United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-03-08

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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 SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, March 8, 2007

UNITED NATIONS OBSERVES INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY

Today is International Womens Day. At UN Headquarters and all across the UN system and around the world, the

occasion is being marked with various events and activities.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today spoke at Headquarters at an inter-agency event on ending impunity for violence against women and girls. He said that International Womens Day is an occasion for all of us -- men and women alike -- to unite in defense of women and girls who live with violence, or the threat of violence. Violence against women and girls, he said, makes its hideous imprint on every continent, country and culture. It doesnt care about your income, class, race or ethnic background.

Louise Arbour, the High Commissioner for Human Rights,

said that violence against women is the most common but least punished crime in the world. She noted that less than 5 per cent of rape prosecutions lead to convictions globally and that 130 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation.

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migoro also delivered a speech at Headquarters at an event titled Breaking Barriers: Achieving Balance in Numbers and Work-Life. In her remarks, the Deputy-Secretary-General is expected to say that resolution after resolution of the General Assembly has called for 50-50 gender balance in the staff of the United Nations system. But so far, we have failed to make it a reality.

On the same theme, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) says in a report released today that more women than ever before hold jobs, but a persistent gap in status, job security, wages and education between women and men is contributing to what the ILO calls the "feminization of working poverty."

NUCLEAR WATCHDOG SUSPENDS ASSISTANCE PROJECTS IN IRAN

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) earlier today singled out 22 technical assistance projects in Iran and decided by consensus to suspend them in order to meet the requirements of Security Council resolution 1737.

That resolution required, among others, that Iran suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and discontinue work on all heavy water-related projects. The resolution also required Iran to allow the IAEA to verify that it had complied, something the IAEA Director-General recently reported that Iran has not done.

Asked if the Secretary-General had any position on the severity of sanctions the Security Council should impose on Iran for failing to comply with its resolutions, the Spokesperson said that the matter was with the Security Council and it is the Council's decision on how to deal with this.

Asked how the Secretary-General viewed the whole issue, Montas said that, from the very beginning, the Secretary-General has appealed to Iran to comply and be more transparent on its nuclear energy projects.

KOSOVO: PARTIES TO HOLD FINAL MEETING ON STATUS PROPOSAL THIS WEEKEND

Regarding the Kosovo status process, the parties are currently considering Special Envoy Martti Ahrtisaaris revised status proposal. The next step will be a high-level meeting in Vienna this Saturday, to which Ahtisaari has invited representatives from both parties, the Kosovo Contact Group, the European Union, NATO and the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

Currently, there are no plans for any further meetings following the one on Saturday. Ahtisaari has already made it clear that his intention, after the Saturday meeting, is to finalize his proposal and send it to New York, in order for the Security Council to receive it before the end of March.

HUMANITARIAN WORK SUSPENDED IN WEST DARFUR CAMP FOLLOWING ATTACK

The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reports fighting between tribes in South Darfur and an attack by militiamen in West Darfur. In the latter, some 250 militiamen surrounded Ardamata camp housing displaced persons demanding a meeting with community leaders. Humanitarian operations in the camp have been temporarily suspended.

The Mission also says that is has been facilitating in Wau, in southern Sudan, a 10-day Peace, Reconciliation and Justice Conference aimed at diffusing tensions between the communities arising from militia activity and a high influx of refugees coming from Darfur.

Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that food security in southern Sudan will improve in 2007. But the World Food Programme estimates that more than 100,000 tons of food aid will be required by 1.3 million people this year, including displaced persons and refugees returning home.

U.N. AGENCIES PROVIDE FOOD & SUPPLIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

The World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed deep concern over erratic weather patterns in southern Africa, which have devastated harvest prospects for millions of people, and could mean yet another year of widespread food shortages.

Even without these additional challenges, WFP already faces a funding shortfall of nearly $100 million for its current operations in that region.

Regarding Mozambique specifically, which has recently been hit by floods and a cyclone, WFP has distributed 520 tons of food to more than 95,000 flood survivors. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has made bed nets available, and the UN Population Fund has locally procured the contents for 4,000 hygiene kits.

UNICEF is helping to immunize children against measles and has been working to distribute kits for students, teachers and schools, as well as school tents.

Regarding the cyclone, WFP has provided over 120 tons of food to more than 15,000 survivors with the help of two helicopters. And UNICEF has supported more than 30,000 people with roofing materials.

JAPANESE DONATION BOLSTERS U.N. DEMOCRACY FUND

The UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) received a $10 million contribution from the Government of Japan yesterday. That makes Japan one of the largest contributors to the Fund, along with the United States, India and Qatar.

The UN Democracy Fund is currently financing more than a hundred projects around the world aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and supporting democratic civil society organizations.

Japans donation adds to the Fund's current capacity of $65 million, and will be used to finance a new round of projects, expected to be advertised in the spring.

ASIA NEEDS TO FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Kim Hak-Su, today stressed that sustainable development strategy was critical to the long-term well-being of the Asian region.

Speaking at the opening of a workshop on developing sustainability strategies in Asia, in Bangkok, Kim said it is a shared challenge for governments, and sustainable development strategy must be the core of every countrys economic growth plan.

Kim also warned that while developing economies in Asia and the Pacific are projected to grow by an impressive 7.3 per cent in 2007, such growth is driven by high resources consumption and can not be sustained in the long run.

Therefore, countries in the region must move away from the current grow first, clean up later mentality and embrace a Green Growth model.

UNITED NATIONS HAS BEEN COOPERATING WITH U.S. AUTHORITIES

IN CASE OF FORMER CHAIR OF U.N. BUDGETARY COMMITTEE

Regarding the case of Vladimir Kuznetsov, former Chairman of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, who was found guilty of conspiring to commit money laundering by a jury in United States District Court in the Southern District of New York, the Spokesperson replied that the United Nations had waived Kuznetsov's immunity as a UN official.

He was arrested as a result of an investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services into former UN procurement official Alexander Yakovlev and the latter's cooperation with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

There has been continued cooperation between the United Nations and the US Attorney's Office, Montas said.

JUDGES DISCUSS DELAYS IN KHMER ROUGE TRIAL PROCESS

In Cambodia this week, a Review Committee of international and national judges of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) are meeting to discuss the outstanding issues which have so far held up the adoption of the Internal Rules for the Conduct of the Khmer Rouge Trials.

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia is part of the Cambodian court system, using both Cambodian and international law. The ECCC is supported by the United Nations.

At the previous Plenary session, held in November 2006, disagreements over how to incorporate international standards and Cambodian law made it impossible to adopt the draft internal rules as had been planned. Since that time, an ECCC review committee made up of national and international judges has been attempting to find common ground while maintaining international standards.

The meeting is scheduled to conclude on 16 March, at which time it is hoped a date for the next full Plenary, and for the official adoption of the courts internal rules can be announced.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NORTH KOREA HAS NOT INFORMED U.N. OF AUDITING DECISION: Asked for a reaction to information alleging that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has announced its intention to deny entry visas to UN auditors looking into alleged mismanagement at the UNDP in-country operations, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations has not officially been informed of such decision by the DPRK authorities. Asked for the reasons behind an apparent delay between the 28 February dateline of a recent DPRK letter to the Secretary-General and the 6 March announcement by the Spokesperson of its receipt, Montas said there were no particular reasons for that delay.

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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