United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-07-12

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY HUA JIANG

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, July 12, 2002

ANNAN LANDS IN NIGERIA FOLLOWING SUDAN VISIT

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today is in Abuja, Nigeria, where he arrived in the morning after ending his visit to Sudan.

That visit concluded last night with a meeting between the Secretary-General and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, which the Secretary-General told reporters afterward focused on the Governments determination to press ahead and work with its neighbors and the international community for peace. He said, I think we do have a very good climate at the moment. There are very, very encouraging signs.

He said that, on the humanitarian issue, he and the President agreed that food needs to get to the needy, and that humanitarian workers must have free and unfettered access. They agreed on the need for comprehensive access, except in 18 locations where the Government believes it is not safe to operate. The situation in those areas will be kept under review.

The Secretary-General added, We have decided to intensify the liaison mechanisms for working out any of these differences, adding that he and the President share the same concern for the security of humanitarian workers.

The meeting came in the evening, after which the Secretary-General received an honorary degree from the University of Juba.

Friday, in Abuja, Nigeria, the Secretary-General met with the UN country team shortly upon arrival. In the afternoon, he is to attend a roundtable with African business leaders on the challenges faced by the private sector in implementing the Global Compact and the New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD). He was then to meet with a group of representatives of non-governmental organizations on the role of civil society in conflict prevention, peace building and human development.

On Saturday morning, he is scheduled to hold a breakfast meeting with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, followed by a press conference prior to his departure to New York. The Secretary-General is expected to arrive in New York Saturday evening.

COUNCIL CONTINUES DISCUSSIONS ON BOSNIA MISSION AND ICC

The Security Council met in closed consultations today, starting first with an update on the situation in Afghanistan from Kieran Prendergast, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.

British Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock introduced the final report to the Security Council from the United Kingdom on the work of the International Assistance Force in Afghanistan, covering the period up the handover of command to Turkey on June 20.

France then introduced a draft resolution extending the UN observer mission in Prevlaka until October 15. That resolution is expected to be adopted on Monday.

Following a short break, Council members then resumed their discussions on the International Criminal Court and the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During their consultations on Thursday afternoon, a US-sponsored resolution on the ICC was circulated among members with a view to a vote. Two other delegations introduced suggested changes to that resolution.

Consultations were suspended at 12:30 today and will resume this afternoon at 3:30.

ANNAN URGES SIERRA LEONE TO BUILD ON SUCCESS OF ELECTIONS

Earlier today, the head of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone, Oluyemi Adeniji, delivered a message of behalf of the Secretary-General at the ceremony marking the opening of Parliament and the inauguration of the President of the country.

In his message, the Secretary-General congratulated the President and the parliamentarians for the holding of an election that few people especially outside of Sierra Leone ever thought could be held so soon after the end of long and brutal civil war.

The election, he went on to say, is a great demonstration of the political maturity of the Sierra Leonean people and their determination to make a clean break with their violent past. They have shown their preference for the route of democracy as the foundation for sustainable peace.

For this achievement to be sustained, the majority must not ignore the views of the minority, and the minority must be constructive in its criticism, the Secretary-General said in his message. The government must also take the lead in consolidating the newly-found peace and address unfinished aspects of the peace process.

In conclusion, he urged all Sierra Leoneans to take this unique opportunity to secure a peaceful and prosperous future for their country. The international community, including the United Nations, will continue to stand by your side, the Secretary-General said.

UNHCR CONCERNED TENS OF THOUSANDS DISPLACED BY LIBERIA FIGHTING

The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) remains concerned about the thousands of Sierra Leonean refugees and local Liberians who fled the Sinje refugee camp in northwest Liberia after attacks by rebels on June 20.

The camp housed some 24,000 people, and while some have managed to reach Sierra Leone or Monrovia, many still remain in the bush in deteriorating conditions due to seasonal rains. Those who have reached Monrovia said there are many who are too weak or wounded to manage the 80-kilometer trek to the Liberian capital.

So far 3,800 refugees from Sinje have been registered in camps around Monrovia. The heavy rains are making already poor roads worse, and access to the camps around Monrovia is increasingly difficult.

The flow of Liberian refugees and Sierra Leoneans returning to Sierra Leone by the main Gendema crossing has slowed from a high of 1,700 a day two weeks ago to about 100-150 a day in the last few days. UNHCR is continuing to shuttle returnees and refugees from the entry points along the border to the Zimmi way station, where they spend a couple of night before being relocated to UNHCR camps in Sierra Leone.

Guinea has also seen new arrivals of Liberian refugees, with more than 1,500 arriving in the past two weeks.

UNHCR DISTRESSED OVER REPORTS OF NGO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT IN ZIMBABWE

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today said it was distressed following the news that two members of a non-governmental organization, the International Catholic Migration Commission, were alleged to have committed sexual misconduct against refugees in the Tongogora camp in Zimbabwe. Those two staff members were dismissed.

UNHCR welcomes the Commissions swift response to the problem, and High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers reiterated that there is absolutely no place in the humanitarian community for those who exploit others, and emphasized the need for strict adherence to a zero tolerance policy.

FRECHETTE IN LONDON TO CHAIR GLOBAL COMPACT ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette is in London today, where she is chairing the second meeting of the Global Compact Advisory Council.

The meeting is to discuss how the Global Compact has evolved, and how best to consolidate its efforts and its core areas of activity. The meeting will also discuss how to build a future vision for the Compact.

The Advisory Council consists of representatives of business, labor, civil society and academia, as well as representatives from major UN partners in the Compact.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

In answer to a question on the UNs role in the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Spokesman later added that the United Nations has no supervisory role with the Fund, but UNAIDS and the World Health Organization have representatives, without voting rights, on the Funds board.

The UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina today commended the interior ministries of the Bosnian Federation and of the Republika Srpska for the successful security operation that allowed a religious ceremony commemorating the Srebrenica massacre to take place peacefully on Thursday.

At the end of June, 88 countries were providing just over 45,000 military and police personnel to the 15 current UN peacekeeping operations.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS Saturday, July 13 The Secretary-General will hold a breakfast meeting with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abuja. He will then return to New York, ending his trip to Vienna, South Africa, Sudan and Nigeria.

Sunday, July 14 Monday, July 15 The Security Council expects to vote on the UN Mission of Observers in Prevlaka, the current mandate of which expires at the end of the day. The current mandate of the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina also expires at the end of the day.

In Geneva, Sakiko Fukuda Parr, Director of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report Office, will launch the Global Human Development Report for 2002.

Tuesday, July 16 The Security Council has scheduled consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and on Burundi.

The Security Council expects to receive the Secretary-Generals report on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon in the middle of the week.

"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: The Secretary-General is expected to participate in a meeting of the Quartet dealing with the Middle East. Wednesday, July 17 The Secretary-General is expected to open a meeting of the friends of the Chair for the World Summit for Sustainable Development, which will begin next month in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Security Council will hold consultations on the Middle East.

Thursday, July 18 The Security Council will hold an open meeting to consider the situation in the Mano River Union, which brings together Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Emergency Relief Coordinator Kenzo Oshima, who will discuss an appeal for humanitarian assistance for Angola.

Friday, July 19 The Security Council has scheduled an open meeting on Afghanistan, to hear a briefing by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Lakhdar Brahimi.

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