United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-07-21

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

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE

BY KOFI ANNAN

SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

The Secretary-General's press conference substitutes for the daily noon briefing.

OPENING REMARKS BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

Good Morning, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have just come from the Security Council, where I joined Jan Pronk, my Special Representative, to brief the Council on the situation in Sudan and Darfur.

During my recent visit to some of the camps in Darfur and Chad, the men and women I spoke to told me horrific stories of the terrible violence and suffering that they had endured. Many are living in sub-human conditions, and they fear for their future. It is clear that serious crimes have been committed and there has been gross and systematic abuse of human rights. We, the international community, must intensify our efforts to protect the innocent in Darfur.

During my visit, the Government of Sudan made a number of commitments, which I welcome, including:

First, to stop and disarm the Janjaweed and other outlaw armed groups and take steps to protect the IDPs;

Second, to suspend visa and travel restrictions on international humanitarian workers and on material and equipment;

Third, to allow the deployment of AU human rights monitors; and

Fourth, to investigate all allegations of human rights abuses and punish those found responsible.

As we reported to the Council this morning, implementation of these commitments has so far been uneven. There have been encouraging steps on the humanitarian front. Access has opened up. But there has been little progress on human rights, even though human rights monitors are getting in, and I regret to say that there are continuing reports of attacks by the Janjaweed.

I would like to emphasize how essential it is that the Government of Sudan honour its commitments, and stop and disarm the Janjaweed and other armed groups. The international community must hold the Government to its solemn pledges and insist that they do perform.

But there is more that the international community itself must do. We need money and more resources for humanitarian efforts. We need them now, not tomorrow. Tomorrow may already be too late. We've asked for $349 million for Chad and Darfur, and we've got pledges of $145 million. We are $204 million short. I appeal to donors to make good on the pledges they have already made, and to increase their assistance. We particularly need help with equipment including 6 helicopters to bring aid to people in remote areas of Darfur now that the rains have begun.

We must also sustain and increase the pressure on all parties for progress on the political front. Both the Government and the rebels must come to the table without preconditions, and be ready to negotiate in good faith.

But as we focus on Sudan, let's not forget the fact that a number of other African countries are working to resolve their differences peacefully.

In Addis Ababa, I hosted a mini-summit at which the Presidents of Equatorial Guinea and Gabon became the second set of neighbours to reach agreement through negotiations rather than the use of the gun. As you know, they've had a border dispute on an island with oil resources, and they agreed to exploit it jointly and continue to work on the border problem. And that, I think, was a good example for others to follow. This is in addition to Nigeria and Cameroon who have adopted a similar approach for the Bakassi conflict which they are also working on peacefully.

I hope other African states, including Ethiopia and Eritrea -- and indeed states around the world -- will take inspiration from the example set by these neighbours.

I also hosted mini-summits on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Côte d'Ivoire, both at critical and difficult junctures in their peace processes. We must sustain the momentum that was generated there. Indeed, I intend to join a group of African leaders next week in Accra for a summit on Côte d'Ivoire.

I would like to repeat how encouraged I am by the strong emphasis that African leaders are placing on good governance. And this was very much at the centre of their discussions at the last summit. This must be the very much at the cornerstone of efforts to meet the monumental challenges facing Africa including the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Bangkok International AIDS Conference helped to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS around the world. After so many years of misery and suffering, of broken lives and shattered families, the epidemic is finally starting to get the attention it deserves, if not the response and urgency required.

The report recently released by UNAIDS shows just how urgent this crisis is:

38 million people are infected worldwide. 25 million of them live in sub-Saharan Africa, and 57 percent of that number are women.

10 million young people are infected worldwide. 6.2 million of them live in sub-Saharan Africa, and 75% of that number are young women.

There were over 1 million new infections last year in Asia. Today, India has over 5 million infected citizens.

In Eastern and Central Europe, 1.3 million are living with HIV. In Latin America, the number is 1.6 million. Nearly a million people in the US are living with HIV. Nearly 600,000 are infected in Western Europe.

To top it all, we've lost 20 million people to this disease in 20 years. 5 and a half million people have been killed in the last 3 years alone.

This is a global problem without frontiers of any kind. It's everyone's problem. And it's urgent. The futures of entire societies hang in the balance.

While there has been a real increase in global funding, we need much, much more. We need to spend about $12 billion next year. On current estimates, we'll have far less than half that amount.

Once again, let me insist that leaders around the world, whether their countries are developed or developing, rich or poor, must take a stand against the epidemic. They must speak out, and they must put many more resources, much, much more into the fight. This is a fight we have to win.

I am sure you have plenty of questions on these and other issues, so I think I'll stop lecturing and open the floor.

(Q&A to follow)

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY: The General Assembly

voted Tuesday overwhelmingly to demand that Israel heed last months advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to halt construction on its security barrier in the West Bank, tear down the portions built on Palestinian land, and provide reparations to Palestinians whose lives have been harmed by the wall. By a vote of 150 in favour to 6 against (Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau, United States), with 10 abstentions, the Assemblys 10th resumed emergency special session adopted the resolution.

SECURITY COUNCIL: Jan Pronk, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan today briefed the Security Council in closed consultations on the situation in

Sudan. The Secretary-General attending the closed consultations and introduced Pronk to the

press.

LEBANON: In a statement issued today in Beirut, the Secretary-Generals Personal Representative for southern Lebanon, Staffan de Mistura, expressed the UNs serious concern at the negative turn of events over the last two days that has heightened tension considerably along the Blue Line and in Lebanon in general. Noting the recent violent events in Beirut and in southern Lebanon, de Mistura, said that one violation of the Blue Line does not justify another. Indeed, he added, such actions lead to possible escalation which is clearly not in the interest of either party. The Personal Representative called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to restore calm and to abide by their commitments to maintain such calm.

UN INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON: In his latest

report to the Security Council on the

UN Interim Force in Lebanon, the Secretary-General notes that the situation along the Blue Line is replete with contradiction. While both Israel and Lebanon have proclaimed their aspirations to avoid destabilizing the area, he writes, only one month, in the past six, has gone by without a confrontation. He goes on to observe that the Government of Lebanon has demonstrated its ability to exercise control of Southern Lebanon, it needs to do more to maintain calm along the Blue Line.

LIBERIA: Jacques Paul Klein, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of UN Operations in

Liberia, has pledged the full support of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) for Liberias Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) as it commences its work to protect and promote human rights.

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) released its second

Economic Survey of Europe for 2004 indicating that the global economic upswing will continue in the second half of 2004 and in 2005. The average annual growth rate of world output in 2004 should be broadly the same as at the peak of the previous cycle in 2000, namely, 4.7 percent. Among the G7 economies, the recovery is mainly driven by the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom. In contrast, the weak cyclical momentum in France, Germany and Italy is dampening the average growth rate of the euro area, which is lagging behind in the international growth cycle. The emerging markets in Asia, the CIS and eastern Europe continue to be important dynamos of global economic activity.

SOUTH ASIA FLOODS: UN agencies in Bangladesh have officially activated their Disaster Management Team (DMT) to coordinate the humanitarian communitys responses to the regions recent devastating floods. Additionally, the Disaster and Emergency Response (DER) area of Bangladeshs Local Consultative Group, which includes such bodies as the United Nations and the World Bank, is rapidly assessing the situation on the ground.

SOMALIA: According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), deteriorating food security has resulted in high malnutrition levels and child mortality rates in both southern and northern Somalia. Furthermore, the organization has predicted a cereal shortfall of about 70,000 metric tonnes.

SIERRA LEONE: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) huge repatriation programme for Sierra Leonean refugees is drawing to a close today with the last of some 280,000 refugees returning home since the decade-long conflict ended in 2000. The final UNHCR convoy from Liberia crossed over the Mano River bridge into Sierra Leone on Wednesday carrying 286 refugees. A last convoy of 329 returnees left Guinea today and will arrive in Sierra Leone tomorrow.

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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