United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-01-29

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

BY MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, January 29, 2004

ANNAN CONDEMNS VIOLENCE IN MIDDLE EAST

In a statement issued today, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, Once again violence and terror have claimed innocent lives in the Middle East. Once again I condemn those who resort to such methods. Once again I appeal, to Israelis and Palestinians alike, to rise above feelings of anger and vengeance, however natural, and to devote all their energies to negotiating a true and lasting peace in which two peoples will live side by side, each in their own state.

Also on the issue of violence in the Middle East, the Acting UN Human Rights Commissioner, Bertrand Ramcharan, condemned in the strongest possible terms the terrorist bombing today of a bus in Jerusalem. In a statement released earlier today, he extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this despicable criminal act.

ANNAN ACCEPTS ANDREI SAKHAROV PRIZE,

CALLS FOR EUROPEAN UNION TO INCREASE LEGAL IMMIGRATION

The Secretary-General today received the Andrei Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in Brussels, and said he was proud to accept the award in memory of Sergio Vieira de Mello and the many other UN staff who have lost their lives working for peace in the world.

He told the Parliament that the international community needs to manage the movement of people across borders far better than we do, and encouraged European States to open greater avenues for legal migration.

Migrants need Europe, he said. But Europe also needs migrant. A closed Europe would be a meaner, poorer, weaker, older Europe. An open Europe will be a fairer, richer, stronger, younger Europe provided you manage migration well.

ANNAN TO MEET PRESIDENT OF

CYPRUS

This evening, the Secretary-General is scheduled to meet the President of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos.

Earlier today, prior to receiving the Sakharov Prize, the Secretary-General met relatives of UN staff members killed in Baghdad last August 19, as well as one person, Gilburt Loescher, who had been in Sergio Vieira de Mellos office at the time of the blast.

The Secretary-General also met the President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, with whom he had primarily discussed Iraq and Cyprus. He also held an exchange with members of the Parliaments Committee for Foreign Affairs, taking questions from them on relations between the United Nations and the European Union, Iraq, Afghanistan, Cyprus, UN reform and the fight against AIDS.

At a press conference that followed the award ceremony, the Secretary-General mentioned the good discussions he had last week with the Turkish Prime Minister on Cyprus, saying that what is important is that Turkey has clearly indicated its willingness to see negotiations resume.He said that the effort will be sustained until we come to a conclusion, which must be done before May 1.

On the Road Map for the Middle East, the Secretary-General said, It is in distress, but it is not dead. He once more appealed to the leaders to get back to the table, and to make reciprocal and parallel concessions and take confidence-building measures to move the process ahead.

After a lunch with the European Parliament party group leaders, the Secretary-General began an official visit to Belgium, beginning with an audience with His Majesty King Albert II.

He then met Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel for talks that focused largely on central Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi. Their talks also touched on the conflict areas of Afghanistan, the Middle East, Iraq, and Cyprus. In response to the Secretary-Generals appeal for financial support for his high-level panel on change, the Foreign Minister was pleased to announce a Belgian contribution of 250,000 Euros.

When asked about the date of the Secretary-General's return to UN Headquarters, the Spokeswoman said a precise date was not yet available, and pointed out that Monday, 2 February, was a holiday for UN staff.

AERIAL BOMBINGS HIT BORDER AREA HOSTING SUDANESE REFUGEES

The acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan, today expressed concern over the deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in Darfur, western Sudan.

Systematic human rights abuses against unarmed civilians have been reported, as well as the burning and looting of villages, causing massive internal displacement and an outflow of refugees.

Ramcharan is calling for all parties to the conflict to stop the violence. Hes also called upon the Sudanese Government to invite the Commission on Human Rights to visit Sudan.

Separately, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, says a series of explosions, apparently from aerial bombings, struck areas around a Chadian town on the border with

Sudan, leaving at least two persons dead and 15 others wounded and prompting aid workers to relocate hundreds of Sudanese refugees in the area

UN STAFF MEMBERS TO QUALIFY FOR ENTITLEMENTS

FOLLOWING RECOGNITION OF VALIDITY OF MARRIAGES

In a bulletin issued to UN staff today, the Secretary-General reported his decision that a marriage recognized as valid under the law of the country of a staff members nationality will qualify that staff member to receive the entitlements provided for eligible family members.

A domestic partnership contracted by a staff member, which is legally recognized under his or her countrys law, will also qualify that staff member to receive the entitlements provided for eligible family members.

That decision is in keeping with the long-established principle that matters of personal status are determined by reference to the law of nationality of the staff member concerned. This decision will continue to ensure respect for the social, religious and cultural diversity of the Member States and their nationals.

The bulletins provisions will enter into force on February 1.

Asked about the administrative bulletin, the Spokeswoman said that it reflected the consistent practice of the United Nations over the years to determine the family status of its staff member by reference to the law of nationality of each staff member. In this manner, the United Nations respects the social, religious and cultural diversity of the Member States and their nationals.

There has been a growing trend over the past few years in several Member States towards recognition of same-sex marriages, or recognition of domestic partnerships which may involve partners either of the same or different sex, she added. The bulletin recognizes this trend and simply extends to there new situations the existing practice of accepting as a fact the family status of UN staff members, as determined by the laws of their country of nationality.

Asked who had requested this change in determining family status, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General had instructed staff to explore the issue.

Asked what would happen in the case of individual state law, as for example within the United States, which may differ in determining marital or domestic partnership status, she said the United Nations would act on the basis of determinations provided by federal governments.

Asked how many people this decision would apply to, and what it would cost, she said the United Nations did not have those numbers at present, and would wait to see who files for benefits. It is expected to be a small number.

Asked whether the administrative ruling was discriminatory, since it conferred benefits only in cases where the national laws recognized the marriage or domestic partnership, the spokeswoman noted other administrative benefits such as home leave policy and education grant differ depending on whether the staff member is a national of the country in which he or she is posted, or not.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO LAUNCH SCIENCE REPORT NEXT WEEK

All nations, industrialized or developing, are being urged to develop a science and technology strategy in order to help address the challenges faced in the modern world - that is one of the key recommendations of the first report of the InterAcademy Council (IAC), a new organization created by 90 of the worlds science academies to provide expert knowledge to international bodies, such as the UN and the World Bank.

The report, entitled Inventing a Better Future: A Strategy for Building Worldwide Capacities in Science and Technology, is to be launched here at UN Headquarters on Thursday, 5 February, at 3 p.m., in Conference Room 1.

Preceding the official launch, there will be a press briefing on the report at 2 p.m., also in Conference Room 1. The Secretary-General, who has welcomed the establishment of the InterAcademy Council, will preside over the launch of the report. The UN Development Programmes administrator, Mark Malloch Brown, will moderate the meeting.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECURITY COUNCIL: There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled for today.

WORK OF UN TEAMS IN IRAQ IS ON SCHEDULE: Asked about the work of the security team sent to Iraq, the Spokeswoman said that it was doing its work on schedule. In response to another question, she said one team arrived on January 23 to liaise with coalition officials on security arrangements for local UN staff and the security of UN premises. Another team arrived on Tuesday to deal with security for the upcoming electoral assessment mission. Asked about the Secretary-General's views about former U.S. weapons inspector David Kay's recent testimony on Iraq, she noted the Secretary-General's recent comments that Kay's views should be taken seriously.

UN HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS CHIEF TO VISIT UKRAINE AND BELARUS: The UNs chief humanitarian official, Jan Egeland, finished today an official visit to the Russian Federation. In discussions with Russian officials Egeland brought up a wide range of issues related to cooperation between the United Nations and the Russia in the North Caucasus and elsewhere. They also discussed the feasibility of increasing Russias participation in international humanitarian operations. Egeland is now on his way to the Ukraine and Belarus.

UN REPORTS INCREASE IN AFGHAN WOMENS PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS: The UN Mission in Afghanistan today reported an increase in activities across that country in support of womens participation in the electoral process. The Mission met this week with Afghan officials in Kunduz, where women comprise just 17 percent of those who have registered to vote, and with local womens leaders in

Kandahar, where women currently make up just 18 percent of registered voters. Also, a campaign was launched in Gardez to encourage women and men to register to vote, among other activities to boost participation by Afghan women. As of today, more than 628,000 Afghans have registered to vote more than 488,000 men and 140,000 women.

HUMANITARIAN AID CONVOY DELIVERS SUPPLIES TO IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: According to the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a large humanitarian aid convoy left the eastern town of Bukavu

yesterday to deliver supplies to remote villages along a 150 kilometer road leading to Mwenga, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The operation (which is expected to last close to a month) targets over five thousand displaced families who fled their homes after attacks perpetrated by Interhamwe militia two months ago. The convoy is being organized by the aid agency CARITAS. The UN Mission is providing military escort and repairing the road as the convoy advances.

BIRD FLU VACCINE MAY TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS TO PRODUCE: The production of a vaccine against avian influenza, also known as bird flu, could take several months, according to Dr. Klaus Stöhr, who is leading the World Health Organizations response to the spread of the disease. Speaking in Geneva yesterday, Dr Stohr estimated that it will take four to six months before a significant amount of vaccine can be produced. While the bird flus spread hasnt reached pandemic proportions, Dr Stohr said the WHO will take precautionary measures. The agency is currently coordinating efforts to develop a vaccine prototype to give to manufacturers.

DIRECTOR SYDNEY POLLACK TO FILM AT UN HEADQUARTERS: In response to questions, the Spokeswoman said the Secretary-General has agreed in principle to a request from film director Sydney Pollack to shoot a cinema feature at UN Headquarters, subject to satisfactory conclusion of agreements on practical arrangements. The Spokeswoman added that officials from the General Assembly and the Security Council had indicated their approval of the request. The Spokeswoman said the decision to allow filming at UN Headquarters is made on a case by case basis.

CLOSURE OF UN HEADQUARTERS ON WEDNESDAY DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: Asked whether the United Nations had any second thoughts about closing UN Headquarters yesterday, the Spokeswoman said that the decision to close the building was taken at midnight on Tuesday, at the height of a snowstorm. As a preventive measure, notice was put out on the UN hotline and the staff bulletin board, to give staff advance warning of the closure; however, she noted, the weather had improved by the following morning.