United Nations Daily Highlights, 05-05-09

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESMAN'S NOON BRIEFING

BY

MARIE OKABE

ASSOCIATE

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Monday, May 9, 2005

ANNAN, IN MOSCOW, ATTENDS 60TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION

OF END OF WORLD WAR II; GENERAL ASSEMBLY MARKS OCCASION

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is in Moscow today, where he attended the 60th observance of the "Victory in the Great Patriotic War" and a luncheon with other world leaders hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At UN headquarters,

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette this morning

addressed the General Assembly meeting the anniversary. Noting that the United Nations rose as fascism fell, she said that the most important task challenging the world today was defending the notion of humanity. She added that building a world fit for humankind was the best tribute the international community could pay to the millions who died in the war.

IN MOSCOW, ANNAN ATTENDS QUARTET MEETING ON MIDDLE EAST

The Secretary-General took part in a meeting, at the principals level, of the

Quartet dealing with the Middle East, which brings together the United Nations, the United States, the Russian Federation and the European Union.

In a statement issued after that meeting, the Quartet emphasized that this is a hopeful and promising moment for both Palestinians and Israelis, and that they deserve the full support of the international community in helping them with the hard work and difficult decisions required in order to make positive use of this opportunity.

The Quartet expressed its full support for its Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement, James Wolfensohn, and stressed the urgent need for Israelis and Palestinians to coordinate directly and fully on withdrawal preparations.

The Secretary-General also spoke to the press afterward and

said that the ultimate objective is to see a settlement in the region, based on UN resolutions

242 and

338.

On Sunday, the Secretary-General met in Moscow with Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, who is also one of his Special Envoys for the September Summit on UN reform. They discussed the state of play among Member States on UN reform, and she indicated her willingness to travel to discuss reform issues in the run-up to the Summit.

NEW U.N. ENVOYS APPOINTED FOR MIDDLE EAST AND IRAQ

The Secretary-General has

informed the Security Council of his intention to appoint Alvaro de Soto, of Peru, as UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and as his Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. De Soto, most recently the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Western Sahara, replaced Terje Roed-Larsen.

De Soto assumed his functions immediately and accompanied the Secretary-General to todays Quartet meeting in Moscow.

Also on Friday, the Secretary-General

appointed Michael von der Schulenberg of Germany as his Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs in Iraq. He will be based in Baghdad.

AFGHANISTAN: ANNAN CONDEMNS BOMBING THAT KILLED U.N. CONTRACTOR

The Secretary-General

condemns the suicide bombing which was carried out at an internet cafe in Kabul in the early evening of 7 May, killing three people including an international contractor working for the United Nations Office for Project Services. At least six Afghan nationals were injured in the incident.

The Secretary-General is concerned about the increase in violence witnessed in recent weeks. He calls upon the Government of Afghanistan, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led International Security Assistance Force for Afghanistan (ISAF), and the coalition forces to take the necessary measures to address the security situation.

The Secretary-General expresses his profound condolences to the bereaved families.

LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER WELCOMES U.N. ELECTORAL ASSISTANCE

The Secretary-General

met on Friday with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati. In that meeting, the Secretary-General reiterated his call for the full implementation of

resolution 1559.

He took note that Prime Minister Mikati had welcomed UN electoral assistance and the deployment of European Union electoral observers. The Secretary-General commended the Prime Minister for his efforts to ensure that the elections will be held on schedule and in a free and credible manner.

Meanwhile, on the topic of elections, the United Nations electoral team led by Carina Perelli officially began its mission in Lebanon today, meeting with acting Foreign Minister Elias Murr and Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabaa.

Perelli stated that the expertise of the United Nations, which has assisted over 200 electoral processes throughout the world, was at the disposition of the Lebanese authorities.

Perelli and her team will continue their consultations in Lebanon until 18 May, meeting with political actors, civil society and the international community.

Asked whether the United Nations will field a team in Lebanon, the Spokeswoman said that, while the United Nations will not itself observe the elections, it will field a team that will remain in Lebanon during the holding of parliamentary elections. The team will coordinate and support international observers sent by other countries and organizations, liaising with the Lebanese electoral authorities, the observer groups, and the national monitoring groups.

Asked when the UN verification team in Lebanon is due to complete its work, the Spokeswoman said they were expected to report back during this month.

SUDAN: AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN DARFUR NEEDS STRENGTHENING

The

report of the Secretary-General on UN assistance to the African Union (AU) mission in Sudan is out as a document today.

In it, the Secretary-General notes that the AU mission in Darfur is effective in the areas it is deployed, and therefore needs strengthening, in order to expand its presence to cover more of the vast and difficult terrain.

The AU mission has been a groundbreaking initiative for the African Union and its supporters within the international community. The Mission has accomplished a remarkable amount in a very short time and despite significant constraints.

The Secretary-General says it is now critical for all concerned to do their part.

States members of the African Union must now identify personnel to join the mission; the AU Commission must strengthen planning and management capacity in order to support an expanded mission; and partners must provide the African Union with the means required to carry out a costly and challenging task.

The report also outlines a concept of a complex, multinational 12,000 strong operation to contribute to a secure environment in Darfur in time of the 2006 planting season.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme

announced that it began airlifting food today from a Libyan airport directly into Darfur, pioneering a new route to move as much food aid as possible to nearly two million people during the rainy season.

U.N. REPRESENTATIVES MEET WITH SUDANESE MILITARY GROUPS

The first meeting of the Ceasefire Joint Military Committee, including observers representing the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army and the United Nations, was held yesterday at the UN Joint Military Coordination Office in Juba,

Sudan.

The UN military representatives and the observers spent 2 hours discussing the military tasks and objectives covered in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), and agreed to hold regular meetings, approximately every 2 weeks, in order to ensure that the military and security forces of both Parties fulfill their obligations under that agreement.

ANNAN TAKES STEPS TO IMPROVE U.N.S STRATEGIC DIRECTION

AND BUILD STRONGER CULTURE OF PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

On Friday, Chef de Cabinet Mark Malloch Brown sent out a note to all UN staff, informing them of the Secretary-Generals decision to form two small committees to improve strategic direction and build a stronger culture of performance and accountability.

The first is the Policy Committee, which will meet weekly and focus on issues requiring strategic guidance and decisions, as well as identifying emerging issues. The second is the Management Committee, which will meet monthly and deal with internal reform and management issues. Both will be chaired by the Secretary-General.

Malloch Brown this morning held an extraordinary general meeting with UN staff in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, to discuss UN reform and other staff issues.

LINKS BETWEEN FOOD AID AND TRADE REFORM NEED TO BE RECOGNIZED

James Morris, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), today

called on members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to support and recognize the importance of food aid, as they negotiate agricultural trade reform.

Morris, who was for the first time addressing WTO representatives from Africa and the least developed countries, said the nutritional impact of food aid should be strengthened for those who needed it. At the same time, he added that any commercial distortion that food aid might have on global and local markets should be minimized.

UNITED NATIONS FOLLOWING VOLCKER COMMITTEES LEAD

ON QUESTIONS OF IMMUNITY

Asked whether the United Nations would waive the immunity of staff on Paul Volckers

Independent Inquiry Committee, the Spokeswoman said the matter was being dealt with between Volcker and members of the U.S. Congress.

The United Nations is supporting whatever the Independent Inquiry Committee does, every step of the way, she said, and is following Volckers lead on the matter. She added, in reply to another question, that she was familiar with a letter that the Committees legal counsel had sent on that issue.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

FARM SCHOOLS SET UP FOR AFRICAN AIDS ORPHANS: AIDS orphans in Africa are being helped to improve their often desperate living conditions by learning agricultural techniques in specially designed schools, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

said today. To date, FAO has set up 34 such schools for some 1,000 young people in Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia. Many of these children are not able to farm because their parents could not pass on the necessary agricultural knowledge before dying of AIDS.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION BAD FOR SECURITY: In a

message to the International Conference on Environment, Peace and the Dialogue among Civilizations and Cultures, being held in Tehran, Iran, the Secretary-General said that international efforts to promote security, development and human rights, and to pursue sustainable development, would all be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated. The message was delivered by Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme.

ANNAN CALLS FOR EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN: In a

message to the Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on the Advancement of Women, being held today and tomorrow in Putrajaya, Malaysia, the Secretary-General acknowledged that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. In the message, the Secretary-General also urged the international community to remember that promoting gender equality is not only womens responsibility it is the responsibility of all of us.

PARTIES GATHER TO DISCUSS LIBERIAS RECONSTRUCTION: Today and tomorrow in Copenhagen, top officials from Liberias National Transitional Government

will update the countrys partners on its progress since the Liberia Reconstruction Conference. Co-organized by the UN and the World Bank, this second Technical Meeting will bring together representatives of donor countries, international financial institutions, UN agencies, regional organizations, and civil society representatives.

UNICEF SUPPORTS REINTEGRATION EFFORTS FOR CHILD CAMEL JOCKEYS: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) today

signed an agreement to provide some $2.7 million to help in the return and re-integration of child camel jockeys in their home communities. The agreement will complement ongoing efforts from the UAE government to exclude all underage children in camel racing, and to strengthen measures to prevent the exploitation and abuse of children brought in from other countries.

NO MEETINGS IN SECURITY COUNCIL: The

Security Council has no meetings or consultations scheduled for today. Consultations on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which had been previously scheduled for this afternoon, have been rescheduled for Thursday.

U.N. ENVOY GETS PEACE AWARD:

Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, has been awarded the 2005 Sydney Peace Prize for his lifetime commitment to human rights and efforts to protect children in time of war.