United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-04-13

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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

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS NUCLEAR TERRORISM TREATY TEXT;

ANNAN WELCOMES IT AS "VITAL STEP FORWARD"

The

General Assembly this morning adopted by consensus an

International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.

The Assembly requested the Secretary-General to open the Convention for signature at UN Headquarters, starting this 14 September and lasting until the end of December 2006.

It also called on all States to sign and ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Convention.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a

statement, congratulates the General Assembly on its adoption today by consensus of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.

The adoption of this Convention, after many years of negotiations, is a vital step forward in multilateral efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism. The Convention will help prevent terrorist groups from gaining access to the most lethal weapons known to humanity. It will also strengthen the international legal framework against terrorism, which includes 12 existing universal conventions and protocols.

The adoption of this Convention was one of the key recommendations contained in the Secretary-Generals recent report, In Larger Freedom. He calls on all States to become parties to the Convention without delay. They will have an opportunity to do so during Septembers Summit, when the Convention will be open for signature as part of a special treaty event.

The Secretary-General also encourages the General Assembly to press ahead and finalize yet another important legal instrument, the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism, before the end of the 60th session of the General Assembly.

Asked how many countries would need to ratify the Convention, the Spokesman said 22 ratifications would be needed for it to enter into force.

OVER 10,000 COMBATANTS DISARMED IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Today, the

UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced that the number of disarmed militia personnel in that country has now passed the 10,000 mark.

There are now no more than 2,500 to 3,000 armed militia members in the northeastern Ituri region.

In related news, the Security Council yesterday issued a

presidential statement, in which it welcomed the pledge by the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) to renounce the use of force and cease all offensive operations against Rwanda. The Security Council also called on the FDLR to turn their positive words into action and to demonstrate their commitment to peace by immediately handing all their arms to MONUC.

ANNAN CONCERNED BY TENSION IN GUINEA-BISSAU

The Secretary-General

notes with concern the mounting political and social tensions in

Guinea-Bissau as the country prepares to hold presidential elections in June 2005. Accordingly, he has directed his Representative in Guinea-Bissau to promote and facilitate dialogue between all of the countrys political actors in order to build a more conducive atmosphere for peaceful, credible elections.

These elections are a crucial step toward concluding the transitional process, fully restoring constitutional order and permitting renewed engagement of the countrys development partners. The Secretary-General calls on all political actors to participate constructively in dialogue and to refrain from any action or statement that could jeopardize peaceful elections and stability in the country.

SECURITY COUNCIL BEGINS MISSION TO HAITI

There are no

Security Council meetings or consultations scheduled for today, or for the remainder of this week.

The 15 members of the Security Council today have begun a mission to Haiti, which will last until 16 April. The mission will be held in conjunction with one from the

Economic and Social Councils ad hoc advisory group on Haiti.

The Security Council mission is headed by Ambassador Ronaldo Sardenberg of Brazil.

ANNAN WELCOMES FORTHCOMING HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE IN NEPAL

A

statement was issued Tuesday afternoon, saying that the Secretary-General welcomed the signing on Monday of a Memorandum of Understanding between the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Nepalese Government, providing for the High Commissioners Office in Nepal to establish an office to monitor the observance of human rights and international law.

This is an important development that should help prevent human rights abuses and contribute to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Nepal.

NO SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN FINDING MISSING KUWAITIS IN IRAQ

Out on the racks is the latest

report from the Secretary-General to the Security Council on the repatriation from

Iraq of all Kuwaitis and third country nationals or their remains. In it, the Secretary-General details the work of Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, his High-Level Coordinator on this issue.

The Secretary-General notes that given the current security situation in Iraq the search for missing Kuwaitis and third country nationals has not progressed substantially, although the process of identifying mortal remains has continued.

The Secretary-General writes that he is pleased by the constructive stance taken by the new Iraqi authorities in relation to this particular issue as well as the return of Kuwaiti property.

URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO REDUCE EXTREME POVERTY

Bold and urgent action is needed to reduce extreme poverty and improve peoples economic and social prospects in developing countries, to meet the

Millennium Development Goals, according to a new

report by the

World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

The credibility of the entire development community is at stake as never before, World Bank President James Wolfensohn said yesterday while introducing the second annual Global Monitoring Report.

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES

KEY TO MEETING MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The world must harness the potential of information and communications technologies to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals.

That idea is included in the Secretary-Generals

message to a meeting of the UN Information and Communications Technologies Task Force, being held in Dublin, Ireland, today and tomorrow.

The Secretary-General adds that the use of such technologies needs also to be improved within the United Nations itself, so that the Organizations collective mindset and methods of work are brought fully into the digital age.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

MEMBER STATES SERIOUS ABOUT U.N. REFORM: Asked whether there was more pessimism on whether the Secretary-Generals reform proposals would be accepted in time for the September summit, the Spokesman said the United Nations views the sturm und drang over the proposals as a sign of the seriousness with which Member States are dealing with the issue. It remains to be seen whether they will agree by the September summit, as the Secretary-General challenged them to do, but the discussion on UN reform is still at the opening stages, he added.

UNITED NATIONS DEFERS OIL-FOR-FOOD QUESTIONS TO VOLCKER COMMISSION: Asked about the Secretary-Generals transmission of a letter concerning Cotecna, the Spokesman said the United Nations accepts the findings of the Independent Inquiry Committee headed by Paul Volcker.

SPOKESMANS REUNION TO LOOK AT EVOLVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN U.N. & MEDIA: The Spokesmans Office, with the generous support of the UN Foundation and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, is hosting an all-day programme tomorrow examining how the United Nations got its message out to the media from its inception. Participants will include UN press officers and spokesmen, as well as some of the journalists they spoke to, from 1945 to the present.

ALL SAMPLES OF H2N2 FLU VIRUS SHOULD BE DESTROYED IMMEDIATELY: Regarding the news that samples of the H2N2 influenza virus were sent out inadvertently to more than 3,700 laboratories in 18 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has posted a

notice on its website, recommending that all samples containing this virus, which is similar to the so-called Asian flu pandemic of 1957-58, be destroyed immediately. WHO also says that the infection risk for laboratory workers and public is low.

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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