United Nations Daily Highlights, 04-12-08

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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 8, 2004

ANNAN: MEMBER STATES SHOULD MAKE 2005

THE YEAR OF CHANGE FOR THE UNITED NATIONS

Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke to the

General Assembly today on the

report of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, telling the Member States that it is up to them to make 2005 the year of change at the United Nations.

He

said that if we do not act resolutely, and together, the threats described in the report can overwhelm us. The Secretary-General asserted, Either we turn our backs on the very notion of collective security, or we must work hard to make sure that collective security really mean something.

He told the Assembly that he will move ahead quickly to implement the Panels recommendations that are within his purview. Next year, he added, he will present to the Member States the outlines of a comprehensive strategy against terrorism.

The Secretary-General drew particular attention to the Panels recommendation to support a Directorate of Security and to assist in implementing a new staff security system for 2005.

He said, Unhappily we cannot, in this increasingly volatile and dangerous world, carry out the mandates that you give us without adequate security arrangements.

Asked whether the Secretary-General was sending a message in his speech for the United Nations not to be scapegoated, the Spokesman said that the speech had been intended to focus the attention of the Member States on the priorities ahead, as he saw them. They had received the Panel report last week and had time to study it. Eckhard said that this was the beginning of an almost year-long process so that Member States can make informed decisions on UN reform when the General Assembly meets again next fall. He acknowledged that the United Nations is only as good as its Member States.

Asked about the standing ovation that the Secretary-General had received upon delivering his statement, the Spokesman said he had noticed the standing ovation, which was consistent with the expressions of support for the Secretary-Generals work that the United Nations has received, both orally and in written form, from a number of Member States.

Asked about problems in U.S.-UN relations, the Spokesman said that, for us, this is not an active issue. He said that calls for the Secretary-Generals resignation had come from a few members of Congress, not the U.S. administration. At the moment, he said, no Member State has called for Kofi Annan to resign, while a number of Governments, and UN staff from all major duty stations, have expressed their support.

The Secretary-General, he said, had confirmed on Tuesday that he intends to stay on for the remaining two years of his term, to focus on the priorities of UN reform and the

Millennium Development Goals.

Eckhard said that, since 1945, there has always been a minority in the United States that has opposed the work of the United Nations. Since 1945, public opinion polls showed that some 20 to 25 percent of Americans questioned the usefulness of the United Nations, compared to some 60 to 70 percent who supported it. Those numbers, he added, have fluctuated more recently.

He said that the United Nations is not against an internal debate in the United States about the United Nations, but noted that a majority in the country views the United Nations as useful, including its impact on the economy of New York City.

The United States has to ask itself whether it wants to work through the United Nations to further its national and multilateral goals. The Spokesman added that the U.S. administration has not indicated that it wants the Secretary-General to resign or does not want to work with the United Nations on a concerns ranging from

Afghanistan and

Iraq to

Sudan.

Asked why the High-Level Panel gave two options for Security Council reform, the Spokesman said that the Panels research director, Steven Stedman, said it was an indication that the 16 members of the Panel could not agree on a single formula. It hoped that putting forward two options would invite productive debate among the Member States, since it was up to them to decide on one formula on which they could agree.

Asked about the Panels proposal for buyouts of UN staff, he said that was a proposal that the Panel felt would be useful to move some people out and allow younger staff to advance. The Secretary-General could submit a proposal to the General Assembly, which would decide on how much it wanted to fund. There have been previous staff buyouts, he added. The Spokesman added, in response to questions, that it was more likely for any budgetary requirement for such a buyout plan to be folded into the next budget years funding.

ANNAN WELCOMES PEACE STEPS FOR ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA

Further to the

Secretary-Generals

statement of November 26, he has studied the five-point proposal that the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi submitted to Parliament on November 25.

The Secretary-General

welcomes any step which may contribute to full implementation of the 2000 Algiers Agreements and the subsequent decision of the Boundary Commission, to the initiation of dialogue between

Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as to the restoration of normal relations between these two neighboring countries.

Such relations could contribute in a major way to economic and social development in both countries, as well as to that of the whole region.

ANNAN WELCOMES AGREEMENT REACHED IN COTE DIVOIRE

FOLLOWING EFFORT TO RESOLVE CRISIS BY SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT

The

Secretary-General

welcomes the agreement reached by the Ivorian parties regarding the implementation of the Accra III and Linas-Marcoussis Agreements, following their consultations with South African President Thabo Mbeki, under the initiative which he is leading on behalf of the African Union. The parties must now agree upon a detailed program of action for the implementation of their commitments within a clear timeframe.

The Secretary-General urges all the Ivorian parties to seize this opportunity and to ensure that genuine progress, which is required to prepare for the holding of elections in October 2005, is made.

The Secretary-General looks forward to President Mbeki and the African Unions continued efforts to resolve the crisis in Cote dIvoire, in close cooperation with ECOWAS and the

United Nations Operation in Cote dIvoire (UNOCI).

The radio station of the UNOCI mission, UNOCI FM, went on the air in Bouaké on Tuesday evening. The programs comprise messages of peace, news programs and features on human rights, disarmament and the humanitarian consequences of the conflict

.

Meanwhile, the so-called Young Patriots, who are planning to demonstrate on Saturday to demand the withdrawal of French troops from the Côte d'Ivoire, told UNOCI that their demonstration would be peaceful.

U.N. ENVOY WELCOMED COMMITMENT OF SUDANESE GOVERNMENT

AND REBEL LEADER TO FINALIZE AGREEMENT

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for

Sudan,

Jan Pronk, returned to Khartoum on Tuesday night from Naivasha, Kenya, where he met separately with Vice President Osman Ali Taha and Chairman John Garang of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM).

In his discussions with them, Pronk welcomed the good spirit shown by the two leaders and their commitment to finalize agreement on pending issues.

He emphasized to both of them that every effort should be exerted in order to fulfill the commitment they made to the international community and to the

Security Council on November 19 in Nairobi. He cautioned them that failure was not an option.

SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS ATTEMPTS TO HARM DR CONGO PROCESS

This morning, the

Security Council held a public meeting on the report of the Councils November mission to Central Africa led by France. That report came out as a document on Tuesday.

The Security Council issued a

presidential statement late Tuesday in which it expressed its concern about reports of military operations by the Rwandan army in the eastern part of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

It also condemned any attempt at undermining the unity and territorial integrity of the DRC, and said it would consider further actions against anyone who compromises the peace process there.

NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF RWANDAN TROOPS IN DR CONGO

The

UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)

says it still does not have fully conclusive evidence as to whether Rwandan forces have crossed into Congolese territory.

MONUC says it does have some evidence of the presence of unidentified but well-organized military groups in the triangle formed by Goma, Walikale and Lake Edward.

MONUC is continuing its reconnaissance activities by helicopter and by foot to check the numerous and consistent claims it has received from the local population about the presence of Rwandan soldiers.

Asked whether Rwanda has denied that it has troops in the DRC, the Spokesman said the Rwandan Government had publicly threatened to go into the DRC, after which the United Nations had responded by

saying that that would disrupt the peace process and by inviting Rwanda and the DRC to engage the UN mechanism that could monitor disturbances on the border.

Asked why it was difficult to confirm whether Rwandans were in the DRC, the Spokesman noted that the area that UN forces are monitoring is larger than Rwanda itself and is heavily forested. UN troops have found bivouacs and remnants of troop presence, and has seen well-equipped armed elements, but could not definitively say whether they were Rwandan.

Asked about Rwandas concerns about Interahamwe elements in eastern Congo, the Spokesman said the United Nations has acknowledged those concerns and tried to deal with it by demobilizing, disarming and returning Interahamwe and other elements to Rwanda. That is not an easy process to negotiate and carry out, he added.

SPOKESMAN: MORE U.N. ELECTORAL STAFF GOING TO IRAQ

Asked whether January elections are feasible in

Iraq, the Spokesman said he was not in a position to say, given that it is up to the Iraqis to determine the timing of elections. From a technical standpoint, he noted, the United Nations has said in the past that preparations were on track for elections at the end of January if security conditions permitted.

The hope, he said, is that, whatever the Iraqi interim government decides, the elections can be carried out in relative security and be seen as credible and fair.

Asked about UN personnel supporting the elections, the Spokesman said that the United Nations was looking to raise the number of UN international electoral experts in Iraq to 25, up from eight a few weeks ago. He said that number of staff was just the tip of the iceberg, with a substantial number of staff also posted to Jordan and other countries in the region, and more than 6,000 Iraqis trained by UN experts in electoral work.

Eckhard said, in response to another question, that the Secretary-General had recently raised the ceiling on UN international staff in Iraq from 35 to 59. The United Nations also expects to put in place a close protection unit of more than 100 Fijians.

He said that the United Nations expects its experts to operate from time to time outside the International Zone in Baghdad, and to have offices in other places, as part of the risk it is willing to take to support the electoral process.

PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS MEET WITH UN, DONORS IN OSLO

Today in Oslo, the UN Middle East Envoy,

Terje Roed-Larsen, attended a meeting of the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee. This group brings together the donor countries, alongside the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF and the

Palestinians and Israelis.

This was the first time in almost a year that Israeli and Palestinian officials sat face to face and exchanged views. Participants said the meeting took place in a positive spirit of cooperation as recent developments on the ground offered new opportunities.

Donors and the United Nations said steps should be taken by Israel to lift the closures in the Palestinian territory to increase freedom of movement and ease the humanitarian situation for the Palestinians.

They also urged the Palestinian to redouble their reform efforts, specifically in the judicial and security areas. The Palestinian delegation was congratulated for a smooth political transition.

Asked about UN involvement in the Palestinian election plan, the Spokesman said that the United Nations had been advising the Palestinians on the election process. More recently, a European Union official took charge of the process, but the United Nations remains involved.

FAO: HUNGER KILLS MORE THAN FIVE MILLION CHILDREN YEARLY

The

Food and Agricultural Organization today

released its annual report, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2004.

Hunger and malnutrition kill more than five million children every year, the report says. The cost to developing countries, the agency says, is billions of dollars in lost productivity and national income.

On a positive note, the authors note that more than 30 countries, representing nearly half the population of the developing world, have reduced the percentage of hungry people by at least 25 percent in the 1990s. They add that these countries provide proof that rapid progress is possible as well as lessons in how that progress can be achieved.

UN TEAM ARRIVES ON CAMBODIA FOR FUNDING TALKS

A six-member UN team arrived in Cambodia today to begin talks with the Cambodian Government on funding for the proposed trials of Khmer Rouge leaders.

The

Secretary-General

reiterated last week that UN approval of the Agreement on the trials will depend on whether sufficient money is in place to fund the staffing and operations of the Extraordinary Chambers for the trials for a sustained period of time.

Asked about the budget negotiations, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General has made it clear that he was not prepared to commit the United Nations to the trials until pledges have been made for the Chambers three years of operations and until actual contributions for its first year have been received.

EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR SAYS 2004 ONE OF THE MOST

CHALLENGING FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

The past year has been one of the most challenging in terms of providing humanitarian assistance, largely because of the high number of natural disasters that took place, the UN

Emergency Relief Coordinator,

Jan Egeland, said today.

At a press conference in Geneva, Egeland noted the crises that extended from the earthquake in Bam, Iran, at the beginning of the year to the recent typhoons in the Philippines.

Among the worst crises, he said, was the one in

Darfur, Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of lives had been saved because of the work of some 800 relief workers.

Egeland also drew attention to next months World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan, where delegates from some 120 countries are to draw up a plan to prevent the worst effects of natural hazards.

In the

Philippines, UN teams are continuing their work in assessing the damage from the recent storms, which left roughly 1,500 people dead or missing. One team that went to Aurora Province reported that, at the main town of Dingalan, the health clinic has been destroyed, the schools are closed and there is no running water.

CONFERENCE ENDS ON VOLUNTEERISM AND MDGS

The first UN system conference on volunteerism and the

Millennium Development Goals concluded in Pakistans capital city, Islamabad, with several recommendations on maximizing citizen engagement in activities framed around the Goals.

The more than 200 international delegates who attended the three-day conference focused on the role of volunteers in supporting the actions of national governments in meeting their commitments outlined in the Millennium Declaration.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO MEET UN STAFF COUNCIL: Asked about the Secretary-Generals meeting this afternoon with the UN Staff Council, the Spokesman said that the agenda is wide open. The Council has been unhappy that it has not had closer interaction with the Secretary-General and senior management, and the Secretary-General wants to hear whatever concerns they have.

REFUGEES FACING CUT IN FOOD RATIONS UNLESS DONATIONS RECEIVED: The

World Food Programme

warned today that it will be forced to make a drastic cut in food rations for 118,000 refugees in camps in Ethiopia, unless $4.2 million are donated immediately. Stocks of cereal, which comprise almost 80 percent of the daily food consumed by the refugees, are expected to run out by next April. The shortfall could also delay the repatriation of 6,500 Somali refugees, who are currently in eastern Ethiopia and will need food packages.

WFP TO BUY MORE FOOD FROM ZAMBIA: The World Food Programme (WFP) today announced plans to dramatically increase the amount of food aid purchased in Zambia, as long as there is another substantial surplus in 2005. However, while Zambia does boast a surplus, there are still large numbers of vulnerable people in Zambia who need food assistance.

ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY TO BE OBSERVED: Thursday, December 9, is the first International Anti-Corruption Day. To mark the occasion, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is organizing an interactive workshop here at UN Headquarters. It will be held Thursday, from 9:45 a.m.in Conference Room 8. The event will be chaired by Marjatta Rasi, in her capacity as President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

UNICEF ANNUAL REPORT TO BE LAUNCHED:

UNICEFs annual flagship publication The State of the Worlds Children 2005 will be launched on Thursday. The report is the most comprehensive survey of global trends affecting children. This years findings include that one in six children is severely hungry; one in seven has no health care at all; and one in five has no access to safe water.