United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-11-12

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

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY

FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

PANEL ON ACCOUNTABILITY FOR IRAQ SECURITY BEGINS WORK

The team established by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to determine accountability at all managerial levels at UN headquarters and in the field to review responsibilities prior to the August 19 bombing in Baghdad is set to begin its work today.

The team is headed by Gerald Walzer, former Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees. The other members of the team will be Srinath Basnayake, former Director of the General Legal Division of the Office of Legal Affairs; Kevin Carty, Assistant Commissioner of the Irish National Police; and Stuart Groves, Senior Security Manager, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva.

They expect to finish their work by mid-January.

In response to questions, the Spokesman said that there would be no reports on the panels progress while they conduct their work. He said the Secretary-General wants to take specific administrative actions in response to the Report of The Independent Panel on the Safety and Security of UN Personnel in Iraq, and this panel is part of his information-gathering process before he makes an executive decision, possibly by January.

In that regard, the Spokesman also noted the talks underway in Cyprus, bringing together UN staff in Iraq and UN Headquarters staff, to take a comprehensive look at the security situation in Iraq.

Asked why Tun Myat had been appointed UN Security Coordinator when he had no specific background in security affairs, the Spokesman said that Tun Myat had an excellent reputation as a manager from his time working at the World Food Programme, and had a staff experienced in security matters working for him. He suggested that a good manager, backed by security experts, should be able to do the job, but added that the Secretary-General would review how well Tun Myat had done when he receives information from Walzers panel.

ANNAN DISMAYED BY DEATHS IN NASIRIYA BOMBING IN IRAQ

In response to a question, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General is dismayed at the loss of life in todays car bombing in Nasiriya, Iraq, including a number of Italian personnel. He expresses his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this attack and to the Government of Italy.

Asked whether the United Nations believed Iraq is ready to be governed by Iraqis, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General had told the Security Council his belief that the rapid transfer of power would be good for the country. A clear timeline for the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqis would help to reduce tensions somewhat, he added. Those views have not changed.

SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN PERU

On the second day of his trip to Peru, the Secretary-General flew from Lima to the highland city of Cuzco this morning together with Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo. They were welcomed in Cuzco by the Mayor of the city and the President of the Cuzco region, after which they attended a ceremony of indigenous dance and music. The Secretary-General was named Illustrious Guest of Cuzco and Honourable Guest of the region and awarded the keys to the city.

In his remarks, the Secretary General said that local authorities have a key role to play in bringing peoples everyday concerns to the attention of national and global policy makers and in mobilizing them to implement policies once they are decided on. He told those gathered that he was glad to be in Cuzco, a city which had so much to offer the world.

He added, I want to encourage you to maintain your admirable engagement with the urgent issues of our time I am referring, for example, to the contribution that the heritage, knowledge and traditions of the indigenous peoples of Peru, and indigenous peoples everywhere, can make to the worlds quest for sustainable development, as was recognized in the Plan of Action adopted at the Johannesburg Conference.

The Secretary-General and President Toledo then left Cuzco by helicopter to the town of Aguas Calientes, from where they are to proceed by road to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, 1,800 meters above sea level.

Upon their return to Cuzco, the Secretary-General is scheduled to have a meeting with representatives of indigenous communities.

This evening, the Secretary-General will travel from Cuzco to the Bolivian capital of La Paz, the last leg of his four-country Latin America trip, which will culminate on Friday with the inauguration of the Ibero-American Summit.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES GEORGIA, DRC, ETHIOPIA-ERITREA

The Security Council held consultations on Georgia today, with a briefing by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Heidi Tagliavini, on the Secretary-Generals latest report on Abkhazia, Georgia.

The report says the momentum gained in the Georgian peace process since last February should not be lost. The report adds that, in order to achieve lasting stability and security, the political issue at the heart of the conflict ultimately must be addressed, and the Secretary-General strongly urges both sides, in particular the Abkhaz side, to enter into a meaningful dialogue on the core issues of the conflict.

Under other matters, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno gave an update on the situation in Bunia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi briefed on the situation between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

[Following those briefings, Council President Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins of Angola said that Council members condemned the attacks by the Union of Congolese Patriots militias on November 5, which had prompted a response from the UN Mission, and also condemned the bloody events last month in Katchele.]

Then at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council has scheduled consultations on the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee. Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile will report on the last 90 days of work of his Committee, which includes his recent travels to Europe, Asia and the Middle East dealing with the enforcement of sanctions under Resolution 1267, which concerns al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

UN RELIEF COORDINATOR BEGINS VISIT TO DR CONGO

The head of the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egeland, arrived this morning in Kinshasa at the start of four-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In meetings with senior Government officials, he stressed that the Government should do more to reduce insecurity, since it results in limited access to people in need. He also discussed the need to continue to work on protecting civilians, stopping human rights violations and ending impunity.

Egeland promised to provide as much humanitarian support to the people of DRC as possible, and pledged to push for support for the Consolidated Appeal for the country.

On Thursday, he will travel to the eastern part of the country to visit field locations, including Kindu, Bukavu, Goma, Bunia, and Baraka. Access to people in need in Kindu and Baraka has recently improved, and while there, Egeland will be able to take a look at how that translates into better conditions for the civilian population.

The eastern DRC is the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world, with 3.5 million people displaced.

HIGH-LEVEL MEETING OF UN OFFICIALS IN WEST AFRICA TO TAKE PLACE

On November 14, the heads of UN missions in Cote dIvoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and Liberia, as well as the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for West Africa, will all attend a high level UN meeting to review the situation in the region, particularly the trans border problems.

Ahmedou Ould Abdullah, the head of the UNs West Africa office, says that insecurity is one of the most critical trans-border issues facing the sub-region. The response must be to ensure the well-being, prosperity, and overall, security of populations of West Africa, he said.

PAVAROTTI GIFT TO HELP ANGOLAN REFUGEES IN ZAMBIA

Thousands of Angolan refugees living across the Zambezi River in western Zambia can now be assured of a steady flow of assistance during the rainy season, after the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees handed over a ferry donated by Maestro Luciano Pavarotti to the Zambian Government.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says the new ferry, valued at $210,000, was donated by Pavarotti, a UN Messenger of Peace, from the proceeds of his 2002 charity concert for Angolan refugee children.

UN RIGHTS OFFICIALS CONCERNED ABOUT TORTURE REPORTS IN NEPAL

The UN Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur on torture, Theo van Boven; the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo; and the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Leila Zerrougui, expressed their profound concern over reports that dozens of individuals are being detained secretly in Nepal and are therefore at risk of suffering torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

In the last two months, the experts have sent 31 urgent appeals, most of them jointly, to the Government of Nepal regarding the alleged detention in unknown locations of 56 people, including some journalists.

According to reports received, since the cease-fire collapsed between the Government and the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) on August 27, both sides in the conflict have committed human rights abuses.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

CUBA BENEFITS FROM SOLAR PANELS: The UN Development Programme says today that some remote communities in Cuba can now rely on alternative power sources, including solar power and wind power, with a UNDP-supported project helping to provide 12-volt solar panels to all the homes in Los Tumbos, a community in the western province of Pinar del Rio.

GUATEMALA TO SIGN AGREEMENT ON PEACEKEEPING: Today at 12:30, the Guatemalan Ambassador, Gert Rosenthal, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN on peacekeeping stand-by arrangements. Guatemala is the 45th member state to agree to such arrangements.

FAO HOSTS MEETING ON FINANCING AGRICULTURE: At a two-day forum today and Thursday, hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Budapest, major international financial organizations, development agencies and private banks met to create a formal network of institutions financing agriculture.