United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-07-30

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, July 30, 2004

SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON SUDAN

ANNAN WELCOMES ADOPTION, CALLS FOR ACTION IN DARFUR

Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the adoption today of resolution 1556 by the Security Council on the situation in Darfur, Sudan.

The Security Council adopted that resolution this morning, by a vote of 13-0 with two abstentions, China and Pakistan.

According to a statement, the Secretary-General looks forward to the swift and sustained implementation by the Government of Sudan of the commitments it entered into with the United Nations, in their Joint Communiqué of July 3, 2004. Meanwhile, he hopes that the resolution will ensure that concerted action is taken to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur and urges all actors to play their part in protecting the civilian population and improving the desperate plight of the people of the region.

The Secretary-General welcomes the Security Councils strong support for the efforts of the African Union. He intends to respond quickly to the request that the United Nations assist the African Union with planning and assessments for its mission in Darfur. He urges Member States to respond to the Security Councils call for them to reinforce the international monitoring team by providing personnel and other assistance.

ANNAN DISCUSSES SUDAN, COTE DIVOIRE AT ACCRA SUMMIT

In Accra, Ghana, this morning, the Secretary-General first attended a discussion on the situation in Darfur, Sudan, in the margins of the Summit being held on Cote dIvoire. The Darfur meeting was called by President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria in his capacity as Chair of the African Union (AU). African Union Commission Chair Alpha Oumar Konare, Ghanaian President John Kufuor and several other heads of state also attended.

The group was briefed by the former Nigerian President, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, who recently carried out a fact-finding mission to Chad and Sudan, including Darfur, as Personal Envoy of the AU Chairman.

In a statement issued after that meeting, the African leaders collectively expressed their concern about the deterioration that had taken place since the Government of Sudan had pledged earlier this month to take effective steps to restore security.

They discussed the African Unions observation mission in Darfur and agreed that this African force needs to be significantly expanded. They said they were finalizing arrangements with the troop contributors to this expanded force and called on the international community to provide logistic and financial support for it.

The Summit meeting on Cote dIvoire then resumed in closed session, following a closed session on Thursday that went on until 8:00 p.m. The participants today first called in the Ivoirian Prime Minister, Seydou Diarra, to ask him about his views on a political solution to the constitutional dilemma.

They then called on the President of Cote dIvoire, Laurent Gbagbo.

Also this morning, in the margins of the Summit, President Obasanjo convened a breakfast meeting to discuss the situation in Liberia. The Secretary-General was represented at that meeting by Assistant-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hédi Annabi.

ANNAN CONDEMNS KILLING OF PAKISTANI HOSTAGES IN IRAQ

The Secretary-General learned with dismay and sadness of the brutal killing on Thursday in Iraq of two contractors of Pakistani nationality who had been held hostage for several days. The Secretary-General, in a statement, conveyed his deepest sympathy and condolences to the Government of Pakistan and to the families of the victims.

The Secretary-General reiterated his condemnation of all hostage-takings and acts of violence against innocent civilians. Such acts are utterly unacceptable and are aimed at undermining Iraqs political and economic reconstruction.

ANNAN STRONGLY DISMAYED BY UZBEKISTAN BOMBINGS

The Secretary-General expresses his strong dismay at todays series of bombings against the Embassies of the United States and Israel, as well as the Office of the Prosecutor General, in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. Reportedly, two people were killed and about a dozen were injured in the attacks.

The Secretary-General condemns these criminal acts in the strongest terms. Targeting of diplomatic missions and civilians is a crime that cannot be justified by any cause.

INSECURITY HAMPERING EFFORTS TO FEED HUNGRY IN DARFUR

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that the rainy season and the constant insecurity were still major obstacles to WFPs work to feed all the hungry people in Darfur. The security of the local population and of WFPs staff could not be guaranteed. Fighting between armed groups, banditry, rape, looting and general acts of violence continued. In July, WFP had distributed 11,000 tons to 685,000 persons. Nutritional surveys continued to show dangerously high levels of malnutrition and mortality rates.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said WHO and other partners had completed the first round of a vaccination campaign in Darfur against cholera in one camp, reaching 42,000 persons. Cholera vaccination had to be administered twice within a 10-day period so a second round would be held shortly There was also a polio vaccination campaign ongoing .

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees

reports that this week it completed the relocation of Sudanese refugees from several major border sites in eastern Chad. The 14,673 refugees were moved further inland in less than three weeks despite obstacles like heavy rains and flooded riverbeds.

U.N. AGENCY OPERATING FULLY IN GAZA DESPITE INSECURITY

The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said Thursday that the Agencys headquarters and field office in Gaza is continuing to operate fully and will maintain all the services they provide, despite the relocation of a small number of its staff.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter Hansen said that the relocation of some staff members to Jerusalem took place following extensive Israeli military operations in Beit Hanoun and increased unpredictability and insecurity faced by UN staff in crossing into and out of the Gaza Strip at the Erez checkpoint.

INT'L CRIMINAL COURT WRAPS UP FIRST VISIT TO DR CONGO

The delegation from the International Criminal Court, which undertook a first official mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this week, has wrapped up its visit today.

The delegation held meetings with senior political and judicial Congolese authorities to discuss mechanisms of cooperation between the DRC and the Court when it begins its investigation of grave crimes committed in that country since July 2002.

Consultations were also held with representatives of international organizations and embassies present in the DRC, and with members of the civil society. They assessed the difficulties of the operation of the Court in the field and the importance of justice and the fight against impunity for the Congolese population.

U.N. MISSION REGRETS AID GROUPS DEPARTURE FROM AFGHANISTAN

The UN Mission in Afghanistan has expressed its regret at the decision by Medicins sans Frontieres to leave Afghanistan. The Mission says it can appreciate the groups decision, as security is indeed a matter of concern in Afghanistan, and says it will be missed.

The Mission hopes that in the not too distant future, MSF will feel that conditions have changed, which will enable them to return.

Also, the UN

High Commissioner for Refugees says that the number of Afghan refugees going back home this year passed the half-million mark this week, with more than 273,000 returning from Iran and more than 230,000 coming back from Pakistan.

U.N, ASSESSMENT TEAM RESPONDS TO FOOD PROBLEMS IN HAITI

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs this week coordinated a three-day rapid inter-agency assessment visit to northwest Haiti, following reports from the non-governmental organization CARE that the current harvest, due in September, could fail in some areas.

The team found that short-term food assistance in some areas would be needed to help the most vulnerable households through the "hungry season" stretching from October through February, prior to the March harvest.

In the medium term, however, the mission recommended the introduction of new farming techniques and water collection schemes.

The UN team noted that the combination of chronic nationwide poverty, ecological degradation, which has increased the risk of natural disasters, and continuing political and social instability, leave Haiti facing vulnerability to humanitarian crises of varying acuteness for the foreseeable future. It concluded that long-term responses are necessary if the trap of dependency on humanitarian aid distributions is to be avoided.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

WHO: CHINA ON TRACK TO REDUCE TUBERCULOSIS BY HALF: China one the worlds largest countries affected by tuberculosis is on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal concerning the reduction of the prevalence of the disease by half by 2015. The World Health Organization has welcomed the progress although it notes there are still major challenges ahead. It calls for China to further expand its current TB strategy across the country.

FAO SUPPORTING CAMPAIGN AGAINST AVIAN INFLUENZA: A veterinary network for Southeast Asia has been launched to bolster the campaign against avian influenza, and two similar networks for South and East Asia will follow soon. The Food and Agriculture Organization will provide around $1.2 million for the creation of these platforms. The networks will bring together affected and non-affected countries to better coordinate the control and prevention of bird flu. They will offer training and information exchange platforms for national laboratories and surveillance teams from 23 Asian countries.

UNICEF CALLS FOR EXPANSION IN BREASTFEEDING: UNICEF, the UN Childrens Fund, is calling for an expansion in breastfeeding practices, noting that by expanding the number of women who exclusively breastfeed during their childs first six months, at least 1.3 million infant lives could be saved this year. UNICEFs message comes on the eve of World Breastfeeding Week. It also called for greater global commitment to protect, and promote breastfeeding.

UN ASSESSMENT TEAM SENT TO BANGLADESH: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has deployed a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team to support Bangladeshs Government and the UN Disaster Management Team as they respond to the flooding crisis. The Team has also agreed to launch a flash appeal for funds to ameliorate the situation.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Sunday, August 1

Russia will take over from Romania as the Security Council President for the month of August.

Monday, August 2

The new President of the Security Council, Ambassador Andrey Denisov of Russia, will hold bilateral consultations with other Council members on the program of work for August.

In Khartoum, the Joint Implementation Mechanism, co-chaired by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan, Jan Pronk, will meet and will receive a report from the verification mission that went to Darfur.

Tuesday, August 3

The Security Council will have consultations on its program of work for the month. Security Council President Andrey Denisov of Russia is expected to brief the press at 1:00 p.m., following his presentation of credentials to the Secretary-General at 12:30.

Wednesday, August 4

Thursday, August 5

Friday, August 6

The Secretary-General is expected to issue a message to mark the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

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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