United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-10-05

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MANOEL DE ALMEIDA E SILVA

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, October 5, 2001

ANNAN CALLS FOR WORK ON COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-TERROR CONVENTION

On his way out of the Security Council this morning, where he attended the open debate on Kosovo, Secretary-General Kofi Annan answered a reporters question on terrorism and the role of Member of States.

He said that what is important is the whole international community has come together to fight the scourge of terrorism.

I hope the Members will focus and work hard on the convention, the comprehensive convention banning terrorism, and add it to the 12 conventions and protocols which have already been passed, he said. I would also hope that when the Heads of States and Ministers come here for the General Debate in November, most of them will be ready to sign and work for ratification of these conventions, and above all, work hard to implement them.

UN AFGHAN ENVOY IN GENEVA FOR HUMANITARIAN, POLITICAL MEETINGS

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi traveled to Geneva to attend two meetings on Afghanistan one humanitarian, the other political -- taking place over the next few days.

More than 120 participants from donor countries, non-governmental organizations, aid agencies and the United Nations are attending the two-day Afghan Forum on refugees and displaced persons hosted by High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers and Kenzo Oshima, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

The second meeting to take place on Sunday and Monday is under the framework of the so-called Geneva Initiative to be chaired by Francesc Vendrell, the Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy for Afghanistan. The Sunday meeting will bring together representatives from Germany, Italy, Iran and the United States who will at new approaches to a political settlement in Afghanistan.

WFP CONSIDERING AIRLIFTING AID TO AFGHANISTAN

As part of the humanitarian relief effort for Afghanistan, the World Food Programme said that it was considering airlifting aid to Afghanistan. Although airlifts were difficult and costly and were only chosen as a last resort, WFP said it had not stocked enough food in the mountainous areas in advance of the upcoming winter. By mid-November, heavy snow often blocks mountain passes into northern and central Afghanistan, breaking vital overland routes.

The World Health Organization said that the total number of suspected cases of hemorrhagic fever in Pakistan this year was 41 cases between March and October. An additional six cases with two deaths between May and August were persons infected in Afghanistan who were treated in Pakistan. UNHCR said that no Afghan refugees had been affected to date.

Asked how the United Nations could airlift supplies to Afghanistan given the Taliban's stated flight ban, the Spokesman said that Bertini had noted the need for approval from the Afghan authorities for air corridors through which the relief flights could pass. She had added that WFP was already trying to procure aircraft while awaiting authorization, which the Spokesman added has not been confirmed yet.

UN KOSOVO ENVOY BRIEFS ON PREPARATIONS FOR NOVEMBER ELECTIONS

In a public meeting of the Security Council this morning, the Secretary-General Special Representative, Hans Haekkerup, briefed the members on the UN Mission in Kosovo's (UNMIK) preparations for the elections to take place there on November 17.

He said that more than 1.2 million people will be eligible to vote, both inside and outside Kosovo.

Meanwhile, he added, the UN Mission is on the verge of moving into a determining phase of interim administration in Kosovo, with the Mission's role moving from one of direct administrative responsibility to one of oversight of self-government.

The groundwork for the transition has already been laid, he noted, adding that during all stages of the transition, the UN Mission's mandate will remain the same.

Haekkerup concluded that only by taking the political process forward can the hatred and distrust created by past atrocities be overcome.

Those who do not support participation or put up unrealistic conditions for participation, he said, will harm that process.

[Following the Special Representatives presentation, Council members adopted a presidential statement in which they support UNMIKs effort to improve public security and facilitate the return of displaced Serbs and members of other communities. The statement also calls on Kosovo Albanian leaders to support UNMIKs effort, promote security and combat extremism.]

Prior to the public meeting, members of the Security Council briefly met in closed consultations.

ANNAN NOTES PROGRESS BY GUINEA, LIBERIA, SIERRA LEONE

The Secretary-General, in a statement issued through his Spokesman, said he has been following with interest the recent developments within the Mano River Union (MRU) and the progress made so far by the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in their efforts to restore confidence and promote stability in the sub-region. In this regard, he looks forward to the convening of the proposed Summit of Heads of States of the three countries as another milestone towards restoring good neighborliness among them.

The Secretary-General hopes that the spirit of frank and constructive dialogue that characterized the meetings of the Joint Security Committee and of Foreign Ministers will eventually be applied to addressing some of the root causes of the problems affecting the Mano River Union countries.

The Secretary-General wishes to reiterate the commitment of the United Nations to support, in whatever ways it can, the Mano River Union Member States in their common efforts to create the necessary conditions for enhancing security and disseminating a culture of peace in the sub-region.

UNHCR CAUTIONS AGAINST LINKING ASYLUM AND TERRORISM

In his closing remarks to the annual Executive Committee of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees held in Geneva today, High Commissioner Rudd Lubbers stressed the importance of continued international refugee protection and urged governments to avoid making unwarranted links between asylum seekers and terrorism.

We must ensure that the fight against terrorism does not weaken the refugee protection regime, Lubbers said. He added when properly applied the 1951 Refugee Convention does not provide safe haven to criminals.

From the field, the agency reports that a team of peacekeepers from the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) successfully registered former soldiers from Central Africa who taken refuge in the northern DRC town of Zongo followed an failed coup attempt in May of this year.

UNHCR received the support of the UN mission in an effort to keep the former soldiers separate from a group of about 24,000 refugees who had also crossed Ubangui river into the DRC.

NEW REPORT PAINTS BLEAK PICTURE OF PALESTINIAN ECONOMY

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has issued its second annual report on its assistance to the Palestinian people.

The report shows that the severe economic downturn in the Palestinian economy in 2000-2001 highlighted and aggravated long-standing weaknesses that existed in the 1994-1999 period.

While the current crisis has eroded the benefits reaped from development efforts since 1994, less apparent is how the economy will recover and how long that will take.

The crisis has diverted the donor community's attention away from development projects that were designed to improve the economy's supply capacity for emergency job creation and budgetary support, notes the report.

The Palestinian Authority budget deficit is expected to reach $524 million in 2001, or around 25 per cent of the year's emergency budget, and its debt obligations have also risen notably

UN AND AIDS PHARMACEUTICALS TO CONTINUE JOINT EFFORTS

Late yesterday, following the meeting the Secretary-General had with representatives of the seven leading research-based pharmaceutical companies on HIV-AIDS, a press release was issued with a joint communiqué by the Secretary-General and the seven chief executive officers.

In it, both the Secretary-General and the CEOs concluded that they will continue to work together on the practical realities of scaling up responses to HIV/AIDS at community level.

We will be working together to put our fingers on the triggers for efficacy, one of the participants in the meeting said.

Asked about whether yesterday's meeting dealt with the issue of fresh commitments to reduce drug prices, the Spokesman said that the question of access and reduction of prices was discussed, and noted that the communiqué issued afterward said that reducing prices was important for access, and that additional resources are required, along with the political will to use them effectively.

SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACK WILL IMPACT POVERTY REDUCTION EFFORTS IN ASIA

Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNSCAP), told reporters in Bangkok yesterday that the September 11 attacks on the United States will have greater consequences for poverty reduction in the Asia-Pacific region.

He added that vulnerable groups trying to recover from the 1997 crisis may take longer to remove themselves from the ranks of the poor following the attack.

avoid;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo26;tab-stops:list .5in;mso-layout-grid-align: However, not everything is negative. Governments worldwide have recognized the dangers to the world economy, with coordinated action being taken to avert a major recession, Kim said. He added that some of the worst affected industries, such as airlines, are receiving special help.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sergio Pinheiro, the UN Human Rights Commissions Special Rapporteur in Myanmar, will visit that country from October 9 to 20. This will be his second visit to Myanmar this year.

Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF, departs New York for an extended field visit to the Russian Federation today. Beginning Saturday and continuing through Thursday, Bellamy will review the situation of children in Russia.

Today, Panama signed on to a protocol of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, dealing with the illicit manufacture and trafficking of firearms.

Today, Ecuador made a payment of nearly $40,000 to become the 124th Member State to pay its regular-budget dues in full for 2001.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, October 8

The General Assembly will elect five Member States to sit on the Security Council for its sessions in 2002 and 2003.

Nigel Fisher, UN Children's Funds (UNICEF) special envoy for Afghanistan, will be the guest at the noon briefing to discuss relief efforts for Afghanistan.

At 1:15 p.m., there will be a press conference to launch the Department of Economic and Social Affairs' report on the world social situation.

Tuesday, October 9

The Security Council will hold consultations on Angola and on the election of a new judge to fill a vacancy on the International Court of Justice.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kenzo Oshima is expected to brief the Security Council on his recent visit to Afghanistan's neighboring countries, and to hold a press conference afterward.

The report of the monitoring mechanism for Angola sanctions is expected in the middle part of the week.

Wednesday, October 10

The Security Council will hold its monthly luncheon with the Secretary-General.

At 10:30 a.m., the Department of Economic and Social Affairs will hold a press briefing to launch its report on the World Economic Outlook.

Today is World Mental Health Day.

Thursday, October 11

The Security Council expects to conduct consultations on the "oil-for-food" program with Iraq.

Friday, October 12

The Security Council has scheduled a formal meeting to fill a vacancy on the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

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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