United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-11-07

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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

Thursday, November 7, 2002

ANNAN: IRAQI COOPERATION COULD AVERT MILITARY ACTION

On his way in to the building this morning, Secretary-General Kofi Annan was asked by a Reuters correspondent if cooperation by Iraq with the Security Council and UN weapons inspectors could avert military action.

The Secretary-General said, I think for the [Security] Council the issue is disarmament. If Iraq cooperates and the inspectors can get that work done, I think the Council will be less inclined to think in terms of military action.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO RESUME CONSULTATIONS ON IRAQ

The Security Council held consultations this morning on Iraq, and is expected to resume discussions on the latest draft resolution today following discussions on Somalia .

[After the morning consultations, Zhang Yishan, the Deputy Permanent Representative of China, which holds this month's presidency of the Security Council, told reporters that the different positions of the different sides are getting closer.]

At 3:30 p.m., the Council has scheduled consultations on Somalia. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast is scheduled to give a briefing on the Secretary-Generals recent report and the talks in Eldoret, Kenya.

MORE EMPHASIS NEEDED ON KOSOVO RECONCILIATION

On Wednesday afternoon, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean Marie Guéhenno briefed the Security Council in an open meeting on the latest report of the Secretary-General on Kosovo, as well as such recent developments as last months municipal elections.

Those elections, Guéhenno said, were marked by the same trend of voter fatigue seen in other recent Balkans elections, with an overall turnout of 54 percent, and only 20 percent participation by Kosovos Serb community. He said the low turnout by Kosovo Serbs was to their detriment, diminishing their ability to participate in decision-making processes throughout Kosovo.

Guéhenno added that it is clear from recent events that more emphasis needs to be placed on reconciliation efforts, with Kosovos leaders having a responsibility to create conditions to improving inter-communal relations.

UN ENVOY DISCUSSES CRISES WITH SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

Terje Roed-Larsen, The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, is in Damascus today and Friday.

This morning he briefed Farouk Sharaa, Syrias Foreign Minister, on several issues central to the current and looming crises in the region. With diplomatic activity particularly intense right now, Larsen and Sharaa reaffirmed that UN resolutions must remain the basis for all attempts to address these crises.

In particular, Larsen briefed Sharaa on the activities of the Middle East Quartet. This includes concentrated work to develop a detailed roadmap, backed by a broad international consensus, to bring peace to the region.

Larsen underscored that no peace can be lasting unless it is comprehensive and includes all parties to the conflict.

UNDP PROVIDES START-UP COSTS TO AFGHAN CONSTITUTIONAL BODY

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) today provided operating costs to the Constitutional Commission of Afghanistan, launched this week by former King Zahir Shah. UNDP announced a program of immediate assistance to the Commission worth $60,000, to cover the start-up costs for its drafting committee and to support its longer-term work to design an Afghan Constitution.

UNDP and the UN Mission in Afghanistan are also providing some $270,000 for the new Judicial Commission, comprising nine Afghan jurists and lawyers, that was formed by President Hamid Karzai last week.

In addition, UNDP noted today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Afghan health officials and Kabul municipal officials to rehabilitate 30 hammams or public bath houses to be used by Afghan women.

FUNDING SHORTFALL HAMPERING AID IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

The United Nations is concerned that insufficient support is being provided for non-food needs in responding to the humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa.

10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: Since the United Nations launched a $611 Inter-Agency appeal in July, some 44% of the funding has been received. However, the distribution of those funds has not been even. While the food sector has received 49% of the funding required, only 8% has been received for water and sanitation, just 15% for health, and 27% for agricultural support, according to the UN Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Support Office.

Funding shortfalls mean that UN agencies are stretching scarce resources and thus facing difficulty in responding fully to the needs of the people covered under the appeal.

UNAIDS APPOINTS MICRO-CREDIT BANKER AS AMBASSADOR

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today named a new Ambassador, Mohammed Yunus, the pioneering banker involved in the spread of micro-credit.

Professor Yunus, from Bangladesh, who set up the Grameen Bank in 1983 to provide micro-credit loans for the poor in rural areas, will help bring the message of HIV/AIDS prevention and care to the worlds neediest people. He will also assist UNAIDS to document best practices and encourage private sector investment in HIV prevention programs.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about the Secretary-Generals efforts on Cyprus, the Spokesman reiterated that he is still considering his options.

The UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina today clarified its police reform efforts, saying in a press release that the review process is an administrative process, similar to recruitment efforts, and is entirely independent from any judicial proceedings. Police officers who meet strict requirements for professional competence and personal integrity are awarded with certifications, in a process designed to ensure that Bosnia will have a non-political, professional and democratic police force.

The Secretary-Generals report on assistance in mine action, which comes at the end of the first year of the implementation of the five-year Mine Action Strategy, is out today. It looks at progress made over the last year on each of the six strategic goals, noting that mine action organizations need to integrate their activities into humanitarian and development programs.

Also out today is the Secretary-Generals report on international cooperation in humanitarian assistance, which acknowledges that the role of international organizations is essential in the transition from relief to development and adds that much more needs to be done to strengthen and clarify areas of collaboration.

The Governing Body of the International Labour Organization begins its 285th session today in Geneva. On the agenda will be forced labour in Myanmar, a fund for workers in the occupied Arab territories and measures for employment creation and social policy. The meeting will end on November 22.

The Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species or CITES, is meeting in Santiago, Chile. Delegates are discussing ways to strengthen cooperation on gathering intelligence on the illegal trade in wildlife and targeting criminal organizations for prosecution.

World Bank President James Wolfensohn will deliver a keynote address Friday afternoon at 5:00, in the Trusteeship Chamber, on the new multilateralism and its implications for development. The event, organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, is part of a series of panel discussions and keynote addressed designed to facilitate more focused debates and discussions in the General Assembly.

The United Arab Emirates became the 114th Member State to pay its 2002 regular budget contribution in full with a payment of more than $2.2 million.

Also today, France made a payment of more than $60 million to the peacekeeping budget and the United Kingdom recently made a payment of more than $13 million.