HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MICHELE MONTAS
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

BAN KI-MOON WRAPS UP JAPAN TRIP, HEADS TO CHINA

• The Secretary-General wrapped up his official visit to Japan with a press conference on Tuesday morning, saying that he was pleased throughout his visit to hear of Japan’s renewed commitment to the United Nations, its strong support for UN reform, and its determination to expand Japan’s role and activities in the United Nations. He also welcomed the fact that Japan, China and the Republic of Korea are increasingly looking to their common future as friendly neighbours with global interests and responsibilities.

• Asked about Zimbabwe, the Secretary-General noted that we have successfully managed the situation in Kenya, adding, “This will give us some good lessons.” He once more pledged his full commitment to spare no efforts to work out a solution.

• He said that the developments regarding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and its nuclear programme represented “a very encouraging step forward,” adding that the participants in the Six-Party Talks should not lose this momentum. As for visiting Pyongyang, he said that he had not made any formal schedule yet, but that he would like to find out when would be the most opportune and appropriate time to visit.

• The Secretary-General then traveled from Tokyo to Beijing to begin the second leg of his three-country North Asian visit.

• Just a short while after his arrival in the Chinese capital, he delivered an address at the Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, during which he outlined the challenges facing the world today and China’s leadership role in meeting them. He told the students that they inherit not just China’s future but also the task of helping to build the well-being of the whole world.

• In Tokyo earlier Tuesday, the Secretary-General met with Tsutomu Hata and Yukio Hatoyama of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan and delivered a speech at a meeting hosted by the Japan Institute of International Affairs.

 WORLD NEEDS TO PAY ATTENTION TO FOOD CRISIS, CLIMATE CHANGE & MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

• Prior to attending the Group of Eight (G-8) Summit meeting in Toyako next week, the Secretary-General has written the G-8 leaders to tell them that the world is facing three challenges that require their urgent attention: the food crisis, climate change, and progress on the Millennium Development Goals.

• On the food crisis, he warns that, if we do not act decisively, an additional 100 million people may fall below the poverty line worldwide. He recommends an increase in the proportion of Official Development Assistance that goes to agricultural production and rural development, from the current level of 3 percent to a new level of 10 percent, without diverting funds from existing education or health budgets.

• On climate change, the Secretary-General says that we must arrive at a shared vision of what a new climate change agreement will look like, addressing all the building blocks agreed upon in Bali. And he once more urges leaders to scale up efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

 LEADERS AGREE IN PRINCIPLE ON SINGLE SOVEREIGNTY & CITIZENSHIP FOR FUTURE UNIFIED CYPRUS

• Greek Cypriot Leader Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot Leader Mehmet Ali Talat reached agreement in principle today on the issues of single sovereignty and citizenship for a future unified Cyprus.

• The agreement came at the end of a four-and-a-half hour meeting at the UN Protected Area in Nicosia. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Cyprus, Taye-Brook Zerihoun, read out a joint statement on behalf of the two leaders.

• Mr. Christofias and Mr. Talat will meet again on 25 July as work continues in preparation of full-fledged negotiations later this year.

• Asked whether Alexander Downer, Australia’s former foreign minister, had been appointed Special Adviser on Cyprus, the Spokeswoman said she could not yet confirm any appointment for Cyprus.

 NEW OPPORTUNITIES EXIST TO CONSOLIDATE LEBANON’S POLITICAL STABILITY

• The Secretary-General’s latest report on the implementation of resolution 1701, concerning Lebanon, went to the Security Council yesterday. In it, he says that, with the Doha agreement, there are new opportunities for the Lebanese people to consolidate the country’s political stability and create an environment conducive to further addressing the critical challenges facing the country. He says that he looks forward to the speedy establishment of a national unity Government and to the revitalization of the country’s constitutional institutions.

• The Secretary-General adds that the events witnessed during the violence in May illustrate starkly the risks to the foundation of the State of Lebanon that are posed by the actions of non-State actors.

• He says he is encouraged by the renewed declarations from the international community on the importance of finding a solution to the Shab’a Farms issue, and he plans to strengthen the diplomatic process aimed at resolving this key issue.

• And he expresses his concern that the air violations by Israel reached record levels during this past March and April.

 VIET NAM ASSUMES ROTATING SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

• With the start of a new month, the rotating Presidency of the Security Council has passed on from the United States to Viet Nam. The new Council President, Ambassador Le Luong Minh, is having bilateral meetings with other Council members today to discuss the programme of work for the coming month.

• The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on that programme tomorrow morning.

 REPORT LAYS OUT THE PRACTICAL STEPS NEEDED TO ACHIEVE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN AFRICA

• Today, on the final day of the African Union Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the Deputy Secretary-General, along with other officials, launched a report containing the recommendations of the Millennium Development Goals Africa Steering Group.

• In the report, the Group, which was an initiative of the Secretary-General, recommends: targeted investments in agriculture to launch a green revolution in Africa; stepped-up support to education and healthcare systems; major projects to fill critical gaps in the continent’s infrastructure and trade networks; and improvements in national statistical systems so that progress on the Millennium Development Goals can be tracked more effectively.

• The report also calls for greater quality and predictability of Official Development Assistance as disbursements increase to finance these investments.

 GLOBALIZATION, MARKET DEREGULATION AND RISING INEQUALITY CREATE GROWING ANXIETY ABOUT DIRECTION OF WORLD ECONOMY

• The Department of Economic and Social Affairs is launching its annual World Economic and Social Survey today. The report says there can be no doubt that we are living in a time of increased threats and vulnerabilities.  Bank runs, mortgage defaults, rising commodity prices, climate change and problems of conflict are all factors.

• Overall economic performance has been fairly strong in recent years, but globalization, market deregulation and rising inequality have created growing anxiety about the direction of the world economy. The social contract has been frayed in developing and developed countries alike, and more attention needs to be focused on rebuilding it through a policy agenda that successfully integrates economic and social polices. 

 MOZAMBIQUE: DISASTER SURVIVORS SHOULD STILL ENJOY RIGHTS TO HOUSING, HEALTH, EDUCATION

• Walter Kaelin, the Secretary-General’s Representative for the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, has just wrapped up a visit to Mozambique, a country that is affected by recurrent floods, cyclones and droughts.

• Kaelin stressed that relocation of those living in disaster-prone areas to safer zones can increase security, but should only be resorted to if there are no other solutions and if the relocation is sustainable.

• He underlined the importance of ensuring that disaster survivors can enjoy their rights – in a culturally acceptable manner – to adequate housing, health and education, particularly in relocation areas.

 PRICES FOR U.N. PUBLICATIONS TO BE REDUCED FOR POORER COUNTRIES

• Starting today, the price for United Nations publications will be reduced by 75% in least developed countries and by 50% in developing countries. This new marketing effort will make more than 4,000 United Nations publications affordable to educational institutions, students, teachers and researchers in poorer countries.

• The price in developed countries will continue to be set based on prevailing market conditions in those countries.

• The new pricing policy will apply both to print publications as well as PDF versions sold online.  For instance, the print edition of the Yearbook of the United Nations, which costs $175, would be available at half and one quarter the price, depending upon the country where it is sold.

• Each year, the United Nations adds approximately 900 new titles in multiple languages to its catalogue of publications, which reflect an array of subjects, such as peace and security, women and population, environment, health and urban issues, human rights, law and crime prevention, trade and technology.

 LIFE-SAVING THERAPEUTIC FOOD ARRIVES IN ETHIOPIA

• To meet the urgent needs of severely malnourished children in Ethiopia UNICEF has airlifted food to Addis Ababa last night.

• The airlift contained the ready-to-use therapeutic food Plumpy’Nut, a scientifically formulated nutrient-dense, peanut-based paste, to treat severe malnutrition for children without medical complications or serious illness

• The Government of Ethiopia estimates that 75,000 children in over 100 drought-affected districts are suffering from severe acute malnutrition at this time.

• UNICEF urgently calls for more resources considering the total number of children affected.

 LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN COMMISSION GETS FIRST FEMALE CHIEF

• Alicia Bárcena Ibarra of Mexico today assumes her duties as Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

• Bárcena is the first woman to hold the position of ECLAC Executive Secretary. She has identified financing for development, macroeconomic stability and progress towards a knowledge society as priorities issues for her tenure.

• The outgoing Executive Secretary, José Luis Machinea, welcomed her in the Santiago regional headquarters and bid farewell to ECLAC staff

• During Machinea’s term ECLAC increased its membership to include Germany, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and deepened its alliances with other international bodies.

 SECRETARY-GENERAL STANDS BEHIND ETHICS CHIEF

• In response to questions about a report by the head of the UN Ethics Office, Robert Benson, concerning claims of retaliation against a putative whistle-blower at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) involved in work in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Spokeswoman said that the Secretary-General supports Benson’s work. Benson speaks for the Secretariat on ethical issues, she noted.

• For its part, she noted, UNDP has also recently appointed its own ethics adviser.

• Montas said in response to further questions that every UN agency operates differently and has its own board, but the Secretary-General wants the same standards to apply to all agencies, funds and programmes.

• Asked whether UNDP would return to the DPRK, the Spokeswoman said that was a matter for UNDP’s board to consider.

 OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY TURNS 40: Today is the fortieth anniversary of the opening for signature of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In a message to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General says that, although the Treaty has suffered serious setbacks and faces multiple challenges to its credibility, it has also seen steady progress and significant measured success. He says that achieving the universality of the Treaty remains a priority. We are a long way from a nuclear-weapon free world, and the recent revival of interest to achieve this vision is welcome and promising, he adds.

FOOD STILL AN URGENT PRIORITY FOR BANGLADESH CYCLONE SURVIVORS: More than seven months after Cyclone Sidr struck Bangladesh, food still remains the most urgent priority for many families in devastated areas, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).  The next major harvest is not until November or December, and many households lack sufficient food reserves, as well as the money to afford the rising price of food. WFP recently completed its seventh round of general food distribution, reaching more than 1.5 million people with rice, pulses, edible oil, high-energy biscuits, and other food.

INCLUSIVE BUSINESS MODELS GOOD FOR HUMAN PROGRESS & WEALTH CREATION: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) today released a new report, which shows how more inclusive business models can be good for both human progress and wealth creation. It’s called: “Creating Value for All: Strategies for Doing Business with the Poor.” The report explains how companies can expand beyond traditional business practices and bring in the world’s poor as partners in growth and wealth creation.

RENEWABLE ENERGY INVESTMENT RISES: In a new study released today, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) says that investment in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries rose more than 60 per cent last year, to nearly $150 billion. UNEP cites the rise in oil prices as a major cause. Wind energy accounted for almost a third of investments in the sustainable energy sector.  But solar power grew most rapidly, making up roughly 20 per cent of the total. 

BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR MORE TO BE DONE IN MYANMAR BUT ALSO NOTES PROGRESS: Asked whether the Secretary-General is concerned by the treatment of people in Myanmar since his recent visit there, the Spokeswoman said that he had been urging that more be done there, but he had also noted the progress in getting aid to those who need it the most.

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