United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-06-03

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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, June 3, 2005

BURUNDI: THOSE TRYING TO DERAIL ELECTORAL PROCESS WILL FAIL

Burundians went to the polls today for the first time in over a decade.

They are voting in the municipal elections which are the first in a series of four elections.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Burundi,

Carolyn McAskie,

spoke to the press at midday on the progress of the election.

While expressing satisfaction with the peaceful atmosphere in which people have been voting since early morning, she also expressed dissatisfaction over a handful of people who are bent on trying to derail the elections either by using fraud or by resorting to violence in an attempt to deter the population from expressing its vote.

Most incidents occurred within hours after the official opening of the polling stations at 6:00 a.m.

At one polling station, a South African peacekeeper was shot in the head today while monitoring the conduct of elections near a polling station there. He is in a critical condition and has been taken to Nairobi for treatment.

U.N. PEACEKEEPER DIES OF WOUND SUSTAINED IN OPERATION IN DR CONGO

The

UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations says that one of the Nepalese peacekeepers who took part in an operation in the Ituri district, in

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has died of his wounds. The peacekeeper was a major, had been leading the evacuation of troops who had come under fire while providing security for a human rights verification team.

In Haiti, two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were wounded yesterday when the armoured personnel carrier they were travelling on came under fire. Both soldiers are said to be out of danger.

ANNAN APPOINTS KAI EIDE AS SPECIAL ENVOY FOR REVIEW OF KOSOVO

The

Secretary-General has appointed Ambassador Kai Eide, Permanent Representative of Norway to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as his Special Envoy to carry out a comprehensive review of Kosovo, as indicated in the Secretary-Generals recent report to the Security Council on the

UN Mission in Kosovo.

There has been an exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and the

President of the

Security Council on this appointment.

Eides previous experience with the United Nations and his in-depth knowledge of the Balkans make him the ideal person for this endeavour.

The comprehensive review will be initiated this summer, in accordance with Security Council resolutions. It will consist of consultations with the parties and the international community, and be broad in scope in order to assess the current situation and the conditions for the possible next steps in the process.

It will look at the actual political realities as well as the formal preconditions for launching the future status process on the basis of continuing and effective progress towards implementation of the Standards for Kosovo, which are to be achieved in order to establish in Kosovo a multi-ethnic, stable and democratic society founded on the rule of law.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF UN OPERATION IN COTE D'IVOIRE

The 15 members of the

Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution today that extends the mandate of the

UN Operation in Cote dIvoire and that of the French forces supporting it until 24 June, with a view to renew it, in this specific instance, for a period of 7 months.

The resolution requests the

Secretary-General, on the basis of the Pretoria Agreement, to designate, as an exceptional arrangement, after consultations with the African Union and President Thabo Mbeki, a High Representative for the elections in Côte dIvoire to assist in particular in the work of the Independent Electoral Commission and of the Constitutional Council.

It also authorizes the Secretary-General to begin the necessary planning and preparations to facilitate a timely deployment in the event that the Security Council decides the missions authorized strength.

Meanwhile, the

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has

taken rapid action to address the humanitarian situation in and around the town of Duékoué in western Cote dIvoire in the wake of recent, repeated attacks on civilians there. Two joint inter-agency missions have been organized to visit Duékoué and the nearby villages Guitrozon and Petit Duékoué, despite security restrictions, and a coordination meeting with humanitarian actors was held yesterday in order to establish a common action plan for urgent response to the crisis.

GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE URGED TO HALT FORCED EVICTIONS

Miloon Kothari,

Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the right to adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, addressed an urgent appeal to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Zimbabwe

urging the Government to immediately halt the mass forced evictions reportedly taking place in the country.

The Special Rapporteur reminded the Zimbabwean authorities of their obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which the country ratified in 1991.

DEPUTY-SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT KOSOVO AND BURUNDI

TO REINFORCE ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY ON SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

As a continuation of her visits to peacekeeping missions, the

Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Frechette, will be travelling to Kosovo from 5 to 7 June, to be followed by a visit to Burundi from 8 to 10 June.

The main purpose of her visits will be to reinforce the

Secretary-Generals zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse for United Nations personnel and to review the status of relevant prevention and enforcement measures in each mission.

The Deputy Secretary-General has already visited UN Peacekeeping missions in West Africa: Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Liberia (UNMIL) and Côte dIvoire (UNOCI) from 28 February to 6 March 2005.

NEW U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES HOLDS PREPARATORY MEETINGS

Yesterday, the new UN High Commissioner for Refugees,

António Guterres,

started a two-day preliminary visit to headquarters of the

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for a series of informal preparatory meetings and to meet staff.

Guterres, who takes up his official appointment on 15 June, was warmly welcomed by headquarters staff yesterday.

Addressing staff, Guterres said he was proud to be joining the organisation and would take up his new role with conviction, humility and enthusiasm.

SAN FRANCISCO TO HOST WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY ON SUNDAY

World Environment Day is this Sunday, and San Fancisco is hosting the event this year, the first time a North American city ever has.

Under the theme of "Green Cities," the citys observance has been in full swing, with activities actually spanning five days, with each day focused on a specific theme.

In his

message for the Day, the

Secretary-General notes that by 2030, more than 60% of the worlds population will live in urban areas, and this rising concentration of humanity means the world wont achieve the Millennium Development Goals unless environmental planning is incorporated into all aspects of urban management.

In another

message, Klaus Toepfer, the Executive Director of the

UN Environment Programme, says its up to cities in the developed world to set an example in areas such as the efficient use of energy and water, and its incumbent upon them to partner developing world cities so they dont take a short-term 'dirty' development path, but a long-term sustainable one.

ANNAN APPOINTS HEAD OF U.N. OFFICE IN TIMOR-LESTE

The

Secretary-General has

appointed Sukehiro Hasegawa of Japan as head of the UN Office in Timor-Leste.

Hasegawa was previously the head of the UN Mission of Support in East Timor, and the new appointment takes effect from May 21st until may 20th next year.

BASIC SANITATION MUST REACH TWO BILLION MORE PEOPLE EACH YEAR

According to a new report by the

World Health Organization and

UNICEF, basic sanitation must reach close to two billion more people every year through 2015 to meet the

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving the proportion of people living without

safe water and basic sanitation.

The report analyzes essential investments and strategies to increase access to water and sanitation between now and the MDG deadline year of 2015.

STEPHANIDES DISMISSED FOR SERIOUS BREACH OF PROCUREMENT RULES

Asked about the serious misconduct that Joseph Stephanides is accused of, the Spokesman said it was a serious breach of procurement rules, adding that the full details of the charge can be found in a report carried out by the

Independent Inquiry Committee (ICC).

The Spokesman noted that the Committee is looking at all aspects of the

oil-for-food programme and the United Nations will act as required upon its findings.

Asked about how many UN staff have been fired since Kofi Annan assumed the post of UN Secretary-General 1997, the Spokesman said the Secretary-general had summarily dismissed 40 staff members since then and his authority for such dismissals only applies to staff who work directly for him in the UN Secretariat.

Asked for any developments in relation to Maurice Strong, the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser and his Personal Envoy for the Korean Peninsula, the Spokesman said there was nothing to report.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Sunday, 5 June

Sunday is World Environment Day.

The Deputy Secretary-Generals begins visits to peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and Burundi (5-10 June). As a continuation of her visits to peacekeeping missions, the Deputy Secretary-General will be travelling to Kosovo from 5 to 7 June, to be followed by a visit to Burundi from 8 to 10 June. The main purpose of her visits will be to reinforce the Secretary-Generals zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse for UN personnel and to review the status of relevant prevention and enforcement measures in each mission.

Monday, 6 June

Javier Ruperez, the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate will head a delegation of counter-terrorism experts on a visit to Albania from 6 to 11 June.

At 11:00 a.m., there will be a press conference by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project.

Tuesday, 7 June

The Security Council has scheduled afternoon consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

At 11:00 a.m., there will be a press conference by the Deep Sean Conservation Coalition.

At 3:30 p.m., there will be a press conference by the Permanent Representative of Italy and the President of the Board of UNICEF. They will introduce the World Youth Orchestra, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, who will perform at UN Headquarters the following day.

Wednesday, 8 June

The Security Council has scheduled consultations on the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC).

Thursday, 9 June

The Security Council has scheduled a private meeting on Cyprus to be followed by consultations on the same subject.

The Office for Legal Affairs will host a panel discussion on 'Terrorism: A Challenge to Civilized Society" on 9 June in the Trusteeship Council between 3:00 and 5:30 p.m.. The event will be moderated by the UN Legal Counsel, Nicolas Michel, and includes a distinguished group of terrorism experts who will each do a brief presentation which then will be followed by a Q&A session.

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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