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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
BAN KI-MOON SENDS LETTER TO CYCLONE-HIT MYANMAR
In follow-up to yesterday’s statement on
the UN’s response to cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon has sent a letter directly to Senior General Than Shwe,
expressing his condolences.
He is in the process of mobilizing the UN
system to provide humanitarian assistance to affected
populations. A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team is
now standing by in the region and is ready to travel to Myanmar to
coordinate relief efforts together with the Myanmar authorities.
The World Food Programme (WFP) today began distributing
food in cyclone-damaged areas of Yangon, in heightened response to the
looming humanitarian needs in the southern coastal regions of Myanmar
that were hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis.
WFP has taken initial steps to meet the
enormous logistics challenge of bringing in disaster relief supplies,
equipment and prepared foods urgently needed by people in badly-hit
areas.
WFP now has more than 800 metric tonnes of
food stocks available in WFP warehouses in Yangon, and will deliver
these food resources to all areas in need, including the Ayeryawaddy
Division, the largest and hardest hit of the five major Divisions
affected by the cyclone.
Additional food supplies will be airlifted
into Myanmar as soon as possible.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes in Geneva said
today that the U.N. is prepared to provide an initial grant from the
Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to
facilitate aid for survivors of the cyclone, adding that it is also
ready to allocate a significant amount as the most urgent needs become
clear.
A five-member Disaster Assessment and
Coordination team, composed of disaster management professionals from
the region, is now being dispatched to Myanmar, while UNICEF staff
members are awaiting their visas.
Meantime, the 81 staff members of the World
Health Organization and the 70 staffers of the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR)
all based in Myanmar have quickly mobilized to help the population.
The Spokeswoman declined to comment on whether
the letter from the Secretary-General mentioned visas for humanitarian
staff, noting that it had not been confirmed yet that the Government
had received the letter.
Asked whether the Secretary-General has a view
on whether the referendum in Myanmar should take place under the
current circumstances, the Spokeswoman said, “We are confident the
Myanmar Government will make an informed and responsible decision based
on an overall assessment of the situation.”
She said she could not comment on allegations
that soldiers killed 36 political prisoners following the cyclone,
saying that the United Nations had no firsthand information on that.
In response to further questions, Okabe said that some UN staff were already at work on the ground in Myanmar, with a further team lined up to go once a green light is received for their entry.
DARFUR: ACCESS NEEDED TO VICTIMS OF REPORTED ATTACKS
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan
Ameerah Haq says she is deeply concerned about the reported attacks on
civilian installations in North Darfur.
In Oslo for the Sudan Consortium, which is
evaluating progress in implementation of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement between North and South Sudan, she joined her voice to
delegate after delegate who called for an immediate end to these
attacks in North Darfur.
Ms. Haq called for immediate access to the
concerned areas so that seriously injured civilians can be medically
evacuated.
UNICEF say it is also deeply concerned at
reports that a number of children have been killed during attacks on
two villages of North Darfur, in the west of Sudan, and calls on the
Government forces and the other parties to the ongoing conflict to take
every necessary action to prevent future deaths or injuries amongst
children.
UNICEF reminds all parties to the conflict in
Darfur that under international conventions, children are to be
afforded special protection during military operations and urges that
every effort must be made to ensure that schools, health centers and
other such humanitarian facilities are considered as zones of peace.
The conflict in Darfur has taken a high toll
upon children. UNICEF estimates that half of the conflict-affected
population in Darfur are children – including at least one million who
have been displaced by fighting.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Secretary-General also
addressed the Sudan Consortium in Oslo.
She noted that peace remains a distant dream
for the people of Darfur, many of whom depend on the UN for assistance
through the world’s largest humanitarian operation.
At the same time, she said that it is of
critical importance that the focus on Darfur should not eclipse work
for peace throughout the rest of Sudan.
Asked whether advisers from the Republic of
Korea received briefings in Darfur from the United Nations, the
Spokeswoman said that delegations from potential troop contributing and
police contributing countries regularly send assessment missions in
advance to places where they might deploy, so such briefings would not
be surprising.
Asked whether the Secretary-General was interested in having the Republic of Korea contribute to the UN-AU mission (UNAMID), the Spokeswoman said that he was keen on having contributions from any qualified countries to UNAMID.
SECURITY
COUNCIL HOLDS DEBATE ON
COUNTER-TERRORISM AND NON-PROLIFERATION COMMITTEES
The Security
Council today is holding an open debate to discuss the work of its
main committees dealing with counter-terrorism and non-proliferation.
The meeting began with briefings from the Ambassadors of Croatia, Belgium and Costa Rica – who chair, respectively, the Counter-Terrorism Committee; the 1267 Committee that deals with al-Qaeda and the Taliban; and the 1540 Committee that deals with non-proliferation.
DISPLACED PERSONS IN KENYA TO DETERMINE WHETHER TO RETURN HOME
Turning to Kenya, the U.N. High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) has organized a
visit for representatives of internally displaced persons to their
villages in the Rift Valley. The convoy left this morning from
the provincial capital of Nakuru.
The representatives are assessing the security situation, infrastructure and livelihood possibilities. When they return, they’re expected to share their impressions with other displaced people so that they can make an informed decision about whether to return home.
HUMAN RIGHTS IN SOMALIA REMAIN A TOP CONCERN
Asked about an Amnesty International report on
human rights violations attributed to the Transitional Federal
Government, the Spokeswoman said that Special Representative Ahmedou
Ould-Abdallah and his office have repeatedly issued statements
condemning the violence in Somalia.
In addition, Okabe said, the human rights
situation in Somalia remains a major concern for High
Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, and discussions have
continued since last year about a possible mission there by UN human
rights staff.
However, such a mission depends on the
willingness -- and ability -- of the host country to accept it, and
also on security conditions, she said.
She said the High Commissioner’s office is establishing a monitoring and technical cooperation unit within UN Political Office for Somalia over the next few weeks. As for the Amnesty International report, the High Commissioner's office has received similar reports, shares their concerns, but notes that it is exceptionally difficult to monitor events inside Somalia.
U.N. WORKPLACE PROGRAMME A “MILESTONE” IN RESPONSE TO HIV
The Secretary-General today spoke at the
launch of “UN Cares” -- a workplace program on HIV that will serve UN
personnel and their families across the entire system.
With this initiative, the UN is committing to
making available the staff, time and resources needed to meet a
specific set of 10 minimum standards by the end of 2011 -- from
training, counseling and testing to insurance coverage and access to
condoms.
This launch marks a milestone in the UN response to HIV, the Secretary-General said. He added that, because our workplace is global and spans so many activities, cultures and conditions, the challenge is particularly great.
EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS WORK OF U.N. PALESTINIAN REFUGEE AGENCY
The Secretary-General spoke
yesterday evening at an exhibition marking the work done by the UN
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
He said that, were it not for UNRWA, the lives
of millions of Palestinians would be much worse, and the threat to
peace and security in the Middle East would undoubtedly be far greater.
He defended the agency from any accusations of
bias, asserting that the UN is strictly impartial in its approach to
the conflict. “If we harbor a bias, it is towards the peace and welfare
of all people, Israelis and Palestinians alike,” he said. The
exhibition is on display near the first-floor staff entrance.
Asked about reports that a recently killed
UNRWA teacher had worked for Islamic Jihad, the Spokeswoman confirmed
the recent killing of an UNRWA employee, who was Deputy Headmaster of a
Boy's Preparatory School in Rafah. She could not confirm whether or not
the individual was the deputy commander of Islamic Jihad.
UNRWA has a policy of zero tolerance on politics in the workplace, Okabe asserted. In the past 18 months the Agency has summarily dismissed three teachers in Gaza for breaching Agency rules on political involvement, all of whom worked for Hamas.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY CONDEMNS ATTACK ON BUS IN NEPAL: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) condemn the attack on an IOM bus Monday evening by some masked men near the Khudunabari refugee camp in eastern Nepal. UNHCR is calling for the apprehension of those responsible so that they are brought to justice. The driver and two refugees were injured in the attack while 15 refugees were being transported back to the camp.There are more than 108,000 refugees from Bhutan living in seven camps in eastern Nepal.
SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TAKE PART IN AWARDING OF DISABILITY AWARD: At 5 p.m. this afternoon in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, the Secretary-General is taking part in a ceremony to award the Franklin D. Roosevelt International Disability Award to New Zealand Governor-General Anand Satyanand. The Award is presented by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute to a UN Member State that makes noteworthy progress towards the full participation of citizens with disabilities as called for in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
NEW HEAD OF FIELD SUPPORT SWORN IN: The Secretary-General today conducted the swearing-in ceremony of the new Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Susana Malcorra of Argentina. Ms. Malcorra, who was Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme before taking her new post, will now direct all support for UN peace missions worldwide.
U.N. AGENCIES TO FIGHT GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS FROM POSTAL SECTOR: The U.N. Environment Programme and the Universal Postal Union are teaming up to slash carbon dioxide emissions from the postal sector. Under the Plan, the agencies will work together to collect data on such things as vehicle mileage and fuel consumption, and then offer a range of solutions to cut emissions. By the most conservative estimates, the world postal sector uses more than 850-thousand vehicles and hundreds of aircraft, as well as tons of paper, the agencies say.
**The guest at noon was Rashid Khalikov, Director of the New York office of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who briefed on the UN’s response in wake of the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.
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