United Nations Daily Highlights, 08-07-02

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, July 2, 2008

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY CONCERNED BY VIOLENCE IN MONGOLIA

The Secretary-General expresses deep concern at the violence resulting from the recent demonstrations in Mongolia and regrets the consequent loss of life. The Secretary-General deplores the resort to violence to protest the conduct of the parliamentary elections last weekend. He urges all parties to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue and appeals to all demonstrators to refrain from any further acts of violence.

Mongolia has made a peaceful transition to democracy, and the Secretary-General encourages all parties to respect this achievement and find ways to settle the current crisis, fully respecting the rule of law.

BAN KI-MOON URGES GREATER CHINESE INVOLVEMENT IN MAJOR GLOBAL ISSUES

The Secretary-General has held a series of meetings in Beijing today with the senior Chinese leadership, including President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jinbao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Throughout his meetings, he called for greater Chinese involvement in tackling the major pressing issues facing humanity, such as the effort to combat climate change, to address soaring food prices and to attain the Millennium Development Goals. In those meetings, he and the senior Chinese officials also discussed UN-China relations, UN reform, Myanmar, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Somalia, Kosovo, the Middle East, the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia.

Earlier, the Secretary-General had visited the site of the Olympic Games, where he received a tour of the visitor centre and got a firsthand look at Birdnest Stadium. He told reporters afterward that he was impressed at the preparations for the Olympics, adding, Let us work together so that the whole international community will become gold medalists through the Olympic Games, through demonstrating cooperation, friendship and mutual understanding.

He later met with State Councilor Dai Bingguo, who hosted a banquet in his honour in the evening. He will depart Beijing for Seoul, the third leg of his Asian visit, tomorrow morning.

The Secretary-General and his wife this morning visited an HIV patients ward at the government-run Ditan Hospital, where he spoke with a number of patients, including one woman who had delivered a baby girl just 20 days ago. He told the patients and hospital staff that fighting HIV/AIDS is a high priority for the United Nations. He added that he is working with the scientific, medical, business and civil communities to provide greater medical access to patients and also to make workplaces more integrated and welcoming to those who are HIV-positive.

The Spokeswoman confirmed, in response to a question, that the Secretary-General has in recent days remarked on his intention to visit the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, but that no such trip is scheduled yet.

Asked about the recent protests in the Republic of Korea, Montas said she had no comment but noted that the Secretary-General would visit that country starting Thursday.

Asked about the concrete proposals the Secretary-General expects the Group of Eight leaders to discuss on rising food and fuel prices, the Spokeswoman said that he had outlined specific proposals in his recent letter to G-8 leaders.

She added, in response to a further question, that the Secretary-General was expected to be back in New York on 9 July.

SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS PROGRAMME OF WORK FOR JULY

The Security Council, in its first consultations for this month, approved its programme of work for July.

It also received a briefing from the Italian Ambassador about the work of the sanctions committee dealing with resolution 1718, which concerns the issue of non-proliferation in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ATTACK IN JERUSALEM

The Secretary-General condemns todays attack in Jerusalem, in which several people died and many were injured. He sends his condolences to the families of those killed and wishes those injured a speedy recovery.

In response to questions asked earlier about an attack in the West Bank, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the firing of rockets at the Palestinian village of Burin in the West Bank by Israeli settlers. He calls on Israel to impose law and order and ensure the protection of the Palestinian population under occupation, she added.

Asked about the recent alleged beating of a journalist in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations as a matter of principle deplores such violence, although she declined any specific comment on the incident.

HORN OF AFRICA FACING FOOD CRISIS EMERGENCY

UN agencies, along with the Red Cross and several non-governmental organizations, today

warned that large parts of the Horn of Africa are either facing, or rapidly sliding into, a state of humanitarian emergency. A combination of drought and rising food prices is driving the crisis, they say.

In a joint press release, the Regional Humanitarian Partnership Team in Nairobi said that more than 14 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, and Djibouti require urgent food aid and other assistance in the next few months.

They are calling on governments, donors and other humanitarian partners to act promptly to prevent an escalation of the crisis.

U.N. TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IT FEEDS IN HAITI

The World Food Programme (WFP) is rapidly expanding operations in Haiti. By the end of the year, WFP expects to be feeding 2.3 million people, up from 800,000 now.

It will be able to do so because of a US$23 million allocation from funds raised through its recent appeal.

The Haitian population is highly vulnerable to food price increases, as households spend more than half their incomes on food.

Overall, WFP has received more than US$62 million, which is enough to cover increased needs for 2008. However, WFP still needs more than US$61 million to cover Haitian beneficiaries needs for 2009.

G-8 LEADERS URGED TO ADDRESS RISING FOOD AND FUEL PRICES

The International Monetary Fund, in a new report, notes that surging food and fuel prices are having the greatest impact on import-dependent poor and middle-income countries. Some of them are being pushed to a tipping point, where Governments wont be able to feed their people and maintain economic stability at the same time, the report warns.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick has

sent a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, as well as the Secretary-General and the other G-8 leaders, in which he warns that soaring food and fuel prices are causing a substantial redistribution of income, creating poverty and social instability. This is a man-made catastrophe, he says, one which must be fixed by people. He urged the G-8 countries and major oil producers to focus on the immediate needs of the most vulnerable, by boosting support for agriculture, as well as for the World Food Programme and the World Banks own rapid financing facility for the most vulnerable countries.

Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling on G-8 leaders to give serious consideration to population and family planning issues, including maternal health, when they meet next week. UNFPA notes that the need for contraceptives is projected to grow by 40 percent over the next 15 years, even as international funding for family planning is declining.

And UNICEF on Thursday launches its fourth Junior 8, or J-8, summit in Chitose City, Japan. With an agenda that parallels the G-8 itself, the meeting brings together delegates from the G-8 and developing countries who are between 13 and 17 years old. Employing social networking tools, they will produce a communiqué laying out their recommendations to the G-8 leaders.

AFGHANISTAN: U.N. MISSION TO OPEN NEW OFFICE IN SOUTH

The UN Mission in Afghanistan today announced its plans to open a new office in Tirin Kot, the capital of the southern province of Uruzgan. The new office, the Mission says, will play a key role in helping local communities, coordinating development and humanitarian efforts, supporting local Government institutions, and monitoring human rights issues, among other tasks.

Kai Eide, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, said that the challenges of bringing development assistance to the province of Uruzgan are vast, but not insurmountable. Making progress will require the concerted and sustained effort of the central and provincial government and the donor community, he said.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS EXPECTED IN AFRICA: There are two items of interest today on the web site of the World Health Organization (WHO). First, a new study published by WHO says that the number of doctors required and those available globally will be roughly in balance by 2015. But there will be huge disparities in their distribution. Most African countries will face shortages, for example. Second, WHO reports that it is planning for the return of thousands of displaced people to their homes in the Sudanese town of Abyei. WHOs priorities include controlling health risks for the displaced and restoring basic health services for the returnees.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SPOKE BY PHONE WITH AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: In response to a question, the Spokeswoman confirmed that the Secretary-General had recently spoken by phone with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

REQUEST FOR U.N. INVESTIGATION INTO BHUTTO ASSASSINATION STILL BEING STUDIED: Asked about Pakistans request for an investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the Spokeswoman said that the request is still being studied.

METHANE LEAK POSED NO DANGER: Asked about a gas leak that had led to the temporary closure of the UN printing plant over the past weekend, the Spokeswoman clarified that, although local authorities had been contacted because of concerns that there had been a gas leak, that was not the case. Instead, she said, the source of the odor that had been detected was a methane leak from a nearby landfill; there was no danger from that leak, and normal work had resumed by Monday morning.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

to the Spokesperson's Page

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article