United Nations Daily Highlights, 08-03-07

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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

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, March 7, 2008

BAN KI-MOON PRAISES OUTGOING HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF

In a statement attributable directly to him, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said: It is with great regret that I learned of the decision of Louise Arbour not to seek a second term as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"She has fulfilled her four-year mandate with immense dedication, and I have been most impressed by her extraordinary courage, energy and integrity in speaking out forcefully on human rights, which is among the UNs most important mandates. She has taken on the challenge of this difficult assignment in precisely the way that I would have expected.

She has never hesitated to incur the criticism of States or other entities by highlighting the victims of abuses, and the inadequacies of legal systems everywhere. She has consistently represented the highest ideals of the United Nations, and the many tributes being paid to her today around the world are richly deserved.

Her legacy will be one of a strengthened and more wide-ranging United Nations human rights system, a stronger focus on justice and accountability, reformed protection mechanisms, and a more balanced approach to the full range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

On behalf of the United Nations, and personally too, I thank her for her outstanding service and wish all the best in her future endeavors.

Asked about a successor to Arbour, the Spokeswoman noted that Arbour would stay on until the end of her term this summer, and in the meantime, the Secretary-General would look for a qualified candidate to succeed her.

Asked about the Secretary-Generals satisfaction with Arbours work, Montas, recalling what the Secretary-General had said about her, stressed that he was very satisfied.

LOUISE ARBOUR PRESENTS FINAL ANNUAL REPORT

AS U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER TO HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today

presented her annual report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. She announced that this would be her last annual report, adding that she had informed the Secretary-General that she would not seek a second term after her mandate expired at the end of June.

Referring to specific regions, Arbour said the situation of renewed conflict in West Darfur was extremely worrying and that she has also been concerned by further acts of violence in Sri Lanka.

On a positive note, she welcomed the Government of Nepals efforts to address the issue of statelessness and commended the Government of Togo for its initiative to hold broad-based, national consultations on questions of reconciliation and justice.

BAN KI-MOON CONDEMNS ATTACK IN WEST JERUSALEM

In a statement issued late Thursday afternoon, the Secretary-General condemned in the strongest terms the savage attack on a Jewish seminary in west Jerusalem, and the deliberate killing and injuring of civilians. He extended his condolences to the families of those killed.

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the potential for continued acts of violence and terrorism to undermine the political process, which he believes must be pursued to achieve a secure and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians, based on a two-State solution.

Security Council members, in consultations Thursday evening, were briefed on the attack in Jerusalem by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe.

Meanwhile, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, voiced her grave concern regarding the recent targeting of schools in the Middle East, saying that all parties should respect schools and preserve them as zones of peace.

Asked whether the Secretary-General is considering any extraordinary measures to deal with the escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence, the Spokeswoman said that he is contacting leaders by phone on this, and asserted that he was extremely concerned about the situation.

UNICEF WORKS TO HELP TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN IN GAZA

On Gaza, UNICEF says it is concerned that teaching kits and construction materials needed to repair schools continue to be blocked by Israeli authorities. Because schools remain closed, UNICEF has distributed enough School-in-a-Box kits for 800 students.

In addition, UNICEF has dispatched 20 educators who specialize in psychological trauma to areas hit by recent attacks. The agency reports that clinics that treat children for psychological problems have had a 60% increase in consultations in the last few days.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL CALLS FOR END TO ATTACKS BY ISRAEL

AND FIRING OF CRUDE ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL

The Human Rights Council yesterday

adopted a resolution on the Middle East. The subject was officially designated as: human rights violations emanating from Israeli military attacks and incursions in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the recent ones in the occupied Gaza Strip.

According to the resolution, which was adopted by 33 votes in favor with one against and 13 abstentions, the Human Rights Council called for the immediate cessation of all Israeli military attacks throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as the firing of crude rockets that had resulted in the loss of two civilian lives and some injuries in southern Israel.

The Human Rights Council also called for urgent international action to put an immediate end to the grave violations committed by the occupying Power, Israel, in the occupied Palestinian territory.

BAN KI-MOON INTENDS TO APPOINT KAI EIDE OF NORWAY

AS U.N. ENVOY IN AFGHANISTAN

The Secretary-General has informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint Kai Eide of Norway as his Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Eide replaces Tom Koenigs of Germany, who completed his assignment in December 2007.

Eide previously served with the United Nations as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to deliver a comprehensive review of Kosovo in 2005, and as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997-98.

The UN Secretariat is awaiting the response from the Security Council.

U.N. ENVOY MEETS GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN MYANMAR

On the second day of his visit to

Myanmar, the Secretary-Generals Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari, met with Myanmars Government Authoritative Team, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Information and Culture. They held candid discussions on present and future cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations in the context of the Secretary-Generals good offices mandate.

Gambari also met with members of the Referendum Convening Commission and the Constitution Drafting Committee, and had detailed discussions on the ongoing constitutional process.

Gambari looks forward to holding further discussions with the leadership and Government on Myanmar and all other relevant interlocutors.

Asked whether Gambari would see Aung San Suu Kyi, the Spokeswoman said that he had requested such a meeting, which was being arranged.Asked whether he would see Senior General Than Shwe, Montas said that he planned to do so.

She declined to respond to remarks made by Myanmar officials about Gambari, noting that Gambaris work was continuing on the ground.

Asked about any sanctions on the arms trade in Myanmar, Montas said that would be an issue for the Security Council.

BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES COLOMBIA-ECUADOR RESOLUTION

In a statement issued late Thursday yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General welcomed the leading role being played by the Organization of American States in addressing the tensions that have arisen since last weekend between Colombia and Ecuador.

The resolution adopted at the OAS yesterday provides an impartial mechanism to clarify events and offers both countries a path to resolve their differences peacefully and cooperatively.

The Secretary-General extends his full support to that process.

Asked whether the Secretary-General had spoken to any of the leaders involved in the dispute, the Spokeswoman noted that the Secretary-General had received a telephone call from Colombian President Alvaro Uribe earlier this week.

U.N. ENVOY DISCUSSES TURKEY-IRAQ RELATIONS IN ANKARA

Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Iraq, arrived in Ankara yesterday, where he met with senior Turkish officials on issues concerning Iraq.

Both sides shared the view that the encouraging changes in the security situation in Iraq and the positive developments in the political process provide an opportunity to make 2008 a year of substantive progress in the country, although some serious challenges still remain.

They expressed their strong belief that the visit of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to Turkey would represent an important step for Turkish-Iraqi relations and for the regional dialogue.

U.N. OFFICIAL WELCOMES ARREST OF MERCHANT OF DEATH

The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) praised Thailand for arresting the notorious weapons smuggler Viktor Bout in Bangkok.

Antonio Maria Costa also urged Thailand to ratify the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in order to make it easier to bring criminals of his ilk to justice, for example through mutual legal assistance and extradition".

Bout, dubbed "the merchant of death", has been accused of profiting from some of the world's most violent conflicts.

Costa also urged Member States to ratify the UN Firearms Protocol and implement its measures to stop arms dealers from flooding the world with illicit weapons. UNODC, the custodian of the Firearms Protocol, says close to 1 billion guns are in circulation around the world, three quarters of which are in the hands of civilians.

MORE WOMEN WORKING THAN EVER BEFORE, BUT HALF IN LOW-PAID JOBS

In its latest

report on global employment trends for women, the International Labour Office says more women working than ever before. But half of them are in low-paid and vulnerable jobs, with no social protection or basic rights.

The number of employed women in 2007 -- one-point-two (1.2) billion -- was nearly 20 percent higher than a decade earlier, but still two thirds the number of employed men. Over the last decade, the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the prime employer of women.

Overall, the report found that policies to help women participate equally in labour markets are starting to pay off. But significant disparities remain, and many regions still have a long way to go in the full economic integration of women.

WORLD NEEDS MORE HEALTH WORKERS

The first-ever Global Forum on Human Resources for Health is wrapping up today in Kampala, Uganda.

Organized by the Global Health Workforce Alliance, which is hosted and administered by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Forum

called for immediate and sustained action to resolve the critical shortage of health workers around the world. It also laid out the essential steps needed over the next decade to turn the crisis around.

According to WHO, the world needs over four million additional health workers, and at least 57 countries around the world are suffering from an acute shortage. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected.

INTERNET GAME BRINGS RICE TO WORLDS HUNGRY

Since it began last October, the World Food Programme (WFP)s internet word game called FreeRice has generated 21 billion grains of rice for the worlds hungry. That is enough to feed more than one million people for a day.

The game in which players donate 20 grains of rice to WFP every time they get a right answer attracts up to 500,000 people a day, says creator John Breen.

The first donations paid for rice for refugees from Myanmar sheltering in Bangladesh. Later consigments went to schoolchildren in Uganda and pregnant and nursing women in Cambodia. The next one is destined for Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. We have more information upstairs.

KEY AFRICA DEVELOPMENT GROUP TO MEET ON MONDAY

Taking place on Monday will be the second meeting of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Africa Steering Group, which is an initiative of the Secretary-General, who has made the MDGs one of his major priorities this year.

The objective of the Steering Group is to bring together the international development community to accelerate progress toward the Goals in sub-Saharan Africa.

At a press conference that will follow the meeting, the Secretary General will be joined by: Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank; Alpha Oumar Konaré, Chairman of the African Union commission; Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, representing the President of the European Community; Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Mohammed Ennifar, Senior Advisor, representing the President of the Islamic Development Bank; Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank.

Over the past few months, the different organizations that will participate in the press conference have worked together closely to identify the most promising ways in which progress can be accelerated towards achieving the MDGs in sub-Saharan Africa, the region where over 40 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

The Secretary-General first convened the MDG Africa Steering Group on 14 September 2007, in an effort to mobilize the leaders of the UN system and major multilateral and intergovernmental organizations in support of reaching the MDGs in Africa.

The Group is focusing on: strengthening international mechanisms for implementation in the five areas of: health, education, agriculture and food security, infrastructure and statistical systems; improving aid predictability; and enhancing coordination at the country level.

It is supported by the MDG Africa Working Group, composed of representatives of the UN system and other major multilateral organizations and chaired by the UNs Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro.

For the past several months the Working Group has identified a set of key recommendations and initiatives that, if implemented, would support African countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY TO BE OBSERVED SATURDAY

Tomorrow is International Womens Day.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has issued a statement in which she calls on states to end laws that discriminate against women. Such laws are still on the books in nearly every country, she said, and repeated promises by states to revise or repeal them have not been honored.

Meanwhile, UNICEF, in its statement, stressed the importance of investing in maternal health care, as a way to reduce the estimated half a million pregnancy-related deaths each year.

Ian Martin, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative in Nepal, also made a

statement, on how that countrys Comprehensive Peace Agreement and preparations for the upcoming Constituent Assembly elections present a unique opportunity to invest in women and girls.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNICEF ASKED TO OVERSEE REUNIFICATION OF CHADIAN KIDS WITH THEIR FAMLIES: UNICEF says that it was asked by the Government of Chad to oversee the reunification with their families of 103 refugee children rescued from an attempted kidnapping by activists from the French group Arc de Zoe. UNICEF and its partners had been caring for the children since the arrest of the activists in October.

SCHOOL CONFERENCE HELD AT U.N.: More than 600 students from around the world are currently taking part in the UN International Schools 32nd annual conference. This years theme is The Pursuit of Energy: A Catalyst for Conflict.

UGANDA ISSUE TO BE RESOLVED BY COURTS: Asked about the Secretary-Generals position on whether Ugandan national courts or the International Criminal Court should try Lords Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony, the Spokeswoman said that was an issue to be resolved between the two courts.

NEPAL HELICOPTER CRASH BEING INVESTIGATED: Asked about the cause of the UN helicopter crash in Nepal, the Spokeswoman said that the matter was being investigated by the Nepalese authorities, and the United Nations awaits their results.

BAN KI-MOON TO OBSERVE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE MEETING: Asked about the Secretary-Generals expectations at the Organization of the Islamic Conference meeting next week in Dakar, Senegal, the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General would attend the meeting as an observer. While there, he would also participate in the mini-summit convened by Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade that would bring together Presidents Idriss Deby of Chad and Omar al-Bashir of Sudan.

UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT RECOGNIZE STATES: Asked about declarations of independence made in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Spokeswoman reiterated that the United Nations does not recognize States; rather, that is done by individual States.

SPOKESPERSON NOTES ANTI-CORRUPTION MEASURES IN HAITI: Asked about one report that millions of people are starving in Haiti, because of red tape on imports, the Spokeswoman said she was not able to confirm, from the United Nations Mission in Haiti, the elements in that press account. She only noted the recent measures taken in that country against corruption in the ports.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS[*]

08 March 14 March 2008

Saturday, March 8

Today is International Womens Day.

Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari continues his trip to Myanmar, which began on 6 March.

Monday, March 10

This morning, the Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on the Secretary-Generals latest report on the implementation of Resolution 1701, concerning Lebanon.

Today through Wednesday, the General Assembly holds informal review sessions on Chapter V and VI of the Monterrey Consensus, in preparation for the follow-up conference on the Monterrey Consensus in Doha, Qatar (29 November - 2 December 2008).

The Secretary-General chairs the second meeting of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Africa Steering Group, which will review key recommendations and initiatives to accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs in Africa.

At 12.15 p.m. in Conference Room 1, the Secretary-General holds a joint press conference with Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank; Alpha Oumar Konaré, Chairman of the African Union Commission; Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid at the European Commission; Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Mohammed Ennifar, Senior Advisor, representing the President of the Islamic Development Bank; Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; and Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank.

Beginning at 10 a.m. in the Trusteeship Council Chamber and running through 4 April, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations holds its 2008 substantive session.

All week in Vienna, the 51st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the UNs central policy-making body dealing with illicit drugs, reviews the effectiveness of international drug control.

Tuesday, March 11

This morning, the Security Council is scheduled to hold a briefing and consultations on the UN/AU Mission in Darfur.

At 11 a.m. in Conference Room 2, there will be an informal meeting of the General Assembly to hear a briefing by the Secretary-General on development issues.

At 11.15 a.m. in Room S-226, Ambassador Irakli Alasania of Georgia, briefs the press on the situation concerning Abkhazia.

From 6.15 to 8.00 p.m. in the General Assembly Hall, the UN Delegations Womens Club hosts an event on Women for Peace. Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, Wife of the Secretary-General, will deliver opening remarks.

Wednesday, March 12

Today and tomorrow, the Secretary General is in Dakar, Senegal, to attend the 11th Summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

This morning, the Security Council is scheduled to hold an open debate on Afghanistan.

Today and tomorrow in Noumea, New Caledonia, the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific convenes a high-level meeting on the challenges facing island states.

Thursday, March 13

This morning, the Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on its Sudan Sanctions Committee and on the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

At 11.15 a.m. in S-226, there will be a press conference by Kingsley Amaning, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad.

Friday, March 14

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, the Peacebuilding Commission holds an open, informal meeting of the Guinea-Bissau configuration.

[*]This document is for planning purposes only and is subject to change (current as of DATE \@ "dd/MM/yyyy h:mm am/pm" \* MERGEFORMAT

07/03/2008 2:46 PM)

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

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