United Nations Daily Highlights, 07-12-24

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

[There are no noon briefings planned until January 2, 2008.

Developments within the UN system will be posted on this website throughout that period.]

Monday, December 24, 2007

BAN KI-MOON HOPES INITIATIVE BY D.R. CONGO

WILL HELP END SUFFERING IN KIVUS

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the timely initiative, by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the people of North and South Kivu provinces, to hold a Conference on Peace, Security and Development in this troubled region.

The Conference holds the potential of making important steps towards ending the suffering of the population and establishing a global plan for security, stability and progress in these provinces.

The people of North and South Kivu deserve a resolution to the conflicts which have caused so much suffering and massive displacement of the population, and which threaten peace and stability in the region.

He expresses the hope that this Conference will unite the efforts of all parties to make reconciliation and reconstruction a reality. He urges all concerned to seize this opportunity to initiate and sustain a dialogue aimed at peacefully addressing the many challenges facing the Kivus.

The Secretary General calls upon the international partners of the

DRC to support these efforts.

[The Conference is scheduled from December 27, 2007 to January 5, 2008 in Goma, DRC.]

BAN KI-MOON SETS UP TRUST FUND TO SUPPORT U.N. MISSION IN CHAD & CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

The UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), established by Security Council Resolution 1778 (2007), will assist the Governments of Chad and Central African Republic to build law and order capacity to ensure the security of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) made vulnerable by the spill over of violence from Darfur.

Toward this end, the Secretary-General has established a United Nations Trust Fund to support MINURCATs activities.

The Secretary-General is pleased to announce the following contributions to the Trust Fund: US $2.2 million from the Government of Japan, US $1 million from the Government of Norway and Euro 250,000 from the Government of Belgium.

Discussions are advanced with the European Commission for a contribution of Euro 10 million.

The Secretary-General appreciates these generous donations and would like to use this opportunity to invite all interested donors to support MINURCATs mandate through a contribution to the UN Trust Fund.

BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES ADOPTION OF U.N. BUDGET

BUT REGRETS LACK OF CONSENSUS

The following statement was issued on Saturday, 22 December 2007, after the General Assembly adopted a two-year budget:

The Secretary General thanks the members of the General Assembly for their efforts to reach a budget level for the United Nations sufficient to preserve efficiency and fiscal discipline, while maintaining the priorities of the Organization.

The Secretary-General welcomes the General Assembly adoption of the 2008 / 2009 budget at $4.17 billion, but regrets that the resolution was not adopted by consensus, marking a break with tradition after 20 years.

The Secretary-General urges all Member States to return to consensus decision-making and to demonstrate a greater sense of flexibility and compromise, beyond individual national interests and in the common cause of multilateralism for the good of humankind.

COTE DIVOIRE: U.N. MISSION LAUDS PROGRESS WITH EX-COMBATANTS

According to the United Nations Operation in Cote dIvoire (UNOCI), the regrouping of ex-combatants of the Defense and Security Forces of Cote dIvoire (FDS-CI) and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN), launched on 22 December 2007 in Tiébissou and in Djebonoua, marks an important stage in the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reinsertion (DDR) process.

UNOCI welcomes the fact that the Ivorian actors have respected the date set by the new timeframe established under the Supplementary Accords of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, and encourages them to extend the operation to the other sites selected for this purpose.

UNOCI will support the parties concerned in their efforts to complete all the DDR tasks in order to allow the peace process to register new advances with a view to making it irreversible.

UNOCI once again reaffirms its determination to provide the support needed for the operation with a view to speeding up the end of the crisis and facilitating the holding of free, transparent and democratic elections, in a peaceful atmosphere, within the first six months of next year.

LIBERIA: U.N. MISSION CONGRATULATES NEW FEMALE POLICE RECRUITS

The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) reports that over 100 female police recruits have completed basic police training after benefiting from a special educational support programme, aimed at achieving better gender representation in the Liberia National Police.

Congratulating the female police officers, UNMILs Force Commander, Lt.-Gen. Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor, said that female police officers have proven to be effective in handling cases of sexual and gender-based violence, which are prevalent in Liberia.

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