Noon briefing of 15 October 2010

BAN KI-MOON BEGINS MOROCCO VISIT

• The Secretary-General arrived in Marrakesh, Morocco, today. On Saturday, he will address the opening session of the World Policy Conference 2010, which is organized by the French Institute of International Affairs.
  

• The conference will focus this year on the theme of global governance. In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to say that, as global interdependence deepens, some of our old systems and set-ups have not kept pace. Better ways of working together need to be found.
  

• The Secretary-General will identify three main challenges for global governance: making sure the world economy works for all people; combating climate change; and addressing new-generation challenges such as migrations and organized crime.

D.R CONGO ATTACKS, RAPES SHOW IMPORTANCE OF CIVILIAN PROTECTION

• Roger Meece, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, briefed the Security Council this morning on recent developments there, including the rapes and other recent violence in the east.
  

• He said the attacks in North Kivu clearly show the importance of civilian protection and compelled the UN Mission, MONUSCO, to review its procedures and take additional steps to protect people, including “Operation Shop Window” in the Walikale area. Meece said that the operation has accomplished its short-term goals. He added that the Mission has expanded its number of bases in the eastern Congo, and had also helped the Congolese authorities in arresting a rebel leader linked to the attacks, Colonel Mayele.
  

• On Thursday, Margot Wallström told the Council members that another rebel leader, identified as Lieut. Col. Seraphim, should be placed on their sanctions list because of his alleged involvement in sexual attacks.
  

• Asked about Wallström’s allegations that Congolese Government forces also committed rapes in the Walikale area, the Spokesperson said that MONUSCO has expressed concern to the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) command regarding the behaviour of some Congolese elements on many occasions.
  

• The Mission, he said, has supported and continues to support the efforts of the Congolese Armed Forces command and military justice to apprehend and bring those accused of crimes to trial. Reports of individual arrests of soldiers in North Kivu by the FARDC are encouraging.
  

• Nesirky said that the MONUSCO has bolstered its presence in Walikale territory and is considering further adjustments to its deployments but needs to balance its limited resources with the vast area where civilians are threatened.
  

• The Secretary-General is also aware of Wallström’s comments and takes this matter very seriously, he added.

WEST AFRICA ENVOY VISITS NIGER, MEETS REGIONAL MEDIATOR FOR GUINEA

• Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, visited Niamey, the capital of Niger, today as part of a joint ECOWAS-UN Mission to reiterate the support of the international community to the transition in Niger within an agreed timeframe. General Salou Djibo reassured the delegation that recent developments in the country will not affect the transition or the respect of the timeframe.
  

• Djinnit and the delegation have since travelled to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso where they will meet with President Blaise Campaore, the ECOWAS mediator for Guinea, in order to consult with him on the situation in Guinea.

U.N. ENVOY CONGRATULATES NEW SOMALI PRIME MINISTER

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, has congratulated Somalia’s new Prime Minister, Mohamed A. Mohamed, who was appointed on Thursday by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
  

• The international community expects that a new government will be appointed soon to focus on the vital tasks that are critical to the successful completion of the transitional period in August 2011. Time will not allow for any further crises within the leadership of Somalia.

REFERENDA PANEL CONCLUDES SUDAN VISIT AFTER MEETING WITH PRESIDENT BASHIR

• The Secretary-General’s Panel on the Referenda in the Sudan met on Thursday in Khartoum with Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The panel and their host discussed a wide range of issues in a formal meeting, followed by a tête-a-tête between the Sudanese leader and the Panel’s chairman, former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa.
  

• The Panel chairman later said that his team has been assured by both parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement wish for a successful conclusion to the referenda process. Mkapa, in turn, assured them of continued UN support.
  

• The Panel’s visit concludes today with talks with donors, observer groups and more Sudanese officials. They had earlier visited Juba, where they met with Southern Sudanese officials.

MYANMAR CONTINUED DETENTION OF POLITICAL PRISONERS REMAINS OF GRAVE CONCERN

• In a written report to the General Assembly on the human rights situation in Myanmar, the Secretary-General said that, although some signs of flexibility have been shown by the Government of Myanmar, the detention of political prisoners and the continued house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remain of grave concern.
  

• The Secretary-General urged Myanmar to make progress in overcoming its twin legacies of political deadlock and armed conflict. He also stressed the parallel challenges of respect for human rights, national reconciliation and democratization that remain.
  

• On the upcoming elections, the Secretary-General stressed that it represents a major test of the prospects of peace, democracy and prosperity in Myanmar. He added that it is all the more necessary for Myanmar to ensure that the elections are conducted in an inclusive, credible, participatory and transparent manner.
  

• In this regard, he reiterated his call for the release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as the clearest signal of such commitments.

BAN KI-MOON RENEWS APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE TO FLOOD-HIT PAKISTAN

• The Secretary-General, in a message to a ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends for Pakistan, said that he continues to urge the international community to respond generously and swiftly to urgent relief and recovery needs following floods there, as well as to reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.
  

• He said that the United Nations will also stand with Pakistan in facing the challenge of violent extremism and in furthering the democratic transformation of the country. Accountable, civilian-led democracy is critical for the stability of Pakistan, the region and the wider world.
  

• The message was delivered to a Group of Friends meeting in Brussels by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL RENEWS COTE D’IVOIRE SANCTIONS: Earlier this morning, the Security Council renewed sanctions measures in Cote d’Ivoire until 30 April 2011.

EXPERTISE OF U.N PANEL IS AVALAIBLE TO SRI LANKA GOVERNMENT ON REQUEST: Asked about criticism of Sri Lanka’s national panel on accountability, the Spokesperson noted that the Secretary-General has a panel of experts to advise him on accountability in Sri Lanka, which is not linked to Sri Lanka’s national commission. That panel, he said, has made clear that its expertise is available to the Sri Lankan authorities if they request it.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS[1]
16 -22 October 2010

Saturday, 16 October

The Secretary-General will be in Marrakesh, Morocco, to deliver the opening statement at the World Policy Conference 2010.

Today is World Food Day.

Sunday, 17 October

Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Monday, 18 October

Today, the Security Council will hold an open debate on the Middle East.

Tuesday, 19 October

Today, in Strasbourg, France, the Secretary-General will address the Council of Europe, on the 60^th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the European Parliament in plenary session.

This morning, the Security Council will hold a debate on the UN mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT).

At 1:15 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Claudio Grossman, Chair of the Committee Against Torture.

Wednesday, 20 October

This morning, the Security Council will hear a briefing and then hold consultations on United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT).

At 10:30 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will hold a press conference on the launch of the State of World Population 2010 Report.

At 11:00 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, DESA will hold a press conference to launch the report on World's Women 2010.

At 3:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, United Nations University (UNU) will hold a press conference to discuss the new Alliance for Measuring University Performance and the Global Research Benchmarking System.

Today is World Statistics Day.

Thursday, 21 October

This morning, the Security Council will hear a briefing on Somalia.

At 11:15 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, there will be an inter-agency press conference on the tenth anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, on women, peace and security.

At 12:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Joseph Deiss, will hold a press conference.

At 1:15 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Olivier de Schutter, Special Rapporteur on the right to food.

At 2:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, Mr. Tomas Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, will discuss the upcoming elections in that country.

At 3:00 p.m, in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa will hold a press conference to launch a report on the causes of conflict in Africa.

Friday, 22 October

Today, the Security Council will hold a debate on peace and security in Africa – support for African Union peacekeeping.

At 10:30 a.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Richard Falk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories.

At 1:15 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Mr. Abdelhamid El Jamri, Chairperson of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; and Ms. Raquel Rolnik, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living.

At 3:15 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, there will be a press conference by Mr. Walter Kalin, Representative of the Secretary-General on the rights of Internally Displaced Persons