United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-04-20

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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

Friday, April 20, 2007

SECRETARY-GENERAL SENDS FACT-FINDING MISSION TO FIJI

The Secretary-General has dispatched a fact-finding Mission to Fiji in response to the Security Councils concern about the situation and its call for a peaceful resolution and the restoration of democracy.

The Missions objective is to gain a first hand assessment of the situation in Fiji through broad consultations with the interim authorities, representatives of all political parties and civil society. The Mission, which arrives in Fiji on Sunday, will also meet with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the resident diplomatic community.

The mission is being led by Mr. Jehangir Khan of the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and will include political and electoral experts, as well as representatives from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNDP. Following its consultations in Fiji, the Mission will report its findings and recommendations to the Secretary-General.

BAN KI-MOON AND IRAQI PRIME MINISTER TO LAUNCH IRAQ COMPACT

The Secretary-General last night in Bern attended a joint press conference with the President of Switzerland, in which, in response to a question on Iraq, he said he would be launching the International Compact for

Iraq in Sharm el-Sheikh on 3 May, together with the Iraqi Prime Minister.

That launch will be the culmination of a preparatory process which began last July and has been co-chaired by the Government of Iraq and the United Nations, with the support of the World Bank. The Compact will set out a five-year national plan containing benchmarks and mutual commitments by both Iraq and the international community, aimed at helping Iraq to achieve peace, sound governance and the reconstruction of the country.

This morning, the Secretary-General attended a breakfast with the State Council of Geneva, during which he expressed his appreciation for its commitment to the United Nations by hosting 22 international organizations and more than 35,000 international civil servants and their families.

He later opened his first session of the Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) of the UN system. In the first session of the two-day meeting, the UN leaders discussed how best to coordinate their efforts in Aid for Trade, to enable developing countries to participate fully in the global trading system and adopted a so-called tool kit to ensure that UN entities facilitate employment and decent work in the course of their operations. They also discussed system-wide coherence.

The Secretary-General and the CEB moved on to a retreat in the afternoon. Earlier in the day, the Secretary-General had also talked to UN staff at the Palais des Nations.

He wraps up his visit to Switzerland on Sunday morning, when he leaves Geneva and travels on to Qatar and Syria.

SOMALIA: INTENSE FIGHTING DISPLACES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS AND HAMPERS AID DELIVERY

Unable to cross the city, displaced Somalis are now fleeing north from the capital, Mogadishu, as they seek refuge from the intermittent but intense fighting that has once more gripped the city, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

reports.

Meanwhile, aid deliveries have also been severely hampered by continued insecurity, including the harassment and detention of aid workers, new bureaucratic regulations imposed by the Transitional Federal Government and lack of access to stocks pre-positioned in the Mogadishu area.

At least 213,000 people have fled Mogadishu since the beginning of February, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), while field reports indicate that the number of displaced may even be as high as 300,000.

UNHCR yesterday started handing out relief supplies to thousands of displaced people in Afgooye, a Somali town some 30 kilometers west of Mogadishu. Thats despite fresh fighting in Mogadishu and yesterdays explosion on the main road between Afgooye and the capital, which cut links to the small town.

The Secretary-Generals latest report on Somalia, which is out on the racks, says it is imperative to secure an immediate end to the fighting, through a cessation of hostilities and a commitment to peace by all stakeholders. He adds that using military solutions to stabilize Mogadishu would likely be counterproductive.

U.N. LEGAL COUNSEL CALLS ON LEBANESE PARTIES TO SUPPORT ESTABLISHMENT OF TRIBUNAL

UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel has completed his meetings in

Lebanon.

Today he met again with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. Noting the support of all his interlocutors in Lebanon for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Michel said it is time for the Lebanese parties to demonstrate their support for the establishment of the tribunal. Such an outcome is possible only if the parties resume their dialogue, he added.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Premier Siniora, Michel voiced his conviction that the preferred outcome would be the early establishment of the Special Tribunal after agreement among the Lebanese parties.

Michel, who is leaving Beirut tomorrow, said he hoped that the parties will continue to seek a solution to the impasse and urged them to do so.

In response to a question, the Spokeswoman declined to confirm whether Michel had requested a letter from Siniora that would ask for the tribunal to be set up under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter.

REFUGEE COMMISSIONER TO DISCUSS EXPANSION OF OPERATIONS FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN SUDAN

High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres is scheduled to visit the

Sudan next week, on his second visit to the country. He will arrive Monday in Khartoum, where he is scheduled to meet senior Government officials and the UN team on the ground.

UNHCR has been asked by the UN system to expand its operations for the internally displaced in Darfur, and Guterres will be looking into this issue during his talks with Sudanese officials.

Also, the Secretary-Generals latest report on the UN Mission in Sudan is out as a document and will be discussed by the Security Council next Monday. In it, the Secretary-General says that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan has reached a delicate stage, and the parties must devote considerable attention to the verification of the redeployment of their forces.

Asked about the investigation into an aircraft in Sudan reportedly painted to look like a UN plane, the Spokeswoman said that work is still being done on the ground to look into that matter.

LAST MONTHS KILLINGS IN NEPAL COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED

The Nepal branch of the UN human rights office today released the findings of its investigation into last months killings in the town of Gaur. The 27 individuals, most of them linked to the Communist Party, were killed in a brutal manner, the report says.

The office also says that there can be no doubt that most, if not all, of the killings could have been prevented. And the incidents highlighted once more the weaknesses of law enforcement agencies, which, aware of the potential for clashes and other violence, were grossly ill-prepared to ensure effective crowd control.

The UN human rights office adds that it is the duty and responsibility of all actors in the peace and electoral process and especially the State - to ensure that the events of 21 March are not repeated.

A delegation from Nepal including Government representatives, senior political leaders, members of the Interim Legislature and civil society figures is scheduled to visit United Nations Headquarters in New York from 23 to 25 April.

This is an important visit that affords the delegation and the United Nations to interact at a critical juncture of the peace process in Nepal and the United Nations support for it through the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). The aim of the visit to New York is to strengthen working relations with the United Nations and international agencies and resource institutions that are supporting Nepals peace and transitional justice processes, provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Accord.

Following the New York visit, the delegation will visit Peru to look at the work of that countrys Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The United Nations has requested the assistance of the United States authorities in issuing entry visas for the Maoist members of the delegation.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT AFRICA NEXT WEEK

The Deputy Secretary-General departs over this weekend on a visit to Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, to attend an annual meeting with UNDPs regional management team there on Africas development agenda in a reforming UN system. She will also attend bilateral meetings with Congolese officials on the ground.

The Deputy Secretary-General will also travel to Kinshasa to visit our UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and, while there, she will meet with President Joseph Kabila and other government officials.

She returns to New York at the end of next week.

Asked about the Deputy Secretary-Generals responsibilities, the Spokeswoman said that she has a number of management responsibilities and also deals with development issues.

Recently, Montas noted, the Deputy Secretary-General oversaw the report on system-wide coherence, which was presented to the General Assembly this week.

U.N. MISSIONS ASSESS CONDITIONS IN HAITI

Two separate UN missions are currently visiting Haiti. A group from the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has been there since Monday to discuss ways to eliminate discrimination against women.

Officials from the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) arrived on Wednesday to assess the post-conflict reconstruction challenges faced by the country.

After yesterday visiting Cité Soleil, where the UN Mission (MINUSTAH) has achieved a significant reduction in gang violence, the ECOSOC Mission today is in Cap-Haitien and Ouanaminthe, in the northern part of the country.

U.N. AGENCIES SUPPORT MASSIVE VACCINATION CAMPAIGNS IN IRAQ AND DPRK

In one of the fastest responses to a major outbreak of the measles, 16 million children and adults in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea have been vaccinated against the disease since early March.

The campaign was organized by the countrys Government, with support from UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Those agencies are also supporting a massive two-week measles immunization drive in Iraq. Starting Sunday, some 8,000 vaccinators will fan out across the country. Theyre trying to reach the nearly four million Iraqi children between the ages of one and five. Because of the countrys security situation, many have never received routine immunizations.

THESSALONIKI CENTRE AUDIT COMPLETE; RECOMMENDATIONS BEING FINALIZED

In answer to a question about the status of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) audit report of 23 February 2007 on the Thessaloniki Centre, the Spokesperson clarified that the audit itself has been completed; no further audit work has to be done. OIOS is currently finalizing the recommendations in light of additional clarifications received from DESA at the meeting of the two departments on 22 March.

These recommendations, once finalized, have to be implemented by DESA. One recommendation, regarding the closing of the Centre, has already been implemented. When the recommendations are implemented, the audit process will be complete.

The implementation of audit recommendations is carried out under the oversight of OIOS itself. Upon receipt of the recommendations of OIOS, DESA will provide a timeframe within which the recommendations are to be implemented.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

WESTERN SAHARA ENVOY BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL: The Security Council held consultations on Western Sahara this morning, following a meeting with troop contributors involved with the UN Mission there. Council members heard from Peter van Walsum, the Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy for Western Sahara.

BAN KI-MOON & POPE DISCUSS ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS: : In response to a question, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General and Pope Benedict XVI had discussed the Alliance of Civilizations.

KOSOVO PLAN REMAINS UNDER CONSIDERATION: Asked about comments by the Russian Foreign Minister that Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaaris plan for Kosovo was dead, the Spokeswoman said that the Kosovo plan remains before the Security Council, and it is up to them to consider it.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

21 April - 27 April 2007

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

Saturday, April 21

From noon to 9 p.m. today and tomorrow, the third annual United Nations Documentary Film festival takes place at the New Schools Tishman Auditorium.

Sunday, April 22

The Deputy Secretary-General begins a visit to the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She is expected to meet with Government officials, attend an annual meeting with UNDPs regional management team in Brazzaville and visit the UN Mission in Kinshasa.

Monday, April 23

The Secretary-General continues his trip to Europe and the Middle East. This week he is in Qatar to address a forum on democracy, development and free trade. He will also visit Syria, where he is to meet with senior Government officials, including the President, on a range of issues

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Antonio Guterres is scheduled to begin a trip to Sudan, which will include a visit to Darfur.

This morning the Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on Sudan and the UN Mission there, as well as a private meeting with troop contributing countries to that Mission.

At 10 a.m. in Room 226, there will be a press conference on the Next Steps towards an Arms Trade Treaty. Briefing will be Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Jorge Urbina, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica; Kirsti Lintonen, Permanent Representative of Finland; and Joseph Dube from the Control Arms Campaign. There will also be a video message from Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren.

The guest at the noon briefing is Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, who will brief on her recent mission to Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

Today is the first day of the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week. In Geneva, a two-day World Youth Assembly on that topic begins today. The World Health Organization will also officially launch its report on youth and road safety.

Also in Geneva, the weeklong sixth session of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families gets underway.

In Vienna, the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice opens its weeklong 16th session.

Today is World Book and Copyright Day.

Tuesday, April 24

This morning the Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on Somalia.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour begins a two-week trip to assess the human rights situation in Central Asia. She is expected to visit Kyrgyzstan today and tomorrow and Tajikistan from tomorrow through April 29th.

In Addis Ababa, the Economic Commission for Africa convenes a two-day regional meeting on financing investment in Africa.

Wednesday, April 25

This morning the Security Council is expected to hold a debate on Middle East issues.

From 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. in Conference Room 6, there will be a panel discussion on Implementing the General Assemblys Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Today and tomorrow, the Economic and Social Council meets to hold elections to fill vacancies in the membership of its subsidiary bodies and to consider outstanding issues that are before its organizational session of 2007.

In Geneva, the World Health Organization will host a global meeting on ways to increase the access of developing countries to vaccines for avian influenza and other potential pandemics.

Also in Geneva, from today through Friday, the sixtieth anniversary session of the UN Economic Commission for Europe takes place at the Palais des Nations.

In London, at the Oxo Tower Wharf, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme will open Exposed and Hungry: Life in eastern Congo, a photo exhibition focusing on displaced persons and returnees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Today is Africa Malaria Day.

Thursday, April 26

From 9 to 10:15 a.m., at UNDP Headquarters, there will be a special briefing on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Friday, April 27

This morning the Security Council is expected to adopt resolutions on the UN Missions in Sudan and Western Sahara.

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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