United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-09-21

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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 FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

RULE OF LAW IS AT RISK, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The rule of law is at risk around the world, with fundamental laws being shamelessly disregarded again and again, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this morning as he opened the General Debate of the 59th General Assembly.

He noted violations from the massacre of civilians and taking of hostages in Iraq to the displacement of whole populations and use of rape as a deliberate strategy in Darfur. The prevalence of such acts, he said, reflects our collective failure to uphold the law and to instill respect in it.

The Secretary-General pointed to weaknesses in the framework of international law. Many feel that the Security Councils enforcement capacity is not always used fairly or effectively, he said, while those invoking the rule of law on the Commission of Human Rights do not always practise what they preach.

He asserted, Those who seek to bestow legitimacy must themselves embody it; and those who invoke international law must themselves submit to it.

Turning to the situation in Darfur, Sudan, the Secretary-General said he will appoint with all speed an international commission to determine whether genocide has taken place there.

But he added, Let no one treat this as a respite, since, regardless of their legal definition, things are happening there which must shake the conscience of every human being.

ANNAN OPENS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION BY RINGING PEACE BELL

The Secretary-General marked the opening of the 59th session of the General Assembly with the traditional ringing of the Peace Bell.

This year marks the bells 50th anniversary. The bell, cast from coins collected by children from 60 different countries, was presented to the United Nations by the UN Association of Japan in 1954.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General called for promotion of tolerance and understanding among the peoples of the world. In order to build peace and development, he said, we must work to promote unity based on our shared humanity in each nation and among nations.

Also attending the ceremonies were UN Messengers of Peace Mohammed Ali, Jane Goodall and Anna Cataldi.

HUNGER AND POVERTY SUMMIT ENDS WITH DECLARATION

The Summit against Hunger and Poverty wrapped up its work Monday with a final declaration, in which the leaders gathered for the meeting agreed that the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals must not lag behind.

They agreed on the need to raise and improve assistance levels and acknowledged that it is also appropriate and timely to give further attention to innovative mechanisms of financing, in order to help meet those Goals.

U.N. RIGHTS OFFICIALS SEE FEAR, INSECURITY IN DARFUR, SUDAN

High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Juan Mendez, today continued their mission in Darfur, Sudan. They were struck by the conditions of the displaced persons, the general sense of fear that these displaced persons had, and their total lack of confidence that the local authorities could ensure their security, according to Arbours spokesman.

Spokesman Jose Diaz said that the mission observed that the nature of violence in Darfur appears to have shifted. While reports of major attacks on villages have decreased, there are now increasing reports of violence against individuals, which are more difficult to document, he said.

The mission is in Nyala in South Darfur today.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, is scheduled to begin a five-day mission on Thursday to Chad and Sudan, during which he will get a first-hand look at efforts to protect and assist hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people affected by the ongoing crisis.

U.N. HAITI MISSION PROVIDES CARE AFTER TROPICAL STORM JEANNE

Efforts continue to assist the people of northern Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Jeanne.

According to reports received this morning from the spokesman for the UN Mission in Haiti, more than 600 people have died in the northern city of Gonaives and its surroundings, while over 1,000 are unaccounted for. The hospital in Gonaives has been flooded, and only small amounts of medical supplies have reached the city so far.

Much of the care to the injured is being provided by the medical team attached to the contingent of Argentine peacekeepers. Shelters have been organized to house many thousands of survivors, with the largest group of 600 people sheltering in Gonaives Cathedral. It is reported that the most urgent need is for drinking water, as the region is flooded with mud.

North of Gonaives, a UN assessment mission to Port-de-Paix reports that 30 percent of the city remains flooded, while assessments are awaited from Isle de la Tortue.

The United Nations has also deployed a Disaster and Coordination team to the Dominican Republic, where 11 people are reported dead, 6 missing and more than 37,000 displaced as a result of the flooding.

General Assembly President Jean Ping began todays proceedings by extending his deepest sympathy to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, following the tropical storm, and to all peoples and countries affected by recent hurricanes. He also invited the interim President of Haiti and the Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic to speak on the issue.

ANNAN TO HOST QUARTET MEETING ON WEDNESDAY

On Wednesday afternoon, the Secretary-General will be hosting an informal meeting of the Middle East diplomatic Quartet.

The meeting will bring together U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, European Union High Representative Javier Solana, European Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten and Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, representing the Presidency of the European Union.

Asked if there would be a press conference following the meeting, the Spokesman said that the Wednesday meeting had been planned as an informal briefing. Consequently, although there may be a press release following it, there would be no press conference.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO MEET ON CIVILIAN ASPECTS OF PEACE-BUILDING

There are no meetings or consultations of the Security Council scheduled for today. Starting Wednesday, the Security Council has scheduled a meeting each morning for the rest of the week.

On Wednesday, the Security Council will hold a public meeting at the ministerial level on "Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management and Peace-Building." The meeting will be chaired by Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Spain. The Secretary-General will speak at that meeting.

On Thursday, the Council has scheduled a private meeting on Burundi with President Domitien Ndayizeye.

Then on Friday, the Council President has scheduled an open briefing by President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, current Chairman of the African Union, on efforts to bring peace to Darfur, Sudan.

U.N. MISSION REPORTS ATTACK IN ITURI, DR CONGO

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported an attack on Monday against a village some 10 kilometers from Bunia in the Ituri region, that left 14 people dead, two wounded and 91 houses burned to the ground. Among the dead were two women and seven children.

Some 150 peacekeepers from the UNs Ituri battalion were dispatched immediately to the village of Lengabo, where they remain. While a UN team is still investigating the attack together with members of the Congolese police and judiciary, local accounts describe the cause of the violence as a dispute between two communities.

ONE MILLION BOSNIANS HAVE RETURNED HOME

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that one million former refugees and displaced persons from Bosnia and Herzegovina have now returned home. Of these, around 440,000 were refugees who had fled Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 560,000 were forcibly displaced inside the country.

UNHCR says the scale of the return clearly shows the wider benefits for the international community of devoting considerable effort and resources to resolving problems in refugees' regions of origin.

EXPANDED TB TREATMENT CAN SAVE AFRICANS LIVING WITH HIV

International health experts say expanding access to tuberculosis treatment, combined with introducing HIV testing and anti-retroviral delivery into TB programs, could save the lives of as many as half a million Africans living with HIV every year.

The experts, meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this week, included officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS; and they called on African Governments to tackle the two diseases simultaneously.

Of the estimated 25 million Africans now living with HIV, about eight million also harbour the germs that cause TB.

Each year, between 5 and 10 percent of these eight million co-infected people develop active TB, and up to four million will develop the disease at some point in their lives; but without TB treatment, HIV-infected people with TB typically die within months.

GUIDELINES FOR DRINKING WATER ISSUED

The World Health Organization has released new guidelines to help prevent water-related outbreaks of disease. WHOs updated Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality will help regulators and water service providers around the world to maintain and improve the quality of their drinking water.

WHO says the contamination of drinking water is too often detected only after a health crisis, when people have fallen ill or died as a result of drinking unsafe water, and the challenge of providing safe drinking water is growing.

The guidelines are applicable to a range of situations, from urban drinking water systems in North America to protected wells in the developing world; and they also include new guidance for specific settings such as emergencies and disasters.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNAN AWAITS REPORT FROM HIGH-LEVEL PANEL: Asked about the Secretary-Generals meetings with the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, the Spokesman said that he had met with them periodically throughout the year and had gotten a sense of their thinking. He had shared his thinking with them and encouraged Panel members to think boldly and outside the box. The Secretary-General looks forward to receiving their report in December.

UNHCR CONCERNED ABOUT RETURN OF REFUGEES FROM LIBYA: UNHCR is concerned over the ongoing forcible return of potential refugees from Libya. A recent incident involving a group of Eritrean nationals who arrived in Sudan from Libya aboard a hijacked plane last month reveals the seriousness of the situation, and the vulnerability of refugees and asylum seekers in Libya, it says.

MEETING ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE HELD: Over 250 participants from all over the world attended the consultations on the establishment of a UN Working Group on Internet Governance held in Geneva on Monday and today. Discussion at the meeting included issues such as the scope of the Working Groups mandate, the mapping of the issues under consideration, transparency and access to the Working Groups proceedings.

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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