United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-12-01

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, December 1, 2004

HIGH-LEVEL PANEL REPORT OFFERS NEW VISION OF COLLECTIVE SECURITY

Tomorrow morning, the

High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change will present to Secretary-General Kofi Annan their report, urging the adoption of new, far-reaching ground rules to strengthen the United Nations and to adapt the world to the 21st century.

The Secretary-General will then transmit that report, with a cover letter he has written, to the

General Assembly.

The Chairman of the 16-member Panel, former Thai Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun, says that the 95-page report puts forward a new vision of collective security, one that addresses all of the major threats to international peace and security felt around the world.

The report affirms the right of States to defend themselves, including pre-emptively when an attack is truly imminent, and says that, in cases involving terrorists and weapons of mass destruction, the

Security Council may have to act earlier, more pro-actively and more decisively than in the past.

The panel also endorses the idea of a collective responsibility to protect civilians from genocide, ethnic cleansing and comparable atrocities.

When States are unwilling or unable to fulfill their responsibility to their citizens, the wider international community should intervene, acting preventively where possible.

But the panel says that force, if needed, should be deployed as a last resort and authorized by the Security Council.

The report offers five criteria to guide the Council in its decisions over whether to authorize the use of force: the seriousness of the threat, proper purpose, whether it is a last resort, whether proportional means are used, and whether military action is likely to have better or worse results than inaction.

The panel urges the creation of a new UN body, the Peace-building Commission, which would identify countries at risk of violent conflicts, organize prevention efforts and sustain international peace-building efforts.

The report says that major changes are needed in UN bodies to make them more effective, efficient and equitable.

Among other reforms, it calls for expanding the Security Council from its current 15 members to 24, and offers two options for that expansion. In one, six new permanent members, with no veto power, would be among the new seats; in the other, eight new seats, with renewable four-year terms, would be added.

Also included in the reports 101 recommendations are proposals to strengthen development efforts, public health capacity and the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

At 10:00 a.m. tomorrow at UN headquarters the Panel Chair, along with panel member Gro Harlem Brundtland of Norway, will brief the press on the report.

Asked about the criteria by which new Security Council permanent members would be designated, the Spokesman noted that the report recommended that members should be chosen on the basis of their willingness to contribute to the peace and security efforts of the Security Council, including peacekeeping and peace-building. The new members would in any case be selected by the General Assembly, he said.

Asked whether the Secretary-General would implement some recommendations without going to the Assembly, the Spokesman said that, for steps that required budgetary approval, the Secretary-General would have to go to the Assembly.

ANNAN URGES GREATER BUSINESS INVOLVEMENT IN FIGHT AGAINST AIDS

As part of the various events being held to mark the

World AIDS Day, the

Secretary-General addressed the Wall Street World Aids Day organized by six of the biggest financial services companies in the world, and aimed at initiating discussion on recommendations for a plan of education and action.

In his speech, the Secretary-General noted that the effects of

AIDS go beyond the humanitarian and into the economic sphere.

He called on the gathered business leaders and representatives to help change the course of the epidemic, through various methods including joining forces with other financial players, as well as encouraging clients to take a pro-active role in the fight against AIDS.

In the evening, the Secretary-General will be attending the World AIDS Day commemoration at the Cathedral of St John the Divine, in New York.

RISING TENSIONS BETWEEN RWANDA AND DR CONGO ARE OF EXTREME CONCERN

The

UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) says it is extremely concerned about the

rising tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda.

The UN mission points out that there are developments on the ground which favor the accelerated repatriation of foreign armed groups in the DRC. These include information programmes to convince armed groups to return voluntarily to Rwanda, as well as the ongoing deployment of additional UN peacekeepers in the Kivu region, which borders Rwanda.

The UN mission reminds the parties involved that any threats to the ongoing efforts of the international community are unacceptable and unjustifiable and could have grave consequences for the peace process in the DRC and the Great Lakes region.

TOBACCO CONTROL TREATY TO BECOME LAW IN 90 DAYS

Peru has deposited the 40th ratification for the

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which will allow the treaty to enter into force in 90 days.

The

World Health Organization today

said that the Convention will improve health by contributing to the reduction of tobacco consumption, currently the cause of premature death for nearly five million people every year.

Dr. Lee Jong-Wook, WHOs Director-General, said, The momentum growing around the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control seems unstoppable.

AID WORKERS RETURNING TO SITE OF FIGHTING IN NORTH DARFUR

Aid workers are gradually returning to Tawilla the town in an area of

North Darfur where fighting was reported last week.

They report that between 2,000 and 3,000 people who had been displaced by the fighting have returned to the town, compared to the previous population of 40,000. The remainder of the previous population is reported to have fled to villages within a 15 to 20 kilometer radius of Tawilla.

Meanwhile,

Jan Pronk, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Sudan, who yesterday launched in Geneva a $1.5 billion appeal for 2005, is headed to Nairobi. There, he will discuss the establishment of a trust fund to support development efforts, including in southern Sudan.

And, the Abuja peace process is set to resume on 9 December between the Government of Sudan and the two rebel groups of Darfur. This round of talks, Abuja III, will discuss the political, social and economic aspects of the conflict. The UN Mission in Sudan will be participating in the meeting as an observer to support the African Union mediation during the talks.

COTE DIVOIRE: FORCES NOUVELLES ASSURES UNIMPEDED ACCESS FOR

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS, MILITARY OBSERVERS AND AID WORKERS

A senior UN official from the

UN Operation in Cote dIvoire yesterday visited Bouake in northern Cote dIvoire.

The Principal Deputy Special Representative in Cote DIvoire,

Alan Doss, met with senior representatives of the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles in Bouake, where he raised the World Food Programme aircraft

incident, which occurred in Man, western Cote d'Ivoire, last week.

He obtained assurances from the Forces Nouvelles that this type of incident will not recur. They also assured him of free and unimpeded access for UN Blue Helmets, military observers and U.N. and other humanitarian agencies' personnel.

Doss impressed on his interlocutors the need for full respect by all parties for

Security Council

resolution 1572.

OUTCOME OF IRAQ CONFERENCE SEEN IMPROVING SECURITY

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq,

Ashraf Qazi, welcomed the outcome of a conference bringing together the Interior Ministers of

Iraqs neighboring countries, which ended in Tehran, Iran today, as a step to improve the security environment.

The conference unanimously adopted a joint communiqué pledging to take a number of measures, including cooperation on border control and fighting acts of terrorism, to improve the security environment in Iraq.

In remarks at the closing session of the conference, Qazi said the measures that regional countries have agreed to take will enable them to contribute to an environment conducive to the success of the political process.

He also reiterated the United Nations commitment to help Iraq, saying, We are at your disposal, at the disposal of the Iraqi Government and the people of Iraq, to help in the noble cause of rebuilding a country.

ALGERIA ASSUMES PRESIDENCY OF SECURITY COUNCIL;

COUNCIL MEMBERS TO TAKE UP BURUNDI MISSION MANDATE EXTENSION

Today is the first day of the

Algerian Presidency of the

Security Council for the month of December.

The Council President, Ambassador Abdallah Baali of Algeria, is holding bilateral meetings with members today on the months program.

Then at 4:30 p.m., informal consultations on Burundi have been scheduled, to be followed by a formal meeting on a resolution on the mandate for the

UN Operation in Burundi, which expires today unless action is taken.

ACTION PLAN FOR LANDMINES PROVISIONALLY ADOPTED AT NAIROBI SUMMIT

The states parties to the Ottawa Convention on landmines, at the

Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World underway in Nairobi, today provisionally adopted an action plan for 2005 through 2009 that will deal with a coordinated approach to meeting that treatys humanitarian aims.

Martin Barber, Director of the

UN Mine Action Service, told the Summit that the United Nations is committed to supporting the action plan.

He said the United Nations will focus its efforts in the coming years to get non-state actors to adhere to the mine-ban treatys norms, to support victim assistance, and to encourage donors to commit sustained resources to mine action.

U.N. TASK FORCE HELPING DEAL WITH FLOODING IN PHILIPPINES

The

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the UN in-country team has set up an ad-hoc crisis management task force to deal with flooding in the Philippines.

OCHA and

UNICEF have pledged emergency funds to help alleviate the situation, and the

UN Development Programme has requested a further grant of $100,000.

Floodwaters have left many roads impassable, and have washed away bridges and houses. Many people have been stranded on rooftops. According to OCHA, rubber boats, tents, food, and drinking water are urgently needed.

MORE THAN 2,700 U.N. SECRETARIAT STAFF EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR ANNAN

More than 2,700 UN Secretariat staff have so far signed a letter expressing their support of the

Secretary-General at a time when the organization has faced allegations about its integrity.

In the letter, the staff members wrote, More than ever, we support the Secretary-General in his balanced, fair and substantive approach. We also express our determination to continue to improve the workings and effectiveness of this Organization. We can make the case for the UN and be resolute, while remaining true to our mission around the world dedication to peace and development.

Regarding the planned meetings between the senior management and the UN Staff Council representatives, the Chief of Staff will be joined today by the Under-Secretary-General for Management and the Assistant Secretary-General for Personnel and others, to meet with Rosemary Walters, the President of the Staff Council, and possibly other officers that she may bring with her. The Secretary-General has agreed to meet with the entire Staff Council on December 8.

The Spokesman was asked who was behind the staff petition, and said it spontaneously arose from some UN staff members. He noted later that they had e-mailed other staff asking to support the letter, in a message distributed on 29 November, and replies were still coming in. He said it was not an official letter.

Asked about the Secretary-Generals response to a chorus of voices asking for his resignation, the Spokesman said, A few voices doesnt constitute a chorus. He noted that the Secretary-General has heard no such call from any Member State.

He characterized recent criticisms as part of a healthy debate, but asserted that the Secretary-General is committed to going about his work for the remaining two years and one month of his term.

Among his priorities, Eckhard added, are the Secretary-Generals work on

AIDS and the report of the

High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, which will define the

UN reform agenda that the Secretary-General intends to pursue vigorously over the next two years.

Asked about criticisms from U.S. Senator Norm Coleman that the Secretary-General was not helping the investigation into the

oil-for-food program, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General has turned over all documents, and made available all staff, to the

Independent Inquiry Committee headed by Paul Volcker. Until Volckers investigation is completed, he will not rush to judgment.

Asked when Volckers interim report would be ready, the Spokesman noted that Volcker earlier had said he planned to put out a report in January.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

FORUM TO DISCUSS HEALTH MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS: More than 11 million children in developing countries die every year from preventable illness, and as many as 500,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth. These and other urgent

health problems will be tackled at this week's

High-Level Forum on the Health Millennium Development Goals, to be held in Abuja, Nigeria. The forum will start tomorrow, Thursday, and last until Friday, 3 December. It has been organized by the

World Health Organization and the

World Bank, and will bring together aid donors with many of the world's leaders in health and development.

FLOODS COULD CAUSE SEVERE FOOD SHORTAGES IN PANAMA: Flooding has also taken place in Panamas Darien region, and could lead to severe food shortages in the next seven to eight months, according to UN humanitarian agencies. The UN team in Panama has conducted two missions to the affected areas, delivering water purification materials and helping to transport Ministry of Health personnel. In addition, the

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has released an emergency cash grant. Panamanian authorities estimate that more than 7,500 people, mainly in indigenous communities, have been affected by the flooding.

BUSH COMMENTS MAY HAVE REFERRED TO MEMBER STATES AND NOT U.N. SECRETARIAT: Asked about comments made today by U.S. President George W. Bush that the United Nations and other institutions should not be a place of endless debate, the Spokesman said that the comments sounded as if they referred to the 191 Member States, rather than the Secretariat.

NO DATE YET FOR SECRETARY-GENERALS PRESS CONFERENCE: Asked when the

Secretary-Generals year-end press conference would take place, the Spokesman said it has not yet been scheduled.

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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