United Nations Daily Highlights, 10-04-30

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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

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, April 30, 2010

BAN KI-MOON TO CALL ON ALL NATIONS TO BECOME PARTY TO ROME STATUTE

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this morning addressed a seminar on the International Criminal Court (ICC), which he described as the centrepiece of our system of international criminal justice. He said that he attaches great importance to its work and to the common drive to ensure that the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide do not go unpunished.

The Secretary-General

said that, at the Assembly of ICC States Parties in Kampala, Uganda, next month, he will call on every nation to become a Party to the Rome Statute.

BAN KI-MOON ENCOURAGES NATIONS TO MAKE NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE A SUCCESS

Later today, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at the second Conference of States Parties and Signatories to Treaties that Establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and Mongolia.

He will encourage those nations to make next weeks Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference a success.

SECURITY COUNCIL IN MEETING ON WESTERN SAHARA

The

Security Council is currently in consultations on Western Sahara. The Council is considering a draft resolution on the extension of the

UN Mission there, the current mandate of which expires at the end of today.

Today is also the last day of the Japanese Presidency of the Security Council.

Lebanon will assume the rotating Council Presidency for the month of May.

ATUL KHARE OF INDIA IS APPOINTED ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS

The Secretary-General announced the appointment of Atul Khare of India as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.

He replaces Edmond Mulet of Guatemala, who was appointed on 1 April as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti for one year. The Secretary-General expresses his gratitude to Mr. Mulet, who successfully led the Office of Operations in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations since September 2007.

Mr. Khare served with distinction as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste and Head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste from December 2006 to December 2009. He had earlier worked in Timor-Leste as the Chief of Staff and later, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, with the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET).

During his tenure with the Indian Foreign Service, Mr. Khare served in the Indian missions in France, Mauritius, Senegal, Thailand, United Kingdom and in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations.

D.R. CONGO: U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF VISITS INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN SOUTH KIVU

John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, traveled to South Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on the second day of his visit to the country.

He visited internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mwenga, approximately 80 kilometres south-west of the provincial capital of Bukavu.

During meetings with authorities and humanitarians in Bukavu, Mr. Holmes emphasized that protection of civilians, delivery of humanitarian assistance, and humanitarian access are ultimately the responsibility of the Government. He also drew attention to the issue of insecurity.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), since the beginning of 2010, 76 incidents affecting humanitarians were recorded in the two provinces, compared to 176 during the whole of 2009. Over 80% of these incidents concerned non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which are crucial partners of the United Nations in the humanitarian response.

SERIOUS HUMANITARIAN FUNDING SHORTAGE FOR PAKISTAN

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the humanitarian community is facing a serious funding shortage, which is jeopardizing basic life saving activities in

north-western Pakistan.

Many agencies have said that projects have to be cut back or shut down, and new ones are not being implemented because of a lack of funding. Two months after the launch of the Humanitarian Appeal for Pakistan, it is only 24 percent funded.

Health projects in Pakistan have only received 9 percent of funds, forcing some health facilities to close. Food assistance is only around 28% funded. This means if financial assistance is not received urgently, there is a risk vital programmes will have to be suspended.

Asked whether UN activities in northwestern Pakistan had been reduced following insecurity there, the Spokesperson said that the main problem at this point that was hindering humanitarian activity in the area was the funding shortfall.

HEAD OF W.H.O. RETURNS FROM VISIT TO D.P.R.K.

Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has returned from a visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

During her visit, she acknowledged the government's notable public health achievements such as good immunization coverage and the effective implementation of maternal, newborn and child health interventions.

However, despite the success achieved, she said that challenges remain. She emphasized that the health system requires further strengthening to sustain universal coverage to improve the quality of service.

CHIEF OF U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME TO START FOUR-COUNTRY TOUR OF AFRICA

UNDP Chief Helen Clark will

begin a four-country tour of Africa tomorrow to highlight progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the run up to the MDGs Summit in September 2010. She will travel to Mali, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, and South Africa.

Achieving the MDGs means quite simply a better life for billions of people, Helen Clark said. In just under 150 days, world leaders will come together in New York for a summit on the MDGs. The message I want to bring on this trip is that reaching the Millennium Development Goals is possible, and there are a range of tried and tested policies which ensure progress, particularly when backed by strong partnerships.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

CAMBODIA EXTRAORDINARY CHAMBERS DISMISSES APPEALS: In three decisions rendered on 30 April 2010, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) dismissed appeals lodged by three charged persons namely, Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan and Ieng Thirith against the orders extending the periods of their respective provisional detention.

NO CONFIRMATION OF FIGHTING TOLL IN CHAD: Asked about reports of renewed fighting in eastern Chad, the Spokesperson said that the UN peacekeeping mission in the area,

MINURCAT, cant confirm the toll of the fighting so far. The closest MINURCAT presence is approximately 150 kilometers from the fighting zone. He added that there were contradictory reports about the extent of fighting.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO MEET IRANIAN PRESIDENT ON MONDAY: Asked about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads visit next Monday to the United Nations, the Spokesperson said that a request had been made by Iran for a meeting with the Secretary-General, and a meeting between the Secretary-General and the President will take place on Monday.

HEAD OF U.N. POLITICAL AFFAIRS TO VISIT SRI LANKA: Asked about plans for Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe to visit Sri Lanka, the Spokesperson said that a visit is in the works and is likely to take place fairly soon. Nesirky added, in response to a further question, that active work is being done on an advisory Panel of Experts dealing with Sri Lanka. That panel is to be put together without delay, he said, although its composition is not yet complete.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, 1 May

Lebanon assumes the monthly rotating Presidency of the Security Council.

UNDP Chief Helen Clark will begin a four-country tour of Africa today to highlight progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the run up to the MDGs Summit in September 2010. She will travel to Mali, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, and South Africa.

Monday, 3 May

The Secretary-General will open the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), at 10.30 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall. The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency will also address the meeting. The 2010 review Conference will run through Friday, 28 May.

The eighteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) will start today and run through 14 May, in Conference Room 1 (NLB).

At 4:30 p.m., Mr. Lawrence Cannon, Foreign Minister of Canada, will speak to correspondents at the General Assembly stakeout position.

The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Sha Zukang, will participate in the Third Parliamentary Forum on Shaping the Information Society, starting today. The 3-day Forum will focus on the role that ICT can play in facilitating economic and social recovery.

In Geneva, the eighth session of the Human Rights Councils Universal Periodic Review Working Group will be held until 14 May. Fifteen States will have their human rights records examined (in order of review): Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Guinea, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Spain, Lesotho, Kenya, Armenia, Guinea-Bissau, Sweden, Grenada, Turkey, Guyana, Kuwait and Belarus.

Starting today, in Geneva, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights hold its forty-fourth session and until 21 May.

Today is World Press Freedom Day.

Tuesday, 4 May

At 12:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, Mr. Nawaf Salam, President of the Security Council and Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations, will brief correspondents on the programme of work for the month of May.

At 4:00 p.m., Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will speak to reporters at the Security Council Stakeout.

At 5:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, the Mission of Japan will hold a press conference. The speaker will be Mr. Toshio Sano, Director-General of the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the topic of Japans position on the NPT.

At 6:20, the Secretary-General will make remarks at the opening of the exhibition Putting an end to nuclear explosions in the Main gallery of the Visitors Lobby.

Wednesday, 5 May

At 4 p.m., in Conference Room 4 (NLB), the Secretary-General will make opening remarks at a special screening of the documentary film Countdown to Zero on the escalating global nuclear arms crisis.

The Deputy-Secretary-General will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to participate in the World Economic Forum and attend their 20th World Economic Forum on Africa, being held from today to 7 May.

Thursday, 6 May

At 10 a.m., the Secretary-General will address a special event on the 65th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War, in the General Assembly Hall.

At 12:30 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, Mr. Kwame Sundaram Jomo, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, and Mr. Amr Nour, Director of the UN Regional Commissions New York Office, will hold a press conference to launch the 2010 Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific.

At 1:15 p.m., the Secretary-General will address a special event on The Role of Parliamentarians to Advance the Nuclear Disarmament Agenda in Conference Room 4 (NLB).

At 5:00 p.m., in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, the Foreign Minister of Iran will hold a press conference.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

United Nations, SA-1B15

New York, NY 10017

Tel. 212-963-7162

Fax. 212-963-7055

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