United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-04-08

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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

STEPHANE DUJARRIC

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, April 8, 2005

ANNAN ATTENDS POPES FUNERAL

Secretary-General Kofi Annan was in Vatican City today, where he joined the hundreds of thousands of people gathered in reflection and prayer at the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

The Pope was one of the greatest spiritual figures of our time, the Secretary-General said today, speaking at Romes Fiumicino Airport. He was a man of faith, of action, capable of uniting the most diverse people.

And the UN flag is flying at half mast today, also in observance of the Popes funeral.

The Secretary-General has left Rome for Geneva.

This evening, he will open a retreat in Switzerland of the Chief Executives Board, which comprises the heads of the UN system of organizations. The Board meets twice each year.

ANNAN TO ATTEND DONOR CONFERENCE FOR SUDAN;

SHORTAGE OF FUNDS FORCES CUTS TO FOOD AID OPERATION IN DARFUR

The

Secretary-General will be travelling to Oslo to address, on Monday, the opening of a donor conference for Sudan, organized by the Norwegian Government.

The

World Food Programme (WFP) says that for the first time since WFPs major emergency operation for Darfur began, a drastic shortage of funds will force it to cut rations for more than one million people living in the western region of Darfur.

Starting in May, WFP will have to cut by half the non-cereal part of the daily ration. This is a last resort to help stretch current food supplies through the critical months of July and August -- the regions traditional lean months, when food needs become most acute.

The

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

says that it is seeking $60 million for its return and reintegration programme in south Sudan, but so far less than $5 million had been received.

Some 550,000 refugees and an estimated 4 million internally displaced people from south Sudan remained uprooted.

And

UNICEF points out that the next 18 months were likely to be very difficult. Due to the security situation, UNICEF only has access to 5-10% of the territories and one-third of the six million inhabitants of the three Darfur provinces. And, while most of the inhabitants of the many camps in Darfur had received basic necessities, not enough has been achieved to ensure their protection.

ANNAN URGES MYANMAR TO CLARIFY POSITION ON ROADMAP

Noting their recent decision to adjourn the National Convention, the

Secretary-General

urges the Myanmar authorities, in light of their public commitments, to clarify their position with respect to the roadmap process and its timetable so as to dispel the continuing uncertainty surrounding this process.

The Secretary-General also urges the Myanmar authorities to use this occasion to enhance inter-ethnic harmony and political stability by engaging the representatives of all ethnic nationality groups and political leaders in a substantive political dialogue aimed at national reconciliation.

Furthermore, the Secretary-General reiterates the need for the remaining constraints on all political leaders to be lifted, offices of the National League for Democracy (NLD) to be allowed to reopen and for political prisoners, including elected officials, to be released.

The Secretary-General also calls on the Myanmar authorities to allow his Special Envoy to return to the country as soon as possible so that he can facilitate efforts for resuming political dialogue among all the parties concerned. He further encourages the Myanmar authorities to heed the friendly advice of its fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to expedite its reform process.

HUMANITARIAN APPEAL FOR COTE DIVOIRE IS SEVERELY UNDER-FUNDED

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is drawing attention to the fact that the United Nations has received just over 0% of the funding for the 2005 humanitarian appeal for Cote dIvoire, which requires $39.3 million.

So far, only $181,000 has been contributed via a pledge from the Netherlands in support of coordination. or about 0.05 %.

OCHA also says that the aid community has received only about 9% for what is needed for all emergencies, excluding the Indian Ocean and Sudan appeals. Only $168 million of the $ 1.7 billion requested for all these other emergencies had been received.

The following countries have received less than 5% of the funding needed: Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, the Russian Federation for Chechnya, Côte dIvoire, Eritrea, Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Somalia and West Africa.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO ADDRESS

CONFERENCE ON CONFLICT PREVENTION

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette will visit Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday, 11-12 April. She will address a conference on "Conflict prevention and resolution: Challenges and Change for the United Nations", co-organized by Norway and Sweden in connection with the preparation of the 2005 General Assembly Summit.

The Foreign Affairs Minister of Sweden and the Foreign Affairs Minister of Norway will also address the meeting.

The Deputy Secretary-General address will show that the United Nations is a more effective prevention instrument than many realize. She will highlight measures proposed by the Secretary-General to make the United Nations more effective in this regard. Those await decision by world leaders at the Summit in September 2005.

The Deputy Secretary-General will also meet with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Norway and the Foreign Affairs Minister of Sweden.

SPOKESMANS ROUND TABLE EVENT TO BE HELD AT U.N. HEADQUARTERS

On Thursday,14 April, the Spokesman will be hosting a Spokesmens Roundtable event at UN Headquarters. The event will chronicle the role of the Spokesmans Office and its relationship with the press from 1945 until the present.

The

Secretary-General will open the event at 9:00 a.m.

All staff and in-house journalists are invited to observe the event. Brian Urquhart will be the luncheon speaker.

ANNAN TO MEET WITH TSUNAMI SPECIAL ENVOY CLINTON NEXT WEEK

Former President

Bill Clinton, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Tsunami-affected Countries, will meet the Secretary-General next Wednesday, April 13.

President Clinton and the Secretary-General will then speak to the press.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NO SECURITY COUNCIL MEETINGS TODAY: There are no meetings or consultations of the

Security Council scheduled for today.

LAST WFP FOOD AID ARRIVES IN CHINA:

World Food Programme (WFP) says that the arrival of the last shipment of WFP food aid to China marks a significant watershed in the campaign to end global hunger.

NEGOTIATIONS ON REFORM PACKAGE JUST BEGINNING: Asked about the negative comments that some Member States had made during recent discussions about the

Secretary-Generals

reform package, the Spokesman said that this is just the beginning of a long negotiating process. Such negotiations, he said, often seem difficult at the beginning. But he added that the Secretary-General had appointed four Special Envoys earlier this week, who will fan out and discuss the reform package as part of the ongoing process.

ASHRAF QAZI TO BRIEF THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON MONDAY: Asked about the schedule of the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq,

Ashraf Qazi, the Spokesman said that Qazi would brief the

Security Council on

Iraq on Monday afternoon, and planned to speak to reporters afterward.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Monday, April 11

The Secretary-General intends to attend a donors conference for Sudan, taking place in Oslo, Norway.

The Security Council has scheduled an open briefing, followed by consultations, on Iraq. The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, will brief the Council.

The Commission on Sustainable Development will begin its 13th session in New York. Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo will brief the press at 11:15 a.m. on the opening of the session, which will focus on water, sanitation and human settlements.

The Deputy Secretary-General will visit Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday, 11-12 April. She will address a conference on "Conflict prevention and resolution: Challenges and Change for the United Nations", co-organized by Norway and Sweden in connection with the preparation of the 2005 General Assembly Summit.

Tuesday, April 12

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on the Central African Republic.

Wednesday, April 13

The Secretary-General and his Special Envoy dealing with the Indian Ocean tsunami recovery effort, Bill Clinton, will address the press jointly at noon.

A Security Council mission, led by Ambassador Ronaldo Sardenberg of Brazil, will begin a four-day trip to Haiti.

Thursday, April 14

The Secretary-General will speak to a one-day reunion of all the Spokespeople for the Secretaries-General. The Spokespeople will hold a roundtable discussion in Conference Room 5.

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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