United Nations Daily Highlights, 10-04-09

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

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY FARHAN HAQ

ASSOCIATE

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, April 9, 2010

SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON DISPATCHES SPECIAL ENVOY TO KYRGYZSTAN

Jan Kubis is on his way to Kyrgyzstan as the Secretary-General's special

envoy. Once there, Kubis will meet constitutional authorities and representatives of relevant political groups.

Kubis will then fly to New York to brief the Secretary-General on his fact-finding mission. He is liaising closely with the special envoys from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union.

HAITI: AGENCIES TEAM UP TO RELOCATE DISPLACED AT RISK IN PETIONVILLE CAMP

In Haiti, agencies are teaming up to relocate several thousand people, at risk of potential flooding, from the Petionville Club settlement in Port-au-Prince.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 7,500 people were identified as being at risk. The agencies also worked with the UN Mission in the country,

MINUSTAH, and others to identify priority areas within where work has to be carried out to prevent flooding and mudslides.

People living in dangerous areas were presented with voluntary relocation options. When those are not possible, relocation will be facilitated to the new Corail Cesselesse site. The first day of relocation to this site is scheduled for tomorrow. The process is expected to take several days.

The Corail Cesselesse site will include health care and food distribution services as well as specialized services for children, such as a learning area provided by the UNs Children Fund (UNICEF).

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TRAVEL TO HAITI, FOCUS ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE

The Secretary-General has made clear his concerns about the difficult living conditions in the camps for displaced Haitians and, in particular, reports of sexual violence against women and children. As he

informed you earlier this month, he is dispatching the Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, to

Haiti to survey the situation in the camps, assess the steps that have been taken and explore areas for further action.

The Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Haiti this Sunday, where she will meet with President René Préval and other senior Government officials. She pay night time visits to camps for Haitians displaced and meet with residents and police there, in order to assess the efforts to protect the people there from sexual violence and related problems.

She will also visit Leogane on Monday and discuss child protection issues with Haitian officials. She intends to speak to the press on Tuesday before she returns to New York. The Deputy Secretary-General will be the guest at the Noon Briefing next Wednesday.

SUDAN: HEAD OF PEACEKEEPING CONCERNED OVER ASPECTS OF ELECTORAL ENVIRONMENT

After his briefing yesterday to the

Security Council on the status of preparations for the upcoming elections in

Sudan, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Alain Le Roy, issued remarks to the press, noting that the United Nations has been providing technical assistance and some limited logistical support to Sudans National Election Commission.

Le Roy said that we continue to express some concerns regarding aspects of the electoral environment. We have encouraged the Government, the National Election Commission and political parties to take steps to ensure respect for political freedoms and equal access to the media.

We are encouraged by some steps taken in this regard, the Under-Secretary-General added. But it will be for observers to assess the elections. It will be important that the process and results be regarded as legitimate by the Sudanese population.

Meanwhile, our UNifeed service will be distributing election coverage from Sudan, via the UNTV fiber lines and on its website

www.un.org/unifeed. That coverage will begin on Sunday at 7:30 EDT -11:30 GMT.

In response to a question yesterday concerning the European Unions withdrawal of observers from Darfur, the UN understands that the EU has withdrawn its six electoral observers from Darfur because of insecurity and movement restrictions. This is unfortunate, but it is for the EU to decide whether the security and other conditions are in place for their personnel. We are encouraged that there will be approximately 750 international and 18,000 domestic observers monitoring these elections throughout the country.

FLOW OF PEOPLE CROSSING GULF OF ADEN IS SLOWING

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that the flow of people crossing the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea has slowed in recent months. The largest drop was registered in the number of the new Somali arrivals: some 3,200 Somali refugees have arrived in Yemen this year, which is approximately a third of their number during the first quarter of 2009.

The drop in the number of Somali arrivals was unfortunately not driven by improvement of conditions inside Somalia, UNHCR says. The first three months of 2010 had recorded some of highest displacement rates since last year, with an estimated 169,000 people being forced to leave their homes in south central Somalia, particularly from Mogadishu.

NEW ROUND OF U.N. CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS START IN GERMANY

The first round of formal United Nations negotiations on climate changed following the Copenhagen Conference has started today in Bonn, Germany.

According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the meeting is designed to decide the organization of work in 2010, including the number and duration of any additional UNFCCC negotiating sessions in the second half of 2010, in the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Mexico which will start at the end of November.

Around 1,700 delegates from 174 countries are meeting in Bonn until Sunday, 11 April. The Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC is scheduled hold a press conference that day.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CHAIRS CHIEF EXECUTIVES BOARD IN VIENNA

Today and tomorrow, the Secretary-General is chairing a session in Vienna of the Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), which brings together the heads of the UN system worldwide.

Hell be back in New York this weekend, having wrapped up his visit to the five Central Asian countries and to Austria.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO DISCUSS NON-PROLIFERATION INITIATIVES IN WASHINGTON: Asked what the Secretary-General would highlight when he attends next weeks summit in Washington, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General would discuss his non-proliferation initiatives, including the Action Plan on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation. He also intends to meet some of the leaders attending the summit.

DEPUTY SPECIAL ENVOY TO HAITI ENDED ASSIGNEMENT IN MARCH: Asked about the former Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, Kim Bolduc, the Spokesperson said that Bolducs assignment in Haiti ended at the end of March at her own request. Bolduc remains a UNDP staff member, he added.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Saturday, 10 April

The Secretary-General will wrap up his visit to Vienna, Austria.

Sunday, 11 April

Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, will depart to Haiti for a two-day official visit.

Starting today, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres will begin a five-day mission to Tanzania.

Starting today, UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, will begin an official visit to Egypt until 21 April

Monday, 12 April

The Secretary-General will attend the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC.

The Security Council is scheduled to have consultations in the morning on Support for African Union peacekeeping.

Ms. Margot Wallström, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sexual Violence in Conflict, will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo from 12 to 18 April 2010.

In Nairobi, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) will hold the African Ministerial Conference on Weather, Climate and Water Information until 16 April.

In Salvador, Brazil, the 12th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will run through 19 April.

Tuesday, 13 April

The Secretary-General will attend the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC

This morning, the Security Council will meet to discuss the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).

Hania Zlotnik, Director of the Population Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will hold a press conference to talk about the growing burden of non-communicable diseases on health systems and development on at 1.15 p.m.

Wednesday, 14 April

This morning, the Security Council will hold an open debate on the situation in the Middle East.

Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, will be guest at the noon briefing, to brief on her recent visit to Haiti.

The Secretary-General will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. on the subject of Maternal and Child Health.

At 11:30 a.m., Dr. David Nabarro, senior UN System Influenza Coordinator, will brief the UN press corps on the upcoming International Ministerial Conference on Animal and Pandemic Influenza (Hanoi, 20-21 April), and on the annual global progress report on animal and pandemic influenza (including both H5N1 and H1N1).

Thursday, 15 April

The Security Council will hold consultations on the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and on Côte dIvoire.

The Commission of Inquiry looking into Benazir Bhutto's assassination will turn in their report to the Secretary-General. At 4:30 p.m., they will hold a press conference, moderated by the Commissions Chairman, Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz.

Friday, 16 April

This morning, the Security Council will hold an open debate in the morning on post-conflict peacebuilding.

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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