Noon briefing of 8 February 2011

BAN KI-MOON TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL ON HIS RECENT TRAVELS

• The Secretary-General will brief the Security Council at 3:00 this afternoon on his recent travels, including his meeting with the Cypriot leaders in Geneva; and his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, the Munich Security Conference and a meeting of the Middle East Quartet, which also took place in Munich. Throughout his travels, the dramatic events in Egypt were a major topic of discussion.
  

• The Secretary-General will speak to reporters at about 4:30 this afternoon.
  

• Asked whether there should be early formation of a government in Egypt, the Spokesperson said that is for the Egyptian people to decide. The people of Egypt have been demanding bold reforms and a transition, but it is for them to determine how that will happen. The United Nations, he said, stands ready to provide support as requested.
  

• Asked about the information the Secretary-General is receiving on Egypt, the Spokesperson said that he is being briefed by a wide range of officials, including those present on the ground.
  

• Asked about reports concerning escaped prisoners, Nesirky said that the Secretary-General has spoken out against the violence and said that people need to be held accountable for recent attacks, including those on journalists. Any transition needs to be peaceful and orderly, as the Secretary-General has stressed.
  

• The Spokesperson noted, in response to questions, that the United Nations has been warning about the democracy deficit and other challenges in the Arab world through successive Human Development Reports dating back to 2002. It is important for leaders in Egypt and the region to listen attentively to the legitimate concerns and aspirations of their people.
  

• Nesirky added that, for any change to meaningful, it needs to include an element of good governance.

RELATIVE CALM IS REPORTED IN SUDANESE TOWN OF MALAKAL FOLLOWING DEADLY CLASHES

• The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has confirmed that all movement restrictions at the Malakal airport in Sudan have been lifted, and it is now open for regular traffic.
  

• The airport was closed following a number of deadly clashes in Malakal, which is in Sudan’s Upper Nile State, between 3-5 February. The clashes took place within the Joint Integrated Units made up of Northern and Southern Sudanese soldiers. Fifty-four soldiers were killed and another 85 wounded in the clashes, the UN Mission in Sudan has been told.
  

• DPKO says that while no UN properties or personnel were targeted, a national staff member for the UN Refugee Agency was killed in crossfire.
  

• The situation in Malakal is now relatively calm and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army has deployed troops into the town. UN Peacekeepers have also positioned armoured personnel carriers and are patrolling the area, reinforced by an additional company.
  

• The United Nations urges the parties to remain calm and exercise caution.

U.N. ASKING AUTHORITIES IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC TO ADDRESS ELECTORAL IRREGULARITIES IN TRANSPARENT MANNER

• Asked about elections in the Central African Republic, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations has not had an election observer role, but continues to follow the process closely through its peace-building mission, BINUCA, which has coordinated support of the international community for the elections through the electoral steering committee.
  

• Since the announcement of the provisional Presidential election results, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Sahle-Work Zewde, has been encouraging authorities to address allegations of irregularities in a transparent manner, for candidates with grievances to follow the established legal procedures for lodging appeals and for the Independent Electoral Commission to communicate on the decisions regarding the polling stations.
  

• The Spokesperson said that the United Nations is also calling on the Constitutional Court to play its role fully and impartially as defined in the Constitution.

U.N REFUGEE AGENCY DELIVERS MORE AID TO DISPLACED PERSONS IN COTE D’IVOIRE

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is bringing in more assistance to Côte d’Ivoire as the number of internally displaced persons continues to grow in the west of the country.
  

• UNHCR says it started today a simultaneous airlift and road convoy to pre-position aid ahead of distribution. A cargo plane from Belgium will carry 2,450 tents which will provide shelter for up to 12,000 people, and the road convoy is bringing thousands of blankets, mats, mosquito nets and kitchen sets.
  

• The Refugee Agency says that 31,000 internally displaced people have been registered so far in western Côte d’Ivoire, most of them in Duékoué district.

UNITED NATIONS TO ASSESS DAMAGE, RELIEF NEEDS FOR CIVILIANS IN FLOOD-HIT SRI LANKA REGION

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the magnitude and impact of a second wave of floods that hit Sri Lanka are worse than those which struck a few weeks ago. Official figures show that more than 1.1 million people have been affected by the floods, including nearly 200,000 displaced persons. Further heavy rainfall is expected in the days ahead.
  

• The UN system is supporting an effort to assess the extent of the damage, as well as what the immediate relief needs are. UN agencies are already responding with a wide range of supplies, including food and medicine.
  

• The Sri Lanka Floods Flash Appeal has reached $7.7 million as of today, out of $50 million that had been requested, or about 15 percent. The Flash Appeal will be revised at the end of the month.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL PLEDGES CLOSER COOPERATION BETWEEN U.N HEADQUARTERS AND REGIONAL COMMISSIONS

• Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro addressed the Regional Coordination Mechanism Meeting of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean earlier today in Santiago, Chile.
  

• She praised the work of the Commission in strengthening policy coherence and in enhancing synergies at the regional and sub-regional levels.
  

• Stressing the Secretary-General’s commitment to foster a stronger relationship between UN Headquarters and the Regional Commissions, she said that the UN family must redouble its efforts to raise living standards and help countries in the region and elsewhere achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

U.N PEACEKEEPING NEEDS TO BRING MORE WOMEN INTO PEACE PROCESSES IN POST-CONFLICT REGIONS

• A United Nations study released today is recommending greater action by UN peacekeeping missions in the effort to increase participation of women in peace negotiations, national security institutions and governance in post-conflict situations.
  

• The study comes 10 years after the adoption of the landmark Security Council Resolution 1325 on women and peace and security. That resolution was the first to address the impact of conflict on women and to call for women’s engagement in peace processes.
  

• With the study reporting a mixed record for UN peacekeeping in implementing the resolution, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy said that the findings are a call to action. He pledges to continue to prioritize this work and mobilize the entire peacekeeping family to help build more just and equal post-conflict societies.

ETHIOPIAN ASYLUM-SEEKERS FOUND DEAD IN CONTAINER HEADED FOR SOUTH AFRICA

• Eight Ethiopian asylum-seekers suffocated to death as they sought to begin new lives in South Africa, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports. The eight men died in a closed container truck in Mozambique.
  

• They were among a group of 26 Ethiopians who were trying to reach Sough Africa from the Maratane refugee camp in northern Mozambique.
  

• While the dangers for people fleeing the Horn of African across the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea are relatively well-known, the Agency stresses that the risks for those heading southwards through East Africa or via Indian Ocean routes are also substantial.

CHINA: SEVERE WINTER DROUGHT LIKELY TO AFFECT WHEAT PRODUCTION

• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that a severe winter drought in the North China Plain could jeopardize wheat production and become a serious problem.
  

• The Organization cautions that the situation could become critical if a spring drought follows the winter one and temperatures drop below normal this month.
  

• It also notes that the drought seems to be pushing wheat prices higher, with the average retail price of wheat rising by nearly 10 per cent in January.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATES COOPERATION WITH EUROPEAN UNION: The Security Council discussed cooperation with the European Union this morning. Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, participated in the open debate.

U.N. MISSION HELPING MAINTAIN ORDER IN HAITI: The Spokesperson, in response to questions, noted the role played by the UN Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in assisting the local authorities in maintaining order, as well as helping with post-earthquake recovery activities and efforts to deal with the cholera outbreak.

PARTIES TRYING TO RESOLVE FYROM NAME ISSUE: Asked about the issue of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s name, the Spokesperson noted that the parties are trying to resolve the issue in good faith, with the assistance of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Matthew Nimetz.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SPOKE TO CAMBODIAN, THAI PRIME MINISTERS: Asked about the dispute concerning Thailand and Cambodia, the Spokesperson confirmed that the Secretary-General has spoken this morning with the Prime Ministers of each country.