United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-10-28

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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

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, October 28, 2005

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS U.N. MANDATES IN DR CONGO AND SAHARA

The

Security Council today unanimously adopted resolutions extending the mandates of two UN peacekeeping missions, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Western Sahara.

The Council

extended the UN Mission in the Congo until 30 September 2006, and also authorized an increase of 300 personnel in its military strength to allow for the deployment of an infantry battalion in Katanga.

The Council also extended the mandate of the UN Mission in Western Sahara until 30 April 2006.

The Security Council followed those meetings with a private meeting on Georgia, to be followed by consultations. The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Georgia,

Heidi Tagliavini, is briefing Council members on the latest report on Abkhazia, Georgial.

Asked about Hezbollahs criticism of UN Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsens report on the implementation of

resolution 1559, the Spokesman said that Roed-Larsens report was done to follow up on a request by the Security Council. Roed-Larsen had been scheduled to talk to the Security Council next Monday, the Spokesman added, and he was also expected to speak to reporters afterward.

Asked whether the Monday meeting on the Middle East would be at the ministerial level, the Spokesman said the matter was still being discussed by the Security Council.

SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The Security Council, after a day-long open debate on women, peace and security last night, stressed the importance and urgency for accelerating the full and effective implementation of

resolution 1325.

In a statement read out by Security Council President Mihnea Motoc of Romania, the Council also condemned sexual and other forms of violence against women, calling upon all parties to armed conflict to ensure full and effective protection of women, while emphasizing also the need to end impunity of those responsible for gender-based violence.

It condemned also, in the strongest terms, all acts of sexual misconduct by United Nations personnel in peacekeeping missions, urging troop-contributing countries to take appropriate preventive action and supporting the United Nations efforts to fully implement codes of conduct and disciplinary procedures to prevent further such acts.

U.N. CHIEF EXECUTIVES BOARD MEETS ON SUMMIT GOALS

The Secretary-General this morning opened a meeting of the

Chief Executives Board of the United Nations, which brings together the heads of the UN agencies, funds and programs twice a year, to discuss issues of mutual interest.

The current session comes after last months 2005 World Summit, and will discuss among other topics the developments at that Summit.

VOLCKER REPORT IS FINAL

Asked whether the Secretary-General's lawyers had altered any of the wording in the reports by Paul Volckers

Independent Inquiry Committee, the Spokesman said he had not. The reports, he said, speak for themselves.

As part of the process, he noted, everyone who had findings about them published in the IICs reports had the right to respond.

He declined to answer questions about how the reports were put together, which he said should properly be put to the Committee itself. Asked about details contained in the reports, Dujarric said he would not re-investigate the investigation done by Volcker.

Asked whether the United Nations believes it is premature to end the inquiry with some questions still unanswered, the Spokesman noted that Volcker has issued his final report and said he would wind up his inquiry at the end of November.

Asked whether the United Nations could take steps to ensure that there would be no recurrence of Benon Sevans flight to Cyprus in future investigations, the Spokesman said that there was no legal process by which the United Nations could stop Sevan from leaving for Cyprus, since it has no police powers. He noted that if any national legal authorities, whether in the United States or in Cyprus, were to prosecute Mr. Sevan, the United Nations, as he said in the past, would waive his immunity.

Asked about former envoy Giandomenico Piccos business dealings with the companies IHC and Bayoil, the Spokesman noted that one result of recent UN reform efforts is that all officials who are on dollar-a-year or when-actually-employed contracts will be required to fill out financial disclosure forms which can indicate possible conflicts of interest. Asked what happens if officials do not fill out those forms, Dujarric said that such a failure would be a violation of staff rules.

Asked if the role of the Deputy Secretary-General was analogous to that of the Chief Operating Officer proposed in Volcker's report, the Spokesman told the correspondent that the question had been answered on Thursday and referred him to the noon briefing transcript for that day.

SOUTH ASIA QUAKE SITUATION REMAINS VERY SERIOUS

According to the Office

for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the situation in Pakistan remains very serious, with up to 30 per cent of the affected villages -- some 200,000 persons -- still not having received any assistance at all. Meanwhile, agencies are quickly running out of money.

The UN

Children's Fund Executive Director,

Ann Veneman, will

start a two-day visit to the quake zone on Sunday. There she will visit hard-hit communities and meet with Pakistani officials. Within the last 10 days, UNICEF has helped to vaccinate 65,000 children against measles and tetanus.

The UN High Commissioner for

Refugees (UNHCR), is

continuing to provide blankets, tents, plastic sheets, jerry cans and burial cloths. In addition to UNHCR's existing 320 staff members in Pakistan, the agency has sent 14 emergency specialists, and another nine are on the way. Meanwhile, the NATO-UNHCR airlift from Turkey is now in its 10th day and has so far delivered more than 450 tons of urgently needed supplies.

And the World Food Programme has so far

distributed 3,000 tons of food aid to half a million people. But that is insufficient compared to the needs, the agency says.

Asked what the United Nations can do to make sure that countries who have pledged assistance actually provide it, the Spokesman said that pledges are good, but cash is better, and added that the United Nations was urging all donors who have pledged aid to provide concrete assistance quickly.

GRIM HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORTED IN ERITREA

Approximately 2.3 million Eritreans require some kind of food assistance to support their coping mechanisms, which have been overstretched by drought and loss of production and livestock over the past four years, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In some areas of the country, 15 per cent of children are malnourished, while in others, 25 to 30 percent of children are affected by acute malnutrition.

Eritrea has only produced 13 to 18 per cent of its annual food requirement over the last few years.

Many factors have contributed to this: poor harvests due to five consecutive years of drought; lack of market stability and high inflation of food prices; and the loss of assets and livestock.

More than 70 percent of the rural population currently falls below the poverty line, and coping strategies after many years of hardship, are badly over-stretched.

Food insecurity and widespread poor nutritional status among women and children remains the paramount humanitarian concern in Eritrea.

The Secretary-General has written to the Presidents of Eritrea and the Security Council in which he expressed his growing concern about the restrictions placed on humanitarian operations in Eritrea by the Eritrean Government.

MIDDLE EAST QUARTET CONDEMNS HADERA BOMB, ALL TERRORISM

Early this morning, the principal representatives of the

Quartet, including the Secretary-General, spoke today by phone on the situation in the Middle East.

The Quartet in a statement issued afterward condemned the October 26 terrorist attack on the Hadera market, responsibility for which was claimed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, headquartered in Damascus. The Quartet urged the Syrian government to take immediate action to close the offices of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and to prevent the use of its territory by armed groups engaged in terrorist acts.

The Quartet denounced all acts of terrorism and urges all parties to exercise restraint, avoid an escalation of violence, and keep the channels of communication open. The Quartet strongly encourages and supports the Palestinian Authority in its immediate effort to take steps to prevent armed groups from acting against law and order and the policy of the Authority itself.

The Quartet believes it is imperative that all involved act decisively to ensure that terror and violence are not allowed to undermine further progress in accordance with the Roadmap.

Asked who participated in the conference call this morning, the Spokesman said that, in addition to the Secretary-General, the participants were Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, High Representative for European Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

Asked about Quartet reaction to the recent violence in which some Palestinians were killed in the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza, the Spokesman said that it is the obligation of Israel to take all precautions to ensure that non-combatants are not at risk. The Secretary-General is apprehensive that such actions lead to further deterioration of an already distressing and fragile situation.

MEXICO IS 100TH NATION TO AGREE TO INTL CRIMINAL COURT

Mexico has informed the United Nations of its intention to deposit its instrument of ratification to the

Rome Statute of the

International Criminal Court today, making it the 100th ratification or accession received.

Based in The Hague, the Court has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed after the entry into force of the Statute on 1 July 2002.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY WORKS ON HUMAN RIGHTS

In the General Assemblys Third Committee this morning, statements were made by the Special Rapporteur on human rights of migrants, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons. This afternoon statements will be made by the Special Rapporteur on the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and the Independent Expert on the effects of economic reform policies and foreign debt on the full enjoyment of all human rights.

In the Second Committee this afternoon, there will be a briefing on the Hyogo Framework for Action and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, with participation by high-level officials from OCHA and UNDP, as well as the Director of the secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

On Monday morning the General Assembly will meet in plenary to take up several items, including the Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which will be presented by its Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei. As you know, the Agency and Mr. ElBaradei recently received the Nobel Peace Prize. Other items to be discussed include the situation in Central America, a zone of peace and cooperation in the South Atlantic, and Holocaust remembrance. Draft resolutions or decisions have been tabled on all four items.

Also Monday morning, the Third Committee will hear a statement by the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NO CHANGES TO ANNOUNCE IN ANNANS PLAN TO VISIT IRAN: Asked whether the Secretary-General might change his plans to visit Iran in view of recent comments made by the Iranian President about Israel, the Spokesman said he had nothing to add to the Secretary-Generals clear and direct statement made Thursday on that topic.

ANNAN URGES IMPLEMENTATION OF COTE DIVOIRE ACCORDS: Asked about possible violence in Cote dIvoire, the Spokesman said that the matter remains a concern as we approach 30 October. The Secretary-General, he noted, has encouraged all the parties to follow though on the many accords that they have signed.

UNITED NATIONS SEEKING OFFERS TO ASSESS INTERNAL OVERSIGHT OFFICE: Asked whether UN reforms concerning the

Office of Internal Oversight Services had actually been implemented, the Spokesman said that the United Nations was following through on a request by the General Assembly, contained in the Outcome Document, for an external assessment of that Office. The United Nations is seeking offers for such an assessment.

LACK OF FUNDS COULD STRAND BURUNDI REFUGEES:

UNHCR today

warned that it may have to suspend the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Burundian refugees, for lack of funds. The agency has been issuing calls for assistance to repatriate many of the 400,000 refugees who fled to Tanzania during the violence in Burundi in the 1990s. The agency said it had received less than half the funds it needs for the project, which it said was the largest such program in Africa.

FUNDS NEEDED TO FEED HUNGRY IN ZAMBIA: The

World Food Programme (WFP) today

warned that the lives of many Zambians could be in danger as the number of people needing food aid there has climbed to nearly 2 million. To help make up for crop failure and rising food prices, WFP needs more than $30 million to feed hungry Zambians through to the next harvest in March. The situation is getting so bad that young girls from the villages are increasingly being found in nightclubs, selling their bodies to earn cash to buy food, according to local government officials.

COORDINATORS SENT TO HELP WITH TROPICAL STORM BETA: In preparation for Tropical Storm Beta, which formed in the southwestern Caribbean yesterday, and which is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane later today, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has sent the head of its Panama regional office to Nicaragua to assist the Resident Coordinator, UN country team and national authorities in preparedness activities. The UN

Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system has been alerted and a four-person UNDAC team has been put on standby for immediate deployment to Nicaragua.