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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY FARHAN HAQ
ASSOCIATE
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
Friday, May 2, 2008
MIDDLE
EAST QUARTET EXPRESSES STRONG SUPPORT FOR
ONGOING ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATIONS
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with the
other principal members of the
Middle East Quartet in London today to discuss the situation in
that region, and they were joined by Quartet Representative Tony Blair.
The Secretary-General read a joint statement
by the Quartet after that meeting, when he and the other principal
members spoke to the press. He said that Quartet expressed its strong
support for ongoing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and encouraged the
parties to make every effort to realize the shared goal of an agreement
on the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2008.
The Quartet expressed its deep concern at
continuing settlement activity and called on Israel to freeze all
settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle
outposts erected since March 2001. It called on the Palestinian
Authority to fulfill its commitments to fight terrorism and to
accelerate steps to rebuild and refocus its security apparatus.
The Quartet also called for continued
emergency and humanitarian assistance and the provision of essential
services to Gaza without obstruction.
After the Quartet meeting, the
Secretary-General chaired an ad hoc meeting of Quartet members and Tony
Blair with Arab participants in the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, as well
as with the United Kingdon and Norway as the hosts and chairs of the
Committee.
During that meeting, participants discussed
the ongoing political negotiations, as well as the efforts underway to
ensure implementation of Road Map commitments, support the Palestinian
Authority, and improve the situation on the ground in both the West
Bank and Gaza, in furtherance of the Annapolis process.
The Secretary-General also participated in an enlarged meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on Economic Development for the West Bank and Gaza. He also held a number of bilateral meetings before flying back to New York.
SOARING FOOD PRICES THREATEN RELIEF EFFORTS IN WEST BANK AND GAZA
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reports that
soaring food prices have led to severe financial burdens. The Agency’s
General Fund is currently facing a shortfall of more than US$117
million. That hampers its efforts to provide emergency and regular food
aid to nearly one million refugees in the West Bank and Gaza alone.
Regarding the fuel situation in Gaza, UNRWA
says that, even though the fuel it has gotten has allowed it to resume
food aid distribution, the haphazard supply is making it impossible to
carry out any planning. And today, the Agency is worried that it is
again running out of fuel.
The agency reports that the streets of Gaza are virtually empty of cars and that public transportation has stopped. Enrolment in UNRWA schools is now basically limited to those who are able to walk to school.
SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS PROGRAMME OF WORK FOR MONTH
The Security
Council held consultations this morning on its programme of work
for May, in its first meeting under the Council Presidency of the
United Kingdom.
The Council also adopted a presidential statement on Myanmar.
U.N. PEACEKEEPING CHIEF DEPARTS ON KOSOVO FACT-FINDING MISSION
With regard to Kosovo, Under-Secretary-General
for Peacekeeping
Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno is leaving today on a fact
finding mission to the region.
He will be holding talks with all stakeholders in both Pristina and in Belgrade concerning the future of the international civil presence in Kosovo.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN SOMALIA IS WORSENING
The Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
reports that the situation in Somalia is deteriorating, due to soaring
food prices and worsening drought.
More than a third of the population now needs
food assistance, largely because of an increase in the number of urban
poor who don’t have enough to eat.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has signed an agreement with the Danish Refugee Council to continue providing cooked meals to 50,000 people a day in Mogadishu. WFP is also feeding nearly 400,000 people in Puntland, Somaliland and South Central Somalia.
WORLD
FOOD PROGRAMME AND WORLD BANK WELCOME
U.S. FOOD AID INITIATIVE
The World Food Programme (WFP) and
the
World Bank have issued statements welcoming U.S. President Bush’s
call for an additional US$770 million in financing for food and
development programmes.
WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran noted
that ever since reaching out to a hungry world devastated by World War
Two, the American people have generously come to the urgent aid of
those trapped in hunger.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick
encouraged other countries to follow the lead of the U.S. and take
similar bold action.
Asked about the Secretary-General’s comments on reducing food tariffs, the Spokesman noted that issues concerning the rise in food prices are complex, which is why the Secretary-General wants as high a level of participation as possible at the High-Level Conference on Food Security that will take place in Rome in June.
U.N. DISABILITIES CONVENTION ENTERS INTO FORCE TOMORROW
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities is set to enter
into force tomorrow.
Twenty-five countries have now ratified the
treaty, which aims to ensure that existing rights are fully extended
and guaranteed to the world’s estimated 650 million people with
disabilities.
A ceremony to mark the Convention’s entry into force will take place in the General Assembly Hall on May 12th.
U.N. POLITICAL FACT-FINDING MISSION TO VISIT THE MALDIVES
A UN Inter-agency Fact Finding Mission, led by
the Department of Political
Affairs, will visit the Maldives between 4-9 May, in response to a
request from the Government.
The Mission will meet with a broad spectrum of interlocutors, including Government officials, political leaders, civil society, non-governmental organizations and other important national actors, as well as diplomatic representatives, in order to assess whether UN assistance to the forthcoming elections would be appropriate.
COMMITTEE POSTPONES DECISION ON LOCATION OF RACISM REVIEW CONFERENCE
A
two-week
meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the review conference on
racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance
ended in Geneva on Friday after agreeing to postpone decisions on where
to hold the review conference. It is likely, however, to be in one of
the four UN centres of Geneva, Nairobi, New York or Vienna.
The
precise duration of the conference was also not decided, with some
States wanting it to last for three days and others wanting five. While
the precise date will depend on the availability of the venue, there
was general consensus that the conference would probably take place in
June 2009.
The Preparatory Committee agreed to hold a special extension of the current session on 26 May, in order to decide the outstanding issues.
U.N.
ENVOY CONVEYS CONDOLENCES
FOLLOWING PLANE CRASH IN SOUTHERN SUDAN
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative
in Sudan, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, has conveyed his condolences to the
Government of South Sudan (GoSS) on hearing of today's tragic plane
crash, which took the lives of GoSS SPLA Affairs Minister Dominic Dim
Deng and other military officials.
Qazi has also offered deepest sympathy on
behalf of the United Nations and the U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to
the bereaved families of the crash victims.
UNMIS flight assets have been made available to bring Government of National Unity and GoSS aviation safety officials to the scene of the crash in order to facilitate their inquiries.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
RENOVATED MINISTRY BUILDING HANDED OVER TO LIBERIAN GOVERNMENT: The United Nations has handed over a newly-rehabilitated Ministry of Internal Affairs building to the Liberian Government. Speaking at a ceremony on Wednesday, Jordan Ryan, the Deputy Special Representative for Liberia and UN Development Programme resident representative, called the handover a crucial step in rebuilding Liberia’s post-war infrastructure, as well as consolidating peace and fostering development. The UN provided more than US$200,000, or nearly three quarters of the cost, to refurbish the building.
U.N. TAKES DR CONGO ALLEGATIONS VERY SERIOUSLY: Asked about a letter from Human Rights Watch concerning alleged misconduct by UN peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Spokesman said that the United Nations takes the allegations very seriously. He noted that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Office for Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) had briefed the press on the allegations earlier this week.
SECRETARY-GENERAL PREPARED TO PROVIDE GOOD OFFICES FOLLOWING ZIMBABWE ELECTIONS: Asked about the reported announcement of electoral results in Zimbabwe, the Spokesman reiterated the Secretary-General’s call on all parties in the country to resolve issues peacefully, and he noted that the Secretary-General was willing to offer his good offices in collaboration with the Southern African Development Community and the African Union. He declined to speculate on whether the United Nations would be requested to assist in a run-off round of elections.
U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER HAS CALLED FOR DUE PROCESS AT GUANTANAMO: Asked about the release of a prisoner from the US camp in Guantanamo Bay, the Spokesman noted that High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour had spoken out in favour of due legal process for the inmates at Guantanamo.
U.N. GENERALLY CALLS FOR AVOIDANCE OF THREATENING RHETORIC: Asked about reported comments by U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton concerning Iran, the Spokesman declined to comment, but he noted that the United Nations, as a general rule, wants rhetoric threatening any group of people or any nation to be avoided.
COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT’S 16TH SESSION BEGINS NEXT WEEK: On Monday, the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) opens its 16th session. It will be devoted to issues at the core of the global food crisis: agriculture, land use, rural development, drought and desertification, with a special focus on Africa. The CSD runs through May 16th.
THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Saturday, May 3
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities enters into force.
Today is World Press Freedom Day. In Maputo, Mozambique, UNESCO awards its Guillermo Cano Prize to Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro.
From today through Monday in Cairo, Egypt, the UN Industrial Development Organization holds a Global Conference on Traceability and Food Security.
Sunday, May 4
From today through 9 May, a UN Inter-agency Fact Finding Mission, led by the Department of Political Affairs, visits the Maldives to assess the political climate and technical aspects of the forthcoming elections and consider whether UN assistance would be appropriate.
Monday, May 5
At 10 a.m. in Conference Room 3, the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee begins the second part of its resumed session, which is expected to last until 30 May.
At 10 a.m. in Conference Room 4, Under-Secretary-General Sha Zukang opens the 16th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, which runs through 16 May and will focus on agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification, and Africa.
At 11 a.m., the Secretary-General takes part in the groundbreaking for the construction of the North Lawn Conference Building, marking the beginning of the renovation of the UN Headquarters under the Capital Master Plan.
From today through 7 May in Oslo, Norway, the Deputy Secretary-General represents the UN at the Sudan Consortium. Co-organized by the UN and the World Bank and hosted by the Government of Norway, the Consortium will evaluate progress in implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan.
Tuesday, May 6
This morning, the Security Council holds an open debate on its Counter-Terrorism, 1267 and 1540 Committees.
The guest at the noon briefing is Christian Thommessen, Director of the U.N. Development Programme’s Private Sector Division, who will brief on the Business Call to Action, a new initiative that seeks to galvanize businesses, governments and civil society as part of a major campaign to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.
At 5 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, the Secretary-General presents the Franklin D. Roosevelt International Disability Award to Governor-General Satyanand of New Zealand.
In London, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim addresses a major private sector meeting on the Millennium Development Goals convened by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown before traveling on to Turkey and Egypt for official visits.
From today through Friday in Geneva, the World Health Organization holds consultations on the revision of pandemic influenza preparedness guidance.
Wednesday, May 7
This morning, the Security Council receives a briefing on Sierra Leone, followed by consultations on that topic.
Following the noon briefing, Eric Falt, Director of the Department of Public Information’s (DPI) Outreach Division and Mia Hanak, Executive Director of the Natural World Museum, join internationally acclaimed artists to brief on DPI’s upcoming Unlearning Intolerance Seminar on "Art Changing Attitudes toward the Environment".
Thursday, May 8
Today and tomorrow, the Secretary-General is in Atlanta, as part of his tour of major U.S. cities.
This morning, the Security Council holds consultations on its 1559 report.
All day in Conference Room 1, an Unlearning Intolerance Seminar focuses on “Art Changing Attitudes toward the Environment”. At 9:15 a.m. in the Visitors’ Lobby, model and activist Christie Brinkley and Under-Secretary-General for Public Information Kiyotaka Akasaka participate in a press encounter and photo op.
Today and tomorrow are the Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War.
Friday, May 9
All day in Conference Room C, there will be a Seminar on “Climate change, environmental degradation and migration”.
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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