United Nations Daily Highlights, 10-01-26

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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 MARTIN

NESIRKY

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

UN

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

PROGRESS MADE IN DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN AID IN HAITI; TENTS REMAIN PRIORITY NEED

In Haiti, the

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the coordination of humanitarian help is improving every day but that difficulties remained link to the fact that the

earthquake had happened in a very dense urban center. Emergency and humanitarian workers have to move through piles of rubble. The United Nations current goal is to help around three million persons that had been affected by the quake.

A Joint Operation and Tasking Center has started operating today, bringing together the UN, the

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the US Army and the Canadian Army, says OCHA.

OCHA adds that one of the priorities right now is the need for tents. Some 40,000 tents are already in Haiti, but a much larger number is needed. Currently, some 800,000 to one million persons had already organized themselves into temporary shelters.

The

World Food Programme (WFP) says it has reached nearly 450,000 persons with the equivalent of nearly 10 million meals since the earthquake. This week, nearly 75 trucks are expected to arrive from the Dominican Republic. Two WFP-contracted helicopters have arrived Monday in the Dominican Republic and will be operational this week.

Concerning health, the

World Health Organization (WHO) says that health providers on the ground are now moving from emergency care towards more post-operative and primary healthcare. It adds that there is a great need for services for amputees, as thousands of people have suffered amputations as a result of this emergency.

WHO is also voicing concern over primary healthcare and says it is increasing services in this field, particularly through mobile clinics visiting the displacement camps and other locations where people have moved.

Meanwhile, UNICEF says it has decided to reinforce controls in

Haitis hospitals and orphanages, as well as at the airport. UNICEF is working with 29 organizations to control unaccompanied children and to reunite them with their families, as fast as possible, it says.

Asked about the death toll among UN personnel, the Spokesperson said that at present, 82 personnel were confirmed dead while 45 remain unaccounted for.

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON SUDAN, WARNED OF RETURN TO ARMED CONFLICT

The

Security Council this morning held consultations on

Sudan, during which it was briefed by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations,

Alain Le Roy, on the

Secretary-Generals latest

report on the

UN Mission in Sudan.

In his report, the Secretary-General says that the parties to the

Comprehensive Peace Agreement have made important breakthroughs, allowing them to move beyond several major obstacles. Even so, he warns, a return to armed conflict remains a very real possibility.

SECRETARY-GENERAL INTENDS TO RESPOND TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION ON GAZA WITHIN THREE-MONTH DEADLINE

Asked when the

Secretary-General will report to the at the

General Assembly concerning the report of Richard Goldstones fact-finding mission on Gaza, the Spokesperson said that the General Assembly had

asked the Secretary-General to report on the status of the implementation of its resolution (A/RES/64/10) within three months of its adoption. The resolution was adopted on 6 November 2009, so the three month deadline ends on 5 February, Nesirky noted.

He added that the resolution has asked the Government of Israel and the Palestinian side to undertake independent and credible investigations, consistent with international standards, into the serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law reported by Goldstone. The Secretary-General had also asked for such investigations to be carried out.

Asked when the Israeli and Palestinian replies should arrive, the Spokesperson said they should come in time so that the Secretary-General can report back to the General Assembly, in accordance with its resolution.

DECLARATION ON AFGHANISTAN EXPECTED AT END OF LONDON CONFERENCE

Asked about expectations from the London Conference on

Afghanistan, the Spokesperson said that, at the end of the Conference, we are likely to see a Declaration issued. That will include commitments from the Government of Afghanistan to its people for the next 18 months to two years. It will also have corresponding commitments from the international community in support of Afghanistan.

The Spokesperson said that the

Secretary-General will be co-hosting the Afghanistan Conference in London, and that more than sixty countries and organizations are attending.

He expressed the hope that the London Conference will secure the political commitment needed from Afghanistans international partners to build peace, ensure security and boost development.

Nesirky added that the Conference sees the international community coming together to align military and civilian resources behind an Afghan-led political strategy, with a focus on reform.

U.N. POLITICAL AFFAIRS CHIEF TO ATTEND YEMEN MEETING; OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS CHALLENGES, UNDERLYING CAUSES

The Under-Secretary-General for

Political Affairs,

B. Lynn Pascoe, will lead the UN delegation at the high-level meeting to be held on Yemen on Wednesday in London.

From the UNs perspective, this meeting is an opportunity for the international community and the Government of Yemen to have a focused discussion on how they can jointly address the many pressing problems and challenges facing the country and their underlying causes; that includes economic, developmental and humanitarian issues. Sustained international support will be necessary to ensure the prosperity, security and stability of Yemen and the region as a whole.

The UN hopes that this will be the initiation of a long-term process of cooperation between the Government of Yemen and the relevant regional and international partners; and it is ready to take part in these efforts, with emphasis on providing support and cooperation in the areas of highest priority to the Yemeni Government and people.

U.N. SOMALIA ENVOY CONDEMNS ATTACK ON MOGADISHU HOSPITAL

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia,

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, has

condemned the deadly attack Wednesday by insurgents on a Mogadishu hospital. The assault on the medical facility, which is run by African Union peacekeepers, reportedly killed half a dozen people.

Ould-Abdallah notes that this is the second attack on the hospital, which treats an estimated 3,200 Somalis a month.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY REGISTERS THOUSANDS DISPLACED BY FIGHTING IN EASTERN DR CONGO

Thousands of civilians have had to flee their homes in the North Kivu province of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo. The

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

says that it has registered more than 15,500 newly displaced persons since mid-December. The displaced are fleeing the negative repercussions of a Government military campaign against Rwandan rebels as well as widespread banditry.

This latest wave of displacement has brought to more than 116,000 the population of North Kivu residents living in 47 camps run by UNHCR across the region.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO ATTEND HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION

At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the

Secretary-General will speak at the opening of an exhibit at the UN Secretariat buildings Visitors Lobby on the Auschwitz-Birkenau blueprints. That exhibit was curated and produced by Yad Vashem, and is part of the UNs remembrance of the Holocaust this year.

Wednesday is

Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the theme of this years commemoration at UN offices around the world is the legacy of survival. There will be a message from the Secretary-General concerning all the people most of them Jews, but also including groups like the Roma and Sinti who suffered the horrors of the ghettos and Nazi death camps and yet somehow survived.

At 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, there will be a commemorative event at the

General Assembly Hall, with keynote remarks by a Holocaust survivor, Nechama Tec; a statement by Andrzej Mirga, a Senior Adviser on Roma Sinti Issues; and musical performances by the Nürnberg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Oratorio Chamber Choir and the Bayreuth Zamir Chorale.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UN POLICY ON HONDURAS BASED ON GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION: Asked about UN policy on Honduras, where a new President is expected to be inaugurated, the Spokesperson reiterated that the UN policy is based on a

General Assembly resolution, adopted on 29 June 2009, and it is up to the Assembly to change that policy.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WILLING TO VISIT CYPRUS AT APPROPRIATE TIME: Asked whether the

Secretary-General will visit Cyprus, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General is willing to visit Cyprus at an appropriate time.

NO LETTER ON COPENHAGEN ACCORD RECEIVED: Asked about a letter from the Government of India concerning the

Copenhagen accord, the Spokesperson said that the letter has not been received yet.

The guests at the noon briefing were

John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for

Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and

Jordan Ryan, the Assistant Administrator and Director for the

Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery of the

UN Development Programme. They briefed on the latest developments concerning the situation in Haiti.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

United Nations, S-378

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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