United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-05-13

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY

FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, May 13, 2002

ANNAN LEAVES NEW YORK FOR CYPRUS, INDONESIA AND EAST TIMOR

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today left New York, to start his trip to Cyprus, Indonesia and East Timor.

He will spend the night in London and leave Tuesday for Cyprus where he will meet separately with H.E. Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and H.E. Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader.

That evening he will host a dinner for them at the residence of the head of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus.

PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLE INAUGURATED

The inaugural meeting began of a new body of the United Nations body, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues took place this morning in New York.

The Forum brings together indigenous leaders and civil society from all around the world. This is the first time that indigenous voices are being heard at such a high level by the United Nations.

This moment has been a long time coming, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette said this morning. She called the Permanent Forum a milestone in the struggle of thousands of indigenous peoples to win recognition of their rights and identities.

To date, more than 900 indigenous peoples from all parts of the world have registered to attend the Forum session and take part in the two-week meeting that began today.

The Permanent Forum itself consists of 16 indigenous persons [half nominated by governments and the other half nominated by indigenous groups], 15 of whom have already been designated, who will advise and make recommendations to the Economic and Social Council on matters affecting indigenous people.

The Deputy Secretary-General said the Forum will have its hands full and urged those who are gathered here to make the Forum a showcase for the many contributions that indigenous peoples can make.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson also addressed the Forum today.

SECURITY COUNCIL HOLDS MEETINGS ON ERITREA AND ETHIOPIA

The Security Council this morning held brief consultations today and then went into back-to-back formal private meetings on Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The first was with Ambassador Ahmed Baduri, the Permanent Representative of Eritrea to the United Nations.

The second meeting was with Fesseha Tessema, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations.

Later this afternoon, the Council will hold consultations Iraq and the next phase of the Oil for Food Programme. Phase XI of the Programme comes to an on May 29, 2002.

The report of the Security Councils recent mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo was issued today. Council members will hold an open meeting Tuesday to discuss the report.

UN ENVOY MEETS ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS IN ITALY

Over the weekend in Rome, Terje Roed Larsen, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, held separate meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Mohamed Rashid, Yasser Arafats senior economic advisor. The meetings took place on the sidelines of an international conference on globalization called the First Global Forum.

In other news from the region, earlier today, Timothy Rothermel, the UN Development Programmes (UNDP) representative to the Palestinian Authority, along with Japans Representative to the PA, inaugurated a school, municipal building and wastewater pumping station in Gaza City.

Japan underwrote a $5.8 million assistance programme for the Gaza Strip, administered by UNDP's Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People, which financed the construction of the facilities as part of its wider efforts in the area.

The school will provide education for children between the ages of three and 12 years. The Beit Lahia municipal building, a two-story structure, contains offices, meeting rooms and an assembly hall for municipal staff. The wastewater pumping station will serve 35,000 inhabitants of Beit Lahia and is expected to improve public health conditions in the municipality.

Asked if there was any information on the Secretary-Generals efforts to write a report on the events in Jenin refugee camp, as mandated by the General Assembly, the Spokesman said there was none. He added that the letters to both Israel and the Palestinian authority regarding this new report had not gone out.

ANNAN URGES SIERRA LEONEANS TO VOTE IN TUESDAY'S ELECTIONS

The Secretary-General, in a statement issued today, warmly welcomes the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone tomorrow, May 14. This marks an important milestone in the peace process.

The Secretary-General calls on all eligible Sierra Leoneans to exercise their right to vote in the same spirit of peace and tolerance, and wishes them every success in rebuilding their country.

He commends the Government of Sierra Leone, the National Electoral Commission and the political parties for the resolute efforts they have undertaken, with the full support of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, to make the elections possible.

The Secretary-General also thanks ECOWAS [The Economic Community of West African States], donor countries and organizations that have provided valuable assistance to the electoral process.

UN MILITARY OBSERVER KILLED BY LAND MINE IN DR CONGO

A Military Observer assigned to the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was killed today when the vehicle he was traveling in hit a land mine.

The incident took place at Ikela, a town about 250 km southwest of Kisangani.

Another military observer, who was in the same vehicle, suffered serious injuries.

The mission dispatched an aircraft for a medical evacuation back to Kinshasa.

UN ENVOY ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT ARRIVES IN ANGOLA

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, is in Luanda, Angola for a seven-day official visit.

Speaking to reporters shortly after arriving in Luanda on Saturday, Otunnu said the objective of his trip is to hear about the child protection projects that are being planned in view of the peace process that is currently taking place in the country.

He said his Office is determined to make sure that the United Nations mobilizes the international community to help the Angolans, particularly the children victims of war.

NANE ANNAN TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF SECRETARY-GENERAL

Tuesday at noon, Nane Annan will deliver a speech on behalf of the Secretary-General at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, on the upcoming World Summit for Social Development.

In the speech that she delivers, the Secretary-General will lament the loss of momentum since the Earth Summit took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and will call for action in five key areas: water and sanitation; energy; agricultural productivity; biodiversity and ecosystem management; and health.

TOP UN HEALTH OFFICIAL WELCOMES INCREASED FUNDING FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

Gro Harlem Brundtland, the Director-General of the World Health Organization today applauded delegates of the Organizations 55th World Health Assembly, which began today, for their efforts in moving health to the forefront of the world agenda and welcomed the increase in funding for public health worldwide.

Brundtland said that health is now seen as a prerequisite for economic growth, stability and peace.

She added that despite some encouraging signs, there were worrying indications that changes in human behavior are leading to negative health impacts. The world is living dangerously, she said, either because it has little choice, or because it is making wrong choices about consumption or activity.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The UN mission in Afghanistan reports that there was no briefing as scheduled in Kabul yesterday because of an operation to destroy unexploded ordnance next door to the UN compound. The ordnance was unearthed during excavation and clearing of the grounds two days ago.

On Wednesday, there will be a press preview of a new exhibition called The End of Polio: a global effort to end a disease by photojournalists and UNICEF Special Representative, Sebastião Salgado. The exhibition, which will take place at the Burden Gallery in New York, is the first depicting the story behind the largest public health initiative in history the bid to eradicate polio by 2005. It features photographs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.

The United Nations Environment Programme announced today, that a group of expert climbers has left for the Himalayas to gather information on the environment at the mountain range. As part of the International Year of Mountains, the expedition will gather first-hand accounts from monks, local people and travelers and will also film and record the impact of global warming on the glaciers.