United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-06-01

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

FROM THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, June 1, 2001

ANNAN TO BUSINESS LEADERS ON AIDS: WE NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW

This morning, Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed over 500 members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C., in an appeal to the business community for help in the global fight against AIDS, which he described as an "unparalleled nightmare."

"As 42 percent of U.S. exports go to markets in the developing world," he argued, "the negative impact of AIDS on American business should be obvious."

The epidemic is not only bad for business, he said, but also undermines regional and global security and stability. He called on business to respond, saying, "Business is used to acting decisively and quickly. The same cannot always be said of the community of sovereign states. We need your help right now."

He urged business to help his effort to raise spending on fighting the disease by an additional $7 billion to $10 billion a year.

Harvard University estimates that AIDS has already caused the world more than $500 billion, he argued, so, he added, "ten billion a year to defeat it seems fairly reasonable in fact, a bargain."

The Secretary-General took questions from the audience and later met with the press.

Later in the morning, he went to the State Department for a meeting organized at the last minute with Secretary of State Colin Powell. He is expected to return to New York at around 2:30 p.m. and to meet with Israeli President Moshe Katsav at about 3:30 p.m.

ANNAN NAMES SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, a guest at the noon briefing, announced the appointment of Stephen Lewis as the Secretary-General's Special Adviser for AIDS in Africa.

Lewis, former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations who also served as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) from 1995-1999, will be responsible for ensuring follow-up to the African summit on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases held in Abuja, Nigeria, last April, and to next month's UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, as related to Africa.

Lewis will work closely with African leaders, with the UN team and Resident Coordinator in each country he visits, and with Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, as well as Mr. K.Y. Amoako, head of the UN Economic Commission for Africa. They will help him establish a small Secretariat, at a location to be decided shortly. He will also, on occasion, represent the Secretary-General at events related to Africa and HIV/AIDS.

ANNAN NOTES IMPACT OF AIDS ON WOMEN AT AWARDS BANQUET

On Thursday night in Washington, D.C., the Secretary-General delivered the keynote address at the Global Health Council Annual Awards Banquet.

Focusing on the impact of the AIDS pandemic on women and girls, the Secretary-General said, "We must make sure that girls who run a particular risk of infection have all the skills, the services and the self-confidence to protect themselves. And we must encourage men to replace risk-taking behavior with taking responsibility."

The Secretary-General has also issued a message to the AIDS Memorial Quilt March, which will take place on Sunday in Washington, D.C.

UN SYSTEM MOURNS SOUTH AFRICAN BOY LOST TO AIDS

The United Nations mourned the death this morning of the 12-year-old South African AIDS activist, Nkosi Johnson.

The Secretary-General, in Washington, D.C., said Nkosi was an inspiration to many people beyond South Africa.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) described him as a "courageous boy who moved a continent." UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said, "He stood up before a distracted world and told us who he was a boy who was sick, but still a boy."

The Joint UN Programme for HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS) added that in his short life, he worked hard for the removal of stigma and discrimination.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAMME BY ONE MONTH

Following closed consultations this morning, the Security Council adopted unanimously Resolution 1352 (2001) which extends the current phase of the "oil-for-food" program, as elaborated by Resolution 1330, for one month, until July 3.

At the start of this meeting, the first under the Bangladeshi Presidency, which began today, Council members observed a moment of silence in honor of Palestinian official Faisal al-Husseini, who died earlier this week.

Asked about precedents for the moment of silence, the Spokeswoman noted after the briefing that the Council has held moments of silence for both Government officials and civilians, including the victims of the 1998 Swissair Flight 111 and of the 1996 bombing in Atlanta's Olympic Park.

UN ENVOY ATTENDS CEREMONY HONORING FAISAL AL-HUSSEINI

Terje Roed-Larsen, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process and the Secretary-Generals Personal Representative for the Palestine Authority, attended a ceremony this morning in Ramallah in honor of the late Palestinian official Faisal al-Husseini. Larsen then went to Orient House in Jerusalem where Husseinis body has been lying in state.

On Saturday, Peter Hansen, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA) will attend a memorial service at Orient House.

UN ENVOY IN LBEBANON DISCUSSES DEMINING, RETURN OF PILOT

This morning in Beirut, Steffan di Mistura, the Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy for Southern Lebanon, met with Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud to discuss the demining process and UN peacekeeping operations in Lebanon.

The minister raised the issue of the remains of the Lebanese pilot whose civilian plane was shot down in Israel last week. The International Committee of the Red Cross has been given the task of dealing with this issue.

ROBINSON WELCOMES EXTENSION AS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER

This morning in Geneva, Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a statement following the consensus decision Thursday by the General Assembly to endorse the extension of her mandate by one year.

Robinson accepted the General Assembly's decision with enthusiasm, and added, "Defending human rights is a difficult and complex challenge, but I have no doubt about its significance and centrality to the work of the United Nations as a whole."

Also in Geneva, the formal session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference against Racism ended today. However, a smaller group of 21 countries will continue preparatory work until the next meeting of the full Committee at the end of July.

The Preparatory Committee had so far finished its work on the preamble to the draft declaration of the World Conference.

INQUIRY COMMISSION SET UP TO EXAMINE EAST TIMOR VIOLENCE

The Transitional Administration for East Timor has set up an independent commission of inquiry to examine the violence that took place on May 19 in the sub-district of Quelicai, when fighting between two groups led to the burning of at least 25 houses.

The Commission is chaired by National Security Advisor Nici Dahrendorf and includes members of the UN civilian police, the peacekeeping force, UN military observers, district administration officials and Timorese representatives. It will issue a final report about the unrest in the area, and ways to prevent further disturbances, by June 9.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about UN reaction to the fighting in the Central African Republic, the Spokeswoman noted that the UN has a peace-building office in that country, and that the capital, Bangui, is also a logistical hub for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She said that UN personnel in the country were continuing with their work and that the Secretary-General continues to monitor the situation.

This morning, Botswana, Iceland and Uruguay signed the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity, bringing the number of signatories of the Protocol to 100.

Cuba today became the 85th Member State to pay its regular budget contribution in full for this year with a payment of more than $300,000.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced today in a press release that the government of Japan has contributed $30 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

UNICEF also said a crisis was looming among the internally displaced children in Ethiopias Somali region. An estimated 125,000 people have been displaced by drought.

The Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO) announced a series of new initiatives aimed at improving food safety and quality. FAO and the World Health Organization will convene a Global Forum on Food Safety Regulators in October at a venue to be decided.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that tens of thousands of Somalis were once again threatened by famine because of the weak rains in the country.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) issued a press release saying that under-funding has forced it to cut back and refocus. As a result, more than 900 posts will be abolished.

UNHCR also reported that in Senegal, tensions in the troubled Casamance Province continued to drive people into neighboring Gambia. A total of around 2,500 refugees are believed to have fled to Gambia.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, June 4

Immediately following the noon briefing, Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury of Bangladesh, President of the Security Council for June, will brief the press on the Council's work program for the month. The Council will hold consultations on the program of work in the morning.

The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on the UN Force in Cyprus is expected to be issued in the early part of the week.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) will hold the annual meeting of its Executive Board through Friday.

This is the Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.

At 1:00 p.m., there will be a press conference to launch the reports "The State of the World's Cities - 2001" and "Cities in a Globalizing World," with Anna Tibaijuka , Executive Director of Habitat, and Jay Moor and Iouri Moisseev, contributors to the reports, attending.

Tuesday, June 5

The Secretary-General will address the meeting of the Advisory Committee of Local Authorities.

The Security Council will hold consultations on the committee of experts' report on sanctions in Afghanistan.

World Environment Day will be observed at UN Headquarters. Among other events held in conjunction with the Day, a new millennium ecosystem assessment will be launched at an 11:00 a.m. press conference.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean Marie Guéhenno will be the guest at the noon briefing.

At 1:30 p.m., there will be a press conference featuring several mayors from around the world who will mark Local Government Day. The mayors expect to meet with the Secretary-General late in the afternoon.

Wednesday, June 6

The General Assembly Special Session to review the Habitat Agenda will take place through Friday. The Secretary-General will address the opening session of the three-day meeting.

The Security Council is expected to hold consultations on Sierra Leone, including the report of the Secretary-General on the situation for refugees in West Africa.

At 9:30 a.m. in S-226, the United States Mission is sponsoring a press conference by Dr. Henry McKinnell, Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, who will discuss the upcoming General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS.

At 1:45 p.m., Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and Frank Devlyn, President of Rotary International, will brief the press on the UNFPA/Rotary signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation on population and development.

The 44th session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space will begin in Vienna.

Thursday, June 7

The Security Council is expected to hold consultations on the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspections Commission (UNMOVIC) dealing with Iraq.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), who will be introducing the Secretary-General's report on the status of the world's children, entitled "We the Children."

At 1:30 p.m., a press conference will be held with leading speakers from the Thematic Committee for the General Assembly Special Session dealing with the Habitat Agenda.

US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke will launch the book "Families as We Are: Conversations from Around the World," by Perdita Huston, at the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium, at 5:00 p.m.

Friday, June 8

The Secretary-General's latest report on the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) is expected to go to the Security Council by the end of the week.

At 1:00 p.m. in S-226, Anna Tibaijuka, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), will brief the press on the status of negotiations at the General Assembly Special Session on the Habitat Agenda.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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