United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-10-08

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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

Monday, October 8, 2001

ANNAN NOTES ACTION IN AFGHANISTAN, CALLS FOR BROAD STRATEGY

This morning, Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued the following statement:

"Immediately after the 11 September attacks on the United States, the Security Council expressed its determination to combat by all means threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. The Council also reaffirmed the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. The States concerned have set their current military action in Afghanistan in that context.

"To defeat terrorism, we need a sustained effort and a broad strategy that unite all nations, and address all aspects of the scourge we face. The cause must be pursued by all the States of the world, working together and using many different means - including political, legal, diplomatic and financial means.

"The people of Afghanistan, who cannot be held responsible for the acts of the Taliban regime, are now in desperate need of aid. The United Nations has long played a vital role in providing humanitarian assistance to them, and it is my hope that we will be able to step up our humanitarian work as soon as possible.

"It is also vital that the international community now work harder than ever to encourage a political settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan. The United Nations is actively engaged in promoting the creation of a fully representative, multi-ethnic and broad-based Afghan Government."

Asked whether the United Nations had approved the strikes on Afghanistan, the Spokesman noted that the States involved had viewed their actions in the context of the resolutions of the Security Council.

In response to a question, the Spokesman confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called the Secretary-General on Sunday to inform him of the strikes on Afghanistan.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS AFGHANISTAN

This afternoon at 5 p.m., at the request of the United States and the United Kingdom, the Security Council will meet in closed consultations to discuss threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. During this meeting, the representatives of those two countries will brief Council members on the latest developments in Afghanistan.

Earlier, at 3:30 p.m., the Councils Counterterrorism Committee, established by Resolution 1373 (2001), will hold its second meeting. The Committees Chair, British Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock, as well as the members of its bureau, will then brief non-Council members at 6 p.m.

UN OFFICES ATTACKED IN PAKISTAN, FOOD AID EFFORTS CONTINUE

UN offices came under attack by angry demonstrators in the Pakistani city of Quetta today. The UN Children's Fund ( UNICEF) office was burned, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office was stoned. Five UN vehicles were burned. Damage was also reported at the office of the UN Special Mission to Afghanistan in Quetta.

Other demonstrations were reported from the northern city of Peshawar. All UN staff in the country were instructed to stay home today, hampering the United Nations' ability to conduct relief activities in Pakistan.

No casualties were reported among UN staff. [Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kenzo Oshima, who was a guest at the noon briefing, today voiced his concern about the attacks on agency staff and their ability to perform their duties.]

UNHCR said it was not immediately clear whether the first strikes against targets in Afghanistan have triggered new population movements. Some reports from Afghanistan spoke of more civilians fleeing the cities of Kabul, Jalalabad and Kandahar. But it was not clear whether they were trying to find safety in surrounding villages or whether they were headed toward the border.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said it was continuing aid efforts to the best of its capability. Some 180 metric tons of aid was distributed today in Kabul. Food distribution is planned for Herat Tuesday.

Over the weekend, donor countries pledged some $737 million in response to an emergency appeal issued by the Secretary-General, which outlined the need for $584 million to respond to the needs of potentially 7.5 million vulnerable people inside Afghanistan and 1.5 million new refugees.

The UN Development Program ( UNDP) says that in terms of human development, Afghans have an average life expectancy of about 40 years, a mortality rate of 25.7 percent for children under five years old, and an illiteracy rate of 64 percent.

UN HELICOPTER DOWNED IN GEORGIA, NINE ON BOARD DEAD

In a statement issued through his Spokesman, the Secretary-General expressed shock that a UN helicopter carrying nine passengers and crew was reportedly shot down in the western part of the Kodori Valley in Georgia.

Four military observers, two local staff and three Ukrainian flight crew of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) were on board the helicopter, which took off on patrol from Sukhumi airport at 8:55 this morning. The reported attack occurred at about 9:20. Both the Abkhaz authorities and the Confederation of Independent States' peacekeeping force informed the UN Mission that the helicopter had been shot down by a missile near the village of Amktel.

A UN search and rescue team was dispatched to the site. It later reported that the team had arrived at the crash site, and confirmed that there were no survivors.

ELECTIONS UNDERWAY FOR NEW SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

[The General Assembly elections for five Member States that will sit on the 15-member Security Council in 2002-2003 began this morning, with four countries -- Cameroon, Guinea, Syria and Bulgaria -- winning sufficient votes in the first round to obtain seats on the Council. Guinea received 173 votes, followed by Cameroon with 172, Syria with 160 and Bulgaria with 120.

[In voting for a seat from Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico won a Council seat over the Dominican Republic after two rounds.]

WFP CONCERNED AT BOMBING ATTACKS IN SOUTHERN SUDAN

The World Food Programme (WFP) over the weekend expressed grave concern over a series of heavy bomb attacks on the southern Sudanese village of Mangayath, where aid workers have been assisting thousands of people seeking refuge from a new round of intense fighting.

On both Friday and Saturday, WFP reported that a total of 15 bombs had been dropped into the area where WFP teams were distributing food. WFP had been forced to suspend food distribution temporarily after the Friday attack, but resumed it the following day, although the area once again came under attack.

WFP reported today that, while food distribution was going on today, another 15 bombs were dropped in the Mangayath area.

ICAO URGES CONFERENCE TO DEAL WITH TERRORISM IN AVIATION

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) concluded its Assembly session last Friday in Montreal by adopting resolutions to increase safety in civil aviation following the September 11 attack. Among them was a resolution calling for a ministerial conference at the earliest possible date to develop measures for preventing, combating and eradicating acts of terrorism involving civil aviation.

The resolution also called for a full review of international air safety conventions, and the Organization later this year will study the applicability of domestic flights to international security standards and the issue of locking cockpit doors during flights.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

In a note to the General Assembly on nuclear disarmament, the Secretary-General notes the declarations made last year by world leaders to strive for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, but adds, "The pace of implementation of these declarations remains disappointingly slow." He also remains concerned at the continuing impasse in the Conference on Disarmament.

The Secretary-General, in a report on protection of unaccompanied and separated refugee children, says that many of the needs remain unmet of children under 18 who have been separated from both their parents. He discusses the need for community-based strategies to deal with those children's needs, and urges all States to accede to and ratify the optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This morning, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia signed the optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, dealing with children in armed conflict and with the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.