United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-10-11

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, October 11, 2001

ANNAN SPEAKS WITH AMERICANS IN NATIONAL TOWN HALL MEETING

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today spoke with the American people via satellite from UN Headquarters as part of a national Town Hall meeting entitled The United States and the United Nations: International Crisis, International Response. Simultaneous gatherings took place in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Seattle, St. Louis and Tampa.

AFGHAN AID EFFORT: ACCESS TO BORDER LIMITED FOR FOURTH DAY

As efforts to inject urgently-needed assistance into Afghanistan continued, in Pakistan, for the fourth straight day, United Nations agencies were unable to attend to their tasks in the border areas.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today expressed growing concern and frustration over numerous obstacles preventing it from making urgent preparations for a possible influx of refugees in countries bordering Afghanistan. In Pakistan, red tape and security concerns prevent field teams from getting access to the border areas to monitor possible population movements or from offering assistance to new arrivals, UNHCR said.

The Humanitarian Coordinators Office for Afghanistan released more details on the attacks on NGO mine action staff and their premises and vehicles, which was reported yesterday. The attacks included one in Jalalabad on Tuesday night in which armed Taliban element entered a mine action NGO, tied up and beat the office security guards.

SECURITY TRAINING FOR UN PERSONEL EFFECTIVE IN MINIMIZING RISK

The Secretary-Generals report to the General Assembly on the Safety and Security of Humanitarian Personnel and protection of UN personnel was issued today .

Praising humanitarian personnel as the vanguard of the organizations quest for peace and stability, the Secretary-General noted that it was unlikely that the environment in which they are required to operate will change in the near future.

He said that security training and security awareness is the single most effective means of minimizing risk.

The report notes a rigorous training campaign conducted in most high-risk duty stations and the impact it has had on reducing serious incidents. There is a greater awareness than ever before of security management, he says.

The report dated September 20, 2001 says that since January 1, 1992, 201 civilian staff members have lost their lives in the service of the UN as a result of malicious acts.

SECURITY COUNCIL TAKES UP OIL FOR FOOD, INTER CONGOLESE DIALOGUE

Meeting in closed consultations this morning, members of the Security Council were briefed by Benon Sevan, Executive Director of the UN Office of the Iraq Programme. Sevan introduced the recently issued 90-day report for Phase X of the Oil for Food programme.

Sevan also briefed Council members on the letter he received from Iraqi Permanent Representative Mohammed al-Douri concerning Iraq's decision to declare five UN staff persona non grata.

Afterwards, Council members were briefed on the status of preparations for the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, scheduled to open Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Dialogue brings together representatives of different groups from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sir Ketumile Masire, former President of Botswana, is the Facilitator of this process.

SANCTIONS ON LIBERIA COULD RESULT IN SEVERE JOB LOSSES, SAYS UN REPORT

The Secretary-General's report on the potential impact of possible future sanctions on Liberia was issued today, and it evaluates the ways in which future sanctions in such fields as timber, rubber production and shipping might affect the population.

The report estimates that, if a ban were imposed on Liberian timber exports, it would probably cause the loss of up to 10,000 relatively well-paid jobs, and hurt an industry that accounts for about 9 percent of the national budget. Any international sanctions on Liberian rubber would affect more people, potentially leaving many of the more than 20,000 people employed by major rubber producers unemployed.

Any possible future restrictions on Liberia's ship register, the Secretary-General adds, is expected to have little direct effect on the Liberian population.

He concludes that any restrictions on Liberia's already-weakened economy would probably have negative effects on employment, social services and government revenues.

If the Security Council does decide to establish additional sanctions, he said, it may also wish to consider establishing a mechanism to review their humanitarian and economic impact regularly.

SIERRA LEONE REBELS RECEIVES KEYS TO HOME OF ITS FUTURE POLITICAL PARTY

The UN mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), reported that a senior official of the Revolutionary United Front Omrie Golley told Radio UNAMSIL that the Government of Sierra Leone handed over keys to the office of that would house the RUF political party.

The transformation of the RUF into a political party is expected to be discussed at the sixth meeting of the Government of Sierra Leone-RUF-UNAMSIL Joint Committee on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) which is currently taking place today in Freetown.

The Sierra Leone government delegation will be led by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mr. Solomon Berewa, and the RUF by Omrie Golley, chairman of the political and peace council. The meeting will be chaired by the Secretary Generals Special Representative for Sierra Leone Oluyemi Adeniji.

UN LEBANON ENVOY SAYS ISRAELI AIR VIOLATIONS AGGRAVATE SITUATION

In a statement issued today following recent air violations by Israeli aircraft across the Blue Line, the Secretary-Generals Personal Representative for southern Lebanon, Steffan Di Mistura, issued a statement saying that such violations can potentially aggravate an already tense situation.

Di Mistura reiterated his call to the Israeli authorities to cease these violations and respect the Blue Line.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The World Bank today will present the results of its poverty assessment in Kosovo, conducted at the end of last year, which found that by late 2000, 38 percent of the population of Kosovo lived in poverty. The UN Mission in Kosovo mentions the World Bank study, among other items, in today's briefing notes from Pristina.

Today, the Dominican Republic became the 125th Member State to pay its 2001 regular budget contribution in full with a payment of more than $237,000.

In press release, the World Health Organization warns that screening for cervical cancer is failing to control the disease in many developing countries. WHO says that many countries need to strengthen their ability to diagnose and treat early forms of the disease. The world-wide total is 231,000 deaths from this disease, with developing countries accounting for eight out of every 10.

In a joint press release, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme say that progress is being made toward reducing the risks associated with the use of pesticides and industrial chemicals in developing countries. The two organizations are hosting a meeting in Rome this week to prepare for the entry into force of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General United Nations, S-378 New York, NY 10017 Tel. 212-963-7162 Fax. 212-963-7055

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