SECURITY COUNCIL TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON AFRICA WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, the Council is scheduled to have a public meeting

on the Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Recovery in Africa. It will be chaired by Singapore Foreign Minister Prof. S. Jayakumar.

There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled today.

EAST TIMOR FACES TOUGH CHALLENGES AHEAD

A day after East Timor attained its independence, with authority over the new country being transferred from the United Nations, a new UN Special Representative took over from out going Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello. Vieira de Mello, who had served for more than two and a half years as the UN Transitional Administrator in East Timor, headed out of Dili, seeing his closest staff at a simple farewell gathering at Comoro Airport.

Kamalesh Sharma, recently Indias Permanent Representative to the United Nations, took up his duties as the head of the new UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET), just two days after his own arrival in East Timor.

The new UN Mission initially comprises 1,250 civilian police officers and 5,000 troops, including 120 military observers. The civilian component will include 100 personnel filling core functions, as well as units dealing with serious crimes and human rights and experts dealing with gender and HIV/AIDS.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) today noted the daunting challenges the new country faces, with an annual gross domestic product of only $478 per capita, average life expectancy of 57 years, and the subsistence by nearly half the population on less than 55 cents a day. The figures in East Timors National Human Development Report, which was presented last week by UNDP to President Xanana Gusmão, place the country among the worlds 20 poorest, on par with Angola, Bangladesh and Haiti.

WFP LAUNCHES EMERGENCY FEEDING OPERATION IN WEST BANK AND GAZA

The World Food Programme (WFP) today launched an emergency operation to help feed about half a million non-refugee Palestinians no longer able to afford their basic needs amid dramatically deteriorating living conditions in the Palestinian Territories.

WFP expects to help the most needy 500,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza strip with about 70,000 tons of food and to provide for their basic needs until the end of the year.

With about 29,000 tons of food already accounted for, WFP is appealing to donors for cash or in kind donations to cover the remaining 41,000 tons of food valued at $18 million. The food commodities to be distributed during the eight-month operation include wheat flour, rice, sugar, vegetable oil, and pulses.

ANNAN RECOMMENDS EXTENSION OF UN GOLAN MISSION

In the Secretary-Generals regular six-months report on the UN Disengagement Force in the Golan, he reports that although the situation in the Israel-Syria sector has remained generally quiet, the situation in the Middle East is very tense and is likely to remain so, unless and until a comprehensive settlement covering all aspects of the problem can be reached.

Under the circumstances, the Secretary-General considers the missions presence in the area to be essential and, therefore recommends that its mandate be extended for a further six months, until November 30, 2002.

In the report, he also notes that there is a $15 million shortfall in the Missions funding.

UN REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED ABOUT CHILD SOLDIERS IN COLOMBIA

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is expressing concern about refugee children being recruited to fight in Colombia. UNHCR says it has received reports that illegal armed groups from Colombia have been recruiting Colombian boys under 18 in the border areas of Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.

The refugee agency also says that in the last few months and, particularly since the end of the peace process, thousands of people have been displaced inside Colombia or have moved to other countries in the region.

LOYA JIRGA CANDIDATE KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN

The UN Mission in Afghanistan today notes the killing of Loya Jirga candidate Mohammed Rahim in a village in Ghor province. He was shot and killed hours after he had been selected Sunday by the local district to be one of the members of the electoral college from that district for the Loya Jirga. No other details were available.

The mission also reports the second and final round of the Loya Jirga process has begun in some districts today, including in Mazar-i-Sharif in the north.

The UN mission issued an update on efforts to reach recent flood victims in Bamiyan province. The affected population is estimated at 25,000 people.

UNHCR's update on Afghan repatriation notes the closure of the 22-year-old Nasir Bagh camp in Pakistan. UNHCR says it is probably the most famous refugee camp in the world.

UN MISSION TO INVESTIGATE KISANGANI INCIDENTS

In a press conference given today in Kinshasa, the head of the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Amos Namanga Ngongi, said he would be traveling to Kisangani Wednesday and that the UN mission was preparing a detailed report on the recent events there.

Meanwhile, there has been an increase in UN military patrols in the town.

In responding to a question from a journalist, the Special Representative said he did not think last weeks mutiny would delay the demilitarization of Kisangani.

In light of reports of armed confrontations and human rights violations, Ngongi reminded the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) that, as the de-facto authority in the town, they have a responsibility to ensure law and order.

ERITREA AND ETHIOPIA MEET WITH BOUNDARY COMMISSION IN THE HAGUE

The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission reports today that it is meeting with the parties today in The Hague to consider modalities of demarcation.

The independent Commission also reports that representatives from the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Organization of African Unity are attending the meeting.

The Commission delivered its decision on delimitation of the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia to representatives of the two governments on April 13.

The Security Council after holding back-to-back meetings last week with representatives from Eritrea and Ethiopia, said it looked forward to todays meeting.

NEXT ROUND OF UN-IRAQ TALKS SET FOR VIENNA

In answer to a question regarding recent press reports on the date and location of the next round of talks between Iraq and the Secretary-General, the Spokesman said he could confirm that they would take place in Vienna, Austria.

He added that no exact date was yet set but that they would occur in early July.

IRAQ OIL EXPORTS INCREASE AFTER MONTH-LONG HALT

The weekly update issued by the Office of the Iraq Programme shows that there were 6.9 million barrels of oil lifted through five loadings in the first week of exports, following Iraqs termination of its month-long self-imposed stoppage.

The weeks exports generated an estimated $169 million in revenue, bringing the total revenue in phase eleven to about $4.15 billion.

UN ENVOY IN KOSOVO MEETS WITH GYPSY FAMILIES

Today in Kosovo, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Michael Steiner, visited Ashkali (or Gypsy) families in the area of Vushtrii, and during that visit launched his concept paper on the right of sustainable returns. That paper lays out basic principles for displaced persons and refugees to return to Kosovo.

The fundamental principles are that returns must be based on the rights and decisions of individuals, and that returnees must have equal access to public services, employment, property, humanitarian assistance, freedom of movement and other attributes of normal life. Displaced people should try to return to their original homes, or at least their original areas.

UN COMMITTEE ON CHILD RIGHTS OPENS SPRING SESSION IN GENEVA

Today in Geneva, the Committee on the Rights of the Child began its spring session, which was opened by Maria Francisca Ize-Charrin, a representative from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who noted recent progress in dealing with childrens rights.

Among signs of progress was the recent decision by the Commission on Human Rights for the establishment of an independent expert to study violence against children; that expert would be appointed by the Secretary-General.

She also noted that 128 States so far have approved the expansion of the Committee on the Rights of the Child from its current 10 experts to 18 experts; nine more States must notify their acceptance of that expansion for it to take effect.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language: Asked for an update on the General Assembly mandated report on Jenin being prepared by the Secretary-General, the Spokesman confirmed that letters to both the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority had gone out last week but that no update would be provided until the report was completed.

Asked for clarification on the United Nations policy regarding kidnapping, the Spokesman said there had been no change. The United Nations does not pay ransom for kidnapped employees so as not to encourage such activity, the Spokesman added.

At the World Ecotourism Summit in Quebec City, Canada, today, Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called on participants to forge a new coalition for responsible prosperity to fight poverty and change unsustainable consumption patterns. He said, Sustainable ecotourism must be recognized as an important tool for alleviating poverty and promoting environmental protection.

The World Health Organization reports today on iodine deficiency disorders to which 50 million children are still exposed. Iodine deficiency before birth can cause mental retardation and iodine deficient communities have been found to score 10-15 points lower on IQ tests.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants received more signatures today. Todays signatories were Brunei Darussalam, Gabon, Tajikistan, Tonga and Vanuatu, bringing the number to 146.

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