United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-04-05

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON

BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, April 5, 2005

ANNAN TELLS STAFF: UNITED NATIONS MUST BECOME

MORE RELEVANT TO PRESENT CHALLENGES

Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning told UN staff that it is important for the United Nations to look forward and to become more relevant to the challenges of the twenty-first century.

In a meeting with staff, which he entered to a standing ovation, he discussed the

investigation of the

oil-for-food program, saying, I know this has cast a shadow on all of us. He said he has experienced personal pain, as a Secretary-General and as a father, and reiterated his belief that the committee headed by Paul Volcker will get to the bottom of the allegations surrounding the program.

The Secretary-General also outlined proposals for UN reform. Among them, he said, the United Nations will establish an oversight committee, to ensure that the recommendations of the Office for Internal Oversight Services are implemented. Also, he said, it will set up a board to monitor managerial performance; guidelines on treating whistle-blowers will be circulated to staff shortly; and a strong policy to deal with sexual misconduct has already been put in place.

The Secretary-General also emphasized the reform proposals he has presented to world leaders, calling them bold, but achievable, and urging heads of state to act on them when they come to the United Nations this September.

Asked about reports that some whistle-blowers have been harassed by their managers, the Secretary-General said that managers have to be held accountable. If individuals are harassed, he said, they should come out with the facts, which would have to be investigated.

He added, in response to another question, that accountability should apply across the board, regardless of rank or level.

Asked how the United Nations can handle the recent negative news about it, the Secretary-General said that it should take the necessary measures to strengthen its management and administration and carry out reform efforts, while rebutting any unfair accusations. Ultimately, he said, we should do what we do best, and serve the people of the world that we are here to serve.

At the noon briefing, in response to a question about complaints that some staff members were not called on, the Spokesman said a good cross-section of staff was heard from over the course of the hour-long meeting.

Asked about comments the Secretary-General made at the meeting about his son, Kojo, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General has already told everything he knows on that matter to Paul Volckers committee, and the United Nations has nothing further to add.

Asked how the Secretary-General responded when staff applauded at comments that were critical of the United Nations, the Spokesman said he thought that the Secretary-General heard the staff loud and clear.

Responding to complaints from TV journalists that the live feed of the meeting was not provided, the Spokesman noted that the request for a live TV feed had been conveyed, but it was felt that staff might then see the event as a public relations stunt, rather than as a frank exchange of views. The Executive Office consequently reaffirmed its decision not to allow a live feed. The Spokesman apologized for any inconvenience.

TODAY MARKS ANNANS 10TH MEETING WITH STAFF SINCE 1997

I was asked yesterday how many times in the past had the Secretary-General met with UN staff, and how many of those were in the General Assembly Hall.

Today was the Secretary-Generals tenth meeting with staff since he took office in 1997. Five previous meetings also took place in the General Assembly Hall, the last of which was on September 19, 2003, when a memorial service was held there to honor the staff who lost their lives in the bombing one month earlier of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.

SUDAN: SEALED LIST OF WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS

HANDED OVER TO INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT PROSECUTOR

The Secretary-General today met with Luis Moreno Ocampo, the

Prosecutor of the

International Criminal Court (ICC).

At that meeting, the Secretary-General transmitted to the Court Prosecutor the sealed list of names given to him by the International Commission of Inquiry that reported to him on Darfur this year.

Earlier today in The Hague, nine boxes of materials and 11 CD-ROMS of materials collected over a period of three months by the Commission was handed over to the Prosecutors office.

Asked whether the names on the Commission of Inquirys list will now be made public, the Spokesman said that was a matter for the prosecutor to answer. The Secretary-General had not opened that envelope, he noted.

PROTESTS HELD AGAINST SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS IN SUDAN

Meanwhile in Khartoum, the UN mission reports that tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the most recent Security Council

resolutions relating to

Sudan. Public statements and media comment have specifically repeated the Government's refusal to allow any Sudanese citizens to be tried in foreign courts.

Some of today's protesters attacked the perimeter fence of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) compound. When that failed, they ended up throwing stones into the UNDP compound, before a group of elders and community leaders passed a letter into the building, to be sent to the Secretary-General. Earlier in the day, a group of students had thrown stones at a rental car with UN markings. No casualties were reported.

A similar demonstration was planned for Port Sudan today and on Sunday, a protest against the Council resolutions took place in El-Fasher in North Darfur.

In Darfur today, Special Representative Jan Pronk continued his tour of that region, where continued insecurity is being reported.

In North Darfur, some 800 people at the Abu Shouk camp for displaced persons have staged a demonstration to protest the continuous insecurity and high level of rapes around the camps.

And in South Darfur, tribesmen entered Kalma camp this past weekend, and harassed the population. The local police, claiming there was no wrongdoing, refused to take action. Later, members of the African Union Civilian Police unit dispersed the armed men, following requests from humanitarian organizations. The mission says the Nyala town police continue to demand incentives in the form of fuel and food for carrying out security patrols, in spite of a clear understanding that this is a responsibility of the Government of Sudan.

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS WITH U.N. REFORM ENVOYS

Following the meeting with the ICC Prosecutor, the Secretary-General met with his

Special Envoys for

UN Reform, whom he named yesterday.

Mark Malloch Brown, the Chief of Staff, will be joining us tomorrow at the noon briefing to introduce two of the four envoys: Dermot Ahern, Foreign Minister of Ireland, and Ali Alatas, former Foreign Minister of Indonesia.

ZIMBABWE: ANNAN CONCERNED BY ELECTIONS CONSIDERED UNFAIR BY OPPOSITION

The Secretary-General

notes that parliamentary voting held in Zimbabwe on 31 March was conducted peacefully, without the violence that has marred previous elections.

He is concerned, however, that the electoral process has not countered the sense of disadvantage felt by opposition political parties who consider the conditions were unfair.

He believes the government has a responsibility now to build a climate of confidence that will be essential for national unity and economic recovery in Zimbabwe.

He calls on all sides to engage in constructive dialogue in the period ahead.

U.N. ENVOY VERIFIES SYRIAN INTELLIGENCE LEFT ITS BEIRUT HEADQUARTERS

Terje Roed-Larsen, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for

resolution 1559, continued his meetings in Beirut today.

He met with government officials, including the Ministers of Interior and of Defense, Suleiman Franjieh and Abdelrahim Mrad, as well as the chief of staff of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Gen. Michel Sleiman.

Larsen also had the opportunity to meet with Druze leader Walid Jumblat and the Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon, Nasrallah Sfeir. And he also saw the family of the late Prime Minister, Rafic Hariri. Larsen is also expected to meet other opposition politicians. In his various meetings, Larsen underscored the importance for the stability of Lebanon that free and fair elections be held by their scheduled date.

While in Beirut, Larsen visited the Beau-Rivage Hotel which had served as the headquarters of the Syrian Intelligence services in Lebanon. He wanted to see for himself that the building had in fact been vacated.

Last month in Allepo, the Syrian President had made a point of promising Larsen that the intelligence services would leave the Beau-Rivage and Lebanon.

REFUGEE AGENCY ASSESSES CONFLICT AREA IN WESTERN COLOMBIA

The

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has

sent a team to assess the situation in Bojaya, western Colombia, following fighting between armed groups there.

Some 250 Colombians who spent the last two weeks caught in the cross-fire between the armed groups were able to flee this past weekend, bringing the number of people displaced in the area in recent weeks to more than 2,000.

UNHCR has issued repeated warnings about the worsening humanitarian situation in the Bojaya area and is again calling on the Colombian government and the international community to take urgent action to avoid a potential humanitarian disaster.

ARAB GOVERNMENTS COULD FACE CHAOTIC SOCIAL UPHEAVAL

WITHOUT QUICK REFORMS

The UN Development Programme today

released its third Arab Human Development Report in Amman, Jordan.

The report calls for the rapid acceleration of democratic reform in the Arab world, with specific proposals for new regional human rights institutions, robust and freely elected legislatures, and truly independent judiciaries.

It adds that, by 21st century standards, Arab countries have not met their peoples aspirations for development, security and liberation. And it says that, unless Arab governments move much more quickly towards reform, they could face chaotic social upheaval.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

DEMARCATION WORK ON CAMEROON-NIGERIA BOUNDARY TO RESUME WITHOUT DELAY: The UN Office for West Africa says that following fruitful consultations held in Abuja with the head of the Nigerian delegation, the Chairman of the

Cameroon/Nigeria Mixed Commission,

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, is pleased to announce that demarcation work on the boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria will resume without delay.

NO SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGS TODAY: There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled for today. The Security Council President for the month of April, Ambassador Wang Guangya of China,

told reporters at the beginning of the month briefing yesterday that few meetings had been scheduled for this week since many permanent representatives would be involved in informal consultations of the General Assembly to discuss the Secretary-Generals report.

AIRDROPS TO AID EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN INDONESIA: According to the World Food Programme (WFP), assessment teams on the Indonesian islands of Simeulue and Nias have continued to find communities severely affected by the recent earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. It is estimated that 150,000 inhabitants are in need of immediate food assistance. Many roads and bridges have been destroyed, and WFP is therefore focusing on airdrops and shipping food to strategic points on the islands.

LIST OF DOLLAR-A-YEAR STAFF MEMBERS RELEASED TODAY: In response to a question, the Spokesman confirmed that the United Nations was today putting out a list of all appointments made by the Secretary-General at the Assistant Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-General level of people who are on contracts of one dollar a year. That list includes information about visa status and other privileges.

UNITED NATIONS. ONLY AT BEGINNING OF REFORM PROCESS: Asked whether the Secretary-General is concerned about resistance to his Security Council reform proposals, the Spokesman said that it is just the beginning of the process, and it is up to Member States to slug it out.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162 - press/media only

Fax. 212-963-7055

All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

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