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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Thursday, May 29, 2008
UNITED NATIONS MARKS 60 YEARS OF PEACEKEEPING
United Nations peacekeeping is
60 years old today, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated
the men and women in uniform in a video message to
be aired to all UN work stations around the world.
He said that peacekeeping has grown into a
flagship enterprise for the Organization.
He thanked the UN's partner organizations,
notably the African Union and the European Union, and the more than 115
countries now contributing troops and police to UN peace operations. He
also honored the memory of the more than 2,400 peacekeepers who died in
the line of duty, saying “Each one is a hero.”
At UN Headquarters, Under-Secretary-General
for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno led a wreath-laying
ceremony to mark the event and later opened a special multimedia
exhibition entitled “Looking Back, Moving Forward” that chronicles 60
years of UN peacekeeping.
UN staff members and supporters around the
world planned various activities and events to mark the day.
In Timor-Leste, for example, hundreds of people marched for peace in the nation’s capital while others took in concerts and sporting events. Both President José Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão joined the festivities.
DARFUR: U.N.-A.U. MISSION IS OUTRAGED BY KILLING OF POLICE INSPECTOR
The UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) says that
a Civilian Police Inspector from Uganda was brutally and shamelessly
murdered in North Darfur.
The Deputy Joint Special Representative Mr.
Henry Anyidoho, Officer in Charge, has expressed his shock and outrage
by the killing.
“I learned of this wanton and barbaric act
with disbelief and dismay,” he said. “This was a hideous and callous
crime against an unarmed peacekeeper and I condemn it without
reservation.”
Inspector John Kennedy Okecha was found dead
in a UNAMID vehicle at around 6 p.m. yesterday evening. He had been
shot three times in the neck, chest and stomach.
The UNAMID Police Component described the killing as an act of cold blooded murder and appealed to all those with any knowledge of what happened to share it with the appropriate authorities so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.
IRAQ’S NORMALIZATION IN EVERYONE’S INTEREST
The Secretary-General arrived in Stockholm
today and addressed the Annual Review Conference of the International Compact with
Iraq. In his remarks,
the Secretary-General said that, despite challenges, notable progress
has been made in all areas of the Compact.
He noted that the Iraqi people continue to
suffer from acts of terrorism, sectarian violence and criminality. But,
at the same time, he said that, if he were asked to use one word to
describe the situation in Iraq today, he would choose the word “hope.”
The Secretary-General added that, for the
first time in its history, Iraq has a chance to integrate fully into
the global economy.
He also noted that the International Compact
is not only a road map for achieving the national vision of Iraq. It
also represents a framework for Iraq’s normalization and transition to
a full member of the community of nations. That is in everyone’s
collective interest, he said.
The Secretary-General met today with: the
European Union’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy, Javier Solana; Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal
al-Maliki; U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; the United
Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,
David Miliband; and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,
Amr Moussa.
He also met bilaterally with the Foreign
Ministers of Sweden, Slovenia, Italy, Turkey and Iran.
Later today, the Secretary-General will speak at the Review Conference’s closing session and hold a joint press conference with Iraq’s Prime Minister and Sweden’s Foreign Minister.
AGREEMENT ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS IS IMPORTANT NEW CHAPTER
[In response to questions about the an
agreement reached on a treaty on cluster bombs, the Spokeswoman said
following the briefing that : "Yesterday in Dublin, delegations from
111 States agreed on the text of a new Convention on Cluster Munitions,
which will be formally adopted tomorrow.
This is an important new chapter in international humanitarian law as the treaty will prevent future suffering and will address the needs of cluster-munitions-affected communities." ]
U.N. ADVISOR TO HEAD TO SAHEL FOR CONFLICT PREVENTION MISSION
The Secretary-General’s Special Advisor, Jan
Egeland, will travel to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from 2-6 June on a
mission aimed at drawing attention to an array of challenges facing
these and other countries of the Sahel region of Africa -- and the need
for international assistance to help States cope with them preventively
so they do not lead to conflict in the long run.
Among the key issues Egeland will explore in
his meetings with officials and visits to rural areas are the social
pressures caused by climate change, as well as other risk factors such
as the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the region.
Egeland will be joined by staff of the UN Department of Political Affairs, the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA), the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and a scientist from the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
SIERRA LEONE COURT INCREASES SENTENCES OF EX-MILITIA LEADERS
The Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone has
more than doubled
the sentences for two former leaders of the Civilian Defense Force
(CDF), a pro-government militia that operated during the civil war in
that country.
The sentence for Moinina Fofana was raised to
15 years instead of the earlier concurrent sentences totaling 6 years.
Allieu Kondewa, meanwhile, saw his sentence raised to 20 years in
prison from the initial 8-year term.
This comes after the Appeals Chamber entered
two new convictions against both men for murder and inhumane acts, in
addition to their initial convictions for collective punishments and
recruiting of child soldiers.
In other news, the Court has announced the election of Judge Renate Winter of Austria as the new Court president.
U.N.
COURT IS CONCERNED THAT LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN ISOLATION
STILL AN OPTION IN RWANDA
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
has denied the
application for referral of the case of Yussuf Munyakazi to the
Republic of Rwanda.
The Tribunal said that although Rwanda has
abolished the death penalty, it is concerned that life imprisonment in
isolation remains on the books in that country. It fears that such a
sentence may not be in full conformity with international human rights
standards.
The Tribunal also expressed reservations about
fair trial under Rwandan law, citing limits on the rights of the
accused and raising questions on the independence of the Rwandan court
with jurisdiction over referred cases.
Munyakazi, the accused in this case, was arrested in 2004 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has pleaded not guilty to charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
U.N. AGENCIES OFFER AID TO VICTIMS OF SOUTH AFRICA VIOLENCE
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) has distributed 4,000 blankets and 2,000 sleeping mats
through local implementing partners. Furthermore, it has developed a
project proposal to respond to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable
migrants and allocated additional funds to its traditional implementing
partners.
UNICEF has delivered emergency supplies to the
South African Red Cross and the City of Johannesburg Migration Desk.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has
locally procured nearly 1,000 hygiene kits and has sent them to the
South African Red Cross for distribution.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is coordinating the UN humanitarian assistance to support the Government-led response.
AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY PRICES TO REMAIN HIGH
Agricultural commodity prices should ease from
their recent record peaks but over the next 10 years they are expected
to average well above their mean levels of the past decade, according
to the latest Agricultural Outlook from OECD and the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Food prices and their impact on the world
economy will be one of the issues that will be addressed at the OECD
Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris on 4-5 June 2008.
At a separate summit at FAO headquarters in Rome, on 3-5 June, world leaders, including many Heads of State and Government, will discuss policies and strategies on how to improve and ensure world food security and re-launch agriculture in rural communities of developing countries.
MULTILINGUALISM COORDINATOR IS APPOINTED
The
Secretary-General has appointed Under-Secretary-General Kiyotaka
Akasaka as Coordinator for Multilingualism.
The appointment is
in implementation of General Assembly resolution 54/64 of 6 December
1999, by which the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to
appoint a senior Secretariat official as coordinator of questions
relating to multilingualism throughout the Secretariat.
A national of Japan, Mr. Akasaka joined the United Nations in 2007 when he was appointed as Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. His new functions are in addition to his current responsibilities as head of the Department of Public Information.
BAN KI-MOON TO TRAVEL TO FRANCE, UNITED KINGDOM AND SAUDI ARABIA
The Secretary-General will attend the International Conference on Afghanistan in France on 12 June, and then pay an official visit to the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia from 13 to 16 June.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFED ON POLICE REFORM IN TIMOR-LESTE: The Security Council held consultations this morning on Timor-Leste. UN Police Adviser Andrew Hughes briefed on police reform in that country and the findings of a recent expert mission on that topic. After breaking momentarily so that the Security Council President could attend a Peacekeepers Day-related event, the Council resumed consultations on other matters.
U.N. ENVOY IS ENCOURAGED BY CYPRUS LEADERS’ POLITICAL WILL: Speaking to reporters in Nicosia today, on the occasion of Peacekeepers Day, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Cyprus, Taye-Brook Zerihoun, said he was encouraged by the commitment that the two leaders have shown. He said their political will has changed what has been the status quo up to now. “So let’s keep the hope alive,” he added.
SUITABLE ENVIRONMENT NEEDED FOR ZIMBABWE RUNOFF: The Deputy Spokesperson, in response to a question, said that the Secretary-General has spoken clearly of the need for a suitable environment, including robust observation, during the runoff. We have been in touch with regional organizations and welcome their efforts to ensure sufficient numbers of international observers, she said. Our electoral experts are exploring how we might be of assistance in this effort, she added.
***The guests at the noon briefing today were Jean-Marie Guehenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Susana Malcorra, Head of the Department of Field Support. They briefed on the 60th anniversary of UN peacekeeping.
Office
of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
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