United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-09-09

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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

Tuesday, September 9, 2003

IRAQ: ANNAN TO MEET WITH HEADS OF HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES,

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF FIVE PERMANENT SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is scheduled to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, this afternoon to attend two meetings later this week.

The first, on Friday, is an extraordinary meeting of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. IASC is the umbrella group that coordinates the humanitarian work of the United Nations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the Red Cross movement.

The Secretary-General convened this meeting, which will take place Friday morning at the Palais des Nations, to discuss with the future role and presence of humanitarian actors in Iraq, as well as the issues revolving around the need to ensure a humanitarian presence in insecure environments, more generally.

Then on Saturday, the Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council and the Secretary-General are scheduled to hold a meeting in Geneva on the subject of Iraq. The meeting will review the current situation, consider options for the future, including on the security situation, the political transition and economic recovery in Iraq and examine the implications for the role of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General hopes that the meeting will enable the permanent members to identify important points of convergence with the aim of ultimately allowing the full Council to arrive at a consensus that will accelerate the return to stability and the early restoration of Iraqi national sovereignty.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO VOTE FRIDAY ON LIFTING U.N. SANCTIONS ON LIBYA

The Security Council held consultations on Libya, after which it held a procedural vote, in which all 15 Council members agreed to vote on whether to lift UN sanctions on Libya at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, September 12.

Then at 3:30 p.m., the Security Council has scheduled a meeting with troop contributing countries to the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Secretary-Generals latest report on Ethiopia and Eritrea was issued last Friday.

ANNAN GREATLY TROUBLED BY INTENSIFYING VIOLENCE IN MIDDLE EAST

Two statements were issued Monday afternoon regarding the Middle East, saying that the Secretary-General is greatly troubled by the intensifying cycle of violence, retaliation and revenge between Israelis and Palestinians. He deplores the tendency of both sides to disregard their obligation to protect civilians under international humanitarian law.

In the other statement, the Secretary-General voiced the hope that the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen will not detail efforts, embodied in the Quartets Road Map, to forge peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Secretary-General is distressed by the latest news of a bombing in Tel Aviv. We are trying to gather more information on that attack before responding further.

LIBERIAN TRANSITION TEAM MEETS WITH UN OFFICIALS IN MONROVIA

An eight-member advance team of the Government of Liberias Transition Committee visited United Nations offices in Monrovia today. The team had been dispatched to confer on preparations for the installation of the transitional government on 14 October. The discussion centered on ways the transitional government and the United Nations could work in partnership once the Security Council has approved a mandate for the new mission. Both sides emphasized the need to establish conditions of security in the country.

The lack of security, law and order in many parts of Liberia are still hampering humanitarian operations in Liberia, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Despite these constraints, UNHCR said aid workers continued to work where they could.

UNHCR also says that it is growing increasingly concerned about the fate of thousands of Ivoirian refugees scattered along Liberias eastern border with Côte dIvoire. The refugee agency is exploring possible ways of accessing this part of Liberia with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN coordination agency (OCHA)

WFP SAYS FOOD DONATIONS FOR RWANDA INSUFFICIENT

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that the situation of food aid for Rwanda is now critical.

At the beginning of September, WFP had urged donors to send their contributions urgently to ensure that malnutrition and other related problems would not affect the refugees and victims of the drought in Rwanda. WFP asked for 6,200 tons of food costing $ 3.3 million

WFP said today it had not received any contributions and it was going to have to reduce by 30 percent the food rations to the affected persons starting October. If contributions remained unforthcoming, further cuts in rations were envisioned.

ANNAN URGES STATES TO RATIFY CONVENTION TO PROTECT U.N. STAFF

In the most recent of his continuing efforts to improve the safety of UN staff in the field, the Secretary-General yesterday urged all States to sign on to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel.

In a letter addressed to the heads of state or government and foreign ministers who are expected to attend the General Assembly later this month, he invited States that have not already ratified or acceded to the Convention to do so at a high-level treaty event that will take place at UN Headquarters from September 23 to 26, concurrent with the Assemblys general debate.

As of Monday, the Convention, which was adopted in 1994, had 66 States parties, while efforts are continuing to ensure that all States that have significant numbers of UN or associated personnel will accede to it.

NEWS REPORT SAYS 1.26 MILLION DIED IN ROAD DEATHS IN 2000

In a report to the General Assembly which is out on the racks today, the Secretary-General says that an estimated 1.26 million people worldwide died as a result of road traffic injuries in 2000, with road accidents responsible for 25 percent of all deaths due to injury.

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2020, road traffic injuries could rank third among causes of death and disability, ahead of malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. The report includes recommendations for dealing with the issue and notes that road traffic injuries can be significantly reduced with a moderate investment.

SINGAPORE SARS CASE NOT CONFIRMED

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that speculations concerning the discovery of a new case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Singapore cannot yet be confirmed as SARS due to conflicting medical analyses. WHO is waiting for the results of an independent laboratory on whether this had been a case of SARS and will continue to follow the situation.

mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language: The case involved a 27-year old medical student in Singapore who was working in a laboratory which was studying the SARS virus. After hospitalization, the patients temperature was down to normal again.

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