United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-11-07

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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

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, November 7, 2005

KOFI ANNAN CALLS ON LIBERIANS TO VOTE TUESDAY

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is pleased to note that the Liberian National Elections commission, with support from

UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and other partners, has put in place all the necessary arrangements for the second round of presidential elections to take place on schedule, tomorrow, November 8.

The Secretary-General also commends the two presidential candidates, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Mr. George Oppong Weah, for their personal commitment to a peaceful campaign.

The Secretary-General calls on all Liberians registered to vote to do so in a peaceful and orderly manner, just as they did during the first round on 11 October. The Secretary-General wishes to emphasize that the run-off election offers the people of Liberia an opportunity to elect a President to lead the country into a new era of peace, democracy and prosperity. He therefore urges all registered voters not to miss this unique opportunity.

The Secretary-General wishes, once again, to assure the Liberian people that UNMIL, working closely with Liberias security agencies, will maintain a safe and secure environment, to enable them to cast their votes without fear of intimidation or violence. Thousands of international and Liberian electoral observers will also be deployed throughout the country to monitor the polling process.

The Secretary-General calls on all Liberians to accept the results of the presidential elections so that the country can continue to build a future based on a solid democratic foundation.

U.N. ENVOY IN SOMALIA CONDEMNS ATTACK ON PRIME MINISTER

The UN Political Office for Somalia has condemned the assassination attempt made yesterday against that countrys Prime Minister, Ali Mohammed Gedi, in the capital, Mogadishu.

Francois Lonseny Fall, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Somalia, called Prime Minister Gedi immediately after learning of the attack to express his relief that the Prime Minister had escaped unharmed from an assault on his convoy.

Fall, who is in New York to brief the Security Council this Wednesday on Somalia, also expressed his condolences to the families of those killed or injured in the attack.

U.N. MISSION IN SUDAN CONDEMNS KILLING OF AID WORKER

An aid worker with an international non-governmental organization was killed in an ambush by elements suspected to be from the Lords Resistance Army over the weekend. According to a preliminary report by the

UN Mission in Sudan, the victim was driving in a vehicle that was ambushed close to the border with Uganda.

The UN mission condemned the attack and the killing of the aid worker.

It reiterates its calls on the Sudanese Government and the Government of Southern Sudan to expedite their joint efforts to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian workers.

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS CHIRAC IN PARIS; LEAVES FOR CAIRO

The Secretary-General met today in Paris with French President Jacques Chirac. They had a wide ranging discussion and exchange of views, in which they talked about Syria and Lebanon, Cote d'Ivoire, Iraq, UN reform and development issues.

Immediately following his meeting with the President, the Secretary-General took off for Cairo, where he is now and will begin a two-day official visit on Tuesday morning.

Tomorrow morning, he will deliver a lecture in honor of the late Nadia Younes, who was killed in the attack on our headquarters in Baghdad and who, he will say, was almost a prototype of the modern Egyptian woman.

The Secretary-General arrived in Paris on Sunday morning, the start of two-week trip that will also take him to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Pakistan.

SECURITY COUNCIL AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TO ELECT JUDGES FOR INTL COURT OF JUSTICE

The

Security Council and the

General Assembly this morning are working, independently of each other, to elect five members of the

International Court of Justice. Those candidates who obtain an absolute majority in each body shall be elected to the Court.

Both the Assembly and the Council will remain in session while the counting of ballots is taking place. Candidates who receive an absolute majority in the votes by each body will be declared as elected members of the International Court of Justice, for a term that expires on 5 February 2015.

SECURITY COUNCIL URGES NEW EFFORTS FOR DR CONGO ELECTIONS

The leader of the Security Council delegation to the Great Lakes region of Africa, French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sablière, called Saturday on Congolese authorities to speed up the political transition to meet the June 30 deadline to hold elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"Lots has been done but there is still a lot to do for elections to take place by June 30th next year he said, adding that the Security Council will be very vigilant for any obstacles that might block the process. These comments were made on arrival in Kinshasa at the start of the Council delegations five-nation visit.

This morning, Council members met with President Joseph Kabila, before departing to the Congolese towns of Mbuji-Mayi and Kamina.

In the next 10 days, the delegation is expected to travel to Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

SECURITY COUNCIL ENVOY BEGINS MISSION TO ETHIOPIA-ERITREA

Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Security Council Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations arrived in Addis Ababa last night on the start of a two-day tour of Eritrea and Ethiopia.

This morning he met for three almost three hours with the leadership of the

UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). He was given a political overview by the Secretary-General's Special Representative Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, and UNMEE Force Commander Major-General Rajender Singh who provided a detailed briefing on the situation on the ground and in particular the current situation faced by the Mission since the banning of its helicopters on 5 October.

While in Addis Ababa, he met the Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin with whom he said he had 'a very fruitful exchange' and later in the afternoon had an hour and a half exchange with representatives of the troop-contributing countries and interested countries as well as members of the UN Country Team.

At a press encounter, he said the Security Council will continue to urge Eritrea to lift the helicopter ban and to urge both countries to exercise maximum restraint in the current circumstances.

He told journalists that the Ethiopian Foreign Minister had explained his country's deployment of troops on the border and has underscored that they had no intention of taking action first.

Amb. Oshima leaves tomorrow for Asmara.

PROGRESS REPORTED IN SOUTH ASIA EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

According to the

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the earthquake relief effort in Pakistan is making progress, with the Pakistani Government in charge. Furthermore, while significant needs remain, meeting them is doable.

There is now a three-week window of opportunity to deliver assistance before the first snowfall. For its part, the

World Food Programme (WFP)

says it has 5 weeks to preposition food for 6 months.

OCHA also says it is concerned about dropping temperatures, which have reached sub-zero in some places.

Regarding the $550 million UN flash appeal, the UN has received only $133 million in pledges and commitments.

Meanwhile, the

UN Population Fund (UNFPA)

says that some 17,000 quake-affected women in Pakistan are expected to give birth in the next two months.

To help local authorities address this situation, UNFPA is providing clean delivery kits, caesarean section kits, emergency supplies and much-needed surgical equipment to health centres and referral facilities.

Nine UNFPA mobile clinics continue to offer medical assistance to affected communities in two hard-hit districts. Additionally, over the past week, UNFPA staff have treated well over 10,000 patients and performed more than 80 deliveries. One woman with labour complications was flown by helicopter along with a woman doctor to the hospital in Muzaffarabad, where she safely delivered a healthy baby boy.

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIRD FLU OPENS IN GENEVA

Starting today, more than 400 animal and human health experts, senior policy makers, economists and industry representatives are

gathering in Geneva for three days, to work towards a global consensus to control the bird flu virus in domestic animals and prepare for a potential human influenza pandemic.

The meeting has been organized by the

World Health Organization (WHO), the

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Bank.

Among the topics for discussion will be how to contain the virus in birds and how to strengthen disease surveillance systems worldwide. While the virus remains for the moment an animal disease, the WHO has warned that it has the potential to ignite a human influenza pandemic.

NEW U.N. EFFORT LAUNCHED TO PREVENT SPREAD OF CHOLERA

The United Nations today

launched a $3.2 million flash appeal to prevent the spread of cholera in West Africa.

According to the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) an epidemic has been recorded across Burkina Faso, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.

Already this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN

Childrens Fund (UNICEF) have worked with partners to strengthen surveillance activities and public information campaigns, pre-position emergency treatment supplies, and chlorinate water supplies.

BRAZIL IS 100TH COUNTRY TO RATIFY TOBACCO CONVENTION

A milestone was reached last Friday when Brazil became the 100th country to ratify the

World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

This is the first treaty concluded under the auspices of the

World Health Organization and its quickly become one of the most rapidly embraced UN treaties.

The

Convention provides a framework for tobacco control measures, with the overall aim of protecting present and future generations from the devastating consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.

Tobacco is still the leading preventable cause of death in the world, killing nearly five million people every year.

The United Nations has also received instruments of ratification for this treaty from Barbados, Iran, Ireland and Samoa bringing the total number of countries which have ratified the treaty to 104!

NATIONAL AUTHORITIES FOLLOWING UP ON OIL-FOR-FOOD REPORTS

In response to questions about the Indian Governments response to the latest reports on the

Oil for Food Programme, the Spokeswoman said that the five reports of the

Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) into the Oil for Food Programme chaired by Paul Volcker are the culmination of an 18 month investigation into all aspects of the Programme.

The five public reports have been issued by the IIC and represent the findings and conclusions of that independent inquiry, which is a fact-finding body and cannot make any binding judicial determination of fact or law.

This information enables the United Nations and national authorities to further investigate and, if appropriate, take action against individuals or corporations under their jurisdiction, Okabe said. A number of national authorities have already commenced or announced their intention to undertake follow-up inquiries concerning individuals and companies, based on the information contained in the final report. The IIC and United Nations are willing to cooperate as appropriate.

The Spokeswoman added that she could not confirm that the United Nations Secretariat had received a letter from the Indian Government about this matter, nor could she confirm remarks attributed by an Indian official to Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information

Shashi Tharoor on the report. Tharoor, she said, was in New Delhi, but on a previously-planned trip.

Asked about follow-up to the Volcker Committee reports once the Committee has disbanded, the Spokeswoman said that the Committee is still operational, and that arrangements for follow-up work are being discussed.

She declined repeatedly to answer questions about specific issues addressed in the reports, noting the Committees exhaustive investigations, but she noted that the Committee put up facts to which national authorities and the United Nations can follow up.

U.N. HUNGER AMBASSADOR WINS NEW YORK MARATHON

The World Food Programme (WFP) today issued a press release offering its warm congratulations to

Paul Tergat, who yesterday

won the New York City Marathon. Tergat is also an Ambassador Against Hunger for the

UN World Food Programme.

As a child growing up in Kenya's impoverished Rift Valley, where drought, disease and hunger were a daily reality, Paul benefited from WFP school meals, and credits his successful athletic career to the food he received.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. INVESTIGATOR ASKS TO QUESTION SYRIANS: Asked about a possible investigation by a UN-appointed team of individuals in Syria, the Spokeswoman confirmed that

Detlev Mehlis, the head of the

International Independent Investigation Commission, on Saturday sent a letter to the Syrian authorities, requesting interviews with a number of individuals.

MICROCREDIT CONFERENCE OPENS AT U.N. HEADQUARTERS: Specialists from all over the world are discussing ways to expand microcredit. The event was opened by Paul Wolfowitz, the president of the World Bank. Former President Bill Clinton will participate in closing ceremonies on Wednesday. Among the panelists for the three day meeting are experts from public and private sectors, NGO leaders, and successful micro entrepreneurs from Afghanistan Bangladesh, China, India Liberia and other developing countries. At a function tomorrow night, the entrepreneurs will receive rewards from celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Walter Cronkite and Chelsea Clinton.

LARGE AFGHAN LANDMINE DESTRUCTION SET FOR WEDNESDAY: This Wednesday, the non-governmental organization HALO Trust will oversee the largest single destruction of mines thus far in Afghanistan, the

UN Mission in that country reports. More than 1,100 mines are to be destroyed at the groups demolition site outside of Kabul. The mission today also condemned the murder of Afghan poet Nadia Anjuman.

U.N. EDUCATION REPORT TO PINPOINT EDUCATION PROBLEMS: The UNs

Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organizations annual Education for All report is coming out Wednesday. It reports that some 771 million adults around the world are illiterate, which, it said, is hampering development. The new report suggests several concrete plans to overcome the problem. It also contains a ranking of 123 countries in terms of education.

MINISTERS MEET ON FUTURE OF ISLAMIC CHILDREN: Ministers and experts from some 50 countries are meeting today in Rabat, Morocco in the First Islamic Ministerial level conference on the future of the child. The meeting has been organized with the help of the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF). It will focus on future of some 600 million Islamic children Conference in four areas: health and HIV/AIDS; quality education and culture; protection against abuse, exploitation and violence; and leveraging resources.

UNICEF LAUDS U.S. RATIFICATION ON TRAFFICKING: The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) hailed the United States government today for ratifying a United Nations Protocol aimed at stopping the trafficking of women and children. The formal instruments of ratification were deposited at the UN last week. UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman noted that the ratification follows years of efforts by the US government to combat trafficking around the world, notably through its contributions to anti-trafficking programmes abroad. The United States becomes the ninety-fifth country to ratify the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which supplements the UN Convention Against Trans-national Organized Crime, and entered into force in 2003.

U.N. DOES NOT SPEAK FOR IRAQI MONITORING BOARD: Asked about a report issued late last week by the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB), the Spokeswoman said that the Board is an audit oversight body for the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI). The IAMB works with the Interim Government of Iraq, in terms set out in United Nations Security Council

resolution 1546. Its members are the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations and the World Bank, she noted, so the United Nations is part of the Board, but does not speak for the entire IAMB.