United Nations Daily Highlights, 10-06-29

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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

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

BAN KI-MOON ARRIVES IN D.R. CONGO FOR 50th ANNIVERSARY SINCE INDEPENDENCE

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has landed in Kinshasa, in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where he will attend the events tomorrow to commemorate the countrys 50th anniversary since independence.

This evening, he is to attend a gala dinner hosted by DRC President Joseph Kabila.

He expects to have bilateral meetings with President Kabila and several visiting Heads of State while he is in the country.

STAFF MEMBER IS KILLED IN ATTACK ON U.N. VEHICLE IN KABUL

The

UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan

confirms that a shooting took place late this morning in

Kabul, involving one UN vehicle and two UN personnel. Tragically, one UNs staff member, an Afghan national, was killed. The other Afghan staff member was unharmed.

The United Nations offers its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased staff member, whose name cannot be released at this stage.

The circumstances of the shooting are not yet clear. UN security teams are working with Afghan security institutions to assist investigations.

The United Nations condemns violence against any of its personnel under any circumstances. Those responsible for this killing should be brought to justice without delay.

U.N. REFUGEE CHIEF TO ASSESS EMERGENCY OPERATIONS IN KYRGYZSTAN

The

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the situation in Kyrgyzstan is calm. It says the needs of vulnerable persons have changed during the last days, with the need for food and water appearing to have decreased as people have found ways to access these commodities - however, vulnerable groups still find it difficult to access medication either due to limited funds, lack of functioning pharmacies or lack of specific types of drugs.

The Government of Uzbekistan said that all refugees have left the country except close to 400 who need hospital treatment; it also says that that 96 per cent of the refugees, who have now left, were women and children.

Humanitarian organizations are now focusing on returnees. The

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says humanitarian access to different parts of Osh, Jalalabad and villages in southern parts of the country was gradually improving.

UNHCR estimates that 375,000 people are still displaced in

Kyrgyzstan, including refugees who returned from Uzbekistan. The Government was reporting that more than 10,000 internally displaced people had returned to their homes in Osh, but UNHCR was unable to confirm with reliability the remaining numbers of displaced.

UNHCRs team in Osh was working with local authorities and partners to set up a more organized system for distribution of relief and itll take part in a UN humanitarian convoy that would be carrying the remaining stocks of humanitarian aid from Uzbeikstan to Osh tomorrow.

In addition, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,

António Guterres, will be

visiting Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday and Thursday. He will meet Kyrgyz officials and assess the situation for internally displaced persons on the ground.

Asked about concerns that returnees from Uzbekistan have been forced to go back to Kyrgyzstan, the Spokesperson said that UNHCR has been trying to ascertain from the returnees the extent to which their returns are voluntary. He added that Guterres will be in Kyrgyzstan to get a full picture of the situation of internally displaced people, including returnees.

SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ON RULE OF LAW

The Deputy Secretary-General,

Asha-Rose Migiro,

addressed the

Security Councils open debate on the rule of law, which began this morning.

She said that, as the world faces new and evolving threats to international peace and security, such as trans-national organized crime, terrorism and piracy, the Security Council should place the rule of law at the centre of its response.

The Deputy Secretary-General said that, as a prevention tool, the United Nations should prioritize security, access to justice and legal protection for all to make it more likely that disputes within society are resolved through legal, rather than violent, means.

At the same time, she said, in response to international crimes, the United Nations must redouble its efforts to build national capacities to hold alleged perpetrators accountable.

U.N. ENVOY IN GUINEA-BISSAU CONSULTS ON WAY FORWARD

In response to a question, the Spokesperson said that the United Nations takes note of the appointment of Major-General Antonio Ndjai as the new Chief of General Staff of the armed forces of Guinea-Bissau.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Guinea-Bissau,

Joseph Mutaboba, is consulting national and international stakeholders on the way forward, particularly with respect to security sector reform, addressing impunity, restoring respect for the rule of law and strengthening democratic governance.

Nesirky said that our goal is to secure the cooperation of all concerned, including the military leadership, in the continued pursuit of our peacebuilding mission, which includes as a central feature the introduction of vital reforms in the security sector.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES, DIALOGUE IN BURUNDI

In response to earlier questions on the Burundi presidential election that took place on 28 June, the Spokesperson said that the

Secretary-General took note of the election.

In regard to the rest of the electoral cycle, he added, the Secretary-General calls on all Burundians, and their political parties, to continue settling their disputes through peaceful means and an inclusive dialogue, and he urges them to persist in consolidating national cohesion and their hard-won peace.

U.N. MISSION HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY REPORTS OF MILITARY ACTIVITY AT LIBYA-SUDAN BORDER

Asked about media reports on the decision of the Government of Sudan to close its border with Libya, the Spokesperson said that this is a sovereign matter, and the UN has no comment on the decision.

He said that the

African Union-UN hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) has not received any reports of military activities in the Sudan-Libya border area. The closest UNAMID team site is 600km away from the border area.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES KEY ROLE OF ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE: In a

Secretary-Generals message to a meeting in Istanbul to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs,

B. Lynn Pascoe, welcomes the key role thee OIC and its members have to play in advancing the Alliance of Civilizations and confronting prejudice, extremism and Islamophobia.

VACANCY FILLED ON INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE: In separate votes this morning, the

Security Council and the General Assembly has elected Xue Hanqin, of China, to fill a vacancy in the

International Court of Justice.

MANDATES OF U.N. MISSIONS IN CHAD, C.A.R AND D.R. CONGO UP TO SECURITY COUNCIL: Asked about the reduction of

UN peacekeeping troops in Chad, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Spokesperson noted that the mandates of UN missions are subject to Security Council approval and scrutiny. The Secretariat had made its views on its missions clear to the Security Council members.

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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