United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-04-11

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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

STEPHANE DUJARRIC

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, April 11, 2005

ANNAN URGES DONOR TO GIVE GENEROUSLY TO SUDAN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged donors meeting in Oslo, Norway, to give, and give generously, to support the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for

Sudan.

He said that the United Nations has identified $2.6 billion that will be required for two and a half years, and added, We must remain unified in taking the next step, by giving the parties what they need to help communities recover and to consolidate peace.

The Secretary-General also noted massive shortfalls in funding for the

UN humanitarian appeal that was launched five months ago for Sudan, with some one billion dollars still required to meet the most immediate needs.

In his

speech, the Secretary-General said that the situation in Darfur remains extremely grave, with continuing abuse of the civilian population and attacks against humanitarian workers. He said that the only route to peace in Darfur is a political settlement, with progress needed urgently at the talks in Abuja, Nigeria.

Before the speech, the Secretary-General had met jointly with Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement chairman John Garang.

He urged both parties to cooperate fully with the

UN Security Council resolutions on Sudan, and expressed some concern about slippage in the timetable for implementing the peace accord. He told them that the clock was ticking on the deadline for concluding an agreement with the UN regarding the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Sudan.

The Secretary-General today also had an audience with Queen Sonja of Norway, as well as several bilateral meetings. He met with Norwegian Minister of International Development Hilde Johnson, with whom he discussed ways of collecting the money pledged for Sudan.

He also met, among others, with Japans Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ichiro Aisawa, with whom he discussed the Sudanese peace process and UN reform.

At a press conference he held before leaving Oslo, the Secretary-General was asked about the tendency of governments not to honour their pledges of assistance, and he quipped, Pledges are good but cash is better.

He was also asked if he agreed that stronger security measures are needed for the people of Darfur, and he replied, A hundred percent; I agree with that. And thats what were trying to work for.

NAMES OF ATTACKERS IN SUDAN TO BE GIVEN TO SECURITY COUNCIL

The Special Representative for the Secretary-General for Sudan,

Jan Pronk, and the African Union issued a joint statement late Friday on an attack in

Darfur in which they said the names of the perpetrators of the attack will be sent to the

Security Council sanctions committee to be brought to justice.

Today in his speech in Oslo, Pronk highlighted the humanitarian and development priorities that were required in Sudan.

He explained the UN system's integrated approach to development, as well as how the Comprehensive Peace Agreement might be adapted and adjusted as a model for use in Darfur. He emphasized the urgent need for a political settlement in Darfur.

Separately, the acting

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Wendy Chamberlin on Monday appealed for urgent international support to ensure that at least minimal conditions are in place in south Sudan so that millions of uprooted people can begin returning to the devastated region later this year.

CHIEF EXECUTIVES BOARD FOCUSES

ON MILLENNIUM DECLARATION IMPLEMENTATION

Over the weekend, the

Secretary-General was in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, where he chaired the twice-yearly meeting of heads of UN agencies, funds and programmes who make up the

Chief Executives Board.

The Board met in private session all day Saturday. A press release, issued at the conclusion of the last session, said that their discussions focused on efforts to implement the Millennium Declaration, collaborate on conflict prevention, support African development and work towards UN reform, not just of the Secretariat but of the entire system.

U.N. ENVOY TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL ON IRAQ TODAY

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Iraq,

Ashraf Qazi, will brief the

Security Council at 3:00 p.m. today. He will deliver remarks in a public session of the Council.

Afterwards, Council members will meet with Qazi in closed consultations. Qazi will be available to talk to reporters at the Security Council stakeout area after the consultations session.

SHOTS FIRED AT U.N. MISSION IN WESTERN COTE DIVOIRE

The

UN Operation in Cote dIvoire (UNOCI) reports that unidentified assailants fired between 15 and 20 shots at the missions headquarters in Daloa yesterday in the western part of the country.

No damage or injuries were reported and the assailants escaped.

UNOCI informed military authorities, known by the acronym FANCI, in the area and investigations are continuing. The military authorities said they would increase night patrols in the area. UNOCI also carried out arms inspections along the Ivorian-Guinean border over the weekend.

TWO LEADERS OF ARMED GANGS KILLED IN HAITI OVER THE WEEKEND

The

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti says that two leaders of illegal armed gangs were killed in exchanges of gunfire in Port au Prince over the weekend.

Remissainthe Ravix was killed by Haitian National Police, in an operation supported by UN peacekeepers, on Saturday, while Jean Rene Anthony was killed in another shootout on Sunday.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO SPEAK ON CONFLICT PREVENTION

The

Deputy Secretary-General is in Stockholm today and tomorrow. She will address a conference on "Conflict prevention and resolution: Challenges and Change for the United Nations", co-organized by Norway and Sweden in connection with the preparation of the 2005 General Assembly Summit.

The Deputy Secretary-General address will show that the United Nations is a more effective prevention instrument than many realize. She will highlight measures proposed by the Secretary-General to make the United Nations more effective in this regard. Those measures await decision by world leaders at the Summit in September 2005.

ANNAN SPOKE WITH JOHN BOLTON LAST WEEK

In response to questions from reporters, the Spokesman confirmed that the

Secretary-General called John Bolton, the U.S. nominee for Ambassador to the United Nations, last week. He said that the Secretary-General is a courteous man who was reaching out to someone he may be working with closely.

At the same time, the Spokesman said, he did not want to prejudge the legislative process underway in the United States. He has no further information about the call and could not confirm, as Bolton was reported to have said, that the Secretary-General told Bolton to get yourself confirmed quickly.

Asked about the timing of the call, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General had time last week to make the call; recently, the Secretary-General had also called Paul Wolfowitz when he was the U.S. nominee to head the World Bank.

FOUR EXPERTS NAMED TO SOMALIA MONITORING GROUP

The

Secretary-General has written to the

Security Council

President on re-establishing the Somalia monitoring group.

Four experts are named to the group, as requested by the Security Council, to continue investigating the implementation of the arms embargo and violations. The groups mandate is contained in

resolution 1587.

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE HEARING BEGINS

ON CLAIMS OF UGANDA ATTACKS ON DR CONGO TERRITORY

Today in The Hague, the

International Court of Justice began two weeks of public hearings

concerning armed attacks on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

On 23 June 1999, the Democratic Republic of the Congo filed an Application with the Court, instituting proceedings against Uganda for acts of armed aggression perpetrated in flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and of the Charter of the OAU.

COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BEGINS 13th SESSION

More than 75 government ministers with a broad range of portfolios are meeting here at UN Headquarters over the next two weeks to decide on policies and practical measures to speed up progress towards achieving the internationally agreed goals and targets related to water, sanitation and human settlements.

The meeting is the 13th session of the

Commission on Sustainable Development. This is its first policy-setting session since the World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg in 2002.

These goals and targets include halving by 2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, developing by 2005 integrated water resources management and water efficiency plans, and significantly improving the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.

EARTHQUAKE HITS WEST SUMATRA, INDONESIA

An earthquake measuring 6.7 on Richter scale, followed by five aftershocks, hit West Sumatra, in Indonesia, yesterday, the

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports. The epicenter was in the Indian Ocean, 105 km southwest of the city of Padang. No casualties or damage have been reported.

The provincial government has prepared food items and medicine and will send them to the affected districts. However, according to OCHA, the stock is adequate for a short-term period only.

NORTH KOREA APPEALS FOR HELP IN FIGHT AGAINST BIRD FLU

At an international conference on

Avian Influenza, or bird flu, that ended in Paris on Friday, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea formally appealed to the international community for assistance in its fight against the virus.

The country has asked the

Food and Agriculture Organization and the

World Organization for Animal Health to provide diagnostic tools and technical assistance for disease control strategies, including vaccination.

FAO experts have already been fielded to Pyongyang and are currently supporting the government in obtaining information on the extent of the outbreaks.

BILL CLINTON TO ADDRESS MEDIA LEADERS ON FIGHTING AIDS

Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m., U.S. President Bill Clinton will address more than three dozen media leaders from around the world, gathered in Cannes, France, at a UN-organized meeting, to explore ways they can combine their efforts to fight

AIDS. He will join the gathering though a satellite link from UN Headquarters.

Clinton will talk about his work, through his Foundation, in fighting HIV/AIDS and will exchange ideas with the media leaders who are meeting at MIP TV, the worlds largest television market, as part of the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI] at the invitation of the

Secretary-General.

This gathering in Cannes comes 15 months after the Secretary-General brought together 22 media leaders at UN Headquarters in New York in January 2004, to focus attention on how their companies could contribute to the fight against AIDS. Those attending executives pledged their companies commitment and resources to raise public awareness and understanding about HIV/AIDS.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNICEF PRAISES CLINTON FOUNDATIONS HIV PLAN: The

United Nations Childrens Fund today

praised a plan from the Clinton Foundation that will significantly increase the number of

HIV-positive children receiving antiretroviral drugs specifically formulated for them.

CRITICAL MALNUTRITION REPORTED AMONG REFUGEE CHILDREN IN ETHIOPIA: A nutritional assessment mission to Ethiopia reports of critical malnutrition rates among children in refugee camps in the Somali Region. According to the

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in one of the surveyed camps one fourth of the children were suffering from global acute malnutrition, while over five percent were suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

PROCEDURES UNDERTAKEN TO DEAL WITH STAFF FOUND VIOLATING RULES: In response to a question concerning UN follow-up to the report of the

Independent Inquiry Committee, the Spokesman noted that procedures have been taken to deal with staff found in violation of UN Staff Rules by the Committee.

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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