United Nations Daily Highlights, 08-05-19

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MICHELE MONTAS

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, May 19, 2008

BAN KI-MOON TO TRAVEL TO CYCLONE-HIT MYANMAR

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to travel to Thailand and

Myanmar tomorrow, May 20.

He is expected to arrive in Yangon on Thursday and will first go to the areas hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis. He is also scheduled to meet with senior Government officials in Myanmar.

He will then head to Bangkok for a series of bilateral meetings on Friday, May 23, before returning again to Yangon on Sunday, May 25, for a pledging conference that will be co-sponsored by the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He is planning to return to New York on Monday.

His objective is to reinforce the ongoing aid operation, see how the international relief and rehabilitation effort can be scaled up, and work with the Myanmar authorities to significantly increase the amount of aid flowing through Yangon to the areas hardest hit by the disaster.

The objective is also to more effectively coordinate and systematize the international community's emergency relief and longer-term rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance.

The Spokeswoman, in response to a question, said that because of scheduling uncertainties as of yesterday afternoon, a story announcing the visit on the UN Newscentre website was temporarily taken down. That story has since been re-posted on the website.

Asked if the Secretary-General had been granted a visa to visit Myanmar, the Spokeswoman replied that he had.

Asked if his visa application had followed normal procedure, she noted that had been specifically invited by the Myanmar authorities, through their Permanent Representative to the United Nations, to visit the country.

Montas, in response to a question, said that the Secretary-General's programme of work for Myanmar was being finalized and that it was still unclear which senior officials he will be meeting in Myanmar.

Asked to clarify comments attributed to John Holmes, the Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, to the extent that he was happily surprised and impressed by the relief work being done in Myanmar, the Spokeswoman said that those comments alluded to the performance of UN relief workers on the ground in the Myanmar regions affected by Cyclone Nargis.

Asked if Holmes had delivered a third letter by the Secretary-General to General Tan Shwe, Montas replied that the letter was delivered to the Myanmar Government.

Asked if the Secretary-General would be meeting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the main opposition leader to the Myanmar leadership, Montas said that Ban Ki-moon's visit was strictly of a humanitarian nature. He will meet with the victims of Cyclone Nargis, she emphasized.

Asked if the Secretary-General would be able to observe the second round of Myanmar's constitutional referendum while in the country later this week, Montas noted that Ban Ki-moon will be holding bilateral meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, on the day the vote is scheduled to take place in the Cyclone-affected regions.

MYANMAR PLEDGING CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR THIS SUNDAY

The following is a joint statement by the Secretary-General and the Chair of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN):

In recognition of the outpouring of international solidarity and support for alleviating the devastating impact of Cyclone Nargis on Myanmar and the widespread suffering caused to its people, the United Nations and ASEAN announce the convening of an ASEAN-UN International Pledging Conference.

This Conference will be held on Sunday 25 May in Yangon, Myanmar, and will be co-chaired by the United Nations and ASEAN. Member States of the United Nations are invited to participate in the Conference at the Ministerial level.

The Conference will focus on the needs of those affected by the cyclone, and seek international support and financial assistance for the international humanitarian response to meet the most urgent challenges, as well as longer term recovery efforts.

The co-convenors call on the international community to rise to the occasion and translate their solidarity and sympathy into concrete commitments to help the people of Myanmar emerge from the tragedy and rebuild their lives.

MYANMAR: HUMANITARIAN CHIEF TOURS HARD-HIT AREAS

AS FOOD SHORTAGES LEAD TO DISPLACEMENT

Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, who arrived in Myanmar yesterday, today visited three cyclone-affected areas, including the town of Labutta in the Delta, with full cooperation from the Myanmar authorities.

Holmes also met with the humanitarian country team and with the Myanmar Red Cross today; he plans to meet with Government officials tomorrow.

As for the situation on the ground, several agencies report that population displacements are continuing, driven by food shortages in the hardest-hit villages.

Relief arriving on commercial flights is being transported to cyclone-affected areas, but not in the quantity or frequency required to meet peoples needs, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says.

Heavy rain is preventing the movement of cargo along some roads to the delta, while requests for the approval of international staff to travel to that region are still pending.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has so far dispatched enough food to feed more than 250,000 people, via 13 air cargo shipments into Yangon.

WFP has purchased enough rice inside Myanmar to feed over 1.5 million people for two weeks. More than 1,000 tons of beans have also been purchased, allowing WFP to move food quickly and efficiently to those who need it most.

Agencies working in health have made available more than 350 tons of medical supplies and equipment, including three million water purification sachets, as well as water containers, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, shelter equipment, emergency health kits and essential medicines.

The World Health Organization has 17 surveillance teams currently distributing medical supplies in the delta region. A surveillance system for outbreaks has been established.

U.N. AGENCIES RUSH RELIEF SUPPLIES TO CHINA QUAKE SURVIVORS

Regarding the earthquake in China, the United Nations is continuing its relief efforts, following the request of the Government of China.

The World Food Programme has distributed $100,000 worth of noodles, while the UN Development Programme is

supplying tents, quilts, clothing and emergency lights.

UNICEF has rushed half a million dollars worth of emergency supplies to China. The first consignments include a thousand tents and 15,000 blankets. Health equipment, medicines and water and sanitation materials will soon follow.

The UN Environment Programme will procure and supply water purifying and testing equipment.

Asked if the United Nations was commemorating the days of mourning decreed by the Chinese authorities in memory of the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan, Montas recalled that UN staff in China had earlier today joined the Chinese people in three minutes of silence at the UN compound in Beijing.

FOOD DISTRIBUTED TO DISPLACED SUDANESE

UN agencies and non-governmental organizations today started distributing food to thousands of people recently displaced from Abyei as a result of last weeks fighting there.

A total of five food centres are being set up covering some 18 villages, according to the Humanitarian Coordinator for Southern Sudan.

Following on from the initial assessment, the most pressing needs are food, shelter, water and health. Humanitarian agencies are also beginning to verify and reunite separated children with their families.

However, the rainy season is hampering access to some areas in the east while insecurity is posing challenges to the west.

The exact number of those displaced from the Abyei area is not yet determined but is in the range of 30,000 to 50,000 people.

HUMANITARIAN CONDITIONS ON DOWNWARD SPIRAL IN SOMALIA

The Food and Agriculture Organization says that humanitarian conditions in Somalia are on a downward spiral due to soaring food prices, a devalued Somali shilling and worsening drought.

This leaves more than 2.6 million people, or 35 percent of the total population, in need of assistance, the agency, adding that this amounts to an increase of more than 40 percent since January.

The increase in needs is due mainly to the addition of 600 000 urban poor who fled violence in the capital Mogadishu and are living in temporary shelter in the southern and central regions of the country.

An estimated 1 million Somalis are internally displaced, FAO noted.

AFGHANISTAN: U.N. MISSION CONDEMNS ATTACK ON FOOD AID CONVOY

Eide is also scheduled to have meetings with the Iranian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Refugees, Interior and Defence during his two-day visit to Iran.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that a convoy of 79 trucks carrying World Food Programme (WFP) food was

attacked by anti-Government units using small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades over the weekend.

UNAMA condemned the unscrupulous attack on such life-saving food aid and demanded an immediate end to these attacks, which deny vital food to Afghanistans poorest communities and goes against all the Islamic and traditional values of the Afghan people.

UN ENVOY MEETS IRANIAN PRESIDENT TO DISCUSS AFGHANISTAN

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Kai Eide,

met with President Ahmadinejad of Iran today to build support for the stability and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Speaking after his meeting with the Iranian President, Eide said: We had a very constructive discussion on the challenges facing Afghanistan and the importance of full co-operation with Afghanistans neighbours to help secure peace, stability and progress for all people in the region. We agreed that a stable Afghanistan will bring benefits for Iran and we also had a productive exchange of views on the forthcoming Paris Conference on Afghanistan as well as the current food security situation.

IRAQ: U.N. ENVOY CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON IRANIAN DIPLOMATS

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, has

condemned a recent attack in Iraq against Iranian diplomats.

Calling the attack outrageous, de Mistura says that attacking foreign diplomats in Iraq aims to discourage normal diplomatic relations between Iraq and the international community. Such attacks will not succeed, he stressed.

NEPAL MURDER A SERIOUS BREACH OF MONITORING AGREEMENT

The UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) today

condemned the killing of businessman Ram Hari Shrestha. Commanders of the Maoist army have acknowledged to UNMIN that the murder was committed by members of the Maoist army.

According to UNMIN, this act is a serious breach of the commitments made in the Agreement on Monitoring the Management of Arms and Armies reached between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the then Government, as well as of fundamental human rights.

UNMIN arms monitors have conducted a preliminary inquiry, the results of which will be presented at the next meeting of the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee.

UNMIN calls on the Maoists to cooperate fully with the police to ensure that all those responsible for ordering or carrying out the abduction or killing are punished.

YEMEN LAUDED FOR PROTECTING PEOPLE CROSSING GULF OF ADEN

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres today praised Yemen for providing protection to people making the dangerous Gulf of Aden crossing from Somalia. He added that the international community should do more to help.

His agency and other international groups have stepped up their efforts to assist Yemen and other countries in the region, and are jointly calling for global action to better address the challenges.

So far this year, more than 18,000 people have made the perilous Gulf of Aden crossing aboard smugglers' boats, double the number for the same period a year ago. More than 400 people have died trying to make the voyage this year.

$100 MILLION PUT ASIDE TO FIGHT EFFECTS OF FOOD PRICE HIKES

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, has decided to reserve $100 million from current Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) resources to respond to the most immediate life-saving activities in sectors directly linked to the effects of the recent rise in global food prices (food, agriculture, health, nutrition, and logistics).

Since its inception in 2006, CERF has shown that it is a successful humanitarian funding mechanism that ensures that aid is delivered in an effective, fast and predictable way.

So far this year, the Fund has already allocated almost $66 million to food interventions by all UN agencies as compared to $37 million allocated during the first four and a half months of 2007. Overall, the Fund has disbursed almost $800 million in its short history.

Given the likely extra demands on the Fund from food-related emergencies, and from multiple crises and disasters around the world, the need to replenish CERF in the near future is evident. The Secretary-General and the Emergency Relief Coordinator are therefore encouraging all donors and potential donors to make additional contributions to the Fund beyond the $425 million already pledged for 2008.

ECOSOC TO HOLD SPECIAL MEETING ON GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

Tomorrow afternoon, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is holding a special meeting on the global food crisis.

From 3 to 6 p.m. in the ECOSOC Chamber, members will hear briefings from the presidents of the General Assembly, Security Council and ECOSOC. The meeting will focus on ways to minimize the negative impacts of the current food crisis. Its expected that the President of ECOSOC will, at the end of the meeting, propose a set of policy actions over the short, medium and long-term.

GLOBAL SECURITY THREATS COULD UNDERMINE HEALTH PROGRESS

The 61st session of the World Health Assembly, the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), started today in Geneva and will last all week.

Among the topics for discussion this year are flu preparedness, female genital mutilation, the harmful use of alcohol, and links between climate change and health.

Addressing the Assembly this morning, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan warned that three international security threats namely food security, climate change, and pandemic influenza have the potential to undo much hard-won progress in public health.

U.N. BODY REVIEWS HUMAN RIGHTS RECORDS OF 16 COUNTRIES

From Geneva, the Human Rights Councils Universal Periodic Review Working Group concluded its second session this afternoon after having reviewed the fulfilment of human rights obligations for 16 States.

Those 16 States were: Gabon, Ghana, Peru, Guatemala, Benin, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Pakistan, Zambia, Japan, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, France, Tonga, Romania and Mali.

During the two-week session, interactive dialogues on a wide range of human rights issues were held -- between the States under review; the Working Group, which is comprised of the 47 members of the Human Rights Council; and observers.

The Working Groups next session will take place in early December.

BAN KI-MOON REAFFIRMS U.N.S COMMITMENT TO SIERRA LEONE

Addressing the Peacebuilding Commissions high-level stakeholders consultation on Sierra Leone this morning, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the UNs committment to the Sierra Leone Peacebuilding Cooperation Framework, which was adopted last December.

He added that the Framework correctly recognizes that the primary responsibility to address peacebuilding challenges rests with the people and the Government of Sierra Leone. At the same time, the Framework acknowledges that the international community should remain engaged, and continue to support vital national efforts.

The Secretary-General expressed his sincere hope that todays high-level event will result in clear commitments to support the Framework.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MEETINGS HELD IN MALAYSIA: This morning, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang and International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré addressed the opening of the 2008 World Congress on Information Technology in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The UN Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technology and Development, which works to spread the benefits of information technology, held its third annual meeting, also in Kuala Lumpur. The Alliance, which is self-funded, discussed its ongoing initiatives, such as "Connect Africa", "Adopt-a-Village" and the "Cyber-Peace Corps", and charted its next steps.

SECURITY COUNCIL TAKES UP BOSNIA: The Security Council is holding an open meeting this morning on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the table is the latest report to the Secretary-General by the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Asked if the Secretary-General was following developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina and related discussions in the Security Council, the Spokeswoman noted that Ban Ki-moon was being updated on a regular basis on the subject. She added, in response to another question, that the Secretary-General had no immediate plans to travel to the region.

IRANIAN PROPOSALS ARE BEING STUDIED: The Spokesperson, in response to a question, said the Secretary-General was still studying the nuclear proposals submitted to him and other international authorities by Iran.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

to the Spokesperson's Page

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