United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-02-09

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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 MICHELE MONTAS

SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, February 9, 2007

SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNOUNCES SENIOR APPOINTMENTS

Chef de Staff Vijay Nambiar announced that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has accepted the offer of resignation of the following senior officials and has conveyed to them his deep appreciation for their services to the United Nations. In making this decision, the Secretary-General has taken into account various factors, including the need to change with continuity, ongoing discussion on the restructuring plan, and the need to promote mobility at all levels. The resignation will take effect on the expiry date of the current contract up to June 2007 unless otherwise decided:

Mr. Nobuaki Tanaka, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs

Mr. Jose Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs

Mr. Jian Chen, Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management

Mr. Ibrahim A. Gambari, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs

Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information

Mr. Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Africa

Mr. Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, High Representative for the Least-Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

Ms. Mervat Tallawy, Executive-Secretary, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

Mr. Hak-su Kim, Executive-Secretary, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

Mr. Hedi Annabi, Assistant Secretary-General, Department of Peace-keeping Operations

Mr. Patrizio M. Civili, Assistant Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Mr. Carlos Lopes, Assistant Secretary-General and Director for Political Affairs (Executive Office of the Secretary-General)

Mr. Toshiyuki Niwa, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF

Ms. Rima Salah, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF

Mr. Kunio Waki, Deputy Executive Director for Programmes, UNFPA

The following appointments of senior officials at UN Headquarters in New York have been made by the Secretary-General. Other senior appointments not announced today, including those posts subject to ongoing discussion with the Member States, will be made in due course through a consultative process:

Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Mr. Sha Zukang (China)

Department of Political Affairs: Mr. B. Lynn Pascoe (United States of America)

Department of Public Information: Mr. Kiyotaka Akasaka (Japan)

Department of General Assembly and Conference Management: Mr. S. Muhammad Shaaban (Egypt)

Other senior appointments not announced today, including those posts subject to ongoing discussions with Member States, will be made in due course through a consultative process. The Secretary-General has decided as a policy that terms of appointment at senior levels should not normally exceed five years. He is therefore reviewing appointments in the light of this policy decision.

As of today, therefore, the composition of the Secretary-Generals senior management team at the Under-Secretary-General and above levels is, as follows and I probably be at risk of repetition is: Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro of Tanzania as the Deputy Secretary-General; myself, Vijay Nambiar, is the Chef de Cabinet; Ms. Alicia Barcena of Mexico will be Under-Secretary-General for Management; Mr. John Holmes, UK, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs; Mr. Lynn Pascoe, U.S., Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs; Mr. Sha Zukang, China, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; Mr. Kiyotaka Akasaka of Japan, the Under-Secretary-General for Public Information; Nicolas Michel, Switzerland, will be Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs; Mr. Jean-Marie Guehenno, France, will be Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations; Mr. Muhammad Shaaban, Egypt, will be Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly Affairs.Mr. David Veness of the UK will be Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security; Ms. Inga-Britt Ahlenuius of Sweden will be Under-Secretary-General of Internal Oversight Services; Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Sri Lanka, will be Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict; Mr. Antonio Maria Costa of Italy will be Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna; Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Russia, will be Director-General of the UN Office in Geneva; Ms. Thoraya Obaid, Saudi Arabia, will be Executive Director of the UN Population Fund; Mr. Ad Melkert of the Netherlands will be Associate Administrator of the UNDP; Mr. Marek Belka, Poland, will be Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE); Mr. Joe Luis Machinea of Argentina will be Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); and Mr. Aboulie Janneh of the Gambia will be Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

In response to questions, the Chef de Cabinet noted that the appointments process had taken place in several stages. First, the vacancies that had previously been opened had been filled. Now, a second stage of appointments of Under-Secretaries-General had taken place.

Afterward, he said, other appointments would follow, including for Assistant Secretaries-General, after which the appointments of the Secretary-Generals Special Representatives would follow.

Asked about further appointments to be made, the Chef de Cabinet said that some appointments may wait until after the restructuring process takes place.

Asked about the qualifications of the new appointees, Nambiar said that the Secretary-General was satisfied of the requisite qualifications of the candidates. He noted, in response to a question on shortlists, that where shortlists are required, they would be used. The Secretary-General, he stressed, has made his appointments in accordance with established practice.

Asked whether the senior officials would be held to five years of service in their posts, the Chef de Cabinet said that would be the normal practice, although some exigencies would be taken into account.

The principle, he said, would be to provide two-year contracts for the senior officials who have previously been serving at the United Nations, and, if they reach five years, they could be given one-year contracts.

Asked whether the Secretary-General only looked at one candidate submitted by one State for certain posts, the Chef de Cabinet said that the Secretary-General had examined a wide range of candidates from a wide range of countries, selecting them on the basis of geographical representation, among other criteria. Specifically asked about Japan, he said that the Secretary-General had looked at more than one candidate from that country.

Asked about the contracts of departing senior officials who are also UN staff, Nambiar said that their contracts and any conditions in them will be treated in the proper manner.

Asked about the payment of departing officials, he said that they would have remuneration in accordance with existing rules and would receive all the benefits to which they are entitled.

Asked whether some of the officials whose resignations were accepted may stay on in other posts, the Chef de Cabinet said that the Secretary-General would keep that matter under advisement, since he may want to use the experience of some senior officials.

Asked about any concern that the United Nations was losing some of its best people, the Chef de Cabinet said that there was also a need to build new talent and experience.

Asked about criticism regarding the length of time it took to make the appointments, Nambiar said that the Secretary-General had been conscious of the need to move quickly. He acknowledged that there had been a slippage in the timing of the appointments, for a variety of reasons.

Asked about applications for posts in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the Chef de Cabinet noted that some 500 applications for those posts had been received, and work was being done now to go over them and prepare for shortlists. That selection process, he said, is in accordance with usual procedures. He called the opening of the Executive Office posts throughout the UN system "unprecedented".

Asked about the significance of todays appointments, the Chef de Cabinet said that they impart a certain dynamic to the Secretary-Generals own tenure and could help him to realize his vision of how he wants the United Nations to work.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES

FORMATION OF PALESTINIAN UNITY GOVERNMENT

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement issued yesterday, welcomed the announcement, in Mecca, of an agreement on a Palestinian national unity government, and commended the initiative of His Majesty King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to help bring about this very important step forward. He hopes that this agreement will curb the violence, creating a better future for the Palestinian people.

This morning, the Secretary-General had preliminary consultations by phone with his Quartet partners. They all agreed that the initiative by King Abdullah was commendable and welcome. A Quartet statement will be issued later today. The Envoys are currently discussing the draft of a statement.

SECURITY COUNCIL TAKES NOTE OF RESUMED IVORIAN PEACE TALKS

The Security Council this morning held consultations on Cote dIvoire, and heard a briefing from the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Pierre Schori.

Mr. Schori was to a press conference in the afternoon to discuss the situation in Cote dIvoire and share his final impressions after close to two years as the UN top representative there.

In a statement to the press, members of the Security Council members also commended him for the work he has accomplished as the head of UN Operation in Cote dIvoire.

They also welcomed the commitment by President Laurent Gbagbo and by the Secretary-General of the Forces Nouvelles, Mr Guillaume Soro, to engage in a dialogue in order to move the peace process forward, with the support of all Ivorian parties. They encouraged President Blaise Compaore to facilitate the rapid conclusion of an agreement.

Under other matters, the Security Council heard a briefing on the situation along the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon, from Lisa Buttenheim, Director of the Asia and Middle East Division of the Department for Peacekeeping Operations.

HEAD OF REFUGEE AGENCY FOCUSES MIDDLE EAST TOUR

ON PLIGHT OF DISPLACED IRAQIS

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres was in Syria today, on the final leg of a weeklong mission to the Middle East region which had focused on the plight of Iraqis displaced by the conflict in their homeland.

Last month, UNHCR had issued a $60 million appeal for its protection and assistance programmes for refugees and internally displaced people affected by the conflict in Iraq.

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS DISCUSS SOMALIA PEACE MISSION

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, is today attending a meeting of the International Contact Group on Somalia in Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania.

Participants at the meeting, who include representatives from the African Union, the European Union and the League of Arab States, are expected to discuss the need for reconciliation through an inclusive dialogue between the Somali parties, the proposed deployment of the proposed African Union peace support mission and international development assistance to Somalia.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TEAM TO BEGIN KEY MISSION TO SUDAN

The Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission to Darfur announced that it will be leaving tomorrow from Geneva, making a first stop in Addis Ababa. From there, it is expected to head to Sudan.

While in Addis Ababa, the five-member team, appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council last month, will meet with officials from the African Union. From there, the team says it will proceed to Khartoum on the 13th and eventually to Darfur to carry out their mission, which will continue until the 21st.

ROAD ACCESS TO DARFUR RESTRICTED

AMID INCREASING ATTACKS ON AID WORKERS

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports today that the volatile security situation continues to pose serious constraints to relief work in Darfur.

Road access to large parts of Darfur is severely restricted with a rising number of attacks on UN staff and aid workers as well as banditry and car hijackings.

UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Judy Cheng-Hopkins, is currently visiting Darfur and during her visit to camps housing internally displaced persons, camp leaders told her they urgently needed water supplies, latrines and better access to schools for their children.

CENTRAL AFRICANS FLEEING ATTACKS CROSS BORDER INTO CHAD

A fresh wave of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) has crossed over the border into southern Chad in the last month fleeing a string of attacks on villages in northern part of the country.

In January, some 400 refugees arrived in a border village 30 km south of Goré the main town in south Chad.

The refugees told UNHCR they fled their villages after brutal attacks in mid-January. They also reported numerous attacks by anti-government forces on villages.

They told UNHCR attackers tortured and in some cases executed villagers, some women were raped and children taken for ransom. They also reported villages were burned.

FOOD AID OPERATIONS EXTENDED TO NEPALS EASTERN TERAI AREA

The World Food Programme (WFP) says it will extend its food aid operations in Nepal to drought-hit and conflict-ridden parts of the Eastern Terai region. This is addition to the assistance it is already providing to drought survivors in western Nepal.

The move follows a request for additional support from Nepals Government. That request was based on a recent assessment by WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organization, which warned of impending food grain shortages.

LABOR AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES AGREE

ON POVERTY REDUCTION INITIATIVE

The Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Juan Somavia, and UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis today signed an agreement between their two agencies to strengthen their collaboration in a major new initiative to reduce poverty.

The agreement was sealed at a formal ceremony in Geneva, and the signatories say that it will promote and integrated strategy for economic growth and social development, which will benefit the bottom 40 per cent of the world population, and further UN efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by the target date of 2015.

DEVELOPMENT AGENCY HELPS RECRUIT

INTERNATIONAL PROSECUTOR FOR TIMOR-LESTE

The U.N. Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) said in a statement today that the international prosecutors working for the Office of the Prosecutor-General of Timor-Leste were recruited through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The UNDP recruitment is under the Justice Project in agreement with the Office of the Prosecutor-General of Timor-Leste.

UNMIT adds that the recruitments are based on the highest professional qualifications and personal integrity.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

CENTRAL EMERGENCY FUND BOOSTS INDONESIAS RESPONSE TO RECENT FLOODING: The UN today announced that $2 million would be made available from the Central Emergency Response Fund's rapid response facility, in the wake of the severe flooding that has stricken the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and surrounding areas in recent days.

BAN KI-MOON SUPPORTS HIS HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF: Asked whether the Secretary-General supports High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour in her intervention regarding the case of Taha Yassin Ramadan in Iraq, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General supports Arbours work and has supported her earlier appeals in previous death-penalty cases in Iraq.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

10-16 February 2007

[This document is for planning purposes only and is subject to change.]

Saturday, February 10

The Human Rights Councils fact-finding mission to Darfur will leave today from Geneva. It is expected to stop in Addis Ababa before heading to Sudan. The mission is scheduled to last until 21 February.

Sunday, February 11

The Special Rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, will visit Nigeria from today until 18 February.

Monday, February 12

The Security Council is scheduled to hold a debate this morning on Timor-Leste.

Jan Eliasson, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Darfur, and Salim Ahmed Salim, the Special Envoy for Darfur for the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, will conduct a joint mission to Khartoum and Darfur from 12 to 17 February, as part of the effort to re-energize the Darfur peace process.

The 44th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space will take place in Vienna from 12 to 23 February.

Tuesday, February 13

The Security Council plans to hold an open debate this morning on the Middle East.

The UN, World Bank, US Government and European Commission will host a major donor conference on Liberia in Washington, DC, from 13 15 February.

Wednesday, February 14

Ad Melkert, Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), will appoint tennis star Maria Sharapova as a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador during a press conference at 12:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 15

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will host a Meet-and-Greet with Under-Secretary-General designate John Holmes from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA) Club. All UN correspondents are invited.

The Secretary-General plans to attend the monthly Security Council luncheon today.

The Security Council is scheduled this morning to adopt resolutions on the UN Missions in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

At 1:15, a roundtable discussion on the elimination of discrimination against girls will take place in Conference Room 3, in preparation for the 51st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women later this month.

A launch for the book "A Long Way Gone," by former Sierra Leonean child soldier Ishmael Beah, will be held at Labouisse Hall in UNICEF House in New York, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

A conference called New Media: The Press Freedom Dimension will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris today and tomorrow.

Friday, February 16

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations this morning on Chad, the Central African Republic and Sudan.

The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) will hold a press conference at 11:00 on the 10th anniversary of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women with: UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador and actress Nicole Kidman; UNIFEM Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer; and Justice Nathalia Kimaro from Tanzania, a former grantee of the Trust Fund.

UNICEF will host a consultation with education partners and friends of Liberia to discuss the transformative role that education can play in Liberia.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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