United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-06-27

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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, June 27, 2005

ANNAN MARKS 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNITED NATIONS CHARTER

Today in the General Assembly Hall, the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter was

observed as the preamble to the Charter was read out by UN tour guides.

After that, Secretary-General Kofi Annan

said that over 60 years, where the United Nations could, we have averted the scourge of war. Where we could not, we have sought to resolve conflict and build peace.

He outlined the UNs successes over the years, and also pointed to its failures worst of all the collective failure to prevent the genocide in Rwanda.

Now, he said, there is an opportunity to change the United Nations to allow it to deal with new threats and challenges. Let us all work together, to ensure that this once-in-a-generation opportunity is not missed.

At the commemoration, General Assembly President Jean Ping stated that this was another occasion to reaffirm our devotion to the goals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, by favouring development, by rejecting war as a means of settling differences between nations and by condemning without reserve all forms of violations of basic human rights.

Yesterday, the actual date marking 60 years since the Charters signing, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Shashi Tharoor, read out a

message in San Francisco on the Secretary-Generals behalf.

Today in Moscow, UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel took part in the opening of the international conference "60 Years of Victory: United Nations and International Law." He delivered an address on the role of the UN in the field of international law, saying that, over the past 60 years, one of the greatest achievements of the Organization has been the role it has played in the development of a wide corpus of international law, which now regulates almost every aspect of a State's interactions with other States.

A historical photographic exhibition commemorating the 60th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945 will open tonight at 6:00 p.m. in the Visitors Lobby at UN headquarters. The Secretary-General and his wife, as well as Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize winner and UN Messenger of Peace, are expected to attend.

U.N. ENVOY ARRIVES IN ZIMBABWE TO LOOK INTO RECENT EVICTIONS

Anna Tibaijuka, Special Envoy for Human Settlement Issues in Zimbabwe, arrived in Harare yesterday.

She was sent by the Secretary-General to study the scope of the recent eviction of illegal dwellers, informal traders and squatters, and the humanitarian impact it has had on the affected population.

She has been briefed about the situation on the ground by UN staff and is mapping out her work which will include discussions with a broad range of actors, especially the affected population.

Tibaijuka expects to meet with President Mugabe today.

COUNTRIES CAN MAKE POVERTY HISTORY, ANNAN SAYS

The Secretary-General this morning

told the second high-level dialogue on Financing for Development that we are at a moment when nations can help to make poverty history. The Monterrey Consensus has brought rich and poor countries together in partnership, he said, while the

Millennium Project has given us a plan of action.

The question now, twelve weeks before the UNs September Summit, is whether we can close the deal. The Secretary-General said that never, perhaps, have a few weeks mattered so much for the worlds poor as the next few.

KYRGYZSTAN URGED TO KEEP PROTECTING UZBEK ASYLUM SEEKERS

Ending a high-level visit to Kyrgyzstan, UN Assistant

High Commissioner for Refugees, Kamel Morjane, urged Kyrgyz authorities on Monday to continue offering protection to 444 Uzbek asylum seekers. He promised generous and targeted international support to the government to help in this task.

The Secretary-General

spoke over the weekend to President Bakiev of Kyrgyzstan, to ask him to ensure that no further Uzbek asylum seekers are forcibly returned. He also reminded the President of Kyrgyzstans international obligations and offered the assistance of the United Nations in resolving the problem.

The Secretary-General said today that President Bakiyev had assured him that he wanted to settle the issue with respect for the international legal conventions.

Asked what the next step would be, the Spokesman later said the Kyrgyz and UNHCR are currently doing a rapid determination of who is a refugee. The next step would be to look at the following options -- repatriation, integration or resettlement. More details are in the

UNHCR press release.

AFGHANISTAN: U.N. ENVOY CONDEMNS ESCALATING VIOLENCE

In a

statement, Jean Arnault, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Afghanistan, condemned the escalation of violence that has taken place in that country since last years presidential elections.

He said that the authors and supporters of such violence inflict unacceptable suffering on a country that struggles to rebuild security, stability and confidence among its citizens. They create a climate of fear at a time when the population is preparing for parliamentary and provincial elections.

He added that only the Afghan and Pakistani Governments, working with the support of the international community, can stem the ongoing wave of extremist violence.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON LIBERIA: The Security Council held closed consultations on Liberia. The Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Abou Moussa, briefed members on the latest

report on Liberia, which was issued on Friday. Also on the agenda is the

Democratic Republic of the Congo. Council members are discussing a draft presidential statement.

MORE REPORTS OF BANDITRY IN SUDAN: The UN Mission in

Sudan continues to report cases of looting and banditry in Darfur. One incident in South Darfur involved a UN-sub-contracted vehicle that was attacked by eight armed people, who stole diesel fuel and sacks of sorghum.

ANNAN MARKS ANTI-DRUG DAY: In a message to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Secretary-General said that, despite colorful and enticing names, drugs were little more than tickets to a dead end. He called on citizens of the world to strengthen their collective resolve to live in a society free of drugs, and encourage their fellow human beings to make personal choices to lead healthy lives.

new emergency food guide published: In a new resource guide

published today, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says that while temporary food distribution is crucial for helping people cope under emergency situations, assistance is also often needed to help restore local food production and to reduce the dependency on food aid. When a crisis occurs, the publication adds, food production is often no longer possible, and that can result in a serious violation of human dignity.

NEW AMAZON WATERS PROJECT LAUNCHED: A new

project aimed at helping the Amazon Basin and its 10 million inhabitants conserve and better manage the regions economically important waters, forests and wildlife was announced today. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is helping to implement the project, along with the Global Environment Facility. Covering Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, the project will aim to coordinate the numerous but fragmented national efforts currently underway.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONSULTATIONS TO RESUME ON THURSDAY: Informal consultations of the General Assembly, on the draft outcome document for the September summit, will resume on Thursday, 30 June.