malnutrition and diseases which have been treatable for decades.
  

• He said these realities are simply unacceptable and that the 21^st century must be and will be different, with the Global Strategy providing a clear road map for making a fundamental difference in millions of lives.

PANEL APPOINTED TO MONITOR REFERENDUM IN SOUTH SUDAN

• In response to a request from the parties to Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Secretary-General has appointed a panel to monitor the upcoming self-determination referenda for Southern Sudan and the Abyei Area, headed by former President of Tanzania Mr. Benjamin Mkapa. The two other members of the Panel are Mr. Antonio Monteiro, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Portugal, and Mr. Bhojraj Pokharel, former Chairman of the Election Commission of Nepal.
  

• The Panel will make periodic visits to Sudan through the scheduled holding of the referenda in January 2011. Panel members will engage with all relevant actors, including the parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the referendum commissions, civil society and observer groups. The Panel will follow key referenda processes, as well as the political and security situation. In addition to reporting to the Secretary-General on the conduct of the referenda, the Panel will work directly to enhance confidence in the process by encouraging the Parties and the relevant authorities to take corrective measures to resolve any significant problems or disputes that may arise.
  

• The upcoming referenda are extraordinarily important for the future of Sudan. The Secretary-General is confident that the Panel can play a helpful role in encouraging credible, Sudanese-led processes that reflect the will of the people of Southern Sudan and of the Abyei Area.
  

• The support being provided by the Secretary-General through the Panel is independent of the UN Mission in Sudan’s substantial programme of technical, logistical and security assistance for the two referenda.

MIDDLE EAST QUARTET STRONGLY SUPPORTS RESUMPTION OF ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS

• The Secretary-General hosted a meeting of the Middle East Quartet yesterday, which ended with the principal members issuing a statement expressing strong support for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which can resolve all final status issues within one year. The Quartet also confirmed its determination to support the parties throughout the negotiations and in the implementation of an agreement.
  

• Noting that mutual trust and confidence are critical to successful negotiations, the Quartet reiterated its call on Israel and the Palestinians to promote an environment conducive to progress, including by refraining from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric. The Quartet noted that the commendable Israeli settlement moratorium instituted last November has had a positive impact and urged its continuation.
  

• The Quartet recalled that unilateral actions by either party, including settlement activity, cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognized by the international community.
  

• The Quartet called upon both sides to fulfill their obligations under the Road Map.
  

• Asked why the Quartet press conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon had been cancelled, the Spokesperson said that was due to a power outage that affected the room where the press conference was to be held, as well as delays in the schedule of Quartet meetings.
  

• Nesirky added that a short-circuit in a major circuit breaker box and a failure in a rented backup generator caused limited power outages in the North Lawn Building on Tuesday.
  

• The power failure affected the broadcast systems for the entire North Lawn Building. Technicians began working immediately to resolve the problem, and power was restored by 8 p.m.

U.N. ENVOY IN SOMALIA CALLS FOR COUNTRY’S LEADERSHIP TO REMAIN UNITED

• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, said that the resignation of the Somali Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, is yet another manifestation of the serious disputes within the Transitional Federal Institutions.
  

• Mahiga expressed the hope that the Institutions will now put an end to the internal divisions, which have crippled the Transitional Federal Government’s ability to carry out its essential tasks. The Somali leadership must remain united and focused on its work, he added.

HAITI’S FOOD PRODUCTION RECOVERING BUT STILL BELOW PRE-EARTHQUAKE LEVELS

• Food production in Haiti is slowly recovering but still remains significantly below the levels that existed prior to the January 2010 earthquake, according to a report of joint assessment mission by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme.
  

• The report says Haiti's 2010 spring harvest, compared to 2009, saw bean production drop by 17 per cent and declines in maize, sorghum and plaintain.
  

• But the report says despite the damage to Haitian food production systems and a late start of the 2010 spring rainy season, subsequent rainfall was generally favourable and supported agricultural recovery.

* The guest at today's briefing was Michelle Bachelet, the incoming head of UN Women.