United Nations Daily Highlights, 10-03-10

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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 MARTIN NESIRKY

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON URGES MEMBER STATES TO HELP CHILE BUILD BACK BETTER

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today briefed an informal plenary meeting of the

General Assembly on the situation in Chile following the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

In his remarks, he said that as the situation unfolds and the magnitude of devastation becomes more apparent, the United Nations should be prepared to increase its engagement with the Government of Chile should it wish to have such support.

He noted that he has asked the Under-Secretary-General for

Humanitarian Affairs,

John Holmes, to ensure coordinated support both in the emergency phase and in terms of longer-range disaster management and the

UN Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark work closely with the Government of Chile and the World Bank and other entities to launch a

Post Disaster Needs Assessment.

He urged Member States to do their part to help the country build back better, adding that Chile has been extraordinarily generous in assisting

Haiti in its time of need and now is the moment for the UN and the international community to stand with Chile and its people.

BAN KI-MOON CONDEMNS APPROVAL OF NEW HOUSING IN EAST JERUSALEM

In a

statement issued on Tuesday night, the

Secretary-General condemned the approval of plans for the building of 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem by the Israeli Ministry of Interior.

The Secretary-General reiterated that settlements are illegal under international law. Furthermore, he underscored that settlement activity is contrary to Israel's obligations under the

Roadmap, and undermines any movement towards a viable peace process.

UNEXPLODED WHITE PHOSPHORUS BOMBS DESTROYED IN GAZA

In the Gaza Strip today, the

United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in collaboration with the Mines Advisory Group and the relevant authorities within

Gaza and Israel successfully destroyed two 155 millimetre unexploded bombs containing white phosphorus.

UNMAS has had staff working in Gaza since 24 January 2009, following Operation Cast Lead, to locate and remove unexploded ordnance from within the rubble of buildings and agricultural lands.

Todays activities are the first of a series to be conducted over the coming three to four months to dispose of all white phosphorus unexploded ordnance remaining within Gaza.

U.N. POLITICAL AFFAIRS CHIEF IN NEPAL TO REVIEW STATE OF PEACE PROCESS

The Under-Secretary-General for

Political Affairs,

B. Lynn Pascoe,

arrived in Nepal today at the start of a three-day visit to review the state of the peace process and encourage forward movement on outstanding commitments in the period ahead.

Today, he held discussions with the Prime Minister, Nepali Congress president and senior Nepali Congress leaders, and the chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M). With all his interlocutors, Pascoe emphasized the importance of rebuilding trust and moving forward in the peace process, and also discussed the continuing contribution of the

UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) to the process.

During the visit, the Under-Secretary-General plans to meet with leaders of other political parties, the Minister of Defence and Chief of Army Staff, as well as Madhesi leaders. He will also travel to Maoist Cantonment Site 3 at Shaktikhor, Chitwan to see UNMIN arms monitoring efforts.

Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies in Nepal today

appealed for $123.5 million to fund projects to assist more than 3.4 million vulnerable people across the country, that are in need of life-saving assistance, including food aid, in 2010.

Nearly half of Nepals districts are experiencing food shortages and the humanitarian country team estimates that nearly 2.5 million people face extreme food insecurity, mainly in the Midand far-western hill and mountain regions.

SECURITY COUNCIL IS BRIEFED ON DEVELOPMENTS IN LIBERIA

The

Security Council received a briefing this morning in its closed consultations from the

Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Liberia,

Ellen Lųj.

She presented the Secretary-Generals recent

report on the work of the

United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) which notes the Missions progress towards accomplishing its benchmarks for consolidation, drawdown and withdrawal.

U.N. ENVOY: EDUCATION CAN HELP TIMOR LESTES WOMEN REACH FULL POTENTIAL

In Timor-Leste, the

Secretary-Generals Special Representative,

Ameerah Haq, visited the Bermeta Haburas kindergarten in Bogoro in Liquica District as part of celebrations for this years

International Womens Day to acknowledge the important educational work of the schools founder.

The small, rural kindergarten is at the forefront of making education available for the countrys new generation, and so was chosen to highlight the years theme: Education for Women - Progress for All.

During the visit, the Special Representative highlighted that this is an excellent example of how a committed and courageous woman can make a difference.

She added that this example inspires others and carry the important message that only through education will Timor-Lestes women and girls, and future generations, have the chance to reach their full potential and enjoy equal opportunities to secure improved quality of life.

INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE IS LAUNCHED

The Secretary-General told reporters that he has initiated, in tandem with Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a comprehensive, independent review of the IPCC's procedures and processes.

This review will be conducted by the InterAcademy Council (IAC), an international scientific organization. It will be conducted completely independently of the United Nations.