United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-11-09

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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

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT; SAUDI KING

Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning had a working breakfast in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. They discussed developments in Syria and Lebanon, Iraq, and the Middle East peace process.

The Secretary-General then left Cairo for Jeddah, where he met this afternoon with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia for more than an hour. They had a wide-ranging discussion and exchange of views on Iraq and on Syria and Lebanon. The Secretary-General also thanked Saudi Arabia for its generous support of the relief effort in Pakistan, including its bilateral contributions, and said he hoped it would serve as an example to other nations.

The Secretary-General this evening is attending a working dinner with the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud, and the two of them were to hold a joint press conference afterward.

U.N. ENVOY IN LIBERIA WELCOMES PEACEFUL RUNOFF ELECTIONS

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Liberia,

Alan Doss, has welcomed the peaceful manner in which yesterdays run-off election for the presidency took place throughout the country.

Doss said the voting was an opportunity to leave behind the war that has wrecked (the) country for so long and to enter into a future of peace and stability.

Doss, who visited several polling stations said, he observed Liberians going about the normal business of democracy: exercising their right to vote in a run-off election, without fear and without hindrance.

The

UN Mission in Liberia is helping to collect results and maintain security there.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES SOMALIA

The

Security Council today is hearing a briefing in its closed consultations on Somalia by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for that country,

Francois Lonseny Fall. Council members are also considering the text of a Presidential Statement on Somalia, which may be adopted following consultations.

Also after consultations end, the Security Council is expected to hold a formal meeting to consider a letter from the Secretary-General on Iraq. In that letter, the Secretary-General says he has received a request from Iraqs Government that more than $2 million be taken from the escrow account for the

UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, and used to settle Iraqs arrears to the

International Atomic Energy Agency.

Out as a document is a letter from the Secretary-General to the Security Council in which he says he has reappointed the three-member Group of Experts dealing with sanctions on Cote dIvoire.

U.N. EXAMINING COMPANIES NAMED IN OIL-FOR-FOOD REPORT

Asked how the United Nations is following up the reports issued by Paul Volckers

Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC), the Spokeswoman said that the Committee remains functioning until the end of the month while ways to follow up are being discussed.

Meanwhile, the Spokeswoman said, the United Nations is currently examining all companies named in the report, and cross-checking them against the list of UN vendors.

Asked whether the United Nations might remove some companies from the list of vendors, Okabe said that, where appropriate and following due process, companies may be suspended pending an investigation into the information presented in the IIC reports.

She added that the United Nations is also exploring follow-up to the Volcker reports through its own

Department of Management.

Asked how the documents currently possessed by the Committee will be handled, she said that the precise details concerning the documentation are being discussed by the United Nations and the Committee.

The Spokeswoman, in response to a question about comments that some media claimed had been made by Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor, noted that she had clarified what Tharoor had said earlier this week. Asked whether Tharoor was in India on official business, she said he was on leave.

The Spokeswoman declined to respond to repeated questions concerning specific details in the Volcker reports, noting that they concerned matters on which the Committee had not issued any adverse findings. Were not re-opening the investigation, she said.

SECURITY COUNCIL DELEGATION VISITS UGANDA, RWANDA

Members of the Security Council traveled today from Burundi to Uganda, where the delegation met with President Yoweri Museveni in Entebbe.

From there the mission traveled to Kigali in Rwanda where they were to meet with President Paul Kagame.

The delegation is now on its way to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, the final stop on a five nation tour, which is being led by French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sablière.

BLUE HELMETS DEPLOYED TO EASTERN DR CONGO

The

UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reports that it completed yesterday the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Aba in the countrys east. Aba is the locality where some Uganda-based soldiers were reported to have briefly crossed into Congolese territory on 19 October.

Working with the Congolese national army, 144 peacekeepers from the UN Missions Ituri Brigade are carrying out reconnoiter and search missions in this area, which is along the border with Sudan.

So far, thereve been no reports of members that the Ugandan Lords Resistance Army, and its leader, Joseph Kony, are in this area.

WATER AND SANITATION NEEDS ARE URGENT IN SOUTH ASIA QUAKE

The

World Health Organization today warned that serious diarrhea outbreaks in the earthquake-hit areas of Pakistan show the urgent need to get supplies of safe water and sanitation to self-settled camps.

UN agencies and their partners are working closely with the Pakistani Government and military to train teams to visit all self-settled camps and assist with water, sanitation and hygiene education.

The Office for the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is providing technical support to 18 planned camps established by the Government of Pakistan, where around 10,000 people are now living.

MIDDLE EAST QUARTET ASKS EXTENSION FOR SPECIAL ENVOY

The

Middle East Quartet -- comprising the United Nations, United States, Russian Federation and European Union -- has consulted on the importance of Special Envoy James Wolfensohn's mission to resolve the remaining issues associated with disengagement and to facilitate the recovery of the Palestinian economy.

Accordingly, the Quartet has requested that Mr. Wolfensohn continue with his duties through the end of March, 2006.

Asked whether the Quartet had held a meeting to extend Wolfensohn, the Spokeswoman said there had been no meeting, but there had been consultations among Quartet members. Other Quartet members were making the same announcement today, she added.

DELEGATES TO BIRD FLU CONFERENCE PLAN PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Today was the last day of the global bird flu meeting in Geneva, which we flagged to you on Monday and which was organized by the

World Health Organization (WHO), the

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

World Bank.

More than 600 delegates from over 100 countries voiced support for an urgent request for $35 million, to fund high-priority work by the WHO, FAO, and World Organisation for Animal Health over the next six months, and to help countries which have already been affected or are most at risk. Experts and officials also set out key steps to respond to the threat of the virus, including improving veterinary services, strengthening early detection and rapid response systems, and training health managers.

Among the speakers was

David Nabarro, Senior UN System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, who said the international community must avoid duplication of work and share expertise.

INTL COOPERATION VITAL FOR INCLUSIVE GLOBALIZATION

While strong, individual countries continue to be a crucial element in globalization, international cooperation is vital in providing the framework of common values and rules which would make the system more inclusive.

That was the message of

Kemal Dervis, the Administrator of the

UN Development Programme (UNDP), at an international economic conference in Mumbai today.

Dervis is in India as part of his first official trip to Asia since taking charge of UNDP last August.

He will continue on to Thailand and Pakistan, where join the

Secretary-General on a tour of Pakistans earthquake devastated areas next week, and along with the Secretary-General, will represent the United Nations at the international conference on earthquake recovery in Islamabad on November 19th.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNAN URGES SYRIAN COOPERATION: Asked whether the Secretary-General stands by his comments on Tuesday that Syrias record in implementing UN resolutions has been good, the Spokeswoman said he stands by what he says and is encouraging Syrian cooperation.

POLIO IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN IS BEING LAUNCHED IN AFRICA: According to the UN

Childrens Fund (UNICEF), Eritrea and Liberia are among 22 countries in Africa that will be launching polio vaccination campaigns this week. The drive is supported by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, as well as other partners.

ADULT ILLITERACY IS BEING NEGLECTED: The UN

Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) today said that governments are curtailing development by neglecting adult literacy programs. The observation comes in the UNESCOs annual report on education worldwide. The agency said the lack of attention to adult literacy programs may be due to emphasis on child education, but that the two efforts could reinforce each other. The report has very specific proposals to tackle both areas.

CALL FOR EQUAL EDUCATION FOR MOSLEM CHILDREN IS WELCOMED: The

UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) today

welcomed a declaration by the Islamic Ministerial Conference children to committing some 50 Moslem countries to work towards elimination of gender disparity in education. The two-day ministerial level Islamic conference ended yesterday in Rabat. UNICEF was among the organizers. UNICEF Deputy-Director-General said UNICEF is privileged to have been part of the dynamic process that has led to such a strong Declaration.

*** The guest at the noon briefing was Francois Lonseny Fall, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, following his briefing to the Security Council.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

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New York, NY 10017

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All other inquiries to be addressed to (212) 963-4475 or by e-mail to: inquiries@un.org

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