United Nations Daily Highlights, 03-11-21

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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, November 21, 2003

UNITED NATIONS MARKS END OF OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAMME IN IRAQ

The administration of the Oil-for-Food Programme will be transferred from the United Nations to the Coalition Provisional Authority at midnight tonight. A formal handover ceremony took place in Erbil, Iraq earlier today.

The Oil-for-Food Programme, the Secretary-General told the Security Council Thursday afternoon, was one of the largest, most complex and most unusual tasks ever entrusted to the Secretariat. It was also the only humanitarian program ever to have been funded entirely from resources belonging to the nation it was designed to help.

The Secretary-General went on to tell Council members that the United Nations takes pride in the orderly handover of such a complex programme despite the current insecurity in Iraq.

We are closing the Oil-for-Food Programme, he said, but we remain determined to continue helping Iraqs long-suffering people in whatever ways are still open to us and we are determined to implement the other mandates you have given to us.

Following the Secretary-Generals words, the Security Council adopted a Presidential Statement in which it underlined the exceptionally important role played by the Oil-for-Food programme in providing humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people during the sanctions regime.

The Security Council, in its statement, also emphasized the need for continued international efforts aimed at the reconstruction of Iraq.

ANNAN TO REPORT TO SECURITY COUNCIL ON ACTIVITIES IN IRAQ

The Secretary-General will submit a report to the Security Council in the next few weeks on UN activities in Iraq and how it will proceed, he told Council members during his monthly luncheon with them Thursday.

Speaking to reporters after the lunch, the Secretary-General said his report would indicate how it can operate in Iraq. He added that the United Nations is not sitting back and waiting for circumstances to change, but is trying to do cross-border work, offer advice and otherwise help the Iraqis. In the immediate future, the Secretary-General said, well probably establish a regional office to focus on the Iraq activities.

He said he would make two appointments on Iraq. First, he would name someone fairly soon to handle the operations on the ground. Then, in the not-too-distant future, he intends to name a new Special Representative.

SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS ON IRAQ AND CYPRUS

The Security Council held an open meeting on Iraq this morning.

Council members were briefed by U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte and U.K. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, on behalf of the Coalition Provisional Authority.

This afternoon at 3 p.m., the Security Council has scheduled consultations on Cyprus and other matters.

Also regarding the Security Council, the Secretary-General mentioned to reporters after the Council luncheon yesterday that a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States is expected at UN headquarters Monday to appeal to members to establish a peacekeeping operation in Cote dIvoire.

ANNAN CALLS FOR MIGRATION TO BE MANAGED

FOR BENEFIT OF HOST COUNTRIES AND MIGRANTS

The Secretary-General was at Columbia University this morning, to deliver the Emma Lazarus Lecture on International Flows of Humanity.

In his lecture, the Secretary-General noted that currently some 158 million people are deemed to be international migrants that is people who have chosen to live outside the country of their birth. While mobility and diversity should be cause for celebration, he said that many receiver countries see migration as a problem which threatens jobs, absorbs social services and compromises security.

The Secretary-General said that these concerns had to be answered but the answers did not lie in halting migration but rather in managing its supply and demand rationally, creatively and compassionately for the benefit of all parties: sender countries, countries of transit, host countries and the migrants themselves.

He reminded the audience that migrants are human beings and not merely units of labour and that, consequently, human rights must be at the heart of all migration policies.

Regarding the situation in the United States, the Secretary-General said he understood the need to ensure that newcomers were not a threat to national security but he added: it would be a tragedy if this diverse country were to deprive itself of the enrichment of many students, and workers and family members from particular parts of the world, or if the human rights of those who would migrate here were compromised.

The Secretary-General called on all states (especially receiving states) to ratify the recent Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. He also called for a new international consensus on the principles and policies which should apply to such a global issue. In this respect, he particularly welcomed the decision taken by a core group of eleven countries from the North and the South to form a Global Commission on International Migration.

After delivering his lecture, the Secretary-General answered questions from the faculty and students of Columbia University.

Asked about recent security-based restrictions on migration in European nations and the United States, he said he was concerned that some Governments use the T word, terrorism, to curb human rights and civil liberties. He added, We need to protect society and fight terrorism, but I dont think there is a trade-off between security and human rights and civil liberties.

ANNAN URGES GEORGIAN LEADERS TO SEEK POLITICAL SOLUTION

In a statement issued today through his Spokesman, the Secretary-General says he has been following with interest and concern developments in Georgia, particularly since the parliamentary elections on November 2.

He hopes that demonstrations will remain peaceful and that all concerned will exercise maximum restrain.The Secretary-General urges the country's political leaders to do their utmost to seek a peaceful resolution to this situation.

ANNAN SADDENED BY DEATH OF FORMER CENTRAL AFRICAN PRESIDENT

In a statement issued today through his Spokesman, the Secretary-General says that he learned with great sadness of the death of the first President of the Central African Republic.

A major political figure in the history of his country, David Dacko, who died Thursday in hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon, will be remembered for his long service to the people of the Central African Republic, whom he served on two separate occasions as Head of State, first from 1960-1965 and then from 1979 to 1981.

The Secretary-General extends his deepest sympathies to David Dacko's bereaved family and to the Government and people of the Central African Republic.

ANNAN: INVESTORS CAN IMPACT ON GREENHOUSE GASSES

The Secretary-General appeared at a summit of institutional investors who were discussing the risk posed to investments by climate change. He told them that their investments can have a decisive impact on trends in future greenhouse gas emissions, and that they can help to create the conditions for efficient emission trading systems.

He said to the representatives who had gathered at the Economic and Social Council Chamber that, as investors responsible for more than $1 trillion, they are the guardians of solemn promises to men and women who have entrusted them with their earnings. The entire UN system is committed to intensifying its cooperation with them.

ELIMINATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN MUST BE A GLOBAL PRIORITY

The elimination of violence against women must be a global priority, said Noeleen Heyzer the Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women. A new report issued today by the Fund singles out gender inequality as the chief source and breeding ground for the continuing scale of violence against women.

The report, entitled Not A Minute More: Ending Violence Against Women, provides an overview of the achievements made by women globally to move the issue from the shadows to the foreground.

The report also looks to mobilize attention to the problem as a clear violation of human rights, a public health problem and a crime against women and society.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CONCERNED ABOUT ZIMBABWE ARRESTS

Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan today voiced his concern that more than 100 trade unionists and civil leaders were arrested Tuesday during a protest demonstration in Zimbabwes capital, Harare.

He appealed to the Zimbabwean authorities to take all necessary measures to guarantee the rights of the detained people and to secure their rights to freedom of expression and of opinion.

HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES TO EXPAND OPERATIONS IN UGANDA

UN humanitarian agencies have committed themselves to expanding their presence and activities in northern and eastern Uganda. This follows discussions by the UNs humanitarian coordinator, Jan Egeland, with senior colleagues from UN agencies, funds and programmes, as well as donors. Egeland recently visited Uganda as part of a wider regional tour.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of humanitarian affairs, steps are already underway to send addition humanitarian aid workers to the northern part of Uganda to meet the increasing emergency needs.

It is estimated that the number of people internally displaced by fighting and in dire need of assistance and protection stands at 1.3 million. Children, in particular, have suffered enormously

"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: ANNAN, SECURITY COUNCIL PAYS TRIBUTE TO MEXICAN AMBASSADOR AGUILAR ZINSER

The discussion Thursday afternoon in the Security Council was the last appearance by Mexican Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, who is leaving that post. The Secretary-General paid tribute to Ambassador Aguilar Zinser at the open meeting, saying that we will miss his wit, his sense of humor, his independent spirit and his keen sense of justice and fair play. He told the Ambassador, You can leave with the full knowledge that you have made a difference, and you have made a contribution.

The President of the Security Council, Ambassador Ismael Abraćo Gaspar Martins, said that Aguilar Zinser had distinguished himself with his intense interest in the UN role in post-conflict situations.

For his part, Ambassador Aguilar Zinser said it had been an unparalleled honor and responsibility to serve on the Council.

NANE ANNAN OPENS CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN COUNCIL ON TEACHING

OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Nane Annan this morning addressed the opening of an annual conference of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, an organization dedicated to promoting and fostering the study of languages and cultures as an integral component of American education and society. The conference was opened by U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige.

"I have now the great privilege to travel with my husband," said Mrs Annan, "and I have chosen to visit UN projects. They are normally in the impoverished areas on the outskirts of cities, or in rural areas. In many cases, I can only communicate through an interpreter. But how grateful I have been for that moment of communication, opening a peephole into another world and yet the same one."

She recounted a number of experiences during these travels, notably meeting with women from a neighborhood committee in Beijing and more than 6,000 women involved in a micro credit project in India. I was talking to them through an interpreter, she said, and realized "that we were communicating, that I had been able to connect to their world, basically because we were all women with the same concerns of caring for our children, making sure they had enough to eat and could go to school."

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

ATOMIC AGENCY BOARD TO DISCUSS IRAN NEXT WEEK: The Board of Governors for the International Atomic Energy Agency today accepted Irans proposal to sign on to the additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which allows for unannounced nuclear inspections. Iran still has to sign that protocol. The Board will continue its discussions on Iran next Wednesday.

EXPERTS DISCUSS DEBT RELIEF FOR AFRICA: Experts who gathered this week to discuss the African economy in Dakar, Senegal noted that debt relief is more predictable than bilateral aid; has a longer-term horizon; reduces the transactions costs of managing aid and acts as direct budget support. They strongly encouraged the international community to finance further debt relief as an important way to finance the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.

LANDMINES, POOR ROADS AND RAINS HAMPER AID EFFORT IN ANGOLA: Landmines, poor roads, and heavy rains hamper efforts to bring aid to Angolans suffering the cumulative effects of decades of war. UN humanitarian agencies and their partners are seeking more than $250 million to fund their activities in 2004.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, November 24

The Security Council has scheduled a public meeting on the Central African region.

The guest at the noon briefing will be the President of the Tribunal of the Law of the Sea, Judge Dolliver Nelson.

At 12:45 p.m., there will be a press conference concerning the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, including UNIFEM Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer and other speakers.

Tuesday, November 25

The United Nations will be closed, in observance of the Eid holiday.

This is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Wednesday, November 26

The Food and Agriculture Organization will release its annual report, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2003.

The UN Childrens Fund will issue a report on Africas Orphaned Generations at 9:00 a.m. GMT.

Thursday, November 27

Today is Thanksgiving, and the UN Headquarters in New York will be closed.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162 - press/media only

Fax. 212-963-7055

All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

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