United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-10-24

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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

Friday, October 24, 2003

ANNAN: REPORT ON UN SECURITY "REQUIRES REFLECTION AND ACTION"

Upon arrival at UN headquarters this morning, Secretary-General Kofi Annan was asked about his reaction to the report on the safety and security of UN personnel by the independent panel chaired by Martti Ahtisaari. He told journalists that the report would be taken seriously. It requires reflection and action, he said, and we will do just that. He noted that he had been away and had not yet been able to study the report in detail.

The Secretary-General said the world had changed and the UN needs to change the way it does business in order to protect its staff. We will need to focus on our operational objectives, the Secretary-General added, but at the same time take measures to protect our staff.

Asked specifically about his decision not to pull out UN international staff completely from Iraq after the 19 August attacks, he said he did not agree that all staff should have been pulled out at that time. It was my decision, the Secretary-General said. It was a correct decision, and Im glad some staff stayed on to carry on the work with the 4,000 Iraqi staff.

Concerning the donors conference for Iraq that is going on in Madrid, the Secretary-General said that the meeting should be seen only as the beginning of the process. One should not, he added, judge the success of Iraqi reconstruction by the contributions that are announced today.

MONITORING BOARD FOR IRAQI DEVELOPMENT FUND SET UP

The Executive Heads of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the United Nations announced today that they have approved the terms of reference of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB).

The purpose of the Board is to promote the objectives set forth in Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) of ensuring that the Development Fund for Iraq is used in a transparent manner, and that export sales of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas from Iraq are made consistent with prevailing international market best practices.

The Executive Heads intend to make the appointments of their representatives to the Board forthwith and look forward to the Boards first meeting.

MADRID DONATIONS EXPECTED TO MEET MOST CRITICAL IRAQ NEEDS

On the Madrid conference, while the final donor pledges are not yet tallied, the UN Development Programme tells us that the pledges announced so far should meet what the UN considers the most critical issue being addressed -- the need for immediate grant assistance to Iraq from now through 2004.

Some substantial portion of this money will be channeled through the newly established UN-World Bank trust fund facility for Iraq, according to statements by donors here today.

As Mark Malloch Brown, the chairman of the UN Development Group, noted in his remarks to the conference this morning, Iraq's immediate needs for donor support in 2004 are on the order of $9 billion in grants, as estimated by a joint UN-World Bank needs assessment of 14 critical sectors of the country's public infrastructure and social services -- plus several billion more for security and other areas not covered by the UN-World Bank needs assessments.

ANNAN WELCOMES CLINTON FOUNDATION AIDS DRUGS INITIATIVE

The Secretary General, in statement issued through his Spokesman, warmly welcomes the agreement reached between the Clinton Foundation and four drug manufacturers in developing countries to cut the price of antiretroviral AIDS drugs in half.

These price reductions will not only make HIV treatment more affordable to many of those who could previously not afford them; they should also act as a further incentive for Governments, particularly in countries heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, to establish national treatment plans as part of their comprehensive prevention and care emergency strategies.

The agreement should be seen in the broader context of global action against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, one of the greatest threats of our time.

The Secretary-General hopes the initiative will encourage other pharmaceutical manufacturers to review their pricing policies and evaluate what further price reductions they can make to render these vital medicines more accessible to those who need them most.

He trusts synergy will be created between this initiative and existing international efforts such as President Bushs Emergency AIDS Plan, the World Health Organization and UNAIDS initiative to bring treatment to 3 million people by 2005, and of course, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

DISARMAMENT PROGRAM UNDERWAY IN AFGHANISTAN

Today in Kunduz, Afghanistan, 1,000 former combatants paraded in front of the President and other senior officials at a special ceremony to mark the start of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process.

The three year Beginnings Program was launched by the Afghan government with the support of the UN Development Progranmme, with the aim of disarming 100,000 members of the Afghan Military Forces.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Lakdar Brahimi, said that the former combatants who had participated in a jihad to liberate their country now needed to be part of a different kind of jihad: Today peace is returning to Afghanistan, but there is another jihad waiting for those being demobilized, that jihad is for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

He went on to say: "Afghanistan does not need people to hold guns and fight, it needs people to hold the pen, people to work in the fields to produce food, and people to work in the factories."

The program will require $134 million. Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States have so far provided $51 million. UNDP is now seeking more than $80 million to in supplementary funding to meet the rest.

ANNAN URGES PRISTINA, BELGRADE TO COMMIT 'BEST EFFORT' TO DIALOGUE

The Secretary-General, in his latest report to the Security Council on the work of the UN Mission in Kosovo, notes that a dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade was launched on October 14 in Vienna, after which the two sides have set up working groups to discuss four key areas on their agenda: the missing, returns, energy and transport and communications.

The Secretary-General welcomes the parties commitment to engage in this dialogue, and he calls on both sides to make their best efforts to ensure that the talks result in concrete actions leading to a measurable improvement in the daily lives of residents.

The report says that the UN Mission has continued to make progress in establishing substantial autonomy and self-government in Kosovo, but it adds that the security situation in Kosovo remains a cause for serious concern and threatens the reconciliation process among its communities. Violence targeting minorities is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms, the Secretary-General writes.

The Security Council has scheduled an open briefing on Kosovo next Thursday by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Harri Holkeri.

ANNAN SUPPORTS REGIONAL PEACEMAKING EFFORTS FOR SUDAN, SOMALIA

The Secretary-General, in a message for the 10th Summit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development known as IGAD in Kampala, Uganda, says the United Nations stands ready to work closely with the organization on matters of common concern, with special focus on regional peacemaking in the Sudan and Somalia.

The message was to be delivered by Mohamed Sahnoun, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, who attending the two-day summit beginning today.

The Secretary-General notes the encouraging progress on Sudan and thanked IGAD for their contribution to the peace process.

With the adoption on 10 October of a presidential statement by the Security Council, the United Nations now has the mandate and responsibility to start preparatory work in support of a peace agreement, he says.

On Somalia, which he says continues to be a source of concern, urged Somali leaders to honour their commitment to ensuring the delivery of such assistance as well as the safety of international and national aid workers.

The sub-regional organization consists of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Eritrea.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO BE UPDATED ON AFGHANISTAN

The Security Council has scheduled an open meeting followed by consultations on Afghanistan this afternoon.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno is the scheduled briefer.

CEREMONIES MARK UNITED NATIONS DAY WORLDWIDE

At a ceremony at the North Lawn, the Secretary-General was scheduled to unveil the Memorial to the Fallen, which honors all those who have died in service to the United Nations, and he will say at that ceremony that there is no more serious or solemn duty than the responsibility to protect UN Staff in the field.

In his comments, the Secretary-General is also expected to note the awarding of the Sakharov human rights prize to the United Nations yesterday by the European Parliament, who especially honoured UN staff who have lost their lives in carrying out their work for peace in the world.

That honor, as well as the Nobel Peace Prizes of 1988 and 2001, is something for the United Nations to take pride in, he will say.

The Memorial, made of slabs hewn from all five continents, and containing 191 stones to represent all the UN Member States, was designed by Arquitectonica and was made possible by the funds from the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in 1988 to the UN peacekeeping forces.

As UN Day was observed around the world, more than 400 people attended a ceremony for the unveiling of the memorial in honor of UN staff who have died in the service of peace, which took place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The Deputy Special Representative for the Secretary-General Souren Seraydarian read the Secretary-Generals UN Day message in Monrovia, where a march of 250 schoolchildren was accompanied by a platoon including a military band from the Nigerian peacekeepers of the UN mission in Liberia.

Meanwhile, the United Nations in Kenya today commemorated the UN Day by honoring Guddy Birkigt, a Kenyan activist, for her efforts to preserve the biological diversity of Kenyas Robinson Island and to promote the islands sustainable use for the benefit of its inhabitants.

The Secretary-General, in his message to mark UN Day, said that, despite the difficult times for the world and the United Nations, we should not be downcast, but must continue the work of serving humanity wherever its needs are greatest.

In New York, the Secretary-General will also make remarks at the UN Day Concert this evening, when composer William Blanks Exodes, a work devoted to the experience of refugees, will have its world premiere in a performance by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, whose conductor will talk to you in this room at 12:30.

Also today, the Secretary-General will make remarks at the opening of the exhibition marking the centenary of the birth of African American diplomat, and former UN official, Ralph Bunche, and he will draw attention to Bunches dignity and determination in the face of bigotry and harassment.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

LIBERIAN WAR VICTIMS RECEIVE SUPPLIES: Abou Moussa, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Liberia and Humanitarian Coordinator led an inter-Agency Mission to an area some 90 kilometers south of Monrovia. During the visit, The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delivered a truckload of supplies including blankets, kitchen sets and tarpaulins for distribution to internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Catholic mission compound.

UN REFUGEE AGENCY HOPES TO CLOSE ONCE LARGEST CAMP: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says that more than 200 Somali returned to their homeland in a voluntary repatriation programme that UNHCR hopes will result in the closure by year's end of what was once the world's largest refugee camp in eastern Ethiopia.

TOP HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL REMARKS ON ACTION AGAINST JOURNALISTS: Bertrand Ramcharan, the acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, today said there is further cause for concern about the right to freedom of expression and the protection of journalists following the killing of Radio France Internationale journalist Jean Hélene in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, on Tuesday. He also voiced concern about the announced expulsion from Senegal of another RFI reporter, Sophie Malibeaux, and request further information from the Senegalese authorities about her expulsion.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, October 27

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on Western Sahara and on the panel on the exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

At 11:15 a.m., Sergio Paez, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union will hold a press conference on the Annual Parliamentary Hearing at the UN.

At 12:45 p.m., Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile, Chairman of the Sanctions Committee on al-Qaeda and the Taliban, will hold a press conference.

The Intergovernmental Working Group dealing with the right to adequate food will meet at FAO Headquarters in Rome.

Tuesday, October 28

The Secretary-General is expected to make brief remarks at a memorial service for Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan.

The Security Council will hold consultations on the oil-for-food program and the humanitarian situation in Iraq.

At 2:30 p.m., the US Mission is sponsoring a press briefing by the current president of the Iraqi Governing Council, Iyad Alawi.

Wednesday, October 29

The Security Council will hold an open meeting to mark the anniversary of Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

At 11:15 a.m., Juan Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, will brief the press on the Secretary-Generals report on financing for development.

Thursday, October 30

The Secretary-General will address the General Assemblys High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development. The Dialogue will take place today and Friday.

The Security Council will receive an open briefing on Kosovo from the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Harri Holkeri.

At 12:30 p.m., Ambassador Gunter Pleuger of Germany will hold a press conference on the Security Council mission to Afghanistan.

Friday, October 31

The Secretary-General will chair the second yearly meeting of the Chief Executives Board, which brings together the heads of all the UN funds, agencies, programs and offices.

Today is the last day of the US Presidency of the Security Council. Angola will be the President of the Council for November.

At 11:00 a.m., the Department of Economic and Social Affairs will hold a press conference to launch its publication, World Public Sector Report 2003: E-Government at the Crossroads.

The guest at the noon briefing will be Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, who will be launching the International Year of Rice, to take place in 2004.

At 12:40 p.m., Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, will talk about the Convention against Corruption.

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