United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-10-30

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY

MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, October 30, 2003

UN STAFF TO BE TEMPORARILY RELOCATED FROM BAGHDAD FOR CONSULTATIONS

Asked about reports that the United Nations was withdrawing its staff from Baghdad, the Spokeswoman said that Secretary-General Kofi Annanwas keeping the situation in Iraq under close and constant review, particularly in the light of the new wave of violence in Baghdad, including the attack on the International Committee of the Red Cross. In that context, she saidthe Secretary-General has asked the small remaining team of international officials in Baghdad to come out temporarily for consultations with people from UN headquarters, so that the United Nations can thoroughly reconsider its future operations in Iraq and the security arrangements needed to continue working there. She said the decision did not affect UN international staff working in northern Iraq.

This is a temporary relocation as part of an ongoing process of constant review of the volatile security situation, and it does not represent a policy decision to disengage from Iraq, the Spokeswoman said. She said the relocation is "not a withdrawal," but "a consultation process."

In response to questions about the venue for the meeting with a team from UN Headquarters in New York, the Spokeswoman said it probably would be Larnaca, Cyprus.

Responding to questions about the number of staff in Iraq, she said that international staff had not yet left Baghdad, and that as of today, there were close to 60 international staff in Iraq, working with some 4,000 Iraqi nationals. The Spokeswoman added that the Secretary-General had to be able to strike the right balance between the work that the Iraqi people expected of the United Nations and the security needs of UN staff.

She added that "the United Nations has been asked to play a vital role [and] that role can only be played if we are on the ground. The Iraqi people also want us to be there and on the ground, and what we are trying to do is to help the Iraqis the best we can without risking life. It is not a static situation and thats what were faced with."

Asked if the threat assessment was different for national staff than for international staff, the Spokeswoman said she would not go into detail of security assessments. However, she stressed that the security of the UN national staff was of great concern and that necessary precautions are being taken on the ground.

Asked when the Secretary-General would issue some concrete measures as a result of the Independent Panels report on the security of staff in Iraq, the Spokeswoman said she expected a letter from the Secretary-General to the staff to be made public later today. That letter would address those issues, she added.

Asked if the United States authorities and the Coalition Provisional Authority had been kept informed of this decision, the Spokeswoman said the Secretary-General had been in constant contact with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, John Negroponte.

NORTH KOREA: ANNAN ENCOURAGED BY RENEWED MULTILATERAL TALKS

The Secretary-General, in statement issued through his Spokeswoman, welcomes encouraging news from Pyongyang that China and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea agreed in principle to hold a new round of multilateral talks to continue the Beijing negotiating process.

He remains convinced that dialogue is the way to resolve security and related issues facing the Korean Peninsula and calls on the parties concerned to look for creative approaches towards the issues they are facing.

The Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, Maurice Strong, will continue supporting these efforts.

U.N. AGENCIES WARN OF FOOD DEFICIT IN NORTH KOREA

Two United Nations agencies, the Food and Agricultural Agency and World Food Programme, said today that despite improved harvests, North Korea will have another substantial food deficit in 2004, requiring a large amount of external assistance for millions of people at risk.

According to a joint report by the two agencies, a combination of insufficient domestic production, the narrow and inadequate diet of much of the population and growing disparities in access to food as the purchasing power of many households declines, means that 6.5 million North Koreans will require assistance next year.

The report said despite evidence of improved nutritional levels in recent years, malnutrition rates remain alarmingly high.

ANNAN ADDRESSES FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT MEETING

The Secretary-General today addressed the high-level dialogue on Financing for Development, saying that, if that term is to mean anything, the current net flow of financial resources from the developing world to other countries which amounted to nearly 200 billion dollars last year must be reversed.

The Secretary-General highlighted the accomplishments reached at last years conference on financing for development in Monterrey, Mexico, saying that we did reach real breakthroughs there, including the new commitments to reverse a decade of decline or stagnation in official development assistance. He told those who were gathered today that such assistance levels still fall far short of what is required, adding, I hope you are ready to improve on what is very much a mixed report card.

He concluded, We face an uncertain economy, wide-ranging social distress and faltering trade negotiations that need a real jump-start at Decembers World Trade Organization talks in Geneva. We must stay together, stay engaged, and make this process work. We have his remarks upstairs.

Among the other speakers in todays dialogue, World Bank President James Wolfensohn said that, if we are to meet the goals set at Monterrey, we must step up our game, adding that, although there is progress, I think there is still very much to be done.

Horst Koehler, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, said that there was some good news, with improvement in the global economy, but added that risks remain, including the excessive dependence of the global economy on growth in the United States.

SECURITY COUNCIL UPDATED ON KOSOVO SITUATION

The Security Council today began an open meeting on Kosovo, on which Council members received a briefing from the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Harri Holkeri, who detailed several senseless, violent incidents that have shaken Kosovo in recent weeks.

Far too many people silently tolerate ethnically-based violence, Holkeri said. This must be opposed. Kosovos leaders, he said, must explain to their constituents why violence is not a solution.

He warned that, although the overall security situation has improved vastly in most of Kosovo, the dramatic advances enjoyed by the majority community have not been felt by all, and the rule of law is being openly flouted in many places around Kosovo.

He noted the start of a dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, at a meeting he chaired in Vienna on October 14, and said that although the delegation members from the two sides did not shake hands, nevertheless, they did listen carefully to what the other side had to say.

This afternoon at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will also hold consultations on the report of the expert panel dealing with the exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

That session is the last scheduled one to be held this month under the Presidency of the United States.

ANNAN MEETS WITH HEADS OF U.N. PRINCIPLE ORGANS

The heads of the Six Principal Organs of the United Nations (General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and the Secretariat) held their fifth annual meeting yesterday afternoon followed by a luncheon hosted by the Secretary-General.

In 1998, the Secretary-General began the practice of holding meetings among the heads of the six Principal Organs, in order to exchange views and coordinate matters, with a view to improving efficiency in the workings of the Organization.

The five Presidents and the Secretary-General discussed issues and challenges facing the international community.

The focused on issues of common concern such as the security of UN staff in conflict areas, revitalization of the work of the Principal Organs, as well as reform of the Organization as a whole. The meeting also discussed matters relating to Iraq, the Middle East, the Millennium Development Goals, and economic development and trade.

The Deputy Secretary-General reported on progress achieved in the areas of Secretariat reform and HIV/AIDS.

ANNAN DISCUSSES FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY WITH BRAZILIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS

The Secretary-General met yesterday with a delegation of Brazilian Parliamentarians, headed by Joao Paulo Cunha, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The delegation raised important issues such as the links between the United Nations and civil society, Brazils support to the Secretary-Generals initiatives on UN reform as well as Brazils partnership with the UN in the fight against hunger and poverty.

The Secretary-General highlighted that the United Nations relies on Parliamentarians as one of the channels to convey peoples concerns and expressed his appreciation for their commitment to play a greater role at the United Nations.

In this connection, the Secretary-General welcomed that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has recently become an observer at the United Nations, as this would contribute to strengthen the work of the Organization.

EX-ARGENTINE MINISTER TO HEAD ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR LATIN AMERICA

The Secretary-General has decided to appoint José Luis Machinea of Argentina to be the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

Machinea was a former Minister of the Economy for Argentina, and has also worked as a consultant to the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

ANNAN TO TRAVEL TO LATIN AMERICA NEXT WEEK

Starting Tuesday evening, the Secretary-General is scheduled to begin official visits to Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.

In Bolivia, he will attend the meeting of the Ibero-American Summit.

CHIEF UN EXECUTIVES TO GATHER IN NEW YORK FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

The Chief Executives Board (CEB) of the UN system will begin tomorrow in New York its Fall 2003 session.

The Board is chaired by the Secretary-General, and comprises the heads of the Specialized Agencies, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, International Atomic Energy Agency, World Trade Organization and UN Funds and Programmes.

The Board will pursue consideration of the actions to be taken by the UN system to sustain the momentum generated by the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development, building on the General Assembly High-Level Dialogue on the subject that will conclude today.

It will also address policy and operational dimensions of the Triple Crisis posed by HIV/AIDS, food security and governance capacity, and provide guidance to coordinated follow-up by the system.

The issue of staff security and safety is expected to be given special attention at the session.

The Board session will be followed by an executive heads retreat that will take place over the week-end. The retreat will focus on the future of multi-lateralism and the actions that need to be taken to advance system-wide effectiveness and promote multi-lateral policies and instruments that work and deliver.

These discussions will take place against the background of the Secretary-Generals report to the General Assembly on the follow-up to the Millennium Declaration and the analysis and proposals in the Secretary-Generals statement at the opening of the General Assemblys general debate.

AFGHAN DEMOBILIZATION PROGRAMME MOVING AHEAD

The UN Mission in Afghanistan said that the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) process in Kunduz is moving ahead, with nearly half of the 1008 former soldiers who have been disarmed in Kunduz have now gone through demobilization.

They have all sworn a seven-point oath promising not to take up arms and to obey the laws of the country. The oath also calls on the ex-soldiers not to get involved in drug trafficking or production and not to take part in criminal activities.

The Mission said that of the different opportunities available through the DDR programme, the most popular so far is agricultural work, but very few had opted to join either the Afghan National Army or the police.

The next pilot phase of the disarmament is scheduled to start in Gardez on November 10.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

COTE DIVOIRE: In an exchange of letters, which is available on the racks today, the Security Council informed the Secretary-General that, as the UN Mission in Cote dIvoire nears its November expiration, Council members will review the possible designation of that Mission as a peacekeeping mission, and will evaluate the possible reinforcement of the UN presence in that country. The Secretary-General, in response, welcomed the Security Councils willingness to consider the possible reinforcement of the UN Mission, and hoped that the Council will reach an early agreement on such reinforcement.

SOMALIA: The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Maxwell Gaylard, today expressed his deep concern that the potential failure of the short season of rains in Somalias Sool Plateau could cause a humanitarian disaster for some 15,500 agricultural families. With the September-October season passing without rainfall, he said, the UN expects that most of the remaining livestock on the plateau may die, causing the local economy to collapse.

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