United Nations Daily Highlights, 06-07-11

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

ANNAN MEETS GERMAN CHANCELLOR, OPENS U.N. CAMPUS IN BONN

Earlier today in Bonn,

Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and discussed a range of issues, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, the Middle East, and UN reform.

In a joint press encounter with the Chancellor following that meeting, the Secretary-General said he believed that no reform of the United Nations would be complete without the reform of the Security Council. He added, It is no longer acceptable that major countries and major international powers are not at the table, and these are the powers we turn to when we have problems in regions.

The Secretary-General and the Chancellor then participated in the opening of a campus that will now house all the UN agencies working in Bonn. In comments at that opening, the Secretary-General pointed to the remarkable breadth of the work the United Nations is doing in Bonn, from dealing with climate change and protecting endangered species to organizing the dispatch of thousands of volunteers around the world.

The Secretary-General later also met with Germanys Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, and also met with the UN staff working in Bonn. In the evening, he leaves for Italy.

In a separate programme Nane Annan attended a preview of a traveling exhibition, Around the World for Children, to include photographs from 60 Magnum photographers and works by young design students from Cologne. The exhibition, which celebrates UNICEF's 60th anniversary, also aims to create a dialogue between children in different countries about their ideas for a better world.

ANNAN TO ATTEND DONORS MEETING FOR AFRICAN UNION FORCE IN DARFUR

The Secretary-General plans to attend the pledging conference for the African Union force in Darfur,

Sudan, scheduled to take place in Brussels on the 18th of July, a week from today.

The Secretary-General has been talking about the importance of the strengthening the African Union force on the ground and consolidating the Darfur Peace Agreement.

SECURITY COUNCIL RECEIVES UPDATE ON GEORGIA

The Security Council began its work today with a private meeting on the situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, and then followed it with consultations on the same subject.

Council members received a briefing on the Secretary-Generals recent

report by Special Representative Heidi Tagliavini, who reviewed the UN Mission in Georgias work over the past four years.

WEAK U.S. DOLLAR THREATENS GLOBAL ECONOMY: U.N REPORT

Available today is the mid-term edition of the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2006, the annual report of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs to UN Economic and Social Council. In it, UN experts say that the United States current account deficit increases the chances of a sudden devaluation of the US dollar, with collateral damage to the international economy.

The experts also warn that high inflation caused by high oil prices may moves governments to implement monetary policies likely to bring about a sharp global downturn. They suggest greater international cooperation in order to consolidate the stable global economic growth of recent years.

And that report is available on the website of the UN Department of Economic and Social affairs.

AFGHANISTAN: MORE PROFESSIONALS RETURNING HOME

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

reports that the number of Afghans returning home from Pakistan this year has crossed the 100,000 mark. While that number is less than normal when compared to previous years, UNHCR notes that this time, more professionals including engineers, doctors and teachers are returning.

In all, more than 2.8 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and more than 1.4 million from Iran since UNHCR started facilitating returns to Afghanistan in 2002.

Meanwhile, in other news, UNHCR

says it is increasingly concerned about the health and well-being of a group of 200 Iranian Kurds who have been stranded at the Iraq-Jordan border since early last year. Over the past two weeks, three of the refugees started hunger strikes and their health has seriously deteriorated.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANTI-DRUG AGENCY PROPOSES PACT TO STOP SMUGGLING OF AFRICAN MIGRANTS: Today at the Euro-African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development in Morocco, Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), urged participants to create a pact to fight the smuggling of irregular migrants from Africa. He also addressed the need to tackle root causes of migration such as underdevelopment, crime, and corruption and ways to raise awareness of the dangers of migrant smuggling. UNODC estimates that approximately 200,000 Africans attempt to enter Europe clandestinely every year.

IRAQ: U.N. OFFICIAL ATTENDS REGIONAL CONFERENCE: Asked about the trip by Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, to Iran, the Spokeswoman reiterated that Qazi was in Tehran to attend a regional conference, including the Foreign Minister of Iraq and his counterparts from neighbouring countries, to discuss support for Iraq.

MIDDLE EAST: ANNAN IN REGULAR CONSULTATIONS WITH REGIONAL LEADERS: Asked whether the Secretary-General had contacted the Israeli Prime Minister about the Israeli operation in Gaza, the Spokeswoman said that during his travels, the Secretary-General had constantly been on the phone with all the parties in the region, as well as other political actors around the world, to discuss his concerns. She said he had made clear his humanitarian concerns and his call to the parties on the ground in his statements over the past few days.

PAKISTAN: U.N. AGENCY LAUNCHES EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY PLAN: UNICEF has announced a $150 million earthquake recovery plan for that country. As part of the plan, the agency will build 500 permanent schools and around 70 permanent rural health centres in areas devastated by last Octobers earthquake.