United Nations Daily Highlights, 10-01-27

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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

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Today's noon briefing was devoted to a video-conference from the

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

with Henriette Chamouillet, WHO / Pan American Health Organization Representative in Haiti,

Dana Van Alphen, WHO / Pan American Health Organization Coordinator for Health Cluster in Haiti and

Guido Cornale, UNICEF Representative in Haiti.

BAN KI-MOON TO SPEAK TO REPORTERS AT 2:45 P.M.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to speak to reporters prior to his departure to the United Kingdom for the London Conference on

Afghanistan and the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

HAITI FLASH APPEAL IS NOW 77% FUNDED

The

Haiti Flash Appeal for $575 million is now 77% funded, according to the

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). But OCHA also says that certain sectors of the Appeal, such as early recovery, agriculture or education, remain under-funded.

Saudi Arabia has pledged to contribute $50 million to support the United Nations humanitarian response to the

earthquake in Haiti, becoming one of the main contributors to the Haiti Flash Appeal.

In Haiti, OCHA says that one million people are displaced and that at least 500,000 people need emergency shelter. It says that the shelter situation is critical as sites and temporary shelter are lacking. Two camps for 15,000 people each are expected to be ready in the next few days.

The Joint Operations Tasking Centre (JOTC) started operations yesterday. It will operate from the logistics base of the

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). The JOTC was established to `bring together and coordinate the efforts of all actors in the delivery of humanitarian assistance at different levels political, humanitarian, and military.

Meanwhile,

according to the

UN Development Programme (UNDP) more than more than 11,000 earthquake-affected Haitians are employed in recovery initiatives in seven neighborhoods throughout

Port-au-Prince and vicinities.

The programme is part of UNDPs coordinated activities to put the population to work, clearing rubble, cleaning streets and improving small-scale infrastructure. Around 40 per cent of the hired workers are women. Priority is given those with destroyed housing and with deceased family members.

The objective is to put at least 100,000 people to work as quickly as possible, with plans in place to scale it up to 220,000 as conditions allow.

In Geneva today, the

Human Rights Council held a Special Session on The Support of the Human Rights Council to the Recovery Process in Haiti after the Earthquake of January 12, 2010: a Human Rights Approach".

Addressing the Special Session, the

Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights,

Kyung-wha Kang, emphasized that efforts to assist Haiti "had to be anchored in human rights, ensuring that the root causes of vulnerabilities, namely poverty and discrimination, could be addressed." The session will resume tomorrow and a resolution is expected to be adopted.

SECRETARY-GENERAL: SURVIVORS PLAY VITAL ROLE IN KEEPING LESSONS OF HOLOCAUST ALIVE

Today is the

International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, with this years theme being the legacy of survival.

In a message to mark the Day, the

Secretary-General says that survivors play a vital role in keeping the lessons of the Holocaust alive for future generations.

Holocaust survivors will not be with us forever, he says, but the legacy of their survival must live on, adding that we must preserve their stories particularly through robust efforts to prevent genocide and other grave crimes.

The

High Commissioner for Human Rights,

Navi Pillay, adds in a statement that what happened 60 years ago was the systematic murder of one third of the Jewish people, as well as thousands of other victims, including Roma, Slavs, disabled people, homosexuals, Jehovahs witnesses, communists and political dissidents.

She said that a special tribute should be paid to all those, in many parts of the world, who not only strive to ensure that future generations are educated about the horrors of the Shoah, but also work tirelessly to combat discrimination of all sorts.

SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD OF WORRY IMPASSE IN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS

The

Security Council this morning is holding an open meeting to discuss the

Middle East, which the Secretary-General has attended.

The Assistant Secretary-General for

Political Affairs,

Oscar Fernandez Taranco, briefed the Council on the latest situation, saying that an extremely worrying impasse persists in efforts to bring about Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

He said that we believe that the Quartet must play its full role at this critical juncture if obstacles are to be overcome and a process is to be resumed with prospects for success. The parties must also assume their responsibilities.

Fernadez Taranco reiterated the

Secretary-Generals concern about the situation in East Jerusalem, and the UNs repeated call for an end to the blockade of Gaza.

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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