United Nations Daily Highlights, 10-06-28

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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

Monday, June 28, 2010

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONGRATULATES GUINEA ON HOLDING OF PEACEFUL ELECTION

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulates the Government and the people of Guinea, including the countrys electoral commission, political stakeholders and civil society, for the peaceful atmosphere in which they conducted the 27 June Presidential election.

As Guinea awaits the results of the vote, the Secretary General calls on all concerned to continue to respect their commitments to a peaceful process based on respect of the rule of law, and to accept the outcome.

The Secretary-General expresses deep his appreciation to all those who have been involved in facilitating the transitional process in Guinea, including the countrys external partners, particularly ECOWAS (The Economic Community Of West African States), the African Union and the other members of the International Contact Group on Guinea.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS VANDALISM AGAINST SUMMER CAMP IN GAZA STRIP

The

Secretary-General

condemns the vandalism last night by masked armed men of an

UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) summer games facility in the

Gaza Strip.

He is very concerned that this is the second such incident in a month. Such attacks are an assault upon the well-being of Gazas children, 250,000 of whom attend UNRWAs summer games for recreation and education as well as a respite from the difficulties of everyday life in the Strip.

The Secretary-General calls upon the de-facto authorities to combat any incitement against United Nations operations, and ensure the safety of UNRWA and other UN personnel and programmes, serving the most vulnerable in Gaza. He calls for those responsible for these incidents to be brought to justice.

Asked who the perpetrators were, the Spokesperson said that they had not been identified at present, but the United Nations expected the de facto authorities in Gaza to investigate and to bring the perpetrators to justice. He said that this was an attack on children and on their chance to participate in summer games and to further their education.

SECRETARY-GENERAL: GLOBAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY NEEDS TO START FROM GROUND UP

The

Secretary-General this morning

addressed the High Level Segment of the

Economic and Social Council, following his return from the G-20 Summit meeting in Toronto. In both places, he emphasized the need to build the global economic recovery from the ground up.

The Secretary-General argued at the summit that we cannot balance budgets on the backs of the worlds poorest people, and we cannot abandon our commitment to the most vulnerable. In Toronto, he focused on three areas of investment that can yield high and immediate returns: jobs; a green recovery; and health and health systems.

The

UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have

welcomed the commitment by G8 countries to accelerate efforts to improve

maternal and child health by endorsing the

Muskoka Initiative.

UNFPAs Executive Director,

Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, said in a statement that even though the number of women who die from preventable causes during pregnancy and childbirth seems to be declining, far too many mothers still die every day, which has a devastating impact on families, communities and nations.

The head of UNICEF,

Anthony Lake, added: Saving womens lives is an important factor in saving childrens lives, just as improving womens status in the world may well be the single most important factor in reducing global poverty.

UNITED NATIONS WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT KYRGYZSTAN AND ITS PEOPLE

In his

remarks to the press, after the Economic and Social Council meeting, the Secretary-General also said that he was encouraged by the level of voter turnout in Kyrgyzstan and that it took place in an orderly manner, without the difficulties seen in recent weeks.

This clearly demonstrates the aspiration of the people of Kyrgyzstan for peace and stability, he said. And he added that the United Nations will continue to support Kyrgyzstan and its people as they prepare for parliamentary elections later this year.

The

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the situation on the ground during yesterdays referendum appeared to be calm, with no security incidents reported by afternoon.

Displacement numbers are still unclear; however; OCHA says that a reported 150 refugees remain in hospitals on the Uzbek side of the border. The official number of refugee returns remains at some 75,000, while the overall estimated number of internally displaced persons in Kyrgyzstan remains at 300,000.

Yesterday, a cargo plane chartered by the

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees arrived in Osh. It was carrying 800 family-sized tents and 7,000 blankets, arrived in Osh. Another emergency airlift will take place today, carrying 40 tonnes of aid, including jerry cans, plastic sheets, kitchen sets, blankets and a portable warehouse.

Relief aid on the two flights will help 30,000 people. Shelter agencies have established a distribution mechanism to ensure that the aid items reach the displaced and returnee population during the next few days.

Asked about the turnout at the elections, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations was not observing the elections but was aware of the preliminary findings by other groups, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

He said that the Secretary-General and

Miroslav Jenca had taken note of the preliminary assessment of international and local observers, who have stated that despite certain shortcomings the process was largely transparent.

Nesirky said that the turnout was seen as a demonstration of the aspiration of the Kyrgyz people for peace, stability and democracy.

Asked about turnout by ethnicity, the Spokesperson said that the voting was not done by ethnicity. He recalled that the United Nations has made clear that in forthcoming voting, including the parliamentary elections, the United Nations has urged that the voting be as inclusive as possible.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO HEAR FROM COMMITTEE DEALING WITH IRAN SANCTIONS

At 3:00 this afternoon, the

Security Council held a formal meeting to hear a briefing on the work of the 1737 Committee, which deals with sanctions on Iran.

After that, the Council held a formal meeting, followed by consultations, on the

Peace-Building Office in the Central African Republic, known as BINUCA. In his latest

report on that Office, which is available online, the Secretary-General calls on the Government of the Central African Republic and all political parties to work to follow up on the recommendations of the political dialogue held in December 2008, including those on security and on armed groups.

The Councils formal meeting and consultations on the

UN Disengagement Force in the Golan Heights, which had been scheduled for this morning, have been rescheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

REPORT: ERITREA ENGAGING CONSTRUCTIVELY WITH NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

Despite the Government of Eritreas longstanding positions on Somalia and Djibouti, it has recently taken a number of steps towards constructive engagement with its neighbours and the wider international community.

This is what the

Secretary-General says in his report on Eritrea, which was requested by the

Security Council when it imposed sanctions on Eritrea in December 2009.

The Secretary-General also underscored that the long-term peace and stability in the Horn of Africa requires a comprehensive approach to address the conflicts in the region. In this respect, progress in implementing the decision of the Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission and normalizing relations between the two countries would significantly contribute to promoting stability in the entire region, he says.

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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