United Nations Daily Highlights, 09-11-06

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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 THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, November 6, 2009

BAN KI-MOON TO BRIEF SECURITY COUNCIL ON AFGHANISTAN

At 3:00 this afternoon, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will brief the Security Council in closed consultations on Afghanistan.

He will discuss the security situation and his recent trip to Kabul. And afterward, he will talk to reporters briefly at the Security Council stakeout.

U.N. Chef du Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar, will over the weekend attend the funeral in Florida of Louis Maxwell, one of the five U.N. personnel killed in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Wednesday 28 October.

SECURITY COUNCIL TAKES UP NEPAL

This morning, Council members heard a briefing in an open meeting from Karin Landgren, the Secretary-Generals Representative for Nepal.

She said that much of the past three months has offered the semblance of calm in the country. But the past few days have seen low-level clashes between the Maoist-affiliated Yong Communist League and the Unified Maoist-Leninist Youth Force in some eastern districts.

Landgren said that moving forward through consensus is the central challenge for the parties at the moment.

The Security Council followed the meeting on Nepal with consultations on the same subject, and the Council President is expected to read a press statement on Nepal following consultations.

Yesterday afternoon, the Council adopted a

Presidential Statement on Guinea-Bissau, welcoming the peaceful presidential elections and the inauguration of the President in that country.

Asked about criticism made by some political parties in Nepal to the Secretary-Generals recent report on the UN Mission in that country, the Spokeswoman said that the observations in the Secretary-Generals report are consistent with his repeated calls for unity and consensus amongst the political parties in order to ensure the success of the peace process.

She said that the report is intended to encourage Nepal's political parties to achieve what they themselves have expressed about the desirability of a unity government and does not in any way represent a form of interference.

LEBANON: TOP U.N. OFFICIAL DISCUSSES FORMATION OF NEW GOVERNMENT WITH POLITICAL LEADERS

Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, today met with Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri.

He discussed the formation of a new government in that country, as well as the Secretary-Generals new report on the implementation of resolution 1701.

That report is out as a document today, and in it, the Secretary-General expresses his serious concern at the recent incidents that have taken place in the area of operations of the UN Interim Force, UNIFIL.

The Secretary-General condemns all violations of resolution 1701 and calls for increased vigilance. He urges all parties to continue to act with maximum restraint and to respect the cessation of hostilities and the Blue Line.

The Secretary-General expresses particular concern about the firing of rockets from Lebanon into Israel on 11 September and 27 October.

He adds that, four months since legislative elections were held in Lebanon, a new government has yet to be agreed upon and to assume office. He hopes that the process of consultations led by Hariri will soon result in the formation of a Government that will gain the Parliaments confidence.

Williams will brief the Security Council on the report next Tuesday.

D.R. CONGO: CONCERN OVER KILLINGS AND DISPLACEMENT CAUSED BY CLASHES RELATED TO FISHING RIGHTS

The UN Refugee Agency is gravely concerned about last weeks intense interethnic violence in the Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Clashes over fishing rights between rival ethnic groups have reportedly killed 60 people, injured 40, and caused 16,000 more to flee into the neighboring Republic of Congo. UNHCR says that houses in a number of villages were also burned down.

In response, the agency has sent an assessment team to the region, which is already reporting a widespread need among survivors for proper shelter, food and household items such as blankets, kitchen sets and jerry cans.

KENYA: EFFORTS TO ASSIST SOMALI REFUGEES FACING CAMP FLOODING

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is asking donor countries for $2.8 million to deal with the threat of flooding facing more than 300,000 mostly Somali refugees in two camps in Kenya.

The Kakuma camp in northwestern Kenya and the Dadaab camp in the east, on the Somalia border, are prone to flooding for three months of the year.

When heavy rains started three weeks ago, UNHCR began digging trenches and placing sandbags around hospitals, boreholes and other strategic locations in both camps.

In Kakuma, the camp worst hit by floods in the past, UNHCR has diverted two seasonal rivers, the Tarach and Lodoket that have often inundated lower grounds. Without these measures many sections of these camps would have been inundated.

But urgent funding is needed to pre-position essential items such as fuel, blankets, plastic sheets, and to respond to possible outbreaks of disease.

SOMALIA: FLOODING DISPLACES THOUSANDS

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (OCHA), at least 16,000 people have been displaced by flooding in Somalias Hiraan, Gedo and Lower Shabelle regions.

Meanwhile, the distribution of the ready-to-use therapeutic food known as Plumpy Doz is expected to continue in almost all project locations in South-Central Somalia in November.

In the Afgooye and Mogadishu, more than 55,000 children aged 6-59 months have been provided with UNIMIX, a blended fortified food, since August.

Over the past week, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and their partners also concluded a campaign of life-saving health services that targeted over 54,000 children under the age of five and more than 62,000 women of child bearing age in Afgooye district, including internally displaced persons.

PAKISTAN: ASSISTANCE STEPPED UP FOR PEOPLE DISPLACED BY MILITARY OPERATIONS

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that it is stepping up its assistance to people displaced by military operations in South Waziristan, Pakistan, including by distributing tents to families who have been staying with host communities in the nearby region. UNHCR says that it will distribute some 35,000 tents, with distribution expected to start in the coming days.

Since September, the Refugee Agency has assisted some 175,000 displaced people so far by distributing relief items such as kitchen sets, jerry cans, quilts and sleeping mats. Security constraints have led to some intermittent disruptions of aid efforts, but distribution is continuing through the Agencys local partners.

YEMEN: DISPLACED PERSONS LIVING IN DIFFICULT CONDITIONS

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that a United Nations cross-border assessment last week to Al-Mandaba, in northern Yemen, has provided a clearer picture of humanitarian needs in the immediate border region. It is estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 internally displaced persons are sheltered in the area, with 140 to 210 new persons arriving daily. Contingency planning will now begin, in case of a further deterioration of the situation.

More than 110,000 internally displaced persons had been registered by humanitarian actors as of 31 October, and the registration process is still continuing. The internally displaced persons in some locations were reported to be living under plastic sheeting in open areas, with no proper shelter and in unhygienic conditions.

Asked about reported Saudi air strikes in Yemen, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations did not have any independent information about the matter. She said that the Secretary-General is following the situation.

MORE THAN $120 MILLION DAMAGE CAUSED BY TYPHOON MIRINAE IN VIETNAM

In Viet Nam, initial damage estimates following Typhoon Mirinae from United Nations agencies and the Government of Vietnam show that a total of 1,261 houses collapsed, 57,743 are flooded and 25,695 have been damaged.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 10 hospitals and 50 Community Health Centres in Phu Yen Province have been damaged by floods.

The initial total cost of damages is estimated at US$ 122 million, while the death toll has reached 104, with 16 people missing and 99 injured.

WHO is working with the local government in the affected provinces to monitor the public health situation and provide technical support if needed.

COMMITMENT AND COMPROMISE NEEDED TO MOVE CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS FORWARD

The last negotiating session before the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December is ending today, in Barcelona, Spain.

Speaking at a press conference, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Yvo de Boer, said that Copenhagen can and must be the turning point in the international fight against climate change.

A powerful combination of commitment and compromise can and must make this happen, he added.

De Boer said that the Barcelona talks had seen progress on adaptation, technology cooperation, reducing emissions from deforestation and mechanisms to disburse funds for developing countries.

However, he also said little progress was made on two key issues: mid-term emission reduction targets of developed countries and financing. In that regard, de Boer stressed that leadership at the highest level was required to unlock the pieces. Between now and Copenhagen, governments must deliver the clarity required to help the negotiators complete their work, he added.

TOUGHER LAWS MUST BE ENFORCED TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT DURING CONFLICT

Laws protecting the environment in times of conflict should be strengthened, enforced and clarified as a way to protect a countrys natural assets during wars.

Thats according to a new

report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), released today.

Among others, the report recommends determining and designating critical natural resources and areas of ecological importance as demilitarized zones at the outset of any conflict.

The report also says that it might be necessary for a permanent UN body, perhaps under the General Assembly or the Security Council, to monitor violations and process compensation for environmental damage.

UNICEF PRAISED FOR EXTRA FUNDING FOR MOSQUITO NETS

The Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers, is commending UNICEF for the allocation of $8.5 million in new funding to support net distribution campaigns across eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Chambers says that UNICEFs contributions will lead to the protection of 40 million people from malaria.

Over 150 million long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets are set to be delivered by next year.

Chambers adds that the Funds commitment to ensure the effective distribution of nets establishes a critical link in the path to universal access to these life-saving interventions by the end of 2010.

U.N. BODIES LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO HIGHLIGHT IMPACT OF CORRUPTION ON DEVELOPMENT

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN Development Programme (UNEP) have

launched a new campaign to raise awareness about the impact of corruption on development.

The campaign, entitled Your NO Counts, It highlights how corruption hinders efforts to achieve the internationally agreed upon Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), obstructing peoples access to education, health and justice, limiting their opportunity to prosper and undermining democracy.

The campaign is launched ahead of the International Anti-Corruption Day, on 9 December. It also comes as the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption the only global, legally binding anti-corruption instrument gather in Doha next week.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, 7 November

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay will start her first visit to Brazil today. She will stop in Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia and will be in the country until 13 November.

Sunday, 8 November

Starting today, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, will visit Kyrgyzstan from until 17 November.

Monday, 9 November

Today, the Security Council will hold a meeting and consultations on the Great lakes region.

In Geneva, the World Health organization (WHO) will launch its report Women and health: today's evidence tomorrow's agenda. This report provides the latest and most comprehensive evidence available to date on women's specific needs and health challenges over their entire life-course.

In Doha, Qatar, the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) will hold its third session, starting today and until 13 November.

Tuesday, 10 November

This morning, the Security Council will hold consultations on the 1701 report.

In Bamako, Mali, UNCTAD's 13th African Oil, Gas, Minerals, Trade and Finance Conference, will explore the role information can play in the natural-resource sector. The conference will run through 13 November.

Wednesday, 11 November

Today, the Security Council will hold an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

In Rome, FAO Director General Jacques Diouf will give a press conference, five days before the World Summit on Food Security, at which he will present an FAO report on success stories in agricultural production and food security.

Thursday, 12 November

There are no major events scheduled for today.

Friday, 13 November

This morning, the Security Council will hold a meeting on its 1267, 1373 and 1540 Committees.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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