United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-08-01

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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 SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

U.N.

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES INITIATIVE

BY KOSOVO CONTACT GROUP FOR FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement issued in his name, said: "The Contact Group has briefed me of its agreement on the modalities for further negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade. This effort will be led by a Troika comprising representatives of the European Union, the Russian Federation and the United States.

I welcome this initiative by the Contact Group. I hope that the new period of engagement will lead to agreement on Kosovos future status, which remains a priority for the United Nations.

The international community must find a solution that is timely, addresses the key concerns of all communities living in Kosovo and provides clarity for Kosovos status. The status quo is not sustainable.

The United Nations Office for the Special Envoy for Kosovo (UNOSEK) will be associated with the process by standing ready to provide information and clarification on request.

The United Nations will continue to play a constructive role in the new period of engagement and continue its major role on the ground in Kosovo.

The Contact Group will report back to me by 10 December."

Asked when the Kosovo talks would begin, the Spokeswoman said that would be up to the Contact Group to announce. Asked more generally about a timeline for the talks, she noted that the Contact Group would report back to the Secretary-General by 10 December, or about 120 days.

Okabe added that the Secretary-General had met with the Contact Group members on Tuesday, and, by this statement, endorsed the Groups initiative.

Asked whether there is any space for the Secretary-General to be involved, the Spokeswoman noted that the Statement refers to how the UN Office of the Special Envoy for Kosovo will be associated with the process by standing ready to provide information and clarification on request.

BAN KI-MOON TO REAFFIRM U.N. ENGAGEMENT IN HAITI

TO SUPPORT STABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS

The Secretary-General is on his way to Haiti for a two day visit.

On this trip, the Secretary-General will reaffirm the continuing engagement by the United Nations to support the Haitian authorities in creating the conditions for stability and sustainable development. The Secretary-General will make use this opportunity to review the situation in Haiti, including the successes so far and the challenges ahead in such areas as judicial reform, anti-corruption, drug trafficking and border management.

Tonight, he will meet with Haitian President René Préval and Prime Minister Jacques Édouard Alexis. The Secretary-General will be the guest at a dinner hosted by President Préval this evening. That dinner will be preceded by a joint press conference by the Secretary-General and the President.

During his visit, the Secretary-General will also be meeting with other members of the government, such as the Senate President and the Justice Minister, as well as with the Mayor of Cité Soleil and representatives of churches, civil society, the private sector.

The Secretary-General will also meet with the leadership of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which currently comprises a total of nearly 9,000 uniformed personnel.

According to the UN Special Representative in Haiti, Edmond Mulet, significant progress was made in the countrythanks, among other things, to the cooperation between the United Nations and the Haitian National Police. Security operations carried out in the capital, Port-au-Prince, for instance, have contributed to bringing back relative calm to Cité Soleil, Martissant, Grand Ravine and Ti Bois.

The Secretary-General will start his official visit to Barbados on Friday.

ENORMOUS WORK REQUIRED TO ENSURE START OF DARFUR HYBRID FORCE

In a formal meeting yesterday afternoon, the Security Council unanimously

authorized the establishment, for an initial period of 12 months, of an African Union-UN hybrid operation in Darfur, or UNAMID, for short. The hybrid operation shall consist of up to 19,555 military personnel and a civilian component, including up to 3,772 police personnel and 19 formed police units of up to 140 personnel each.

The Security Council decided that the hybrid operation would have an initial operational capability for its headquarters by no later than this October, and would assume authority from the African Union Mission in Sudan by the end of this year.

The Secretary-General addressed the Security Council after the vote, telling them, By authorizing the deployment of a hybrid operation in Darfur, you are sending a clear and powerful signal of your commitment to improve the lives of the people of the region, and close this tragic chapter in Sudans history.

He also said that we must put in place the complex and vital peacekeeping operation authorized by the Council, adding that the resolution will give even greater momentum to UN efforts to establish the hybrid operation.

The Secretary-General added that it is crucial that the meeting this week in Arusha of the Darfur parties yield positive results, so as to pave the way for negotiations and, ultimately, a peace agreement.

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno told reporters that enormous work would be required between now and the end of the year to make sure that UNAMID can start operations on time.

Asked whether the Secretary-General believes that 26,000 personnel are sufficient to deal with Darfur, the Spokeswoman said that number was the recommended one that the Secretary-General provided in his report to the Security Council, which the Council has now approved.

She added that Guéhenno had pointed out that the task now is to get the troops and the police put together as quickly as possible.

Asked how the UN Secretariat interprets the language in the resolution concerning the protection of civilians, Okabe said that the United Nations was pleased that the protection of civilians was included in the resolution. That principle was one that the United Nations has consistently advocated.

U.N. PROVIDES ASSISTANCE TO FLOOD VICTIMS IN SUDAN

Also from Sudan, in the wake of flooding in the southern and eastern parts of the country, the Office from the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the United Nations and its partners have so far distributed essential food and non-food items to tens of thousands of people, as well as chlorine products to half a million people without clean water.

OCHA says the emergency is likely last for two or three more months, potentially requiring aid for up to 1.5 million people.

REPUBLIC OF CONGO ASSUMES SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

The Security Council also adopted a

resolution yesterday extending the arms sanctions in effect in the Democratic Republic of the Congo until 10 August.

There are no meetings or consultations of the Council scheduled for today, which is the first day of the Presidency of the Republic of the Congo of the Council for the month of August.

Congolese Ambassador Pascal Gayama will hold bilateral consultations on the Councils programme of work for the month, and the Council expects to hold consultations on that programme tomorrow.

U.N. EMERGENCY FUND PROVIDES RESOURCES FOR FORGOTTEN CRISES

UN Emergency Relief

Coordinator John Holmes today announced a grant of $40 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for under-funded emergencies in 16 countries. This is the fourth such disbursement since the Funds launch in March of 2006.

The largest recipients will be the Democratic of the Congo, the occupied Palestinian Territory, Ethiopia, Kenya, Côte dIvoire, and the Central African Republic.

Money from the Fund is aimed at helping redress imbalances in global aid distribution that leave millions in so-called forgotten crises without assistance. To date the fund has provided $125 million for such emergencies.

U.N. RESPONDS TO CRISIS CAUSED BY FLOODS AND LANDSLIDES IN NEPAL

In Nepal, the United Nations system has responded rapidly to the national crisis caused by incessant rainfall there that has triggered floods and landslides in 28 districts throughout the country.

Rescue, relief efforts and rapid needs assessments in the affected districts are being carried out in coordination and collaboration with the Nepal Red Cross Society, local government, security forces, as well as UN agencies.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nepal, Mathew Hahane, said the UN System in Nepal stands fully committed to extend all possible assistance to the people of the affected districts who are suffering from the current natural calamity.

TAJIKISTAN; U.N. OFFICE OF PEACE BUILDING CLOSES

Yesterday in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, a flag-lowering ceremony was held to mark the closure of the UN Tajikistan Office of Peace Building (UNTOP), which was established in 2000.

The closure of the Office culminates the UN's 15-year political presence in the country, first in helping to bring an end to the armed conflict and then through the role of UNTOP in helping to consolidate the peace.

The Representative of the Secretary-General, Vladimir Sotirov, gave a speech in which he highlighted the Offices accomplishments in strengthening national dialogue, helping to build democratic institutions, and in promoting respect for human rights in the country. He also recalled the five UN staff members who were killed in Tajikistan working for the cause of peace.

EX-KHMER ROUGE OFFICIAL CHARGED FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

The Co-Investigating Judges of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) have charged Kaing Guek Ieav, known as Duch, for crimes against humanity and have placed him in provisional detention. He was handed over to the Extraordinary Chambers detention centre yesterday.

Today, Kaing was assigned a lawyer by the courts defence support section, since he had said he does not have the means to pay for his lawyers.

U.N. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION IS BASED ON ONE-CHINA POLICY

Asked about a new letter, attributed to Taiwan, that had been sent to the Secretary-General, the Spokeswoman confirmed that letters had been sent to the Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council.

She could not confirm whether an official response had been sent, but asserted that the UN position on the issue has not changed.

Okabe recalled that there had earlier been an application for UN membership by Taiwan conveyed by two Member States, but, in keeping with resolution 2758 of the General Assembly, it could not be received and was thus returned by the UN Office of Legal Affairs. Resolution 2758, which was adopted in 1971, is the basis of the one-China policy of the United Nations.

WFP WILL FEED 10 TIMES MORE PEOPLE IN ZIMBABWE

The World Food Programme (WFP) is calling on donors to contribute urgently towards the $118 million cost of its massively expanded aid operation.

WFP plans to provide assistance to 3.3 million people in Zimbabwe -- ten times the number of current beneficiaries over the next eight months in order to avert the threat of widespread hunger. It reports that, with the combination of poor harvest and worsening economic turmoil, tens of thousands of families are facing severe food shortages.

WFP warns that without additional funds, its food stocks in the country will begin to run dry in September and will be completely exhausted by the end of the year.

UNITED NATIONS PROMOTES USE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY

TO FIGHT AVIAN FLU

The United Nations is taking steps to have its Member States apply space technology in their efforts to curb the spread of avian influenza. The focus is now on promoting the creation of an early warning system partly based on geographic information systems, remote sensing and the Global Positioning System, among other space technologies.

This will be also be the topic of a 3-day meeting on space-based monitoring technologies which began earlier today in Bangkok, under the sponsorship of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and its international partners. About 60 experts from some 20 countries are taking part in the meeting.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) completed the second regional Avian and human Influenza Simulation. The exercise saw the active

support by the Indonesian government and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It attracted 70 participants from more than 15 countries and several UN agencies. This follows a similar exercise held in Paris in March, focusing on readiness to respond to an outbreak of avian flu among humans in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

BREASTFEEDING WITHIN ONE HOUR OF BIRTH

CAN REDUCE INFANT MORTALITY

At the start of World Breastfeeding Week - which is today - UNICEF reports that breastfeeding babies immediately after birth can reduce infant mortality in developing countries. According to one study, 22% of neonatal deaths can be prevented by breastfeeding infants within one hour of birth.

Early breastfeeding provides critical nutrients, protects infant against deadly diseases and fosters growth and development, said UNICEF Executive Director Ann. Veneman.

UNICEF estimates that exclusive breastfeeding to the age of six months could prevent the deaths of 1.3 million children under the age of five each year.

*The guest at the briefing was Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) who briefed on the significance of climate change on agriculture.

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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