United Nations Daily Highlights, 08-03-05

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON SOMALIA AND KENYA

The Security Council began its work today with consultations on Somalia. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios briefed Council members on the latest developments in that country.

The Secretary-Generals report to the Council on Somalia will be due on 10 March, he said.

After that, Menkerios briefed the Council on the situation in Kenya.

DISPLACEMENTS FROM MOGADISHU CONTINUE

The UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for

Somalia is concerned about continuing displacements from Mogadishu. William Paton recently visited some of the more than 100 settlements that have sprung up along the road to Afgooye. Displacements from Mogadishu continued at about 25,000 per month in January and February, bringing the total number of displaced to more than 200,000.

Rising insecurity has also hindered the humanitarian response, forcing the cancellation of several missions to Afgooye in February. Somalia has nearly 400 checkpoints, where humanitarian convoys are often subject to threats and violence. On the Mogadishu-Afgooye road, for example, there are eight checkpoints, and convoys are being charged up to US$150 per 35 metric tons of cargo.

ADDITIONAL MEMBER NAMED TO U.N. INDEPENDENT PANEL

ON SAFETY AND SECURITY

The Independent

Panel on Safety and Security of UN Personnel and Premises Around the World, led by Lakhdar Brahimi, has announced an additional, seventh member of the Panel.

It is Paolo Coletta of Italy. Colonel Coletta is currently the Head of the Logistics Department of Carabinieri Headquarters in Rome. He has also served as a civilian police officer with international organizations, including the United Nations.

SUDAN: U.N. OFFICIAL CALLS FOR END TO VIOLENCE IN ABYEI REGION

The UN Regional Coordinator for Southern Sudan, David Gressly, urged all parties to recent conflicts in the Abyei area to use non-violent means to advance their goals.

The UN stands against all forms of violence and deplores the killings that have occurred in the Abyei region in recent days, he said, referring to clashes that had occurred near Abyei over the weekend.

DR CONGO: DEMINING OPERATION UNDERWAY IN KATANGA PROVINCE

The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) says a de-mining operation has been underway since February 28 in the Katanga province.

Led by the UN Mine Action Coordination Center, the operation focuses on de-mining eight kilometers of the road linking the towns of Kabalo and Katutu, which was shut down in December after two anti-tank mines were found there.

Meanwhile, the Mission says that 25 former Rwandan rebel troops, along with their 13 dependents, were repatriated to Rwanda in February. This is part of the implementation of a new, strengthened disarmament and reinsertion drive spurred by provisions in the Nairobi Communiqué agreed between Rwanda and the DRC in November 2007.

UNITED NATIONS PREPARES TO HOST MEETING

BETWEEN GREEK AND TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADERS

The Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Cyprus, Michael Moller, has, in the last week, met individually with both the Greek Cypriot leader, Dimitris Christofias, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat. Both leaders have indicated that they are keen to meet each other.

The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has started preparations to host such a meeting, which could take place during the second half of this month.

According to UNFICYP, the agenda of the encounter will be decided by the two sides, who will also determine how to take the process forward. It is expected that the opening of Nicosias Ledra Street crossing will be high on the meetings agenda. In that context, UNFICYP says it is ready to move quickly to help open the crossing once the leaders have taken the decision to do so.

U.N. ENVOY VISITS REGION FOR TALKS ON FYROM NAME ISSUE

The Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy for Greece and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Matthew Nimetz, was in Skopje today, where he met with The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonias President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and primary negotiator for the name issue, Ambassador Nikola Dimitrov.

Nimetz received the officials detailed feedback on his latest proposal concerning the name issue and explored possibilities for a solution. He said there is a strong desire among the leadership in Skopje to resolve the matter, consistent with their view of what is an acceptable and fair solution.

Nimetz plans to meet tonight with a representative from the Greek side, Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, in Thessaloniki.

EXPERTS TO MEET NEXT WEEK ON AFRICA DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Africa Steering Group will meet for the second time, next Monday, March 10, following a successful meeting last February.28.

The members of the Group will review a set of key recommendations and initiatives to accelerate progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.

The meeting will be chaired by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Among the participants of the MDG Africa Steering Group will be Donald Kaberuka of the African Development Bank, Alpha Oumar Konaré of the African Union, Robert Zoellick of the World Bank, Louis Michel of the European Commission, Dominique Strauss-Kahn of the International Monetary Fund and Angel Gurría of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Immediately after the meeting of the Steering Group on Monday, a press conference will be held with all members of the Group, here at the United Nations. During the press conference the Secretary-General will outline the outcome of the meetings. This will be followed by an opportunity for the media to ask questions to the members of the Group. A detailed media advisory will be issued shortly.

As you know, the Steering Group was set up last September by the Secretary-General and brings together the leaders of the main multilateral organizations working on development in Africa

U.N. RESPONDS TO ZAMBIA FLOODS

In response to the floods in Zambia, UNICEF is providing 5,000 kits of basic household items, while the Food and Agriculture

Organization is sending grains to nearly 3,000 households.

The World Food Programme, meanwhile, has transferred all remaining food from its 2006/2007 flood response programme to those affected by the current emergency in Zambia. WFP warns, however, that it may run out of cereals and pulses by mid-May.

RWANDA AGREES TO ACCEPT THOSE CONVICTED BY RWANDAN TRIBUNAL

The United Nations and the Government of Rwanda yesterday signed an agreement on the enforcement of sentences imposed by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The agreement was signed in Kigali between Adama Dieng, the registrar of the Tribunal, and the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Rwanda is thus the seventh country designated to receive persons convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for the purpose of serving their sentences.

U.N. CALLS FOR STEPPED-UP EFFORTS IN AFGHANISTAN TO FIGHT DRUGS

The Government of Afghanistan must do more to target the major drug traffickers in Afghanistan and dismantle their networks, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said today.

It made its appeal following the release of the report of the International Narcotics Control Board, which says that illicit opium cultivation in Afghanistan has reached an unprecedented level.

In todays Kabul

briefing, the UN Mission in Afghanistan also stated that it shares the Afghan peoples concern over the controversy created by the publication of Danish cartoons and a Dutch film. The Mission said that it believes in freedom of the media and in full respect for all religions, as well as the importance of overcoming misunderstandings through peaceful dialogue and mutual respect.

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY TO BE MARKED AT U.N. HEADQUARTERS TOMORROW

This years International Womens Day (8 March) will be observed at the United Nations tomorrow.

The Secretary-General is scheduled to address the event, which will take place from 10.15 a.m. to 12.15 p.m. in Conference Room 2.

Following that, Rachel Mayanja, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women; Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Minister of Public Service and Administration of South Africa; and Inez Murray, Vice President for Technical Assistance and Programs at the Women's World Bank, will brief about the observance, as guests at the noon briefing tomorrow.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY CHIEF VOWS TO DO MORE FOR DISPLACED IN NORTHER UGANDA: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres pledged Tuesday to do more to support the return of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people to northern Uganda. Guterres said this during a visit to northern Uganda where an estimated 850,000 people are living in camps for the internally displaced. He said that it is the obligation of all of us in the international community to help the people of northern Uganda. Two decades of fighting between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) drove almost 2 million people from their homes in northern Uganda and devastated infrastructure and services. An estimated 1 million people have returned home over the past 18 months amid peace talks in Sudan between the rival sides.

WHEAT FUNGUS SPREADS TO IRAN, POTENTIALLY THREATENING NEARBY COUNTRIES: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is warning about a destructive new wheat fungus that could potentially spread across Central and South Asia. Wheat stem rust previously found in East Africa and Yemen has now been detected in western Iran. The fungus is carried by wind and is capable of laying waste to entire fields. FAO is warning that major wheat-producing countries to the east of Iran including Afghanistan, India and Pakistan should be on high alert.

UN POPULATION AWARDS ANNOUNCED: The UN Population Fund has announced the two recipients of this years UN Population Awards. Dame Billie Antoinette Miller, formerly the foreign affairs and trade minister of Barbados, has been a strong advocate of population and gender issues. Family Care International, a New York-based non-governmental organization, promotes sexual and reproductive health in developing countries. The awards will be handed out in New York on May 22nd.