United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-06-11

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY

MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, June 11, 2002

LOYA JIRGA: KARZAI NOMINATED TO LEAD AFGHAN TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT

About 2,000 people, including delegates, community leaders, friends of Afghanistan and UN staff, turned out this afternoon for the Loya Jirga, a traditional tribal forum that will form the Transitional Government to lead the country. Todays meeting began with a statement from Mohammad Ismael Qasemyar, Chairman of the Loya Jirga Commission, who said that t he meeting of the Loya Jirga was a measure of national unity, peace and reconciliation."

After about half hour, the former King Zahir Shah arrived and formally opened the Loya Jirga. He urged the delegates to work for the unity and the independence of Afghanistan. He nominated the Chairman of the Interim Government Hamid Karzai to lead the Transitional Government of Afghanistan. The nomination was well received.

The election of the leader of the state will take place during the working sessions of the Loya Jirga.

Karzai then addressed the session. He said that the Afghans now had national unity. People want peace, independence as well as freedom. He proposed that the former King be given the title of Father of the Nation and the proposal received positive reaction.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, also addressed the opening session. "The entire world has followed the suffering of the Afghan people over the past 23 years," Brahimi said. "Their eyes are upon you today. But far more important is the fact that the eyes of your fellow Afghans are upon you."

"You are here today as their representatives and their spokespeople," he said.

ANNAN MEETS WITH BERLUSCONI IN ROME; BLAIR IN LONDON

Secretary-General Kofi Annan flew to London from Rome and met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

During the meeting, which lasted more than 30 minutes, Blair raised two issues: Africa's New Partnership for Development (NEPAD) and the upcoming Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development. They also discussed building up Africa's Regional Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping capacity. The Secretary-General repeated his goal to resolve the Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo conflicts within the next 18 months. They mapped a strategy for the Johannesburg Summit focusing on "deliverables" -- specific goals that can be achieved. In addition their talks also touched India/Pakistan and the Middle East.

In Rome earlier today, the Secretary-General met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Their discussions initially focused on U.S.-Russian arms reductions and plans for reconstruction assistance for the Palestinian Authority. The Secretary-General, on India-Pakistan, said it looked like the prospect of war had receded, which they both welcomed. The Secretary-General said the Loya Jirga process in Afghanistan was going well. On the Middle East, the Secretary-General described the efforts of the Quartet the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations to convene a peace conference by the end of the summer. Their talks also touched on the World Food Summit taking place in Rome and the impact of U.S. and European farm subsidies on agricultural markets. They said they looked forward to seeing each other again at the G-8 Summit in Canada.

In Rome Monday, the Secretary-General met with the President of Italy, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. He briefed the President on the efforts of the Quartet to convene a Middle East peace conference. They also spoke of the lingering danger as the Indian and Pakistani armies continued to face each other in disputed Kashmir.

The Secretary-General then paid a courtesy call on the President of Ghana, John Kufuor. They had a private meeting at the Presidents hotel.

His last meeting in Rome Monday was with South African President Thabo Mbeki. Their talks lasted about an hour. They reviewed the situations in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. They also discussed preparations for the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development and touched on NEPAD.

The Secretary-General is scheduled to return to New York later this afternoon.

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS TO DISCUSS UN MISSION IN CYPRUS

The Security Council held closed consultations this morning to discuss the renewal of the UN force on Cyprus (UNFICYP).

Council members were briefed by Chief of Mission Zbigniew Wlosowicz on the Secretary-Generals most recent report on UNFICYP in which he, recommended that the mission be extended through 15 December. A draft resolution extending the mandate was introduced.

A meeting of the Security Council with the troop-contributing countries to the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) is scheduled for this afternoon.

ANNAN ASKS FOR RENEWAL OF CONGO MISSION MANDATE FOR 12 MONTHS

The Secretary-Generals latest report on the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) is out as a document today. In it, he asks the Security Council to renew the missions mandate by a further 12 months.

The Secretary-General reports on the recent developments in the country, including the failure of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue in Sun City to reach an all-inclusive power-sharing agreement and the recent violence in Kisangani.

The report says that a major problem the mission faces as it prepares for the main task of phase III, which includes the facilitation of voluntary disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, resettlement and reintegration of combatants in the eastern part of the country, is the lack of a climate of confidence and security in the east, for which a robust contingent is needed."

In the continuing absence of a country willing to provide a force with the necessary capacity, phase III of the Missions deployment remains, for the present, delayed.

In his look at recent developments, the Secretary-General also flags the recent agreement to re-open the Congo River to commercial traffic. In order to assist in the implementation of this vital agreement, the UN missions riverine units will escort the first barges.

Concerning the issue of protection of civilians under threat of physical violence, the Secretary-General notes that if the UN mission is to protect them more effectively, it will be necessary for the Security Council to consider adjusting the strength of the mission including a reconfiguration and re-equipping of contingents.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for the DRC and the head of the UN mission, Amos Ngongi will be briefing the council on this report during Wednesdays closed consultations.

UN EXPERT TO LOOK INTO ALLEGED EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS IN KISANGANI

Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary Or Arbitrary Executions will travel to the DRC over the weekend.

Jahingir is going to gather information concerning extra-judicial killings alleged to have occurred in Kisangani on May 14, 2002 and immediately afterwards. The visit will start in the capital Kinshasa and will then move to Kisangani.

Her mission comes at the request of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Mary Robinson following the Presidential Statement adopted by the Security Council on May 24th. Mary Robinson is expected to brief the Security Council based on Jahangirs findings.

WFP HEAD ASKS FOOD SUMMIT NOT TO FORGET SOUTHERN AFRICA

James Morris, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), today addressed the World Food Summit: Five Years Later, in Rome, calling on delegates to turn their attention to the 13 million people facing starvation in southern Africa. He said that the fact that the crisis coincides with the Summit challenges us to demonstrate to those suffering that we will not forget them.

Kul Gautam, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), also addressed todays session, urging comprehensive action against child malnutrition. He said global efforts to fight malnutrition must start will children on whom the effects of malnutrition are the most damaging.

On the opening day of the Summit Monday, 182 countries renewed their commitment to reducing by half the number of hungry people in the world by 2015. The delegates, unanimously approved the Declaration calling on governments, international organizations, civil society organizations and the private sector to reinforce their efforts so as to act as an international alliance against hunger.

The gathering also called on the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization to create, within two years, a set of voluntary guidelines to support the efforts of member States to achieve progress in realizing the right to food.

UN ENVOY IN ANGOLA TO ASSESS UN'S ROLE

The Secretary-Generals Special Advisor on Africa, Ibrahim Gambari, is in Angola heading a multi-agency mission. Gambari is leading a 16-person delegation from all agencies of the United Nations, in order to assess concretely what the United Nations is doing right now to assist the peace process, what more the United Nations should do and in a coordinated manner.

The report of the mission will go into the Secretary-Generals next report on Angola to the Security Council, with recommendations on how to adjust the mandate of the UN in Angola and recommendations on the structure of the UN presence.

This afternoon, he is going to meet the Minister of Interior, who is also the Coordinator of the Government 's Commission for Peace and National Reconciliation.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESSES STAFF SECURITY SUMMIT

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette this morning addressed the Annual Summit on Staff Security in the Trusteeship Council, saying United Nations staff is faced with an increasing feeling of vulnerability. The focus of this years Summit is The Forgotten Staff.

"This years "summit" on staff security occurs amid considerable fear that New York City has not seen the last of the terrorism that destroyed the World Trade Center last September," she said. "There is also great unease among UN staff throughout the world that they, too, are more vulnerable than ever before."

The panel discussion, taking place at this time, includes, Ralph Zacklin, Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, Stephen Johnson, Deputy Chief of the Humanitarian Branch of the Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) and Richard Dellar, former president of the Field Services Staff Union.

PANEL TO THE UNITED NATIONS: SUPPORT AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT PLAN

An independent panel convened by the Secretary-General to review the UN's New Agenda for the Development of Africa (UN-NADAF) released its report. The panel, chaired by former Ghanaian Finance Minister Kwesi Botchwey, faulted both donors and African governments for failing to abide by commitments made in 1991, when that initiative was adopted by the General Assembly and noted that 80 million more Africans slipped into absolute poverty during the past decade.

The panel recommended, among other things, that the UN support Africa's own development initiative, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) instead of adopting a separate programme.

The recommendations will be taken up by the General Assembly in September. The panel's executive summary and the full report are available on the Africa Recovery website.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Stephen Lewis, the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser on AIDS in Africa, addressed on Monday African Religious Leaders Assembly On Children And HIV/AIDS taking place in Nairobi, Kenya. He briefed the Assembly on the scope of the HIV/AIDS problem in Africa, particularly as it affects children and especially children orphaned by AIDS. He challenged the religious leaders to provide leadership to their communities.

Figures released today by the Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) in its weekly update show that oil exports plunged from the previous weeks high of 15.3 million barrels to merely 2.6 million barrels in the week ending 7 June, earning an estimated $55 million in revenue

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Human Rights in Cambodia, Peter Leuprecht, at the end of his mission to that country issued a report entitled Street Retribution in Cambodia. The report, which finds that mob killings are once again on the rise, was presented to the Cambodian government last week.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced in Geneva that it is launching a project in Colombia today to provide identification documents to internally displaced people. Identification documents can help displaced people gain access to benefits such as health care, schools, even credit and bank loans, which are difficult to obtain without documentation.

On Liberia, UNHCR reported that fighting continued to drive thousands of people into neighboring countries, including into Guinea where some 14,400 Liberians have taken refuge since January.

UNHCR also said it was hoping to raise some $250,000 in an online auction of memorabilia signed by celebrities from around the world to mark World Refugee Day on June 20. The auctioning began last night on eBay.com, one of the worlds largest on-line auction houses. The 47 memorabilia include a range of items such as UNHCR t-shirts and baseball caps signed by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and a toy model of a Formula One racing car signed by Michael Schumacher.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) today will lend the United Nations a piece of rock from the Moon which will be used as the centerpiece of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) Space Exhibit in Vienna. This type of rock, which is older than most rocks on the Earths surface, provides scientists with valuable information on the formation of the planets and the sun. U.S. astronaut James Irwin had collected the rock, which is about the size of a golf ball, during the 1971 Apollo 15 mission. The OOSA serves as the secretariat for the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space which is currently holding its fifth session in Vienna.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) highlighted today the increasing problems digital storage of information pose for conservationists. The enormous trove of digital information may well be lost unless specific techniques and policies are developed to conserve it, UNESCO says.

Three treaty actions took place today. This morning, Japan became the 36th party to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. This afternoon, Belgium will become the 31st country to sign the

Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacturing of Firearms supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.

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