United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-05-12

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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

MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, May 12, 2005

PARTIES TO THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY

ADOPTS CONFERENCE AGENDA

After intensive negotiations, the

Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) adopted its agenda last night.

Following the adoption of the agenda, the President of the Conference, Ambassador Sergio de Queiroz Duarte of Brazil, made a statement. He said, It is understood that the review will be conducted in the light of the decisions and the resolutions of previous Conferences, and allow for discussion of any issue raised by State Parties.

ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIANS ON THE RISE IN DARFUR, SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD

The Security Council held an open briefing and consultations on

Sudan today with members taking up two recently released reports by the Secretary-General concerning Darfur.

The first

report is the one that came out Monday on the UN assistance to the African Union mission in Darfur.

The second

report is the monthly update on Darfur, which is available today.

Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi briefed the Security Council in an open meeting.

In that briefing, he noted that organized violence in Darfur continued throughout the region last month, and attacks on civilians, rape, kidnapping and banditry actually increased from the previous month. The report notes that militia attacks are by far the greatest cause of terror and suffering for civilians.

In the Council briefing, Annabi noted that there had been no tangible progress in the Abuja peace talks, and in view of these circumstances, he emphasized the critical importance of the African Union mission and the need to strengthen it.

The Council then went into consultations on Sudan. Under other matters, the Council was updated on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Following consultations, the Council, in a presidential statement read out by Council President Ambassador Ellen Darfur Loj of Denmark, emphasized the importance of increased coordinated international assistance for the African Union effort in Darfur, as well as the readiness of the United Nations to continue playing a key role. The Council also welcomed the effort and intention of the Secretary General to consult closely with the African Union on the scope and nature of possible UN support to the African Union mission in Darfur.

CHAD: VIOLENT CLASHES TAKE PLACE AT SUDANESE REFUGEE CAMP

At a refugee camp in Chad, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that clashes took place yesterday over the entitlement of refugees to sell plastic sheeting. Plastic sheeting is provided as one of a number of non-food relief items by UNHCR.

Chadian gendarmes responsible for guarding the 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad sought to prevent such sales, arresting three refugees. In protest at the arrests, a group of refugees burned down the community centre in a nearby village, provoking further clashes with the local authorities.

UNHCR is advised that one Chadian gendarme was killed as a result, two Sudanese refugees have been injured, with 2 humanitarian aid workers and one gendarmes injured as well.

ANNAN WELCOMES CANADIAN SUPPORT TO AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN DARFUR

The Secretary-General

understands that Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada is today announcing a substantial military support initiative to the African Union for Darfur.

The Secretary-General warmly welcomes this, as an important contribution to helping deal with the crisis.

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS AMBUSHED IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) reports that peacekeepers were injured in an ambush by armed elements.

During the ambush, which took place 55 kilometers southeast of Bunia, a UN jeep was overturned.

[Later Thursday, the UN mission updated and revised the casualty figures from the incident to say that one peacekeeper was killed and five others were wounded. The mission later said that three peacekeepers were injured in that jeep accident, and the other three were injured by gunfire. One of the six was critically wounded and died several hours later, it said.]

ANNAN CONCERNED BY ROCKET ENTERING ISRAEL FROM LEBANON

The Secretary-General was gravely

concerned over the firing of a Katyusha rocket from Lebanon into the village of Shlomi in northern Israel last night. The rocket caused damage to property but, fortunately, no casualties.

The Secretary-General emphasizes once again the fragility of the situation in Lebanon and the wider region. He reiterates his call on the Government of Lebanon to extend its control to all of its territory, to exert its monopoly on the use of force, and to put an end to all such attacks.

The Secretary-General urges all parties to fully respect the Blue Line and reminds them that one violation of the Blue Line cannot justify another.

SYRIAN WITHDRAWAL VERIFICATION TEAM LEAVES LEBANON

FOR CONSULTATIONS IN NEW YORK

The UN team verifying Syrias withdrawal from Lebanon is traveling to New York for consultations. The team has collected a substantial amount of data during its time on the ground in Lebanon, and it intends to review and assess that data in New York.

Asked when the team would report back, the Spokeswoman said that the teams work is not finished. Depending on their consultations in New York, they may decide to return to Lebanon for further work there. There is no date yet for them to report, she said.

Asked about the work of the UN electoral team in Lebanon, the Spokeswoman said that the Director of the UN Electoral Affairs Division, Carina Perelli, was scheduled to leave Lebanon on May 18, but she would leave behind a three-member team.

Asked about the investigation into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the Spokeswoman said she believed that an announcement concerning who would head the investigative team could be made within days.

IRAQIS SUFFERING FROM HIGH LEVELS OF

MALNUTRITION, ILLITERACY & UNEMPLOYMENT

The UN Development Programme in Iraq, as well as that countrys Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation, today

launched a

survey of living conditions in Iraq over the past year, which finds high levels of malnutrition, rising illiteracy and significant unemployment.

According to the report, almost a quarter of Iraqi children between six months and five years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition. The young are reported to be more illiterate than preceding generations. Meanwhile, unemployment among young men with secondary or higher education stands at 37 percent.

The Secretary-Generals Deputy Special Representative for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, said at todays launch that many aspects of living conditions in Iraq in 2004 were dismal. But he added that the findings reflect the courage, endurance and determination of the Iraqi people to overcome the hurdles they are facing.

Asked about the deteriorating situation in Iraq, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations was doing what it can, considering the security circumstances. The Secretary-General, she said, was concerned about the escalation of violence in the country, but that has been a matter outside the UNs control.

She added that todays survey indicates that the United Nations is planning ahead, to better target its future work in Iraq.

AFGHANISTAN: U.N. ENVOY CONDEMNS RECENT VIOLENCE

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan, Jean Arnault, strongly

condemned the episodes of violence in Jalalabad yesterday, in which a number of civilians were killed and injured. In a statement today, Arnault deplored the brutal attacks perpetrated against the UN Missions premises and those of other UN agencies, as well as governmental, non-governmental and private organizations.

These attacks will in no way deter the commitment of UN agencies to assist the government and the people of Afghanistan in rebuilding their country. Neither will they interrupt the ongoing preparations for parliamentary and provincial council elections, he said.

Arnault commended the Afghan national security forces for their courage and also called on local authorities and international military forces to do everything in their power to prevent further episodes of violence in Jalalabad and elsewhere in the country.

SUPICHAI PANITCHPAKDI CONFIRMED AS NEW UNCTAD HEAD

Supichai Panitchpakdi, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, today

expressed his deep appreciation to the Secretary-General and to the General Assembly, which yesterday confirmed his appointment to lead the UN Conference on Trade and Development.

Supichai said he was profoundly honoured that the Secretary-General had shown such confidence in him and assured all Member States that he will do anything in his power to ensure that trade becomes an ever more vital tool for development.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

IRAQ EMERGING AS TRANSIT POINT FOR DRUGS: The International Narcotics Control Board, an independent UN body monitoring global drug proliferation, has

expressed concern that the country is emerging as a transit point for drugs originating in Afghanistan. The Board President, Hamid Ghodse of Iran, said that the pattern was similar to what the Board had observed in post-conflict situations elsewhere. And he urged the international community and the Iraqi Government to make a strong commitment towards countering the drug problem before it escalated.

BULK OF U.N. PEACEKEEPERS TO ARRIVE IN SUDAN BY SEPTEMBER: In response to a question yesterday, on the estimated completion of the deployment of 10,000 UN peacekeepers in Sudan, the answer is 240 days from the start of the mandate on 24 March. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations says that it plans to get the vast majority in within 180 days. That would be by September. All will depend on the cooperation of the parties, as well as the weather.

CONCERNS ABOUT AGEING, HEALTH AND POVERTY MARK OPENING OF E.S.C.A.P. SESSION: The sixty-first session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

began in Bangkok, Thailand today. Representatives of 48 governments are discussing various issues including the effectiveness of the Commissions new initiatives and how members can fulfill their obligations to the elderly as the regions population ages.

THOUSANDS OF GRAIN SILOS TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO AFGHAN FARMERS:

Around 14,000 grain storage silos will be

distributed to farmers in nine provinces of Afghanistan, thanks to a new Food and Agriculture Organization project funded by the Government of Germany. The aim is to help reduce post-harvest losses, improve grain quality, increase the income of farmers by allowing them to sell grain during the off-season when prices are more favorable, and enhance household food security.

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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