United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-06-17

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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, June 17, 2002

INSECURITY IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN REACHES ALARMING LEVELS

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi, in a letter sent on Sunday to the head of the Transitional Administration of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, raised the serious situation in the north of the country, and noted the continuing climate of insecurity there.

In particular, he informed Karzai that UN staff are now reporting an alarming level of violence that is affecting both the personal security and confidence of local residents, and the ability of aid workers to assist them. Brahimi noted a number of armed attacks, robberies and beatings carried out against international aid organizations and the recent "vicious" gang rape of a female international aid worker.

In the letter, Brahimi appealed to the authorities in Kabul to intervene strongly and urgently with the local parties and authorities. Brahimi said he would continue to raise this matter directly with the local authorities and forces.

AFGHAN REFUGEE RETURN TOPS 1 MILLION MARK

As the number of Afghans going home topped the 1 million mark, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers warned Monday that the returnees were not receiving the international support they needed to ensure their return would be sustainable.

"We've surpassed the 1 million mark, and now expect that up to 2 million Afghans could return home this year," Lubbers said.

UNHCR still requires more than $86 million dollars for its $271 million aid operation in Afghanistan and in neighboring states hosting the world's largest refugee group.

The UN World Food Programme, which provides returnees with a three-month supply of wheat flour, has also run dangerously low of supplies. Many returnees only receive 50 kilograms of flour, a third of the planned ration, while people returning to southern Afghanistan currently get nothing.

KARZAI, DELEGATES ADDRESS LOYA JIRGA IN KABUL

Today in Kabul the head of the Transitional Administration of Afghanistan Mr. Hamid Karzai addressed the Loya Jirga. He said the new government would be called the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan, on the suggestion from the delegates.

Karzai also named key commissions that would be set up in the coming days. The Commissions, which were identified as essential in the transitional period, will include the ones addressing National Defense, the Civil Service and Justice and Judicial.

Prior to Karzais speech, many delegates took the floor voicing their views as regard to the priorities that the Transitional Administration should set, in particular how to deal with social problems.

ANNAN SAYS GROWING DIGITAL DIVIDE MUST BE ADDRESSED

Seizing the opportunities of the digital revolution is one of the most pressing challenges we face, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this morning at the opening of the General Assemblys High-Level Meeting on Information and Communication Technologies for Development.

Despite commendable efforts, he went on to say, the digital divide still gapes widely and billions of people are still unconnected to the wired global society. He suggested that efforts must be based on real needs of those we are seeking to help and they must be sustained over the long-term.

The Secretary-General ended by saying there was a need for all the initiatives to unite in a common purpose and determination.

More than 60 speakers are scheduled to address the plenary. The meeting ends Tuesday.

ANNAN TO URGE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO WORK TO MILLENNIUM GOALS

This afternoon, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at an informal meeting of Foundations and Other Donors on the Campaign for the Millennium Development Goals.

He will urge the heads of foundation and business corporations to create new partnerships and to find new and creative ways to support the Millennium Development Goals.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO MEET ON BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA ON WEDNESDAY

In a short session of consultations this morning, members of the Security Council decided to hear a briefing on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday morning in an open session, when Jacques Paul Klein, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Bosnia and Herzegovina, will speak.

Further consultations on the subject will take place on Friday, following which it is expected that a draft resolution will be adopted to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

UNHCR PREPARES FOR RETURN OF NEARLY 500,000 ANGOLAN REFUGEES

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it will start an organized voluntary repatriation for close to half a million Angolan refugees in southern Africa next year.

These refugees are situated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Namibia, as well as the Republic of Congo and other countries of the region.

As part of the UNHCR reintegration plan, the refugee agency says it is expecting up to 80,000 spontaneous returns this year, mostly between now and September/October, in time for the planting season. Up until now however, UNHCR has not reported large numbers of returns.

UNHCR has sent a technical team to prepare the ground for reintegration and future repatriation, which is in the region now.

This morning in the Angolan capital Luanda, the Secretary-Generals Special Advisor for Africa, Ibrahima Gambari, met with Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

After the meeting, Gambari told the press that he had delivered from the Secretary-General to President Dos Santos, which was a reply to a request sent by the President to the United Nations for assistance in all phases of the Angolan peace process. Gambari also told the media that he had reported to the President on the work of the UN Assessment Team, which he has been leading in Angola since June 10.

REPORT: DEVELOPMENTS ON IRAQI RETURN OF KUWAIT PROPERTY ENCOURAGING

In his latest report to the Security Council on the Return of Kuwait by Iraq, the Secretary-General discusses the recent activities of the High-level coordinator on the issue, Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov.

The Secretary-General said that it is encouraging that Iraq has expressed its intention, as conveyed through the Secretary-General of the Arab League to return documents belonging to the Kuwaiti national archives.

He added that he intends to follow-up on this issue, including the practicalities for such a return, during his upcoming talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri in Vienna next month.

While noting substantive progress on the issue, the Secretary-General added that he strongly urges the government of Iraq to make further efforts regarding the whereabouts of all remaining Kuwaiti property.

ANNAN DISPATCHES TOP PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL TO ETHIOPIA/ERITREA

At the request of the Secretary-General, Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno is arriving in Addis Ababa today for meetings with senior officials in Ethiopia and Eritrea, as personnel from the UN mission there.

Guehenno is in the region to take stock of the situation on the ground and see how to move forward on implementation of the decision by the independent Boundary Commission.

He is scheduled to travel to Asmara, Eritrea on Wednesday.

UN CRIME PREVENTION OPENS ANTI-CORRUPTION MEETING IN VIENNA

In Vienna today, Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, opened the second session on the Ad Hoc Committee for the Negotiation of a Convention against Corruption.

He began by saying that the International Financial Statistics of the International Monetary Fund showed that there were many unexplained and unaccounted segments in the Balance of Payments of some countries, and that analysis showed that there was an correlation between the accuracy of a countrys accounting and the absence of corruption.

TRIAL OF FORMER RWANDAN OFFICIAL OPENS IN UN TRIBUNAL

The trial of Eliezer Niyitegeka , former Minister of Information of Rwanda, began today at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania.

Niyitegeka was previously charged with six counts of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity, to which the Prosecutor added four new counts of rape, direct and public incitement to genocide, complicity to genocide and violations of the Geneva Conventions.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

ANNAN: DESERTIFICATION, DROUGHT COST $42 BILLION ANNUALLY

In his message marking World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought being observed today, the Secretary-General said that desertification will be among the most important issues to be discussed a the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

He said that desertification and drought have serious economic, environmental and socio-political implications.

Every year, an estimated $42 billion in income and 6 million hectares of productive land are lost to desertification, land degradation and declining agricultural productivity. We need to reverse the decline in agricultural productivity, he said, so that food production keeps pace with the number of mouths to feed.

UN ENVOY FOR KOSOVO OPENS ACCOUNT AT NEW BANK IN MITROVICA

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Kosovo Michael Steiner spent Saturday in Mitrovica where he visited various institutions and met and talked with the citys citizens. During his visit he also took the opportunity to highlight the UN mission in Kosovo's commitment to law and order and to building Kosovos economy.

Steiner participated in the opening of the second branch of the American Bank of Kosovo. The American Bank, funded by USAID, will be able to make business loans to small and medium sized enterprises. Steiner spoke of the important role of local banks in stimulating Kosovos economy. mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; Steiner then opened a bank account for himself

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) announced today it had received 54 proposals to amend the lists of species subject to trade controls or prohibitions under the treaty. The lists include two species of Chilean sea bass, ivory from African elephants, wool from the vicuņa in Bolivia and Chile and bigleaf mahogany.

According to a press release issued by the Food and Agricultural Organization, its Director-General Jacques Diouf said that a disproportionately high number of the worlds hungriest and most malnourished people can be found living in mountain regions. The statement was made at the International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountains, which is taking place in Adelboden, Switzerland.

The Commission on Macroeconomics and Health began a two-day meeting in Geneva today, on improving health to boost development. The Commission was established in January 2000 by Director-General of the World Health Organization, Gro Harlem Brundtland, and is co-chaired by Jeffrey Sachs, the Secretary-Generals Special Advisor on the Millennium Development Goals.