UN ADOPTS NEW INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT TO PROTECT WORLD'S FORESTS

UN ADOPTS NEW INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT TO PROTECT WORLD'S FORESTS
New York, Apr 28 2007 11:00PM
After 15 years of discussions and negotiations on a global approach to protect the world's forests, countries meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York have adopted a landmark agreement on international forest policy and cooperation following two weeks of intense negotiations.

The final agreement was reached after delegates to the UN Forum on Forests worked through the night, concluding just after dawn this morning. Exhausted delegates nevertheless called the agreement a milestone, noting it was the first time States have agreed to an international instrument for sustainable forest management."

Forum on Forest Chair Hans Hoogeveen, hailed the agreement as an "outstanding achievement" and said it ushered in "a new chapter" in forest management. Mr. Hoogeveen earlier told the delegates that the livelihoods of over a billion of the world's poor are at stake. "We have only one planet to share, and we must ensure its health and sustainability."

The new agreement, although not legally binding, sets a standard in forest management that is expected to have a major impact on international cooperation and national action to reduce deforestation, prevent forest degradation, promote sustainable livelihoods and reduce poverty for all forest-dependent peoples.

More than 1.6 billion people, according to World Bank estimates, depend on forests for their livelihoods. The forest product industry is a source of economic growth and employment, with global forest products traded internationally in the order of $270 billion.

At the same time, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 13 million hectares of the world's forests are lost due to deforestation every year, which, in turn accounts for up to 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The world's forests and forest soils store more than one trillion tons of carbon – twice the amount found in the atmosphere.

Pekka Patosaari, Director of the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat, told delegates that the agreement was a major step toward the creation of a new "people-centred" forest policy. "You have sent a clear message to the global community on the critical role of forests in internationally development."

For years countries debated whether to negotiate a formal treaty or a non-legally binding instrument on forest management. But many developing countries with significant forest cover objected to any action that would compromise their sovereignty or control over their natural resources.

The resulting agreement, however, is considered a reflection of a strong international commitment to promote on the ground implementation of sustainable forest management through a new, more holistic approach that brings all stakeholders together. In addition, the agreement is expected to reinforce practical measures at the country-level to integrate forests more closely with other government policies.

Another area of disagreement that has long plagued forest negotiations concerned a financing mechanism to mobilize funding for sustainable forest management. The agreement calls on countries to adopt, by 2009, a voluntary global financing mechanism for forest management.
2007-04-28 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL TEAM'S MEETINGS IN KOSOVO CAUSE FOR CONFIDENCE, OFFICIAL SAYS

SECURITY COUNCIL TEAM'S MEETINGS IN KOSOVO CAUSE FOR CONFIDENCE, OFFICIAL SAYS
New York, Apr 28 2007 9:00PM
The head of a United Nations Security Council team travelling in the Balkans today said its meetings in Kosovo give cause for confidence on the future of the Serbian province that has been run by the United Nations since Western forces drove Yugoslav troops out in 1999.

Following talks with the President and Prime Minister in Pristina, Belgian Ambassador Johan Verbeke said the delegation he is leading "got a message of confidence, a clear and articulated view on what the current and future policies may be."

Commenting on meetings with Serbian political leaders, he added: "We saw that their view is also one which is one of a belief in the future of Kosovo, but that still we will have to work on further confidence and willingness to work together for a multi ethnic society."

The aim of the trip is to provide Council members with a first-hand understanding of the social, political and economic situation in Kosovo. In particular, the mission will assess whether agreed standards – a set of eight overall targets that include building democratic institutions, enforcing minority rights, creating a functioning economy and setting up an impartial legal system – have been implemented.

Last month, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the future status process Martti Ahtisaari asserted that the only viable option for Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by nine to one, is independence in a phased process with initial supervision by the international community.

Calling Kosovo "a unique case that demands a unique solution," Mr. Ahtisaari said in a report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that independence is the only way the province, where unemployment is close to 60 per cent, can become politically stable and economically viable.

Council members "are now seized by these reports and will have to act upon them," said Ambassador Verbeke. "Acting is for the future; where we are now is collecting all the necessary elements of information which must enable us to act responsibly in the coming weeks."

While in Kosovo, administered now by the UN Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK), the delegation met also with members of different communities and visited the divided city of Mitrovica.

"The most important message which we registered was one of confidence, of willingness of building a strong multiethnic society, work to the future, make sure that commitments and engagements are being properly kept so that all communities living here can trust each other, work together with each other for the better future of Kosovo," said Ambassador Verbeke.
2007-04-28 00:00:00.000

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UN FOOD AGENCY WELCOMES $55 MILLION CONTRIBUTION FROM SOUTHERN SUDAN

UN FOOD AGENCY WELCOMES $55 MILLION CONTRIBUTION FROM SOUTHERN SUDAN
New York, Apr 28 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a $55 million contribution from the Government of Southern Sudan for the agency's rebuilding projects in the region, which is recovering from a 21-year conflict.

In a meeting between WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran and southern Sudan's Minister of Roads and Transport, Rebecca Garang Nyandeng, the minister announced that the Government would donate $41 million to the agency's Road Building and Demining Programme plus an additional $14 million towards refurbishing several airstrips in southern Sudan.

"Now that peace has been restored to the south, WFP is moving from emergency programming to helping people restore their independence and livelihoods. Rebuilding roads destroyed during the war is critical to that effort," Ms. Sheeran told the transport minister during their meeting in Juba on Friday.

"Where we have been able to rebuild roads, food costs have gone down 50 per cent and the cost of transportation has gone down as much as 60 per cent," she said.

This is the second major humanitarian donation made to WFP by the southern Sudan Government, which last year donated $30 million to the roads project, which has rebuilt nearly 2,000 kilometres of roads and removed more than 200,000 unexploded ordnance in the region since 2004.

A further 1,000 km of roads are scheduled to be rebuilt in 2007. The total cost of the roads project is $183 million.

The roads project was launched to make it easier to deliver food assistance in southern Sudan after the end of the North-South civil war, but the long-term benefits to the region's economy are its lasting contribution to food security, said Ms Sheeran, who also met with southern Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit during a one-day visit to Juba.

She reiterated WFP's commitment to helping build the peace with programmes such as Food for Work, which will increase by 25 per cent this year, and School Fe
the South. WFP will also provide three-month rations to an estimated 430,000 returnees.

Ms Sheeran continued her tour of the region with a trip to Chad, where she was scheduled to meet with government officials regarding humanitarian challenges on the country's border with Sudan.

2007-04-28 00:00:00.000

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UN HEALTH AGENCY CALLS FOR PREVENTION OF CANCER THROUGH WORKPLACE SAFETY

UN HEALTH AGENCY CALLS FOR PREVENTION OF CANCER THROUGH WORKPLACE SAFETY
New York, Apr 28 2007 11:00AM
Spotlighting the many preventable deaths caused by exposure to carcinogens, the United Nations health agency marked World Day for Safety and Health at Work with a call for the removal of these dangerous substances from job sites.

Every year, at least 200,000 people die from cancer related to their workplace, WHO said in a message on the occasion, observed every year on 28 April, stressing that "the risks for occupational cancer are preventable."

Lung cancer, mesothelioma and bladder cancer are among the most common types of occupational cancers, according to WHO. Currently about 125 million people around the world are exposed to asbestos at work, and at least 90,000 people die each year from asbestos-related diseases. Thousands more die from leukemia caused by exposure to benzene, an organic solvent widely used by workers, including in the chemical and diamond industries.

"The tragedy of occupational cancer resulting from asbestos, benzene and other carcinogens is that it takes so long for science to be translated into protective action," said Maria Neira, WHO Director of Public Health and Environment.

"Known and preventable exposures are clearly responsible for hundreds of thousands of excess cancer cases each year. In the interests of protecting our health, we must adopt an approach rooted in primary prevention -- that is to make workplaces free from carcinogenic risks," Dr. Neira said.
Most cancer deaths caused by occupational risk factors occur in the developed world, WHO said, blaming the wide use of different carcinogenic substances such as blue asbestos, 2-naphthylamine and benzene 20 to 30 years ago. But it warned that if the current unregulated use of carcinogens in the developing world continues, a significant increase in occupational cancer can be expected there in the coming decades.

"The control of carcinogens in the workplace should be a key component of every national cancer control progr
WHO Medical Officer for cancer control. "To achieve this, WHO supports countries in developing comprehensive national cancer prevention and control plans, which are essential to prevent millions of cancer deaths each year."

The agency urged governments and industry to ensure that workplaces are equipped with adequate measures to meet health and safety standards and that they are free from dangerous pollutants. It called for stopping the use of asbestos, introducing benzene-free organic solvents and technologies that convert the carcinogenic chromium into a non-carcinogenic form, banning tobacco use at the workplace, and providing protective clothes for people working in the sun.

2007-04-28 00:00:00.000

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ATTACKS TARGETING SCHOOLS AND EDUCATIONAL STAFF ON THE RISE - UN REPORT

ATTACKS TARGETING SCHOOLS AND EDUCATIONAL STAFF ON THE RISE – UN REPORT
New York, Apr 27 2007 7:00PM
Deliberate political or military violence targeting education systems, from the assassination or abduction of teachers and students to the bombings and burnings of schools and universities, has jumped dramatically in a number of countries around the world, according to a United Nations report released today.

The report from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) found that the perpetrators of most attacks committed them with impunity and there was limited if any systematic monitoring of incidents against schools or people connected to them.

It recommended the introduction of urgent measures to deter further attacks, including by giving extra resources to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to bring more education-related cases to trial.

<i><"http://www.unesco.org/education/attack/educationunderattack.pdf">Education under attack</i> concluded that it was not clear yet whether the recent rise in targeted attacks on students, educational staff and institutions reflected a disturbing new trend or merely the fluctuating levels of conflict around the world.

The situation is worst in Iraq, where only 30 per cent of the country's 3.5 million pupils attend classes now, down from 75 per cent a year ago. At least 3,000 academics have fled the country – partly in response to the killing of 280 of their colleagues since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 – and Baghdad's universities say that attendance there has slumped by two thirds.

But violent attacks are also preventing pupils from attending school or university in other countries, especially Afghanistan, Colombia, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand.

The nature of the attacks varies widely, from the abduction of thousands of children to work as child soldiers to the multiple bomb blasts that have killed dozens of students at schools in Iraq.

Launching the report today at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura urged national authorities and the international community to stand united against such attacks.

"Education is one of the pillars of development, prosperity and peace," Mr. Matsuura said. "It is a human right. We must do our utmost to defend and ensure the security of those who are working in this vital area."

The report calls for stepped-up action worldwide to end impunity for attacks and the need for wider application of human rights instruments to protect students and teachers who face attacks.

It is dedicated to the memory of Safia Ama Jan, who UNESCO lauds as "a champion of efforts to get Afghan girls into school, who was shot and killed outside her home in Kandahar in September, 2006."
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF CONDEMNS INDISCRIMINATE MORTAR ATTACK ON SOMALI HOSPITAL

UNICEF CONDEMNS INDISCRIMINATE MORTAR ATTACK ON SOMALI HOSPITAL
New York, Apr 27 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today condemned a mortar attack on a hospital in the Somali capital Mogadishu, which has been wracked by escalating violence in recent weeks.

"We deplore the indiscriminate shelling of a medical facility," said Christian Balslev-Olesen, UNICEF's Representative in Somalia. "It is an action that is totally unacceptable and one for which no justification can be given."

According to UN estimates, 340,000 people – roughly one-third of the city's population – have fled the deadly clashes in the capital Mogadishu since the start of February, and this number is expected to increase as more information becomes available.

"Where is the accountability in this conflict?" Mr. Balslev-Olesen asked. "Every day thousands of displaced people – most of them women and children – are living a nightmare of violence" and "enduring a perilous and intolerable existence."

He also voiced frustration that the agency's efforts to deliver urgently needed relief supplies is being hampered by the insecurity. "We cannot access our warehouses in Mogadishu and we cannot effectively reach the people who need our assistance the most."

According to <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_39476.html">UNICEF, child protection monitors in the capital report that children have been victims of indiscriminate shooting and shelling. Displacement is also forcing women to leave their children unattended as they search for food, water and shelter. The agency is working with its partners on the ground to identify and reunite hundreds of children who have lost their parents during the violence with their families.

Since January, almost 17,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) have been reported in central and southern Somalia, which includes Mogadishu and surrounding areas. As of mid-April, there have been 593 deaths and nearly 40 confirmed cases of cholera.

UNICEF also appealed for $11.5 million to meet the nutrition, health, education and protection needs of children affected by the conflict.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news">UNHCR) and other organizations have finished their first round of supplying aid in the small town of Afgooye, 30 kilometres west of the capital, and now home to 35,000 people who escaped the hostilities in Mogadishu.

Among other supplies, the agency provided plastic sheeting to the displaced, who had previously been sleeping under trees.

"They now at least have a shelter to protect them and their children from the scorching sun, the chilly nights and the soaking rains," UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler said at a press briefing in Geneva.

UNHCR plans to begin another phase of distributing relief supplies tomorrow morning, which will help a further 13,500 people. Supplies were airlifted from Dubai to the town of Baidoa, 200 kilometres from Afgooye. Trucks carrying the items arrived in Afgooye after being blocked yesterday when Ethiopian soldiers closed a bridge on the town's outskirts.

The agency's Somali staff in the town state that Mogadishu has become a ghost town, with more than half of its neighbourhoods now deserted.

Meanwhile, according to his spokesperson Michele Montas, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this week informed the Security Council in a letter that he intends to extend the mandate of his Special Representative for the country François Lonsény Fall by one year.

With the renewed mandate, Mr. Fall will serve in his current position until 8 May 2008.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED FUND AGAINST DISEASE SEEKS TO RAMP UP SPENDING BY 2010

UN-BACKED FUND AGAINST DISEASE SEEKS TO RAMP UP SPENDING BY 2010
New York, Apr 27 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria needs to treble its spending by 2010 to keep up with demand for its financing that is projected to rise around the world, especially in developing countries, the Fund's Board agreed today.

The Fund is seeking between $6 billion and $8 billion each year from 2008 to 2010, depending on the level of demand in the world's poorest countries, the Board concluded at a meeting in Geneva.

Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine called the new projected spending "an inspiring challenge" to both donors and the people who work on Fund-backed projects in more than 130 nations.

"The Board's vision of tripling or even quadrupling the size of the Global Fund is a strong vote of confidence for our work. Programmes we support are currently saving 3,000 lives per day," Dr. Kazatchkine said.

"The increase in funding will allow the world to do much, much more, to reach G-8 and UN goals like providing AIDS treatment to all who need it, having every African child sleep under a bed net, and cutting the death toll of TB in half."

Recognizing that raising $6-8 billion per year requires substantially increased contributions, the Board called on all stakeholders to play their part to mobilize the extra funding. Donors will meet in Berlin in September to secure initial funding pledges for the 2008-2010 period.

Set up in 2002 on the initiative of then Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Global Fund is a public-private partnership that has committed $7.1 billion so far to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in 136 countries. The three diseases kill more than 6 million people a year, and that number is growing.

The Fund the Fund works closely with international partners, including the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the UN World Health Organization (WHO), on many of the projects it supports.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UN PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION DISCUSSES STRATEGY FOR BURUNDI

UN PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION DISCUSSES STRATEGY FOR BURUNDI
New York, Apr 27 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, which was established to help countries recovering from war avoid a relapse of violence, today held talks in New York on its strategy for Burundi, which suffered decades of ethnic conflict pitting the Hutu majority against the Tutsi minority.

"The strategic framework is a document that should highlight the make or break priorities for sustaining peace in Burundi, and outline those commitments needed from the government and the international community to meet those priorities," said Norway's Ambassador Johan Løvald, who chaired the informal meeting and recently led a mission to the country.

"To be most useful, the framework should not include a listing of needs, all of which are already well documented in existing frameworks and strategies, but should rather articulate those issues that will be critical for safeguarding peace in Burundi."

The strategic framework recognizes the responsibility of the country's leaders towards achieving stability, said Youssef Mahmoud, Executive Representative of the Secretary-General in Burundi.

"This vision is one of a country where the ghost of the ethnic conflict and civil war will wiped out forever," he declared.

But he stressed that the most immediate priority is effective implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement between the Government and the Palipehutu-National Liberation Forces (Palipehutu-FNL).

Another major challenge is the urgent need to quickly reach a national consensus on the justice mechanisms of transition and to assure progress toward national reconciliation, he said, calling for consolidation of democratic culture. Security forces, he stressed, must always act in the interests of the population, while ex-fighters must be reintegrated into society.

International support for Burundi is also key to the consolidation of peace, he said, proposing a series of consultations next month with all partners in this effort.

Established in December 2005, the Commission focuses on reconstruction, institution-building and the promotion of sustainable development in post-conflict countries.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UN LAUNCHES LEADERSHIP CAPACITY SCHEME FOR WORLD'S POOREST COUNTRIES

UN LAUNCHES LEADERSHIP CAPACITY SCHEME FOR WORLD'S POOREST COUNTRIES
New York, Apr 27 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations has launched a programme to develop the national leadership capacity in the world's least developed countries (LDCs), a group of States on the lowest economic rung.

To be carried out in partnership with UN agencies, donor countries and civil society organizations, the programme aims to use methods that have proven successful in development and corporate worlds to strengthen the ability of LDCs to address core development challenges, ranging from fighting HIV/AIDS to reducing poverty.

"This is a very important initiative that will build the capacity of LDCs to address major development concerns in a sustainable manner by tapping the unique strengths of individuals, communities and organizations in those countries," said Anwarul K. Chowdhury, the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States during Wednesday's launch at UN Headquarters in New York.

Mr. Chowdhury said that the programme was a timely response to the observation made during last year's mid-term review of the Programme of Action for LDCs in Cotonou, Benin, where participants called for "support to LDCs in their efforts for leadership and capacity development with special focus on the young people and women."

The programme will initially be implemented in nine countries – Cambodia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Mr. Chowdhury said that it will be extended to 20 more by the end of the year, with the target of covering all of the 50 LDCs in the following year.

At the launch, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Executive Director Kul Gautam observed that a large proportion of the population of LDCs is composed of young people, who could be a major resource if given the necessary opportunities, but also a reservoir for discontent if neglected.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT GROUP ON DARFUR TO HOLD MEETING WITH SUDAN

UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT GROUP ON DARFUR TO HOLD MEETING WITH SUDAN
New York, Apr 27 2007 6:00PM
The Group of Experts on Darfur established by the United Nations Human Rights Council last month <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/9E27420BC543CEF8C12572CA00474B8A?opendocument">announced plans today to meet with senior Sudanese Government officials next month to discuss how to introduce practical measures to improve the human rights situation in the war-torn region.

Wrapping up its first consultative meeting in Geneva, the seven-member group of independent experts said they would meet the Sudanese representatives in the Swiss city from 23 to 25 May.

"The meeting will identify practical steps to be taken as a matter of priority to implement the relevant resolutions of the UN human rights mechanisms with regards to Darfur," according to a statement issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/english/">OHCHR).

"In addition, the meeting will assess the needs of the Sudan in order to ensure effective implementation of those steps."

The Group of Experts on Darfur was created on 30 March in a Council resolution adopted by consensus, and it is expected to report to the next session in June on the results of its meeting later next month.

That meeting has been scheduled amid mounting international concern at the human rights situation inside Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million others forced to flee their homes since 2003 because of fighting between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias and rebel groups. Numerous towns and villages have been torched and there have reports of deliberate targeting of civilians.

Sima Samar, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan, presides over the experts' group. The other members are: the Secretary-General's Special Representative for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, the Secretary-General's Special Representative on the situation of human rights defenders, Hina Jilani; the Secretary-General's Representative on human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Walter Kälin; the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture, Manfred Nowak; and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Ertürk.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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DEATH OF MASTER RUSSIAN CELLIST AND UNESCO GOODWILL AMBASSADOR MOURNED

DEATH OF MASTER RUSSIAN CELLIST AND UNESCO GOODWILL AMBASSADOR MOURNED
New York, Apr 27 2007 6:00PM
The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=37657&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) today expressed his "profound sadness" at the death of the great Russian cellist who also served as Goodwill Ambassador for the agency.

"I have always admired this exceptional musician, who knew how to turn his immense talent into an instrument for the defence of human rights," Koïchiro Matsuura said in a statement. "His genius enabled him to practice his art unrelentingly at the service of tolerance, the sound of his cello moving us to the quick."

Mr. Rostropovich participated in the 1999 UNESCO-backed programme, the International Appeal for the Arts Education and Creativity at School.

With his wife, the famed singer Galina Vichnievskaia, he created a programme to provide measles-mumps-rubella vaccinations to children in Azerbaijan, and as a result, more than 700,000 children are immunized every year through the Vishnevskaya-Rostropovich Foundation.

"In his life Rostropovich embodied a high idea of the dialogue among cultures and civilizations," Mr. Matsuura said. "Committed to promoting freedom of expression alongside UNESCO, he lent his support to many cultural and educational projects throughout the world."

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Mr. Matsuura awarded UNESCO's Mozart gold medal to Mr. Rostropovich for his work as a Goodwill Ambassador.

"He was always ready to help, present at our sides," Mr. Matsuura remembered of the celebrated musician.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL LIFTS BAN ON DIAMOND EXPORTS FROM LIBERIA

SECURITY COUNCIL LIFTS BAN ON DIAMOND EXPORTS FROM LIBERIA
New York, Apr 27 2007 6:00PM
The Security Council <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9006.doc.htm">voted today to lift its six-year-old ban on the export of diamonds from Liberia that was introduced to stop proceeds from the sale of these so-called "blood diamonds" from fuelling wars across West Africa.

In a resolution adopted unanimously, the Council agreed that Liberia has made enough progress towards establishing the necessary internal controls to satisfy the minimum requirements of the Kimberley Process to justify ending the embargo.

But the 15-member body also agreed to review, if necessary, its decision to lift the embargo within 90 days.

Begun in 2000 by southern African diamond-producing countries, the Kimberley Process led to the adoption in November 2002 in Interlaken, Switzerland, of the international Certification Scheme for rough diamonds, based primarily on national certification schemes and on internationally-agreed minimum standards.

Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom, which holds the rotating Council presidency for this month, said after today's resolution that he was hopeful Liberia would soon fully join the Kimberley Process.

"That's a reflection of our confidence in that country [and] in its leadership, and I wish that it should now progress quickly," Mr. Jones Parry said.

Liberian Ambassador Lami Kawah said the decision "means a lot to Liberia and the people of Liberia as we move forward," adding that the Government was happy to continue with the monitoring process over its diamond trade.

Trafficking in blood diamonds is considered one of the root causes of the civil wars that have plagued West Africa, especially in Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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MILLIONS EXCLUDED FROM ECONOMIC GROWTH IN EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA - UN

MILLIONS EXCLUDED FROM ECONOMIC GROWTH IN EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA – UN
New York, Apr 27 2007 6:00PM
Millions of people, especially children, across Eastern Europe and Central Asia are not reaping the benefits of rapid economic expansion in the region, according to figures released by the United Nations today.

The collection of statistics, entitled "Regional MDGInfo," was culled by the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF), the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (<"http://www.unece.org/">UNECE), and spans the period from 1988 to 2005.

According to the findings, children in the region are suffering as badly as other children in the poorest parts of the world, with Tajikistan and Albania having the same levels of stunted growth among children below the age of five as the least developed countries.

There is also a large number of children in institutions. Russia has the highest rate of children in residential care, with the study showing that 1,200 children out of every 100,000 are placed in institutions.

Women are also being left behind in spite of the economic growth. With Romania and Bulgaria as the exception, the rest of the countries surveyed in 2003 reflected a 30 per cent different between the average wages of men and women. In some countries, the gap was greater than 50 per cent.

Half of the populations of five of the region's nations are living on less than $2 per day.

"These statistics, or welfare measurements, are vital, said Maria Calivis, UNICEF's Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. "They tell us that too many children, women and families in rural areas of our region are not doing well, that they and their families are excluded from the current economic bonanza."

The figures show that rural people are more disadvantaged. Between half and 80 per cent of homes are connected to regular water supplies, but in rural areas, this percentage dips to below 30 per cent in half of the countries surveyed.

"Studying these statistics is like surveying a car dashboard," said Marek Belka, Executive Secretary of UNECE. "The engine is working hard, but we have warning signs of major problems. If we don't address each problem, the overall economic and social welfare performance will be seriously affected."

He added that some countries are not armed with the mechanisms to monitor such issues as poverty, unemployment and gender inequality, and urged for a strengthening of UN efforts to create a stronger and independent statistical system.

"Only the joint efforts of all the UN agencies can bring the countries of our region closer to the achievement of their commitments towards Millennium Development Goals," referring to the eight targets aimed at slashing social ills, including extreme poverty and hunger, by 2015, said Jafar Javan, who serves as UNDP's Chief of Policy Support and Programme Development in Bratislava, Slovakia.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE CHIEF VOWS TO SPOTLIGHT 'FORGOTTEN' SITUATION IN EASTERN SUDAN

UN REFUGEE CHIEF VOWS TO SPOTLIGHT 'FORGOTTEN' SITUATION IN EASTERN SUDAN
New York, Apr 27 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/463207904.html">UNHCR) pledged today to shine the spotlight on the "forgotten situation" in eastern Sudan, where the agency has been running camps since 1968 for displaced Eritreans and Ethiopians, but has attracted little international attention.

António Guterres concluded a four-day visit to Sudan by touring camps in Kassala state, one of two in the country's east – the other is Gedaref – that currently host about 136,000 refugees.

That number, spread across 12 camps in the arid and harsh region, keeps rising as new arrivals from Eritrea appear every week, UNHCR said in a statement today.

Mr. Guterres visited the Wad Sherif and Kilo 26 camps and held talks in Kassala with local authorities and officials from UNHCR's Sudanese Government counterpart, the Commissioner for Refugees.

Many of the people Mr. Guterres spoke to said eastern Sudan's infrastructure and environment have been severely affected by the presence of the thousands of refugees from the two neighbouring States.

"We have a huge refugee population here to whom nobody is paying attention," Mr. Guterres said. "These are forgotten people… Today, the whole world focuses on Darfur and South Sudan and nobody thinks of the refugees in the east. People also forgot that Sudan has been one of the most generous countries [for] hosting refugees for 40 years. Personally I believe this generosity is rooted in Islam."

UNHCR is trying to transform its operations in eastern Sudan from care and maintenance programmes to projects that enhance the refugees' self-reliance, especially given that voluntary repatriation is not an option in the short term.

Mr. Guterres voiced shock at the living conditions inside the camps, which lack adequate health care facilities and decent water supplies and often have bad sanitation or are marked by residents' malnutrition.

The first UNHCR camp in the region opened in 1968, while Kilo 26 (currently home to 12,500 people) began in 1979 and Wad Sherif (33,370 refugees) in 1982.

UNHCR also has operations in the war-torn region of Darfur in western Sudan, where some 2 million locals have become internally displaced and 25,000 others from neighbouring Chad are living because of fighting in their own country.

In southern Sudan, UNHCR is assisting the return home of millions of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) following the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement in early 2005 ending the long-running civil war between north and south.

Yesterday, the UNHCR programme to voluntarily repatriate southern Sudanese from Ethiopia reached a milestone when the 20,000th returnee made the journey back to Upper Nile state.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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CLIMATE CHANGE TOPS BAN KI-MOON'S MEETINGS WITH EC PRESIDENT, AL GORE

CLIMATE CHANGE TOPS BAN KI-MOON'S MEETINGS WITH EC PRESIDENT, AL GORE
New York, Apr 27 2007 6:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today held separate meetings on climate change with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and former United States Vice President Al Gore.

"You are fully aware of my strong commitment to address the global warming issue and I am going to take an important role in mobilizing political will in close coordination with the European Commission when I attend the G-8 Summit meeting in June," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1025">told reporters following his meeting with Mr. Barroso.

The Secretary-General was briefed by Mr. Barroso on recent decisions taken by the European Union (EU) regarding global warming.

"We were very happy to take the lead in the matter and so we welcome all efforts that can be pursued at the United Nations level," said the European Commission chief.

"Now what we need is the political will to give an answer to that challenge" of climate change, he added.

Mr. Ban, who met the Commission's president earlier this year in Europe, welcomed an EU scheme to slash emissions of harmful gases by 20 per cent by 2020, calling it a "very important initiative" and pledging his support. He also lauded the EU's efforts to garner the participation of developing countries to reduce their emissions.

On his separate meeting with former US Vice President and environmental activist Al Gore today, Mr. Ban said he was "very much encouraged by his firm commitment, as well as voluntary willingness to help the cause of the United Nations" regarding global warming.

Mr. Ban stated that he hopes to work closely with Mr. Gore to mobilize countries and "enhance the awareness of the international community with this issue."

Among the other issues discussed by Mr. Ban and Mr. Barroso were the Darfur situation and UN reform.

Regarding Darfur, Mr. Barroso stated that the EU has made a commitment to boost support to Africa and expressed his gratitude to the Secretary-General for shedding light on what "we can and should be doing to put an end to that very dramatic situation."

He also underscored the importance of UN reform, saying that restructuring is vital to maintain the world body's credibility. To further the causes of development, human rights and global security, "a more efficient, more modern United Nations" is necessary, he argued.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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NEPAL HAS MADE RAPID ADVANCES, BUT OBSTACLES LIE AHEAD - REPORT BY BAN KI-MOON

NEPAL HAS MADE RAPID ADVANCES, BUT OBSTACLES LIE AHEAD – REPORT BY BAN KI-MOON
New York, Apr 27 2007 6:00PM
The peace process in Nepal has made "remarkable progress" since the start of last year, but complex questions remain about how to monitor the management of arms and armed personnel, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in his latest report to the Security Council on the situation in the Himalayan country.

Mr. Ban also warns that the upcoming election of a Constituent Assembly must be conducted in a manner that reflects the genuine will of the Nepalese people, including those communities that have been marginalized traditionally.

In his progress report to the Security Council, Mr. Ban says "few could have imagined at the beginning of 2006 that an end to the armed conflict would have been declared," the UN would have started implementing an agreement on managing arms and armed personnel, and that the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) would have entered an interim legislature with the Government.

"These are historic achievements," the Secretary-General writes, praising all parties for the willingness to strive towards consensus on some of the most divisive issues, but also noting that some of the underlying causes of the conflict are yet to be tackled.

Mr. Ban's report is being released one year after a 19-day "people's movement" which saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in cities and towns across the country culminated in the king relinquishing executive power and reinstating Parliament. Last November's comprehensive peace agreement then formally ended a decade-long conflict that killed 13,000 people and paralyzed life in the countryside.

That agreement includes provisions for the storage of arms used by the two sides, but Mr. Ban warns in his report that much remains to be done on that front, as well as on the cantonment of armed personnel.

"Conditions at cantonment sites have been of great concern to the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN)," particularly given the scheduled arrival in mid-June of the annual monsoon rains, Mr. Ban says.

One of UNMIN's core roles is to help the Nepalese elect a Constituent Assembly later this year, and the Secretary-General stresses that this will also require support from the country's Election Commission, most notably in voter education.

"It will also require a cooperative effort to establish public security through effective law enforcement that respects human rights, in a country previously divided between State and non-State actors and where the police have yet to be deployed nationwide."
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UN GEARS UP TO SUPPORT WEEKEND ELECTIONS IN HAITI

UN GEARS UP TO SUPPORT WEEKEND ELECTIONS IN HAITI
New York, Apr 27 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has announced plans to continue its support for the country's electoral process when polls are held this weekend to fill a number of public offices.

"We are mobilizing nearly 600 <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH staff, 200 vehicles and 11 helicopters," Marc Plum, head of electoral support in the mission's Civil Affairs Bureau, told a press briefing in Port-au-Prince on Thursday.

The elections will affect some 300,000 voters in the country, filling offices such as mayor and city delegate in several regions.

As with the preceding three rounds of elections, MINUSTAH will support the Haitian authorities in the electoral process, including by bolstering the security efforts of the national police, Mr. Plum said.

On Sunday, "the Haitian people can show to the international community that democracy is alive in Haiti," he said.

In another development, the mission continues to help victims of Tuesday's ferry accident at Jérémie, where 15 people were killed and 49 injured when the boat suddenly pitched, throwing scores of passengers overboard.

UN Police (UNPOL) arrived on the scene in support of efforts by their Haitian counterparts to evacuate the injured. MINUSTAH military officers also arrived to help with security. In addition, members of the mission's human rights team helped reunite two young children with their parents.

MINUSTAH and the authorities continue to temporarily shelter the passengers that could not go back to their homes, according to a UN spokesperson.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL REGRETS FATAL VIOLENCE DURING PROTEST AT STATUE REMOVAL IN ESTONIA

SECRETARY-GENERAL REGRETS FATAL VIOLENCE DURING PROTEST AT STATUE REMOVAL IN ESTONIA
New York, Apr 27 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed dismay today after one person was reported killed and dozens of other were injured in the Estonian capital amid unrest after authorities removed a contentious Soviet-era war memorial.

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10964.doc.htm">statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, Mr. Ban said he "regrets the violence and the loss of life" in Tallinn, and "appeals to all concerned with the issues at hand in a spirit of respect and conciliation."

Media reports say one person was killed and more than 40 others were injured during overnight protests at the moving of the monument, which is a bronze statue of a Soviet Union soldier.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON HEADS TO SHARM EL-SHEIKH NEXT WEEK FOR IRAQ COMPACT LAUNCH

BAN KI-MOON HEADS TO SHARM EL-SHEIKH NEXT WEEK FOR IRAQ COMPACT LAUNCH
New York, Apr 27 2007 4:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon heads to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, next week for the formal launch of the International Compact with Iraq (<"http://www.iraqcompact.org/">ICI), a five-year peace and development plan which envisages a reciprocal relationship between peace-building and economic prosperity in the war-ravaged country.

Mr. Ban, who will co-chair the launch with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, also plans to attend a high-level meeting to include the foreign ministers of the "expanded Iraq neighbours, representatives of the Permanent Members of the Security Council and members of the G-8 countries," spokesman Michele Montas told reporters in New York. The Group of 8 brings together Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ban's Special Adviser for the International Compact with Iraq and Other Political Issues, Ibrahim Gambari, continued his meetings in various capitals to widen support for the initiative and discuss commitments of Member States before the 3 May launch in Sharm el-Sheikh.

"He met in Brussels today with Javier Solana, the European Union's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, who confirmed his attendance at the launch event, as well as that of several ministers of the European Union (EU)," Ms. Montas reported.

Earlier in the week, Mr. Gambari, who is travelling with Sinan Mohammed Rida Al-Shabibi, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, held high-level meetings in London, Kuwait City and Sofia.

An initiative of the Iraqi Government for a new partnership with the international community, the Compact is a five-year national plan that includes benchmarks and mutual commitments from both partners with the aim of helping the country on the path towards peace, sound governance and economic reconstruction.

Under the plan, the Government will work to meet basic needs, protect the rights of all citizens and ensure the optimal use of the country's resources for the common good. National reconciliation, improved security, better governance and continued economic and social reforms should help unlock Iraq's own development potential, according to the ICI, which calls on the country's international partners to provide financial, technical and political support to help meet these challenges on the basis of mutual commitments.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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FIJI: UN FACT-FINDING MISSION ON POST-COUP SITUATION FINISHES WORK

FIJI: UN FACT-FINDING MISSION ON POST-COUP SITUATION FINISHES WORK
New York, Apr 27 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations fact-finding mission dispatched to Fiji to assess the political and electoral situation in the Pacific island nation in the wake of the coup d'état last December wrapped up its work today.

UN spokesperson Michele Montas told journalists that the inter-agency mission held a wide range of talks with various interlocutors while in Fiji, with discussions focusing on elections, human rights, the rule of law and the restoration of democracy, peace and stability.

Led by Jehangir Khan of the UN Department of Political Affairs, the mission included electoral and political experts, as well as representatives from the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/english/">OHCHR).

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dispatched the team last week in response to a Security Council call for the restoration of democracy and a peaceful resolution of political tensions.

The mission will submit confidential recommendations to Mr. Ban when it returns, Ms. Montas said, adding that report would form the basis of continued consultations between the UN and Fiji.

The trip took place after the Council, Mr. Ban and other UN officials condemned the military coup on 5 December last year and urged that a peaceful restoration of the democratically elected Government take place as soon as possible. Fiji has had four coups since 1987.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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MORE MUST BE DONE TO LIFT FISHERMAN OUT OF POVERTY AND PRESERVE FISH STOCKS - UN

MORE MUST BE DONE TO LIFT FISHERMAN OUT OF POVERTY AND PRESERVE FISH STOCKS – UN
New York, Apr 27 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today said that greater efforts must be made to lift fishermen out of poverty and reduce the overexploitation of threatened fish stocks.

"While fishing's role in helping people in the world's poorest communities feed themselves and stave off destitution cannot be understated, our studies reveal that despite the food and income that fishing provides many fisherfolk still live in poverty," said Ichiro Nomura, Assistant Director-General of FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.

Fishing communities are often overcrowded and are characterized by sub-standard living conditions, with residents having low levels of education and lack of access to services, such as schools and health care, and infrastructure, such as roads and markets. Many fishers also do not have the rights to the property on which they live.

Opportunities for employments in fields other than fishing – an extremely hazardous occupation – are limited.

Due in part to their poverty and vulnerability, fishing communities also face problems such as a high rate of HIV infection. In developing countries in Africa, Asia and Central America, the rate of infection is as much as five to 14 times greater in fishing areas than in the general population.

"Stronger efforts to tackle the diverse factors underlying this reality are needed, or else these communities will simply continue to tread water, surviving from day to day, living in poverty, and not managing local fish stocks as well as they might," Mr. Nomura said.

<"http://www.fao.org/">FAO asserts that poverty also contributes to poor fishing management, resulting in the shrinking coastal and inland fish stocks.

"Poor people can rarely afford to defend their long-term interests of securing access to healthy fish stock," Mr. Nomura noted.

According to the agency, greater strides to bolster education, income and health issues in fishing communities will not only help combat poverty and social problems, but will have the added benefit of solving problems related to fish stocks.

In addition, by granting small-scale fishermen legal access to fishing sites, increasing their responsibility in managing local fisheries and providing training, the issues of poor management and stock degradation could be addressed.

The topic of poverty and social problems in small fishing communities was discussed by 131 countries participating in FAO's Committee on Fisheries meeting last month, who called for the "adoption of human rights principles" in social development and a "rights-based approach to managing small-scale fisheries."
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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MIGIRO WRAPS UP TRIP TO BRAZZAVILLE FOLLOWING MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER

MIGIRO WRAPS UP TRIP TO BRAZZAVILLE FOLLOWING MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER
New York, Apr 27 2007 2:00PM
The relationship between the United Nations system and the Republic of Congo topped the agenda in talks held between the country's Prime Minister and Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose-Migiro, who has concluded her official visit to the country.

During her meeting with Prime Minister Ifidoru Mvouba, the two also discussed the challenges facing the region as well as UN support to the Republic of Congo, according to UN officials.

Also on Wednesday, Ms. Migiro addressed the opening of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 Regional Management Team Meeting, which this year is dealing with Africa's development agenda in the context of reforming the UN system.

While in Brazzaville, the Deputy Secretary-General met on 26 April with the UN Country Team and had a town hall meeting with UN staff in the Republic of Congo. In addition, she met with a group of civil society women leaders before returning to New York via Kinshasa.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES TAJIKISTAN TO TAKE FURTHER STEPS ON ACCESS TO JUSTICE

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES TAJIKISTAN TO TAKE FURTHER STEPS ON ACCESS TO JUSTICE
New York, Apr 27 2007 2:00PM
Tajikistan must take active steps to ensure there is wider access to justice and it should also allow local and international monitors to visit places of detention, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said today after concluding official talks in her visit to the country, the second leg of her four-nation trip to Central Asia.

Ms. Arbour met with senior Tajik Government officials, including President Emomali Rakhmon, Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi and Deputy Internal Affairs Minister Rauf Yousoupov, during several days of talks in Dushanbe, the Tajik capital.

She also spoke with Supreme Court Chairperson Nusratullo Abdulloev, Justice Minister Bakhtyor Khudoyorov and Deputy Prosecutor-General Abdusami Dadabaev, according to a <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/CFD34F1053B6702FC12572CA00485D8B?opendocument">statement issued by her office (<"http://www.ohchr.org/english/">OHCHR).

During these meetings Ms. Arbour discussed Tajikistan's ongoing reforms of its justice system, particularly the areas of law enforcement, criminal procedures and the independence of the judiciary.

The High Commissioner described access to justice as "a major challenge that needs to be addressed in a participatory manner and in compliance with international standards," and called on the Government to implement the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Leandro Despouy, after his visit in 2005.

Ms. Arbour also encouraged the Government to provide greater access for human rights monitors, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to Tajikistan's places of detention, and suggested that the country consider ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, which contains a framework for monitoring places of detention.

Noting that Tajikistan has furnished reports required under six of the key human rights instruments it has ratified, Ms. Arbour called on the Government to take steps to ensure that the recommendations made by the experts who reviewed them are fully implemented.

The High Commissioner also held meetings with Vladimir Sorokov, the Head of the UN Tajikistan Office of Peacebuilding (UNTOP), as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the diplomatic corps, political parties and civil society groups.

Ms. Arbour urged the Government to "engage in a continuous dialogue" with civil society groups and opposition parties and to "ensure democratic space for their activities."

She wraps up her visit to Tajikistan on Sunday and then heads to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan as part of her efforts to increase OHCHR's efforts in Central Asia. The first leg of her 11-day trip took her to Kyrgyzstan.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF CALLS ON SRI LANKAN FIGHTING FACTION TO STOP USING CHILDREN AS SOLDIERS

UNICEF CALLS ON SRI LANKAN FIGHTING FACTION TO STOP USING CHILDREN AS SOLDIERS
New York, Apr 27 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_39477.html">UNICEF) today voiced concern about a paramilitary group which sides with the Government of Sri Lanka against separatist Tamil Tiger rebels that the agency believes is not living up to public assurances to eschew recruitment of children as soldiers to fight in the country's bloody civil conflict.

Although the so-called Karuna faction – which split from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and now supports Government troops – denies that it is actively enlisting children as soldiers, UNICEF says there are consistent reports that contradict this.

After returning from a mission last week to a conflict area where the Karuna group was supposed to provide UNICEF access to a camp, the agency's head of protection in Sri Lanka, Andrew Brooks, described the level of cooperation as "stalemated."

"We seriously question whether the Karuna group is acting in good faith," he said in the capital, Colombo.

"Our supposed cooperation is obscured by the faction's apparent determination to delay, frustrate, and mislead the process to end the use of children as combatants in this country's conflict."

Last week's assessment was intended to be the first of regular inspection of known locations of the Karuna faction and its political offshoot, known as the TMVP, to verify that no children are being used as soldiers.

However, the leader of the UN team reported that he had been led to hastily created mock site in a jungle area, and despite the Karuna group's repeated promises to fully cooperate, requests by the world body to inspect known locations were spurned.

After a UN fact-finding mission to Sri Lanka last November, the faction's leader, Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, known as "Colonel Karuna," reassured the UN that his group would cooperate in efforts to curtail child combatant recruitment.

Despite these assurances, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned in a <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2006/1006">report to the Security Council in January that "a particularly disconcerting development during the reporting period was the increase in abductions and recruitment of children in the east by the Karuna faction." The report also cited the Sri Lankan army's complicity in the group's efforts to enlist children.

"Unfortunately, despite exhaustive approaches to the Karuna group and TMVP officials since then, the few children they're released falls well short of the public commitments they've made," Mr. Brooks said. "We continue to receive reports of children being recruited."

According to UNICEF, as of the end of last month, out of the 285 children known to have been recruited as soldiers by the Karuna faction, there were 194 outstanding cases.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MEETING IN SEARCH FOR BALANCED SOLUTIONS ON ENERGY

UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MEETING IN SEARCH FOR BALANCED SOLUTIONS ON ENERGY
New York, Apr 27 2007 7:00AM
Energy policies that can fuel economic and social development while reducing air pollution and the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change will be considered by more than 2,000 participants at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development's (CSD) annual session, which starts on Monday in New York.

Almost 80 government ministers are expected to attend the Commission, which will attempt to chart a sustainable course of action on the interlinked issues of energy, climate change, air pollution and industrial development.

The chair of this year's session, Abdullah Hamad Al-Attiyah, Qatar's Energy Minister, stressed ahead of the opening that all delegates should remember that many people still do not have access to modern energy services.

About one in four people around the world do not have electricity, and an estimated 2.4 billion use traditional fuels such as firewood or dung for cooking or heating.

"As long as women and children have to forage for firewood, for as long as students cannot read after sunset, and as long as new businesses and industries cannot get the power they need to operate, we cannot expect to achieve development that is economically, socially and environmentally balanced," he said.

Noting the gravity of the challenges ahead, Mr. Al-Attiyah said the task for this year's CSD session is to decide specific policy options and practical measures that can work.

"I am optimistic about the future," he said. "The coming decades will witness significant investments in energy infrastructure, as well as in industrial development. We must seize the opportunity to make a difference by making the right policy decisions and choices."

This year's CSD will mark the 20th anniversary of the Brundtland Commission report, Our Common Future, that was seen as a landmark document on sustainable development. To mark the anniversary, Gro Harlem Brundtland -- a former Norwegian prime
the UN World Health Organization (WHO) -- is planning to address the high-level portion of the meeting on 9 May.

Energy use is expected to grow by 50 per cent over the next 25 years, with two thirds of that increase in developing countries. But there are numerous competing national and global energy issues that are also under consideration, including access to affordable energy, as well as reliable and clean energy supplies.

The CSD brings together government delegates and representatives of civil society, including women, children and youth, indigenous people, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), business, academia, local authorities, scientists, workers and trade unions.
2007-04-27 00:00:00.000

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UN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY SECURES DPR KOREA RECORDS AS LAST STAFF PREPARE TO DEPART

UN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY SECURES DPR KOREA RECORDS AS LAST STAFF PREPARE TO DEPART
New York, Apr 26 2007 7:00PM
As auditors comb through the records of United Nations activities in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) following on a request from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Development Programme (UNDP) documents are being secured ahead of the impending departure of the agency's last two staff members, an official said today.

David Morrison, Communications Director of <"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP, said he had been asked to clarify aspects of the suspension of its activities in the country following the announcement earlier this week that the staff members would depart.

The internal audit was triggered by press reports suggesting that the agency's own audits raised concerns about payments being channelled to the Government, which is under Security Council sanctions because of its proclaimed nuclear test. UNDP announced the suspension last month, and said it would withdraw all but two of its international staff over the failure to implement conditions set up following reports that UN funds improperly went to the Government.

These conditions included ending all hard currency payments and discontinuing sub-contracting of national staff via Government recruitment as of 1 March, as well as adjusting the content of current programmes to support sustainable human development goals.

Mr. Morrison told journalists in New York that UNDP's country-office assets, such as computers, records and vehicles – "the equipment that we need to do our job" – have been safeguarded and transported to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) country office in Pyongyang. These are all "fully accessible to the auditors," he added.

Regarding so-called "project assets," which are purchased as part of programme activities, he noted that some came from projects which were operationally finished and required only paperwork to wind down. In those cases, as was standard practice, the assets were transferred to the DPRK authorities, he said.

Mr. Morrison recalled that in late January, the UNDP Executive Board had called for the agency to narrow the scope of its activities in DPRK to those that directly benefited the country's people, rather than to build the capacity of Government. In response, 15 projects were cancelled. "Anything that was already in the possession of the DPRK authorities they were given title to, and anything that had not yet been transferred was simply interrupted."

The remaining projects were put on hold in accordance with UNDP's decision to suspend its activities in DPRK, not end them. "To implement the suspension, what we did was simply ask the DPRK authorities to sign notes of custody for the fiscal assets that they already had in their possession, and that's what they've done so we can account for exactly where the projects were as we interrupted them," he said.

"The future of those projects will depend on guidance we receive from the Executive Board as this plays out, and obviously the audit will figure into that."

In all cases mentioned, physical assets were already possessed by the DPRK authorities, "There have been no cases when we've gone and transferred something new to the DPRK authorities," he said.

To questions that have been raised about Timo Pakkala, the UNDP Resident Coordinator in DPRK, Mr. Morrison said, "he remains the designated Resident Coordinator in DPRK – there's been no transference of that function to any other agency."

Mr. Pakkala left the country on 15 March, travelled to New York where he was made available to the auditors, and then proceeded to join his family. "My understanding is that he is now with his family on special leave with pay in Europe, and he is fully available to continue assisting with the audit or any other measures relating to DPRK," Mr. Morrison said.

On the withdrawal of staff, Mr. Morrison said that on 26 March at a meeting in Pyongyang, the DPRK authorities "told us that given that we were soon not to have any more programmatic activities, we should withdraw our final two staff by the 30th of April, so we are in the process of doing so."

He expressed confidence that "everything that needs to be prepared for the audit has been prepared and that everything that needs to have been done to wind down the programme has been done."

Any Executive Board decision on the future of UNDP would be informed by the results of the audit, he said.

Responding to questions, he said an interim audit was being prepared and would be submitted to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) – a powerful UN budget watchdog – but added that he had no time frame on when that would happen.
After the issue came to light in January, the Secretary-General promised an external, system-wide probe of UN activities in the field, targeting as his first priority countries where hard currency transactions, independence of staff hiring and access to review local projects were an issue and beginning with the DPRK.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN AGENCIES SEND AID CONVOY TO TROUBLED NORTHEAST

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: UN AGENCIES SEND AID CONVOY TO TROUBLED NORTHEAST
New York, Apr 26 2007 7:00PM
Three United Nations agencies have sent a seven-truck relief convoy from the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR) to the troubled northeast of the country, where recent rebel attacks on villages and clashes with Government forces have displaced hundreds of thousands of people and sparked a widening humanitarian crisis.

The convoy, organized by the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/">FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP) in collaboration with the French non-governmental organization (NGO) Triangle Generation, left Bangui on Saturday.

Bound for Vakaga prefecture on the border with Sudan's war-torn Darfur region and Chad, it is carrying 41 metric tons of food from WFP, seed supplies from FAO and educational materials from FAO.

Triangle Generation will distribute the supplies to populations around the towns of Birao, Ouanda and Djalle, which were some of the hardest hit in recent rebel attacks.

Last month, almost the entire population of 14,000 people fled Birao following the attack by the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR), in which more than 700 houses were burned and vital stocks of food and seeds for the upcoming planting season were destroyed. The burning of houses by rebels and other militants has become a widespread tactic in the CAR.

The convoy is part of follow-up efforts to an inter-agency assessment mission to Birao and surrounding areas at the end of last month.

Nearly 300,000 Central Africans have had to flee their homes over the past year, either to become internally displaced or to live as refugees in neighbouring countries, because of the escalating fighting, banditry and rebel attacks. Many people are living in the open bush, too afraid to return to their former homes.

The UN has so far received just over $17 million of the $54.5 million it is appealing for to fund humanitarian relief work across the CAR, one of the world's poorest countries, this year.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR WORLD'S ASSISTANCE TO BRING STABILITY TO SOMALIA

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR WORLD'S ASSISTANCE TO BRING STABILITY TO SOMALIA
New York, Apr 26 2007 6:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his grave concern about the intensified violence in Somalia, and called on the world to step up its assistance to the war-torn East African nation.

The country has been wracked by deadly clashes in recent weeks, and according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 340,000 people – roughly one-third of the city's population – have fled the violence in the capital Mogadishu since the start of February, while at least 1,000 have sustained injuries.

"The international community should fully cooperate and give some concerted efforts to restore peace and security in that country," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1024">told reporters in New York.

Since the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, dislodged the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from the capital and much of the country last December, there has been an upsurge in violence. Clan-based militias have also been involved in the clashes.

"I am also very much troubled by the fact that the Transitional Federal Government is [not] able to sustain the momentum thus created politically," Mr. Ban noted.

He also urged for plans to convene a National Reconciliation Congress, which have been postponed until next month, to continue. Recognizing that such a Congress will have logistical and financial difficulties, he appealed to the international community for assistance.

"We have seen in the last 10 days or so some of the worst fighting in Mogadishu that the city has seen in the last 15 or 16 years," John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said at a press briefing in Geneva today.

He stressed that "the rules of international humanitarian law are being flouted by all sides in Mogadishu," which has witnessed the largest displacement of people in the world this year. He added that civilians have been caught in the crossfire, there is indiscriminate shelling and missiles have been seen hitting hospitals.

Mr. Holmes argued that the dire humanitarian situation is not entirely a question of adequate resources, but rather of access and security. Aid workers endeavouring to assist those in need have been thwarted by the unstable security situation as well as by the TFG.

"Getting aid to [those who have fled Mogadishu] is proving very difficult" due to both the insecurity and the blockage of roads by the military. He also mentioned a distribution by the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2460">WFP) "which was halted because the Government said they had not inspected the food themselves, which seems inappropriate in an emergency situation."

Although the TFG agreed during a meeting with the UN's Somalia Country Team this week to allow humanitarian workers access to Mogadishu's airports, he said that <"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA is "waiting to see whether that agreement in principle is translated into practice."

Another major public health concern is the outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea, which OCHA reports has affected 17,000 people and killed 600 in south-central Somalia, which includes Mogadishu and surrounding areas.

"A particular concern is that the rainy season is approaching, which will obviously exacerbate these health problems very considerably," Mr. Holmes said.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/462f7d4f4.html">UNHCR) and its partners on the ground have distributed urgently needed supplies to over 35,000 people who have fled the capital and are currently residing in the small town of Afgooye, 30 kilometres west of Mogadishu.

Despite the influx of aid, the town, sheltering more than 41,000 displaced, is overwhelmed by the constant stream of desperate people who are seeking help and safety.

"People living in Afgooye are scared because the fighting might spread along the road from Mogadishu," a UNHCR staff member said of the increasingly chaotic situation in the town. "They also fear the increasing theft and burglary and the gangs that roam the town, which used to be safe."

Many residents have already taken in family members and friends who have escaped the capital, and the town has run out of shelter space. Many families are living under plastic sheeting supplied by UNHCR to protect them from the weather, and prices have surged in local shops due to the increased demand. Local landowners are even charging rent to people seeking sanctuary under their trees.

"People in Afgooye are extremely poor, most of them live on less than a dollar a day, and now they can no longer afford the prices which rise day after day," the UNHCR staffer said. "Some shopowners and landowners make a lot of money by demanding unaffordable prices."

Explosions and military activity on the road linking the town to Mogadishu have forced it to close, and the closure of a bridge on the town's end has blocked trucks carrying UNHCR supplies.

Despite the obstacles, the agency plans to distribute a second round of relief items – including plastic sheeting, mattresses and kitchen utensils, all of which have been airlifted from Dubai – this week for an additional 13,500 people.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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MIGIRO MEETS WITH REPUBLIC OF CONGO PRESIDENT

MIGIRO MEETS WITH REPUBLIC OF CONGO PRESIDENT
New York, Apr 26 2007 6:00PM
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today met with the President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, in Brazzaville, wrapping up an official visit which also took her to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

While in Brazzaville, the Deputy Secretary-General also met with the Congolese Prime Minister and addressed an annual meeting of the UN Development Programme (<"http://www.undp.org/dpa/journalists/">UNDP) African Regional Management team.

In addition, at a conference on African development priorities, the Deputy Secretary-General chaired a panel on the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs) – a set of global anti-poverty targets set at a 2000 UN summit.

Ms. Migiro then departed for Kinshasa en route back to New York.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE CHIEF SPOTLIGHTS WATER ACCESS ISSUE DURING VISIT TO CAMPS IN DARFUR

UN REFUGEE CHIEF SPOTLIGHTS WATER ACCESS ISSUE DURING VISIT TO CAMPS IN DARFUR
New York, Apr 26 2007 5:00PM
Visiting camps in the west of Sudan's war-torn Darfur region that are home to thousands of Chadians fleeing conflict in their own neighbouring country, the United Nations refugee chief has pledged to step up efforts to improve local access to water in the arid region.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres toured areas adjacent to the Sudanese-Chadian border and met with African Union (AU) officials in West Darfur yesterday, the third day of his visit to Sudan.

An estimated 25,000 Chadians have sought refuge in West Darfur, despite the conflict in that part of Sudan, because of fighting across eastern Chad in recent months between rebels and Government forces.

During his talks with the refugees and the AU officials, Mr. Guterres acknowledged the vital importance of water to everyone living in the region, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

He promised that <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/463053024.html">UNHCR and its non-governmental organization (NGO) partners would do their utmost to find better solutions for the refugees and Darfur's own swelling population of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Mr. Guterres is travelling today to Kassala state in eastern Sudan to visit Kilo 26 and Wad Sherife, two camps for Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees.

Eastern Sudan is home to about 136,000 refugees and there have been camps in that part of the country since 1968, but the situation there is largely forgotten because of the better-known refugee situations of Darfur and southern Sudan.

UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2456">WFP) Executive Director Josette Sheeran has also been in Darfur as part of her own visit to Sudan, which is home to the agency's largest operation in the world. Some 5.5 million Sudanese are expected to receive food aid from WFP this year.

Ms. Sheeran toured an IDP camp in North Darfur state, where she met women residents and distributed hand mills for grinding cereals.

In a separate statement, the Programme welcomed the Sudanese Government's decision to expedite a shipment of 100,000 metric tons of cereals that had been delayed at Port Sudan.

WFP also hailed Egypt's donation of more than 250 tons of wheat flour, rice and vegetable oil to Sudan and Somalia, which is beset by its own humanitarian crisis.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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BLUE HELMETS IN HAITI RETURN SCHOOL ONCE USED BY DRUG GANGS TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES

BLUE HELMETS IN HAITI RETURN SCHOOL ONCE USED BY DRUG GANGS TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES
New York, Apr 26 2007 5:00PM
Brazilian peacekeepers working with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH) have handed back to local authorities in a notorious district of the capital a school that was seized from drug gangs earlier this year.

The Ecole Nationale de Cité Soleil, from the slum district of the same name, will be rehabilitated with funds from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN spokesperson Michele Montas said today.

The hand-over took place during a short ceremony yesterday involving Col. Barrosso Magno, commander of the Mission's Brazilian contingent, which had been using the site its temporary headquarters.

The return of the school "is a sign of change for Cité," Col. Magno said, referring to the district of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where crime and gang activity has been most rampant in recent decades.

MINUSTAH has been working actively with UN Police (UNPOL) and Haitian National Police (PNH) to locate and arrest key gang leaders and to disrupt and reduce their criminal activities.

Elected officials in Cité Soleil yesterday also returned to work at the bullet-scarred town hall, which has become functional again, thanks to a joint effort by the Haitian Government, the PNH and the Brazilian contingent in MINUSTAH.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL'S BALKANS MISSION IN BELGRADE TO MEET WITH SERBIAN AUTHORITIES

SECURITY COUNCIL'S BALKANS MISSION IN BELGRADE TO MEET WITH SERBIAN AUTHORITIES
New York, Apr 26 2007 5:00PM
A Security Council delegation on a fact-finding mission to the Balkans today made a stop in Belgrade to meet with leaders there as the 15-member body deliberates the future of Kosovo, the ethnic Albanian-majority province of Serbia that has been run by the United Nations since Western forces drove Yugoslav troops out in 1999.

Led by Belgian Ambassador Johan C. Verbeke, the delegation met with Serbian President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

This is second leg of their six-day tour of the region, and tonight they will depart for Pristina, in Kosovo, after which they will conclude their visit by stopping in Vienna. Yesterday, the delegation, comprising representatives from current Council Member States, visited Brussels to confer with European Union (EU) and NATO officials.

The aim of the trip is to provide Council members with a first-hand understanding of the social, political and economic situation in Kosovo. In particular, the mission will assess whether agreed standards – a set of eight overall targets that include building democratic institutions, enforcing minority rights, creating a functioning economy and setting up an impartial legal system – have been implemented.

Last month, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the future status process Martti Ahtisaari asserted that the only viable option for Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by nine to one, is independence in a phased process with initial supervision by the international community.

Calling Kosovo "a unique case that demands a unique solution," Mr. Ahtisaari said in a report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that independence is the only way the province, where unemployment is close to 60 per cent, can become politically stable and economically viable.

Meanwhile, as part of an outreach effort, Mr. Ban's Special Representative in Kosovo, Joachim Rücker, explained the current state of the future status process of the province and discussed concerns with Kosovo Serbs in a town hall meeting in Parteš/Partesh, a village in the east.

Appearing on a panel, Mr. Rücker told attendees that under the proposal, the village would become part of a new municipality also called Parteš/Partesh, which would have increased responsibilities and comprise three villages.

In 1999 when NATO intervened in the conflict, an estimated 250,000 Serbs and other fled Kosovo after Serbian troops withdrew from the province. Since then, only about 16,000 of them have returned.

"We would like to see more returns," Mr. Rücker said at the town hall meeting. "It is my perception, however, that many displaced persons are awaiting the decision on the status."

He reiterated his invitation to Kosovo's Serbian community to actively participate in the province's institutions and in the status process.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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UN MOURNS LOSS OF DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL OF ITS TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ARM

UN MOURNS LOSS OF DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL OF ITS TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ARM
New York, Apr 26 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations today mourned the death of Dirk Jan Bruinsma, the Deputy Secretary-General of the world body's Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), who passed away at age 56 in The Hague, Netherlands, on 22 April following a brief illness.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mr. Bruisnsma," his spokesperson Michele Montas said in New York today.

"He extends his condolences to Mr. Bruinsma's family, friends and colleagues."

In a press release, UNCTAD said that "Mr. Bruinsma was instrumental in strengthening the organization, and particularly its work on science and technology, technical cooperation and communications."

The agency also said that Mr. Bruinsma was represented the organization in several international meetings, and was also actively involved in efforts to reform the UN.

Before joining UNCTAD last January, he served as the Director-General of Foreign Economic Relations in the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands. He had a strong interest in development cooperation and led his country's delegation to the economic policy committees of the European Union (EU) and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Prior to entering the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Mr. Bruinsma held positions in the Dutch Ministry of Finance and also worked in the private sector, managing his own consulting firm.

Based in Geneva, UNCTAD promotes the integration of developing countries into the world economy, aiming to help shape current policy debates, with a particular focus on ensuring that domestic policies and international action are mutually supportive in bringing about sustainable development.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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FORMER PORTUGUESE PRESIDENT CHOSEN AS UN ENVOY TO ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS

FORMER PORTUGUESE PRESIDENT CHOSEN AS UN ENVOY TO ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS
New York, Apr 26 2007 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appointed the former Portuguese president Jorge Sampaio as the first United Nations High Representative for the <"http://www.unaoc.org/">Alliance of Civilizations, the international initiative set up in 2005 to promote reconciliation between religions, cultures and nations.

Mr. Ban designated Mr. Sampaio in the post after consulting with Spain and Turkey, the co-sponsors of the Alliance, which was created to try to tackle fear and suspicion, bridge divides and overcome prejudices and polarizations between Islam and the West.

"The High Representative will provide the vision and leadership required, especially to promote the Alliance of Civilizations as a credible and viable attempt to diminish the dangerous tensions between diverse societies and their threat to international stability," Mr. Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

Last year the Alliance's High-Level Group issued a report calling for a series of measures in education, media, youth and migration to build bridges between different communities and promote a culture of respect.

It also recommended the creation of a High Representative post to assist the Secretary-General to try to defuse crises that arise at the intersection of culture and politics, along with measures aimed at restarting the Middle East peace process and encouraging political pluralism in Muslim countries.

Spain and Turkey set up the Alliance amid concern that events in recent years have exacerbated mutual suspicions, fears and misunderstandings between Islamic and Western societies, and that a new global effort is necessary to overcome those divisions.

Mr. Sampaio, 67, served as Portuguese president from March 1996 to March 2006. He served also as former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy to Stop Tuberculosis (TB). Mr. Sampaio previously held numerous public offices, including Mayor of Lisbon in 1989, Member of Parliament and member of the European Human Rights Commission of the Council of Europe.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE AGENCY-BACKED WORKSHOP TACKLES ISSUE OF STATELESSNESS IN CENTRAL ASIA

UN REFUGEE AGENCY-BACKED WORKSHOP TACKLES ISSUE OF STATELESSNESS IN CENTRAL ASIA
New York, Apr 26 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations refugee agency has completed a two-day workshop on curbing statelessness in Central Asia, where the disbanding of the Soviet Union and civil wars have resulted in thousands of people not having a fixed nationality.

"This is an important event for the countries of the former Soviet Union and the region," said Tajikistan Government minister Gulchehra Sharipova of the event – mostly funded by the European Union (EU) and attended by 33 Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – held in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.

"We have survived a period of transition and faced many new challenges, including statelessness," he added. "Tajikistan has seen its full impact; many people had to leave during the war [in the 1990s] and are still facing problems today."

Under international law, a stateless person is defined as someone not considered as a national by any State under its laws. There are at least 20,000 stateless people in Central Asia according to official figures, with more than 10,000 each residing in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, almost 200 in Tajikistan and an unknown number in Turkmenistan.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46305b884.html">UNHCR), however, believes that these numbers do not accurately reflect the situation on the ground. "These numbers are based on the number of people who have been issued stateless certificates by the authorities and do not represent the real scale of the problem," the agency's expert on the issue of statelessness, Philippe Leclerc, said.

Both Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan said they have taken steps to prevent statelessness by naturalizing refugees living within their borders.

But Mr. Leclerc remarked that identifying the stateless is extremely difficult.

"Many people live in the rural areas with old Soviet passports issued in 1974," he said. "They have not all replaced these old passports with documents issued by the newly independent States and only come to know of their problem when they try to travel, seek employment or enroll their children in school."

None of the Central Asian nations are party to the two international agreements on stateless peoples: the <"http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/stateless.htm">1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the <"http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/statelessness.htm">1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

"UNHCR's job is to continually remind States of the huge scale of statelessness and to appeal to them to identify these people," Mr. Leclerc said.

A key to preventing statelessness is registering all children and identifying gaps in national laws, such as the inability of women to pass on their citizenship to their children, renouncing one's nationality without having procured another and the automatic loss of citizenship after long residence abroad.

Most participants at the workshop showed interest in launching campaigns in areas heavily populated by the stateless to inform them both of their rights and on how to address their problem.

Government representatives also said that their respective countries offer the same rights and benefits – including the right to travel with Government-issued documents but excluding the right to vote and the obligation to perform compulsory military service – to the stateless who have been granted permanent residence as they do to those with citizenship.

"The stability of a country depends o the stability of its population," Mursalnabi Tuyakbayev of Kazakhstan's Foreign Affairs Ministry. "I'm happy we could come and learn from each other's experiences, and I hope we can continue this dialogue regularly."

Zumrat Solieva, who heads Tajikistan's Citizenship Unit which is part of the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "We are planning a new nationality law and will make sure what we discussed here is taken into consideration."

This workshop is the first in a series of regional activities on bolstering asylum systems in Central Asia set to end this December, and 80 per cent of the project is funded by the EU while UNHCR provides the remaining 20 per cent.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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MARKING 21 YEARS SINCE CHERNOBYL, BAN KI-MOON SAYS WORLD CANNOT FORGET LOSS AND PAIN

MARKING 21 YEARS SINCE CHERNOBYL, BAN KI-MOON SAYS WORLD CANNOT FORGET LOSS AND PAIN
New York, Apr 26 2007 10:00AM
On the 21st anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today <" http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2536">said that although the world should never forget the loss and pain caused by the tragic incident, it is imperative to move forward.

Mr. Ban paid tribute to the hundreds of emergency workers who risked their lives to respond to the accident, the thousands who worked to build a shelter around the damaged reactor, the over 330,000 who were displaced from their homes, the 5,000 children stricken with cancer and the millions left traumatized and deeply worried about their health and livelihoods.

In 1986, explosions destroyed Chernobyl's Unit 4 reactor core, sending a cloud of radionuclides over parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

"While paying respect to the past, we need to take stock of the present and look ahead to the future," he said in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Given that science points to the possibility of a return to normal life for people living in regions affected by the disaster, Mr. Ban called for sustainable social and economic development, the creation of new jobs, an influx of investment and the reinstatement of a sense of self-sufficiency.

"The communities affected by Chernobyl have shown great resilience in coping with a disaster of tremendous magnitude," he noted, urging the "international community to do its part in helping them to bring a region so rich in history and potential fully back to life."

Mr. Ban also said that he was glad that Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova has agreed to take on the role of <" http://undp.bg/media_room.php?id=1973">Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) so that she can give a global voice to the recovery efforts underway at Chernobyl.
2007-04-26 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCY FINDS LIVING CONDITIONS FOR PALESTINIANS KEEP DETERIORATING

UN AGENCY FINDS LIVING CONDITIONS FOR PALESTINIANS KEEP DETERIORATING
New York, Apr 25 2007 7:00PM
Living conditions inside the occupied Palestinian territory continued to decline through the second half of last year, with the situation especially dire in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest progress report by the main United Nations tasked with helping Palestinian refugees.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA), in its emergency appeal progress <"http://www.un.org/unrwa/emergency/prog-report/report31.pdf">report for July to December 2006, found that Israel's impounding of custom revenues and the concurrent freeze in donor support has left the Palestinian Authority starved of resources and unable to provide basic services.

Financial resources available to the Palestinian Authority in 2006 fell – by more than 35 per cent to $1.4 billion – on the previous year, and real gross domestic product (GDP) slumped as well, leaving per capita GDP nearly 40 per cent below the levels before the latest intifada. Many more Palestinians now depend on emergency aid.

The situation is particularly acute in Gaza, where 80 per cent of households earn less than $1 a day, twice as many as in the West Bank, and 40 per cent of adults are unemployed. Many of those who did work, such as some of the employees of the Palestinian Authority, did not receive their full salaries in 2006 because of the financial crisis.

Israel stopped handing over tax and customs revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and international donors suspended direct aid after Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel, won elections at the start of last year and formed a Government. Israel and the donors have called on Hamas to commit to non-violence, recognize its neighbour and accept previously signed agreements between Israel and the Palestinians.

The UNRWA report concluded that the crisis has been "compounded by protracted Israeli military operations in Gaza and increased restrictions on movement for Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territory, coupled with rising levels of internal tension."

It detailed the measures the agency has introduced to try to mitigate the problems experienced by Palestinians, including the creation of temporary job opportunities, both direct and indirect, the provision of cash subsidies and goods to the most vulnerable households, and help with health-care services.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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UN HUMANITARIAN WING APPEALS FOR $62 MILLION TO BOOST CAPACITY FOR CRISES

UN HUMANITARIAN WING APPEALS FOR $62 MILLION TO BOOST CAPACITY FOR CRISES
New York, Apr 25 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations humanitarian arm today launched a $62.5 million appeal to boost the capacity of the world body and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to respond to emergencies and crises, from the rapid deployment of expert staff to ensuring there are adequate stockpiles of goods available at short notice.

Launching the appeal in Geneva, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said the appeal is designed to make emergency response efforts more predictable, effective and accountable.

"The aim is to reinforce our support to governments in providing relief and protection to people affected by emergencies," he said. "The budget we are seeking represents a tiny proportion of the $3.9 billion we sought through humanitarian appeals for field operations around the world in 2007, but should improve the speed and quality of response in current and future crises."

The inter-agency appeal seeks funds for 11 different sectors: agriculture; camp coordination and management; early recovery; education; shelter; telecommunications; health; logistics; nutrition; protection; and water, sanitation and hygiene.

The funds raised from Member States will be used to not only build rosters of expert staff for rapid deployment and ensure there are adequate stockpiles of emergency goods, but to develop common standards, systems and tools for responding to international emergencies.

Aside from the UN family of agencies and programmes, the International Red Cross/Red Crescent movement (ICRC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other NGOs are also taking part in the capacity-building exercise.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA) said 10 countries responded generously to last year's first capacity-building appeal, which raised $38 million. This year's appeal will be the last of its kind, OCHA added in a news release.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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NEPAL: UN BRINGS TOGETHER LOCAL LEADERS FOR TALKS ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN PEACE PROCESS

NEPAL: UN BRINGS TOGETHER LOCAL LEADERS FOR TALKS ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN PEACE PROCESS
New York, Apr 25 2007 6:00PM
Teams from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal today participated in a series of meetings with members of political parties, civil society and local authorities in three districts across the country to discuss human rights in the peace process.

These meetings, which follow previous ones organized by OHCHR-Nepal in Saptari and Sunsari districts, focused on the challenge of ensuring that human rights are respected in the peace process, OHCHR said in a news release.

"OHCHR-Nepal believes it is essential for the peace process, including Constituent Assembly elections, that human rights information is communicated to, and discussed, at the local level," said Lena Sundh, Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal.

The presence of UN experts at these meetings to share views with local leaders and members of marginalized groups "will also assist OHCHR to continue its work on discrimination and social exclusion," she added. Today's meetings took place in Panchthar, Birgunj and Kaski districts.

During their previous meetings, the experts stressed that political actors must accept that respect for the rights of others, calling this "the cornerstone of successful elections in a multi-party democracy," <"http://www.ohchr.org/english/">OHCHR said.

In attendance at today's meetings were Rodolfo Stavenhagen, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people; Doudou Diene, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism; and Yozo Yokota and Chinsung Chung, members of the Sub Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Minorities.

Nepal's decade-long armed conflict, which brought a death toll of 13,000 and paralyzed life in the countryside, came to a formal end with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord last November. The Security Council then deployed the UN Mission in Nepal (<"http://www.un.org.np/unmin.php">UNMIN), which is mandated to support the peace process by monitoring the arms and armed personnel of the former adversaries and by assisting the election for a Constituent Assembly.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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RENEWED VIOLENCE UNDERCUTTING MIDDLE EAST DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS - UN OFFICIAL

RENEWED VIOLENCE UNDERCUTTING MIDDLE EAST DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS – UN OFFICIAL
New York, Apr 25 2007 6:00PM
Diplomatic initiatives to rejuvenate the Middle East peace process are making some progress, but they are being undermined by the deteriorating security situation on the ground, the United Nations political chief told the Security Council today, urging Israeli and Palestinian leaders to do their utmost to prevent the violence from escalating further.

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe told an open Council <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9004.doc.htm">meeting on the issue that the situation in the region is fragile, capable of either moving forward based on fresh negotiations or becoming caught in a spiral of tit-for-tat violence.

"Actions and inactions on the ground remain real obstacles to progress, and have the potential to lead to paralysis or even a rapid deterioration," Mr. Pascoe said in his statement to the Council debate, which saw the participation of over a dozen speakers. "The renewed violence of the past few days shows how precarious the situation is."

Between 14 March and 17 April, at least 43 Palestinians have been killed, 22 as a result of intra-community fighting and 21 by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). More than 200 other Palestinians and 13 Israelis have also been injured, while 54 rockets and mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

Mr. Pascoe called on the Palestinian Authority to take steps to counter the rocket fire and the smuggling of weapons, as well as to implement the internal security plan to restore law and order within Gaza.

He added that the UN remains deeply concerned about the fate of the kidnapped British journalist Alan Johnston and reiterated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's recent call for his immediate release. Mr. Johnston, who works for the BBC, was abducted on 12 March near his office as he was returning from the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel.

Releasing Corporal Gilad Shalit of Israel, who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants last June and taken into Gaza, "is also crucial to forward movement" in the peace process.

Mr. Pascoe urged Israel to play its part to calm the situation, especially with its settler community in the West Bank. He noted widespread recent reports that groups of settlers had attacked Palestinian children and a mentally disabled man.

Israel continues to construct new housing units in some 75 of its 121 settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, he added, despite the <"http://www.un.org/News/dh/mideast/roadmap122002.pdf">Road Map plan calling for a freeze on settlements.

All security measures must be proportionate, the Under-Secretary-General stressed, warning that Israeli operations in Palestinian population centres result almost inevitably in civilian casualties and are "a matter of great concern."

Israeli authorities are also subjecting UN staff members and other humanitarian workers crossing from Gaza into Israel to "increasingly arbitrary treatment" and searching their vehicles and property, including laptop computers, out of sight of UN staff.

"This practice violates UN security standards, as well as UN privileges and immunities. We continue to work closely with all relevant Israeli authorities to correct the situation, but with little progress so far."

But Mr. Pascoe said there were some hopeful signs of progress on the political and diplomatic efforts, particularly the face-to-face meeting in Jerusalem on 15 April between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The two men discussed immediate humanitarian and security issues and reportedly also exchanged views on aspects of a future Palestinian State and how and when it could be achieved, Mr. Pascoe said, encouraging the leaders to build on those discussions.

He was also heartened by "the greater public awareness of the potential of the Arab Peace Initiative," adding that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was supporting all regional or international initiatives towards peace in the Middle East.

Turning to Lebanon, Mr. Pascoe observed that despite intensive efforts to ease the country's political stalemate, there has been no breakthrough regarding a national unity government or the formation of a special tribunal to try the suspected killers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

While Lebanon has said it is committed to moving ahead on political and socio-economic reform as agreed, only a small percentage of pledges from international donors have been disbursed so far.

Israeli air violations of the Blue Line have continued, as have claims that arms are being transferred into Lebanon in direct breach of the Security Council-imposed embargo. But the total strength of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/index.html">UNIFIL) has reached 13,000 peacekeepers, and there has been "near total calm" in the area in the past two months.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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CASUALTY FIGURES CONTINUE TO CLIMB IN IRAQ, UN REPORT ON RIGHTS VIOLATIONS SAYS

CASUALTY FIGURES CONTINUE TO CLIMB IN IRAQ, UN REPORT ON RIGHTS VIOLATIONS SAYS
New York, Apr 25 2007 6:00PM
Large-scale indiscriminate killings and targeted assassinations continue to impede efforts to bring lasting stability and security to Iraq, according to the latest United Nations human rights <"http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/docs/unami_10.pdf">report released today on the strife-torn country, where causalities continue to climb despite recent efforts to stem in the bloodshed.

Although Government officials declared a drop in the number of killings in late February after the Baghdad Security Plan was launched, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (<"http://www.uniraq.org/aboutus/aboutus.asp">UNAMI) says the number of reported casualties rose again in March.

UNAMI also voiced concern regarding the handling of suspects arrested as part of the Plan. The new procedures "contained no explicit measures guaranteeing minimum due process rights." Rather, the report argues, "they authorized arrests without warrants and the interrogation of suspects without placing a time limit on how long they could be held in pre-trial detention."

While UNAMI recognizes the tremendous obstacles the country face in restoring law and order, Iraq "remains bound by both its international treaty obligation and its domestic legislation in taking measures to curb the violence," the report, covering the period from 1 January to 31 March, says.

Making no distinction between civilians and combatants, armed groups directly attack civilians through suicide bombings, abductions and extrajudicial executions. "Such systematic or widespread attacks against a civilian population are tantamount to crimes against humanity and violate the laws of war," UNAMI says.

Building on previous studies, this most recent report says the Government must also address the issue of maintaining long-term stability and security. "In this context, the intimidation of a large segment of the Iraqi population, among them professional groups and law enforcement personnel, and political interference in the affairs of the judiciary, were rife and in need of urgent attention," it states.

While the previous nine human rights reports issued contained statistics on killings, UNAMI regrets that authorities did not allow UNAMI access to the Ministry of Health's mortality figures for this period.

"UNAMI emphasizes again the utmost need for the Iraqi Government to operate in a transparent manner," the report notes.

In New York, a spokesperson for the world body said the UN will still seek official data on fatalities. "The Mission will continue to speak with the Iraqi authorities and urge them to provide the necessary information," Michele Montas said.

Even without the mortality figures at its disposal, UNAMI asserts that there was still a high level of violence during the reporting period, with large-scale killings and assassinations carried out by insurgency groups and militias, among others.

February and March saw sectarian violence claim the lives of many civilians, including women and children, in both Shia and Sunni neighbourhoods. On 3 February, around 135 people were killed and 339 injured when a truck loaded with explosives detonated in a busy market in a mostly Shia district of Baghdad.

The Mission also expresses concern at the use of terrorism and other forms of inhuman treatment in detention centres, and stresses the need to establish an effective tracking method to account for the location and treatment of those after arrest.

Further, UNAMI says that there is a worrying increase in intolerance towards minorities as well as in attempts to muzzle the press. "Across the country, attacks against journalists and media outlets continued, resulting in a high number of casualties among media workers," it notes.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 730,000 Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes since the al-Askari shrine in Samarra was bombed last February, adding to the approximately 1.2 million others displaced prior to that. Baghdad neighbourhoods have increasingly become split along Shia and Sunni lines, and this trend must be reversed to allow civilians to return to their homes, the Mission says.

During the period covered by this new report, UNAMI expanded the areas it monitors to the three northern governorates under the authority of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Although the area's security situation is stable, there have been reports of impingements of the freedom of expression.

Also, the report notes the lack of due process for detainees held on suspicion of involvement in terrorism in the region. "Hundreds have been held for prolonged periods without referral to an investigative judge or charges brought against them," it says.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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AFTER MEETING TOP OFFICIALS IN DR CONGO, MIGIRO HEADS TO BRAZZAVILLE

AFTER MEETING TOP OFFICIALS IN DR CONGO, MIGIRO HEADS TO BRAZZAVILLE
New York, Apr 25 2007 6:00PM
United Nations Deputy-Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro has wrapped up her visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where she met with top leaders and conveyed a message about the world body's support for the country as it moves to consolidate peace.

Ms. Migiro is now in Brazzaville, capital of the neighbouring Republic of Congo, to attend a meeting of UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP) country directors for Africa.

During her stay in the DRC, the Deputy-Secretary-General met with President Joseph Kabila and various political leaders, including members of the opposition.

"Her message to all her interlocutors was that the United Nations is prepared to continue working with the Congolese authorities and Congolese people to promote reconciliation and reconstruction," UN spokesperson Michele Montas told journalists in New York.

In another development, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) today called for greater protection of endangered animals in the DRC.

Koïchiro Matsuura, in a letter to President Kabila and UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Affairs Jean-Marie Guéhenno, requested that the mandate of the UN mission in the DRC, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/index.html">MONUC, be expanded to include the protection of the country's five World Heritage Sites and several other areas.

These sites "are of exceptional importance to the preservation of biodiversity as they are home to some of the world's rarest and most remarkable species, including the bonobo, the closest living relative of the human species, mountain gorillas and okapi, a rare forest giraffe," the agency said.

The presence of armed groups on these sites has made rangers unable to stop the reported killing of hundreds of animals in recent months, according to UNESCO.

With MONUC's support, the DRC held landmark presidential and parliamentary elections, the first such polls in more than four decades, as it recovers from years of brutal civil war and misrule.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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PALESTINIAN REFUGEES HURT IN BLAZE AT CAMP ON SYRIAN-IRAQI BORDER, SAYS UN AGENCY

PALESTINIAN REFUGEES HURT IN BLAZE AT CAMP ON SYRIAN-IRAQI BORDER, SAYS UN AGENCY
New York, Apr 25 2007 5:00PM
Fire swept through a refugee camp in the no-man's-land near the Syrian-Iraqi border last night, injuring 28 Palestinians and destroying the tents and personal possessions of seven families, the United Nations refugee agency reported today, calling this evidence of the poor living conditions in the area.

Survivors said they escaped death by only seconds as the Al Tanf camp was engulfed by the blaze on Tuesday night, which was apparently caused by a spark from an electric cable igniting a diesel can and gas cylinder. Strong winds also fanned the flames.

Three Palestinian refugees suffered severe burns and 25 others, mostly children, received minor burns and smoke inhalation, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/462f8b634.html">UNHCR). It was the second fire at the camp.

One survivor told UNHCR officials that his tent became a fireball within a minute. "There was no time to take anything," he said. "Our children were sleeping. My neighbour has serious burns because he went into the burning flames looking for his child who had already run out of the tent. Everything is lost, including our hope in life."

Al Tanf is host to 389 Palestinian refugees, mainly women and children, fleeing violence in Iraq. They have been stranded on the border area for the last 11 months after being denied entry to Syria or any other neighbouring country of Iraq. Conditions at the camp are extremely harsh, with a desert climate and winds frequently swirling sand and dust.

UNHCR staff have brought fresh supplies, including tents and bedding, from the Syrian capital, Damascus, to replace those lost in the fire.

Laurens Jolles, UNHCR's Representative in Syria described the fire as an accident waiting to happen.

"It is an example of how inappropriate and dangerous this place is for humans to live in and underlines the need to move these refugees to an appropriate and safe place," Mr. Jolles said.

More than 1,000 Palestinians are stuck at the Al Tanf and Al Waleed areas along the Syrian-Iraqi border, too afraid to return to their homes, especially in Baghdad, where they have been the target of deadly attacks. An estimated 15,000 Palestinians still live in the Iraqi capital, half the number of the community in 2003.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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UN EXPERTS CONCERNED AT ATTACK AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN MYANMAR

UN EXPERTS CONCERNED AT ATTACK AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN MYANMAR
New York, Apr 25 2007 5:00PM
Two independent United Nations human rights experts issued a statement today voicing deep concern about last week's attack against rights defenders in Myanmar, calling on authorities in the Asian country to conduct a thorough investigation.

Media reports say two human rights defenders were attacked and beaten by a large group on 18 April at Oakpon village in Hinthada Township, which is about 100 kilometres northwest of the former capital of Yangon.

Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, and Hina Jilani, the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders, released a <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/F9CC50DE2050A8CFC12572C800578C4B?opendocument">joint statement in Geneva voicing "deep concern over the brutal attack."

The statement added that the reports received so far by Mr. Pinheiro and Ms. Jilani "have highlighted the level of violence and the absence of intervention by the local police to protect the victims and remind us of the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident of Depayin in 2003."

Members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) were killed and dozens of others were arrested and detained during a violent incident in Depayin in May 2003, which was described by Mr. Pinheiro in a report to a General Assembly committee later that year as "a regression in the area of human rights."

In today's statement Mr. Pinheiro and Ms. Jilani called on Myanmar's Government "to take all the necessary steps to protect human rights defenders and to guarantee the peaceful exercise of fundamental freedoms by the people of Myanmar."
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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ON CENTRAL ASIAN TOUR, UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF WRAPS UP VISIT TO KYRGYZSTAN

ON CENTRAL ASIAN TOUR, UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF WRAPS UP VISIT TO KYRGYZSTAN
New York, Apr 25 2007 5:00PM
Welcoming the steps taken to develop a strong civil society in Kyrgyzstan while calling for further progress on the treatment of women and detainees, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/7ECC114AA34E538CC12572C800345431?opendocument">concluded a two-day visit to the country, the first leg of her four-country tour of Central Asia.

During her stop in the Bishkek, she met with President Kurmanbek Bakiev, Foreign Affairs Minister Ednan Karabayev and Chairman of the Supreme Court Kurmanbek Osmonov, among other officials. She also held discussions with representatives of local and international organizations, civil society groups and diplomats.

Ms. Arbour was "pleased to note the positive direction taken by Kyrgyzstan in developing a strong civil society," according a press release issued by her office today. "She noted the importance of further improving human rights in the country, in particular with respect to the independence of the judiciary, gender equality and preservation of the democratic space."

However, she voiced concern about several issues pertaining to women, including their low level of participation in public life, domestic violence and abductions for forced marriage, also known as bride kidnapping – and said the Government was obligated to address them.

The High Commissioner also "regretted that incidents of ill-treatment and torture of detainees were still reported in the country," and welcomed a step taken by the Government to reduce torture by introducing a review of detention. She also suggested that Kyrgyzstan ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which went into effect last June, and invite the Special Rapporteur on Torture, an unpaid expert serving in an independent personal capacity, to help the Government assess and find solutions for the problem.

Ms. Arbour was pleased to receive assurances from President Bakiev regarding the speedy conclusion of an agreement to establish a presence for her Office in the country's capital, Bishkek. Foreign Minister Karabayev said that the pact will be finalized by next month.

Her next <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/6F063B4B77733FADC12572C800274D10?opendocument">stop on her visit to the region is in Tajikistan, and after that she will go to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on her 11-day tour of Central Asia, which aims to increase her Office's visibility in the area.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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INDEPENDENT UN RIGHTS EXPERT CALLS ON UNITED STATES TO RE-EXAMINE GUN LAWS

INDEPENDENT UN RIGHTS EXPERT CALLS ON UNITED STATES TO RE-EXAMINE GUN LAWS
New York, Apr 25 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education has called on the United States to consider reforming its gun laws in the wake of last week's shooting rampage at a university campus where a man killed 32 others and then himself.

Voicing his "profound sadness" following the massacre on 16 April at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Vernor Muñoz Villalobos issued a <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/152E3318145A1E82C12572C800259118?opendocument">statement yesterday saying he was confident that US authorities would undertake a thorough investigation.

"Given the fact that similar incidents occurred in educative establishments on other occasions, I hope that the renewed reflection and debate that this sad event has triggered in the United States on the implications of the legislation related to the possession of arms by the general public will encourage the society to consider the possibility to revise it," he said.

Mr. Muñoz Villalobos reiterated that everyone has the right to a safe and protected learning environment.

"As I have stated before, the targeting of schools, universities, students, teachers and other civilians for any reason is unacceptable," the statement said.

Extending condolences, he added: "My thoughts are with the parents, families and friends of all those who were victims in the attack."

Mr. Muñoz Villalobos, who serves in an independent, unpaid capacity, reports to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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HAITI: ECOSOC TEAM SEES PROGRESS BUT RENEWS CALL FOR ONGOING DEVELOPMENT AID

HAITI: ECOSOC TEAM SEES PROGRESS BUT RENEWS CALL FOR ONGOING DEVELOPMENT AID
New York, Apr 25 2007 4:00PM
Just returned from a mission to Haiti, the leader of a team from the United Nations Economic and Social Council (<" http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc">ECOSOC) today painted a mixed picture of the Caribbean country, which has experienced greater political stability and security in recent months but still faces numerous development challenges which he said must be met through a determined international response.

"Our goal is to promote recovery and stability and to ensure that Haiti receives the sustained, long-term international support that it needs," said Ambassador John McNee of Canada, who led the ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Group set up to follow the situation in Haiti and give advice to its Government on its long-term development strategies.

The Group's recent four-day trip to Haiti, which followed a visit it made two years ago, aimed to assess progress "and reinforce the UN's long-term commitment to the people of Haiti," Mr. McNee said.

Members of the team, which included representatives of Haiti, Benin, Brazil, Chile, Spain and Trinidad and Tobago, met with senior Government officials, staff of UN agencies, the UN Assistance Mission in Haiti (<" http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah">MINUSTAH) and others. They visited the capital, including the notoriously dangerous Cité Soleil neighbourhood, and also traveled beyond Port-au-Prince.

Mr. McNee said the Group was still formulating its recommendations, but he echoed the findings of their previous report, which stressed that Haiti must remain on the international agenda and receive more support.

"We were all struck by the magnitude of the development challenges in Haiti," he said, while adding there were a number of encouraging factors, including measurable political stability thanks to elections facilitated by MINUSTAH, as well as a "considerable increase" in the level of basic security.

In the past it would have been "unthinkable" for the Group to visit Cité Soleil, walk freely down the streets and speak with people there, he said, paying tribute to joint UN-Haitian efforts to take on the gangs "in their home turf."

Mr. McNee tempered his optimism with a note of caution. "In fairness, we should stress the fragility of the situation and the huge challenge. It is one thing to take on the gangs in this area – the real challenge is finding employment and economic growth that will give people incentive to take a peaceful path, not a criminal path."

On the long-term economic strategy, he said recommendations included boosting tourism, a mainstay of many Caribbean economies, and agriculture. "Those are two potential resources that Haiti has and offer possibilities for the future."
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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IN A FIRST, UN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARM TO HOLD ANNUAL MEETING IN CENTRAL ASIA

IN A FIRST, UN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARM TO HOLD ANNUAL MEETING IN CENTRAL ASIA
New York, Apr 25 2007 3:00PM
For the first time, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (<"http://www.unescap.org/unis/sub_unis/press_releases.asp">UNESCAP) will hold its annual high-level meeting – which will be attended by over 400 delegates, including heads of Government and ministers from the organization's 62 members – in Central Asia.

The meeting, which is set to take place from 17 to 23 May in Kazakhstan's capital, Almaty, will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Commission's creation.

Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev will deliver the opening address at the Ministerial Meeting on 21 May, which will be preceded by two days of meetings among senior officials.

Following established practice, the Foreign Minister of the host Government, Marat Tazhin, is expected to be elected as the session's Chairperson.

The Commission, meeting in its 63rd session, will include a panel discussion on "Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Asian and Pacific Region." Participants will confer on a regional road map for achieving the goals to slash social ills, including extreme poverty and hunger, by 2015.

UNESCAP's Special Body on Least Developed and Landlocked Developing Countries will gather just ahead of the high-level meeting from 15 to 16 May, while the Asia-Pacific Business Forum, which brings together the area's business leaders, will take place from 18 to 19 May.

In another development, UNESCAP is organizing a two-day meeting to examine how regional policies to reduce violence against women can be strengthened.

To be held from 26 to 27 April at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, the meeting for the first time will focus on addressing harmful traditional and cultural practices.

In his 2006 report "In-depth Study on All Forms of Violence against Women," the Secretary-General wrote that half a million girls have gone missing yearly for the past two decades due to prenatal sex selection and infanticide in India. According to one study, half of all ethnic Kyrgyz marriages in Kyrgyzstan were the result of kidnappings, of which as many as two-thirds were non-consensual. Meanwhile in Pakistan, 4,000 men and women – with women outnumbering men two to one – were the victims of honour killings between 1998 and 2003.

Experts at the meeting – including include UN representatives, academics, human rights organizations and Government officials – will determine how to implement the Secretary-General's recommendations, and will examine how to address the socio-cultural root causes of violence against women in the Asian-Pacific context. They will scrutinize practices violating women's rights including sex-selective abortions, female infanticide, dowry deaths, honour killings, forced marriages and sex slavery.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE AGENCY TO EXPAND ITS OPERATIONS IN WEST DARFUR

UN REFUGEE AGENCY TO EXPAND ITS OPERATIONS IN WEST DARFUR
New York, Apr 25 2007 3:00PM
After reaching agreement with the Sudanese Government, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/462e44c72.html">UNHCR) will upgrade its presence in the western part of the war-torn Darfur region where about 700,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living.

UNHCR António Guterres, currently touring Darfur, said yesterday that the UN and Khartoum had reached a deal and called on local authorities to play their part by boosting security in West Darfur state for the large IDP population and for humanitarian workers.

"We are counting on your commitment to improve the security situation in the IDP camps and their surroundings," he said during a meeting with local authorities in El Geneina, the state capital.

UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) do not have access to much of Darfur's IDPs because of the poor security, which leaves them vulnerable to ambushes and other attacks from militias, bandits and other groups.

After his meeting with local authorities, Mr. Guterres toured the nearby Krinding camp, which is home to some 31,000 IDPs, and spoke with some of its residents, including a delegation of 20 camp leaders.

"Our main concern is security," said one of the leaders. "We cannot move. People get shot. Many women have been raped… The security situation is terrible and there is no one to complain to."

Another leader pleaded for more help from UNHCR. "There is regular shooting in the camp. We don't know who's doing it and we can't sleep because we're afraid we will be killed."

More than 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur since 2003 through fighting between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias and rebel groups, and the number of displaced has swollen to over 2 million.

Mr. Guterres also visited a children's centre in West Darfur yesterday and spoke with a group of displaced women who voiced concerns over security and the level of school fees.

Today he is scheduled to meet with some of the 25,000 refugees from neighbouring Chad who have sought shelter in West Darfur, before heading across Sudan on Thursday to Kassala state, where he will visit long-established camps for displaced Eritreans and Ethiopians.

UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2456">WFP) Executive Director Josette Sheeran is also in Sudan, arriving today for talks with Government officials and UN staff in Khartoum before travelling to Darfur and then the south of the country.

Sudan is home to the agency's biggest operation in the world, with an estimated 5.5 million people expected to be fed this year in part by WFP.

In the south, the UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS) reported that more than 26,000 IDPs have been assisted in returning to their homes under a joint programme administered by the UN, the Sudanese Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan.

This programme follows the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement in early 2005 ending the long-running north-south civil war in Sudan, which had forced millions of southern Sudanese to flee their homes.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL MISSION TO KOSOVO HOLDS TALKS WITH EUROPEAN UNION OFFICIALS

SECURITY COUNCIL MISSION TO KOSOVO HOLDS TALKS WITH EUROPEAN UNION OFFICIALS
New York, Apr 25 2007 3:00PM
The Security Council delegation heading to Kosovo on a fact-finding trip to help determine the permanent future status of the Serbian province with an ethnic Albanian majority stopped in Brussels today for talks with European Union (EU) and NATO officials.

The 15-member delegation met with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Ollie Rehn, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

Brussels is the first stop on a six-day trip that will also take stops in Belgrade, Pristina and Vienna so that Council members can gain a first-hand understanding of the social, political and economic situation inside Kosovo. It is the fourth such Council mission since April 2000.

Led by Ambassador Johan C. Verbeke of Belgium and comprising representatives from the Council's current membership, the mission is tasked with assessing Kosovo's progress since the UN took over its administration in 1999, particularly on the implementation of the agreed standards, a set of eight overall targets that include building democratic institutions, enforcing minority rights, creating a functioning economy and setting up an impartial legal system.

Last month, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the future status process, Martti Ahtisaari, concluded that independence in a phased process with initial supervision by the international community was the only viable option for Kosovo.

Mr. Ahtisaari said in his report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the province, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by nine to one, could only become politically stable and economically viable if it was independent because Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) and Serbia could not reach agreement on even small, practical issues.

Any further delay in reaching a permanent solution would cause further stagnation, threaten democratic development and imperil any hopes at ethnic reconciliation, he said, adding that an international civilian and military presence would be needed for some time, focused especially on such areas as minority community rights, the rule of law, decentralization and the protection of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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ON AFRICA MALARIA DAY, UNICEF SAYS WORLD MUST HELP CURB SPREAD OF DISEASE

ON AFRICA MALARIA DAY, UNICEF SAYS WORLD MUST HELP CURB SPREAD OF DISEASE
New York, Apr 25 2007 2:00PM
To mark Africa Malaria Day, UNICEF today urged the international community to reverse the spread of malaria, a disease that kills one person on the continent every 30 seconds and cripples so many of its youth.

Yearly, between 350 and 500 million people are infected with malaria, and 1 million die from the disease.

Although the disease has been eliminated in some areas, it still devastates many parts of the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa, where almost 90 per cent of malaria deaths occur.

"The treatments are available and the education is there. What are needed now are the resources," UNICEF said in a press release.

w are the resources," <"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF said in a <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_39455.html">press release.

"Africa Malaria Day 2007 is a day for the world to speak with one voice, and the message is clear: Yes, malaria is deadly, but it is also preventable."

In much of the continent, the disease is straining already overburdened health systems. The majority of malaria cases occur in children under the age of five, and infected pregnant women are at risk of contracting anaemia, endangering both their lives and those of their unborn children.

Methods to prevent malaria have been successful, including insecticide treated bednets, known as ITNs, which cost only $10 each and prevent mosquito bites that transmit malaria, have also been reported to last for up to five years.

The UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2007/africa_malaria_day/en/index.html">WHO) said that ITNs can slash malaria transmission by at least 60 per cent and child deaths by 20 per cent if used properly.

UNICEF has strongly pushed for the use of ITNs to combat the spread of the disease, and has funded their distribution across Africa.

In many provinces in Mozambique, the Government distributes ITNs for free to all pregnant women and to children under the age of five.

"Not only will a pregnant woman benefit from using the net, but so will her child, because most new mothers sleep with their babies for the first few years of life," said UNICEF Officer for Malaria Timothy Freeman.

Malaria causes the highest number of deaths among children in the Southern African country, and it accounts for 60 per cent of paediatric hospital admissions and 30 per cent of hospital deaths.

The disease is also a main cause of death in Mozambique, which has one of the world's highest child mortality rates.

UNICEF plays a key role in the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, which was created in 1998 by UNICEF, WHO, the UN Deve
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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WITH UNICEF'S HELP, MADAGASCAR REBUILDS SHATTERED SCHOOLS IN WAKE OF CYCLONES

WITH UNICEF'S HELP, MADAGASCAR REBUILDS SHATTERED SCHOOLS IN WAKE OF CYCLONES
New York, Apr 25 2007 12:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/madagascar_39447.html">UNICEF) is helping to rebuild schools in Madagascar, which was battered by a series of cyclones and storms over a four-month period, leaving almost 150,000 children in the Indian Ocean country unable to attend classes.

On 15 March, Cyclone Indlala, with winds reaching 220 kilometres per hour, struck the island nation, leaving massive destruction and causing deaths. Before the country had time to recover, it was hit by Cyclone Jaya a few weeks later on 3 April.

Florine, age 8, climbed onto the roof of her partially destroyed home in Ambanja, in north-eastern Madagascar, to survey the damage.

Expressing her shock at the scale of the devastation, she said, "I saw houses submerged in water, including trees."

She was also saddened to see that her school had been destroyed, with only trees and the sodden floor left in its place, causing her to wonder whether she would ever be able to attend school again.

Madagascar's Ministry of Education estimates that 136 schools have been completely destroyed while 591 others have been partially destroyed since late last December when the first tropical storm of the season crashed into the country.

Rebuilding schools will be a slow and difficult process, but communities have made great strides to bring education to the children, with churches and community halls being used as classrooms, local carpenters crafting school benches and tables and masons transporting construction materials on their backs, often taking days to reach their destinations.

UNICEF's Madagascar Representative Bruno Maes said that at least 54,000 children in the affected areas could return to school after this month's midterm break.

The agency is "distributing tarpaulins, tents, schools supplies and School-in-a-Box kits in the north in Diana, Sofia and Maroantsetra, which are some of the hardest hit areas," he said. The kits are portable and contain materials to conduct a full range of classes.

UNICEF is providing 90 aluminum, anti-termite classroom frames and is assisting the Government in setting them up.

The agency has also trained nearly 700 teachers in Maroantsetra to help mobilize the scattered pupil population. The teachers will be aided in their efforts by parents, communities and heads of education activity zones.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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BRAVING COLD, TEAM RACING TO RAISE MONEY FOR UN REFUGEE AGENCY IN THE LEAD

BRAVING COLD, TEAM RACING TO RAISE MONEY FOR UN REFUGEE AGENCY IN THE LEAD
New York, Apr 25 2007 10:00AM
Facing bitter cold and encountering polar bears, a British duo seeking to raise almost $500,000 for the United Nations refugee agency leads the <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/462df7cd4.html">Polar Race 2007, as the grueling 640-kilometre endurance race to the North Pole has reached its halfway point.

Team Refuge, comprising Jake Morland and James Turner, is leading its nearest rival by almost seven hours after setting out from Canada's Cornwallis Island earlier this month.

"We've taken a bit of a battering over the last few days," said Mr. Morland, who has worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees over the past seven years in places such as Iraq, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and Sudan.

Mr. Morland hopes the money his team raises will be earmarked for a special trust fund to cover urgent medical evacuations for refugee children.

"Rather than polar bears, the cold has been our biggest concern," he added. "The thermometer may only read minus 20 but with wind chill that's closer to minus 65! Just staying warm is a battle!"

The team must pull heavy sleds carrying food and other survival items over the frozen arctic, and is learning how to use the sun to navigate and also how to differentiate snow which is safe to melt and drink from snow which is salty from the seawater.

The duo is now busy repairing their equipment and resting at a re-supply station on Osborne Island, as they gear up for the second half of their journey.

To deal with the demanding challenges of the race, Mr. Turner, teacher and long-time friend of Mr. Morland's, said that he is dreaming of his arrival back in Ottawa, Canada, after the end of the race next month.

"A pint of beer and food that isn't boil-in-the-bag takes my mind off bruised feet and aching bones," he said. "It also allows me to open my eyes and enjoy the surroundings."

However, the highlight of the race so far for Team Refuge has been its coming across three polar bears and two Arctic wolves.

Recalling a close encounter with a polar bear, Mr. Turner said, "My first thought was surprise, then I yelled, 'Bear! Bear! Bear!' The bear and I looked at each other, he sniffed the air, turned and disappeared in to the ice rubble."

He added, "It was close."

Team Refuge, one of six teams competing in the race, is being sponsored by Arch Insurance, a European company, which has given the two men $80,000 to cover the costs of the race, allowing all funds raised by the pair to be donated directly to UNHCR.

The public will be able to continue donating to Team Refuge for the rest of this year.

The winning team of the Polar Race 2007 will be awarded the Wedgwood Blue Ice Trophy.
2007-04-25 00:00:00.000

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YOUTH DELEGATES AT UN MEETING PLEDGE STEPS TO PROMOTE ROAD SAFETY

YOUTH DELEGATES AT UN MEETING PLEDGE STEPS TO PROMOTE ROAD SAFETY
New York, Apr 24 2007 7:00PM
A United Nations-sponsored gathering of young people from around the world has issued a global call to arms for governments, schools, universities, the media, the entertainment industry, bartenders and youths themselves to take action to improve road safety for young people – who are more likely to be killed by road accidents than any other cause.

Some 400 participants at the World Youth Assembly, a two-day event concluding today at the UN in Geneva, issued a declaration urging young people to "stand up and participate in local, national and international road safety campaigns and programmes."

They pledged to set their own example for others by taking practical steps, from always wearing seat belts and motorcycle helmets to refraining from speeding or drink driving.

The youth delegates, who spanned at least 100 countries, also called on adults, "our heroes and our mentors… to create a safe environment for us when we are on the road, and to serve as road models for safe traffic behaviour."

The World Youth Assembly was staged as part of the first ever UN Global Road Safety Week, which has a theme this year focusing on the impact on young people.

A report released last week by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that road traffic crashes have become the leading cause of death for people aged between 10 and 24, with nearly 400,000 people in that age bracket killed every year and millions of others permanently disabled or injured.

The overwhelming majority of those deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and the report concluded that, on average, the crashes cost such nations more than one per cent of their gross national product (GNP) in health care, material and other expenses.

In an address by video-link to the Geneva gathering, General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa said there was an "unprecedented" global momentum now on road safety.

The General Assembly has passed a series of resolutions on the issue calling on Member States to implement tougher preventive action, and the UN has also recommended that countries the third Sunday in November each year as a 'World Day of Remembrance' for road traffic victims.

Sheikha Haya said she hoped the delegates will be able to use the spotlight from this week's gathering "to push for greater attention to be paid to road safety within your own countries" and the rest of the world.

"I hope that through your campaign you can convince community leaders, the private sector, NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and civil society, celebrities and the media to take up the challenge and act as role models for the cause," she said.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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SOMALIA NOW WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS PLACE FOR AID WORKERS, SAYS UN OFFICIAL

SOMALIA NOW WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS PLACE FOR AID WORKERS, SAYS UN OFFICIAL
New York, Apr 24 2007 6:00PM
Somalia has become the most dangerous place in the world for relief workers to operate, the United Nations humanitarian chief warned today, with none of the sides in the deadly fighting that has raged across the capital Mogadishu in recent weeks respecting the rules of war or making any allowance for aid operations.

John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council that the fighting in Somalia is probably the worst in 16 years, since the impoverished country stopped having a functioning national government.

More than 320,000 people have fled Mogadishu since the start of February, and hundreds of others are reported to have been killed in the past week alone as the violence escalate, Mr. Holmes told a closed-door briefing, according to the text of his speech.

Most of the people fleeing the city have virtually no possessions, and some are being forced to "rent" the use of space under trees for shelter, Mr. Holmes added. They lack many basics such as food and water.

Violence in Mogadishu has dramatically increased since the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, dislodged the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from the capital and much of the country at the end of last year. Clan-based militias have also been involved in the clashes.

Mr. Holmes said civilians are being caught in the crossfire, with all sides "equally responsible" for failing to stay within international law. Heavily populated residential areas face constant shelling, and a hospital also appeared to be deliberately targeted by shelling and artillery fire.

"Civilians in Mogadishu are paying an intolerable price for the absence of political progress and dialogue and the failure of all parties to abide by the rules of warfare," said Mr. Holmes, who is also Emergency Relief Coordinator for the world body.

The humanitarian situation in the southern and central parts of Somalia has been exacerbated by outbreaks of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea, with the latter estimated to be responsible for more than 600 deaths in recent months.

Mr. Holmes told reporters that the violence has been so intense that UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are extremely limited in their access to suffering civilians, with as many as four out of five Somalis in need out of reach.

He criticized the TFG and local authorities for making it even harder for aid workers to carry out their daily work by restricting access to area hospitals and imposing unnecessary delays and problems at checkpoints.

But Mr. Holmes said that Government officials pledged at a meeting yesterday with the UN that they fully supported all humanitarian relief work and would not impede the efforts of UN agencies or NGOs.

He stressed the need for a ceasefire as soon as possible or, failing that, a commitment by all sides in the conflict to respect international humanitarian law so that civilians are not targeted or left as victims through indiscriminate attacks.

The UN has appealed for $262 million for relief efforts in Somalia, but Mr. Holmes said only about a third of that target has been received so far and he urged donors to contribute more.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED ALLIANCE TACKLES HELPING MILLIONS OF CHILDREN ORPHANED BY AIDS

UN-BACKED ALLIANCE TACKLES HELPING MILLIONS OF CHILDREN ORPHANED BY AIDS
New York, Apr 24 2007 6:00PM
With more than 18 million children expected to have lost one or both parents to AIDS by 2010, a United Nations-backed alliance has met to discuss the looming crisis of how millions of children orphaned or made vulnerable by the epidemic can build their futures and remain free from infection.

A two-day workshop last week in Johannesburg, South Africa, hosted by the United Nations and Partners' Alliance – comprising UN agencies, Governments and non-governmental organization (NGOs) – brought together delegates from Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Kenya, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe to confer on policies for orphaned and vulnerable children.

"There is a critical need for scaling up the response. In South Africa alone, there are more than 2 million children from the country's 18.5 million that have lost one or both parents to AIDS," said Josee Koch, emergency food security and HIV and AIDS officer for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/">FAO).

"Immediate and appropriate mechanisms are needed urgently to stop the spread of HIV and ensure that children are supported on their way to realize their full potential for a better future," she added.

Without the confidence and skills necessary to build their futures, young people become more vulnerable to contracting HIV, according to a press release issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA). Without options, children could potentially be pushed into activities that put them and others at high risk of becoming infected with the disease.

Participants recognized the crucial assistance to support these children furnished by the Australian Government. Funding comes from the AUSAID, the Government's aid agency, and is being used for programmes run by the FAO and other organizations that have adopted a livelihoods based approach, including teaching pivotal life skills which will enable children to grow into economically active and productive young adults.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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CONGOLESE PARTIES AGREE ON NEED FOR DIALOGUE AND RECONCILIATION - MIGIRO

CONGOLESE PARTIES AGREE ON NEED FOR DIALOGUE AND RECONCILIATION – MIGIRO
New York, Apr 24 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General said today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that all parties there agree on the need for dialogue and reconciliation in order to achieve lasting peace in the country, where recent clashes have forced thousands to flee in the northeast.

"I carry with me a strong feeling of triumph, having seen the efforts of the National Assembly and its president in promoting reconciliation and dialogue in a bid for unity and to strengthen democracy in the DRC," said Asha Rose Migiro following a series of high-level meetings in the country.

Ms. Migiro, who also met with the Minster of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said all those she had talked to were "proud that the DRC elections were held in a free and fair manner."

She said that the recent March violence in Kinshasa, although regrettable, is "something that can still be an incentive for the country to consolidate the peace dividends and to put in place mechanisms and institutions that will ensure that human rights thrive, and that democracy continues."

This, Ms. Migiro said, "will enable the Congolese people to sit down and to pick up the challenges, and put in place programmes to ensure that they overcome the immense social and economic problems that the country is facing."

She added that all parties she had spoken to "agree that there cannot be any alternative to dialogue and reconciliation."

The UN can give a guarantee of its "engaged presence in the DRC, and a readiness to continue to work with the Congolese people and their Government," she added.

Another guarantee, she said, was that the Congolese themselves have demonstrated that "they want the path of democracy and peace," by voting peacefully in last years elections.

The UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news">UNHCR) today reported that they are rushing aid to mitigate the suffering of tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes after an outbreak of fighting in north-eastern DRC. In North Kivu province alone, close to 65,000 people have been displaced in recent weeks due to intensified fighting between militias and government forces.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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CYPRUS: UN POLL FINDS MAJORITY BACKING IN BOTH COMMUNITIES FOR FEDERAL SETTLEMENT

CYPRUS: UN POLL FINDS MAJORITY BACKING IN BOTH COMMUNITIES FOR FEDERAL SETTLEMENT
New York, Apr 24 2007 4:00PM
A federal settlement is the only proposal to resolve the Cyprus problem that enjoys majority support in both communities on the Mediterranean island, but there is widespread scepticism that any solution is imminent, according to an inter-communal survey conducted by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unficyp/index.html">UNFICYP).

The survey of 1,000 Greek Cypriots, 1,000 Turkish Cypriots and 300 people living within the UN Buffer Zone (100 Turkish Cypriots and 250 Greek Cypriots), conducted in February and released today, found that both communities consider the UN has an important role to play and welcomed its continuing presence across the island.

But a majority of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots believed the UN was biased in favour of the other community, and they were also wary of the true intentions and preferences of the other side.

The survey was commissioned by UNFICYP to gauge how Cypriots feel about the Mission and the rest of the UN presence on the island, and on their attitudes towards a possible peaceful resolution of the Cyprus problem.

The poll found that "a strong majority" of Greek Cypriots said a unitary State solution was satisfactory, but a similar proportion of Turkish Cypriots viewed such an outcome as unacceptable. Most Turkish Cypriots preferred a two-State arrangement, but most Greek Cypriots said they regarded that idea as untenable.

Yet a majority on both sides saw a federal settlement as "the second best option and would be prepared to accept such a constitutional framework, at the very least as a compromise solution," according to a press release summarizing the poll results.

Supporters among Greek Cypriots (65 per cent) tended to regard a federal settlement as "tolerable," whereas Turkish Cypriot supporters (70 per cent) usually viewed it as "satisfactory." Only small minorities of either community believed the status quo was the answer.

"Rejecting a federal solution out of hand, under any circumstances and regardless of the specific plan, is not a majority viewpoint in either community," the release added.

The survey showed that a majority on both sides did not want UNFICYP to withdraw before the restoration of normal conditions and a peaceful settlement, but that they also wanted the UN to do more to understand Cypriot concerns across the island.

Examples proposed included outreach programmes to villages and towns, in-depth research into the concerns of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and an interactive website promoting inter-communal dialogue.

Contacts between the two communities are seen as essential to improving levels of trust and to "pave the way for a united Cyprus, and there is approval for those who reach out the other community through such contacts," the release noted. But despite this goodwill, few of those interviewed were actually involved in such contacts.

The opening of crossing points may also not have created much of a boost in confidence, the poll found, with only one in 10 Greek Cypriots crossing regularly and 45 per cent of Turkish Cypriots, with many on both sides saying the trips had not enhanced their views of their neighbours.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION STILL HAS WORK TO DO IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE, UN OFFICIAL SAYS

UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION STILL HAS WORK TO DO IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE, UN OFFICIAL SAYS
New York, Apr 24 2007 3:00PM
Even after the signing of a peace accord in Côte d'Ivoire, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the West African country still has much work ahead of it, an official for the world body has said.

"I found a very tangible, very perceptible relaxation of the situation in the country," Under-Secretary-General Hédi Annabi said in a UN radio interview on Monday at the end of a 12-day visit to the divided nation to evaluate the situation on the ground.

Referring to a peace deal struck by the sides in neighbouring Burkina Faso, he said there was a "very clear willingness on the part of Ivorian leaders to implement the Ouagadougou agreement and try to stick as much as possible to the timeline outlined in the Accord."

The mission, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unoci/index.html">UNOCI, "will continue to help our Ivorian friends in the implementation of the Accord."

The agreement between President Gbagbo and Forces Nouvelles Secretary-General Guillaume Soro commits both sides to honouring all Security Council resolutions on the issue, including the need to abide by free, fair and transparent elections.

The Accord also tackles disarmament, reform and restructuring of the armed forces as well as the restoration of State authority throughout the country, which has been divided between north and south since 2002. National elections originally slated for last October have been postponed until this year.

Mr. Annabi said that everyone he met with, including President Laurent Gbagbo, stated that they wanted the mission to continue its work to help Ivorians realize the agreement.

The agreement calls for the dismantling of the so-called Zone of Confidence separating the Government-controlled south and rebel-held north, and will be replaced by a green line along which the UN will establish observation points.

As the Accord is fulfilled, Mr. Annabi said that the situation regarding the UN's mission in the country will be re-evaluated, especially in regards to demobilization of militias.

"After the redeployment of the administration to the north of the country, we will analyze the residual areas we need to accomplish and, based on this analysis, we can envisage a lightening of our resources on the ground and a reduction in manpower," he noted.

Of the voting scheduled to take place this October, Mr. Annabi stressed that the "organization and management of the elections falls on Ivorian institutions."

The UN will ensure that they take place "under good conditions." It will also confirm that the results "proclaimed by Ivorian institutions conform to international norms and that the process takes place under credible, free, democratic and transparent conditions as described in the Accord of Ouagadougou," he said.

UNOCI has nearly 9,000 total uniformed personnel in the country, including 7,850 troops and almost 1,000 police with a mandate to monitor the cessation of hostilities and movements of armed groups, help in disarmament and dismantling of militias and contribute to the security of the operation of identifying the population and registering voters.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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UN FOOD AGENCY AND AFRICAN UNION RENEW PARTNERSHIP TO FIGHT HUNGER

UN FOOD AGENCY AND AFRICAN UNION RENEW PARTNERSHIP TO FIGHT HUNGER
New York, Apr 24 2007 3:00PM
The African Union (AU) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today renewed their strategic partnership to fight hunger and enhance food security, education and emergency response across the continent.

Their cooperation agreement was signed in Addis Ababa by African Union Commissioner Rosebud Kurwijila and WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran.

"The African Union is an important ally in our fight to ensure food security in Africa," said Ms. Sheeran during a two-day visit to Ethiopia, her first overseas mission as chief of <"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2455">WFP. She voiced hope that the partnership would serve as "the wind beneath our wings" in aiming to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving global hunger by 2015.

"We will work together not only to meet the needs of the hungry but also to address the root causes of poverty and hunger," she pledged.

More than 50 per cent of WFP's operations are in Africa, the WFP chief noted, adding that the world's largest food assistance organization is working on many fronts on the continent, endeavouring to save lives, improve nutrition, build human development and help children go to school.

"The African Union Commission is one of WFP's most valuable partners," she emphasized. "I believe that this cooperation agreement will help us together find innovative and forward-looking ways to overcome chronic food deficits and the social problems they produce."

On Wednesday, Ms. Sheeran will travel to Sudan, where WFP currently has its biggest operation, to see first-hand the situation in the country's south and in the war-torn Darfur region in the west.

She will meet first in Khartoum with Government officials and WFP staff after arriving in the Sudanese capital on the second leg of her three-nation trip, which will take her also to Chad.

Ms. Sheeran is then scheduled to travel to North Darfur state, where she will visit the Kassab camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) – where more than 22,000 people, mostly women, receive aid from WFP – and talk to residents, as well as distribute hand mills for grinding cereals.

More than 2 million people are displaced within Darfur or have had to flee to neighbouring Chad because of brutal fighting between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias and rebel groups since 2003. At least 200,000 others have been killed in that time.

In South Darfur state, the UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS) reported that unknown armed men yesterday shot at a vehicle carrying staff from an international non-governmental organization (NGO), injuring two of the staff members.

A group of young men armed with sticks also entered the Ardamata IDP camp in West Darfur yesterday, threatening residents before local police intervened. Humanitarian workers have suspended their activities at the camp.

Ms. Sheeran's next stop on her trip will be Juba in southern Sudan, where she is slated to meet Government representatives and visit a school feeding programme supported by WFP, the world's largest humanitarian relief organization.

Southern Sudan is attempting to rebuild itself after a comprehensive peace deal in early 2005 ended a long-running civil war between north and south in the African nation.

WFP's Representative in Sudan Kenro Oshidari noted that the country is the agency's biggest operation in the world. "It's important that our new Executive Director come to view our work first-hand and to meet with some of the 5.5million people we plan to assist this year throughout the country," he said.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON AND SYRIAN LEADER DISCUSS LEBANON, REGIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY

BAN KI-MOON AND SYRIAN LEADER DISCUSS LEBANON, REGIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY
New York, Apr 24 2007 3:00PM
Regional peace and security and the situation in neighbouring Lebanon in the wake of last year's war topped the agenda during talks today in Damascus between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Mr. Ban and Mr. Assad had a 75-minute tête-à-tête in which the Syrian President assured the UN leader of cooperation in all matters relating to peace and security in the Middle East, including the Security Council resolution ending the war in Lebanon, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told journalists.

The Secretary-General and his delegation, who are on the final leg of a four-nation tour, also met with Syria's Vice President Farouk al-Shara and Foreign Minister Walid el-Muallem.

Speaking to reporters before leaving Syria to return to UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban said he had held constructive meetings with the country's leaders.

The UN chief also visited the Damascus offices of the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP) and witnessed the work being done by the UN Disengagement Observer Force (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/undof/index.html">UNDOF), which has been maintaining a ceasefire in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria since 1974.

Mr. Ban had already visited Italy, Switzerland and Qatar on this official trip.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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UN HEALTH AGENCY HAILS AID TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR FLU VACCINE TECHNOLOGY

UN HEALTH AGENCY HAILS AID TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR FLU VACCINE TECHNOLOGY
New York, Apr 24 2007 3:00PM
Aiming to ensure that in the event of a flu pandemic, all countries will have access to sufficient doses of influenza vaccine, six developing States are being awarded grants to establish their capacity to manufacture them, the United Nations World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2007/np18/en/index.html">WHO) announced today.

Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Viet Nam will each benefit from up to $2.5 million from Japan and the United States to begin the process of acquiring the needed technology, the Geneva-based agency said in a news release.

"It is imperative that the global community works collectively to ensure more equitable access to a vaccine and other health measures in the event of an influenza pandemic. We all have a responsibility to protect global public health security," said Dr. David L. Heymann, WHO Assistant Director-General for Communicable Diseases.

He said the wider world will benefit. "Global public health security can only be realized if developing countries are assisted in developing the capabilities to access pandemic vaccines and protect their populations."

Helping developing countries to produce flu vaccine carries a "dual life-saving benefit," said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, Director of the WHO Initiative for Vaccine Research. "Countries will be able to protect their populations against seasonal influenza, which causes up to half a million annual deaths worldwide, as well as millions of cases of severe illness," she said. "In addition, should a pandemic emerge, production lines at these facilities can be converted to manufacture vaccine based on the pandemic strain."

It will take a minimum of three to five years for the grant recipient countries to begin producing vaccine locally. Until then, these countries will require support in the shorter term to ensure they can access vaccine to protect their populations, according to WHO, which will hold a meeting tomorrow bringing together representatives of countries with human bird flu – or H5N1 – infections, donor countries, and vaccine manufacturers in developed and developing countries.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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UN POLITICAL CHIEF CHAIRS MEETING ON BRINGING PEACE TO COLOMBIA

UN POLITICAL CHIEF CHAIRS MEETING ON BRINGING PEACE TO COLOMBIA
New York, Apr 24 2007 3:00PM
The top United Nations political officer has presided over a meeting bringing together the world body's senior officials and high-level representatives from the Government of Colombia to discuss efforts to bring peace to the South American country which has seen more than 40 years of fighting between the Government, leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and criminal gangs.

Chaired by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn B. Pascoe, the meeting on Monday "allowed an open and constructive exchange on the United Nations' work in Colombia, as well as on the status of peace efforts in Colombia," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today in New York.

At the discussions, UN officials told the Colombian delegation, led by Vice President Francisco Santos and Foreign Minister Fernando Araújo, that Mr. Ban is willing to utilize his good offices in support of a negotiated solution.

Colombian representatives stated that "should appropriate conditions exist, the Colombian Government would value the UN's contribution in its peace efforts," Ms. Montas said.

The country has the largest population of concern to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, with some 3 million people uprooted by decades of conflict and internally displaced persons (IDPs) represent some 8 per cent of the total population of over 40 million.

On a visit to UN Headquarters in New York in February, President Alvaro Uribe said that despite the decline in the number of people fleeing their homes yearly, "we still have displacement and we ought to undertake every possible effort so that Colombia will finally be able to say to the world that we have put an end to displacement."
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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UN EXPERT URGES INTENSIFIED MEASURES TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

UN EXPERT URGES INTENSIFIED MEASURES TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
New York, Apr 24 2007 3:00PM
A United Nations expert today urged representatives of governments from across the world meeting in Geneva to intensify national and international efforts to combat violence against children, including sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse.

"Much violence against children, whether inside homes, schools, care and justice institutions, the workplace or the community – is implicitly socially condoned and remains invisible," the Independent Expert for the Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, told the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

Mr. Pinheiro, who worked on a major Study on the issue requested by the Secretary-General, found that, despite repeated commitments to protect children's rights, in every region of the world violence against children persists.

The expert noted that children can suffer abuse in a variety of settings, including at school or in detention facilities. In addition, an estimated 1 million children are forced to work in prostitution, child pornography or similar activities each year. "Many are coerced, kidnapped, sold and deceived into these activities, or are victims of trafficking," he said.

But he also pointed out that children are also vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation from members of the community. "Sexual violence is more commonly perpetrated by someone known to the child such as family members or adults in positions of trust, but it is also perpetrated by people whom the child does not know."

Mr. Pinheiro outlined a series of measures to address the problem, calling for all countries to ratify and implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, as well as the and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

"I urge States to prohibit all forms of violence against children in all settings, including sexual violence," he said, calling also for countries to reduce the numbers of children entering justice systems by decriminalizing offences that are only a crime when committed by youth, such truancy, running away from home, or being "beyond parental control" as well as survival behaviours such as begging, selling sex, scavenging, loitering or vagrancy, and victimization by trafficking or criminal exploitation.

Mr. Pinheiro urged stepped-up global efforts to protect all children from trafficking and sexual exploitation. Among other measures, he recommended enhancing the prosecution of offences relating to the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

In addition, he underscored the need to strengthen efforts to combat the use of information technologies, including the Internet, mobile phones and electronic games, in the sexual exploitation of children and other forms of violence.

"Children have been too often placed at a low level in the debate by the international community and are too rarely truly heard," said the Representative. "This thematic debate today is an indication that the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is committed to changing this pattern and should give all of us – and particularly children – real cause for optimism."

The Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children was presented last year to the General Assembly after almost three years of an intense participatory process involving governments, hundreds of civil society organizations, experts and children and adolescents delegates around the world.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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NEPAL: A YEAR AFTER 'PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT' SPARKED CHANGE, UN ENVOY HAILS PROGRESS

NEPAL: A YEAR AFTER 'PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT' SPARKED CHANGE, UN ENVOY HAILS PROGRESS
New York, Apr 24 2007 2:00PM
One year after democracy and human rights demonstrators sparked a series of events that led Nepal to embark on a peace process, the senior United Nations envoy there today said the determination of the country's people to ensure its success remains a cause for optimism.

"This is a key moment in the peace process in Nepal," said Ian Martin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the south Asian nation of 27 million people. Mr. Martin heads the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which is mandated to support Nepal's peace process by monitoring the arms and armed personnel of the former adversaries and by assisting the election for a Constituent Assembly.

A decade-long armed conflict which brought a death toll of 13,000 and paralyzed life in the countryside came to a formal end with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord last November. A year ago this week, a 19-day "people's movement" which saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in cities and towns across the country culminated in the king relinquishing executive power and reinstating Parliament.

In the 12 months since, the peace process has unfolded rapidly. The alliance of seven political parties and the Maoists set an ambitious timetable leading to the election of the Constituent Assembly.

In December last year the Security Council authorized an advance deployment of arms monitors and electoral advisers. On 23 January, UNMIN was established with a 12-month mandate.

"The management of arms and armed personnel has gone very well, with both the Maoist army and the Nepal Army cooperating with the United Nations in the registration and storage of weapons and the registration of Maoist personnel," said Mr. Martin.

Over 30,000 Maoists have been registered and remain in cantonments monitored by the UN, while the Nepal Army remains in its barracks. The first phase of this process was completed in mid-February. "This has contributed to establishing a climate for progress in the peace process."

The former insurgent Maoists joined a new interim legislature in January, and in April entered the new Interim Government, heading up five ministries.

"At the start of 2006, nobody would have thought it possible that Nepal could have come so far so quickly. At that time, the armed conflict was raging in the countryside and democratic rights were under attack," Mr. Martin said.

Nepal's independent Election Commission recently announced that the planned June date for the election was not technically feasible, and that conditions for a free and fair election were not yet in place. This has caused concerns among Nepalese political parties, which have yet to decide upon a new date.

"A delay in the planned June election should not be considered a disaster, but neither is it a guarantee that a later date will lead to a successful election," noted Mr. Martin. "There are valid concerns that a delay in the Constituent Assembly election could open space for spoilers. It is important now that the Interim Government, political parties and civil society cooperate to ensure public security and a climate where parties and individuals can campaign freely and vote freely."

It will also be important that the Interim Government uses this time to deal with issues raised by the diverse range of groups which have been traditionally marginalized, according to <"http://www.un.org.np/unmin.php">UNMIN. In the southern plains of the country, an area known as the Terai, strikes and demonstrations have been almost continuous in recent months and over 60 people have lost their lives.

"Inclusion is another key issue in the success of the peace process," explained Mr. Martin. "This election is not just an election for one parliament and government: it is for the one-time Constituent Assembly, which will determine the very nature of Nepal's future democracy."

The envoy emphasized that the electoral system must be accepted by all groups as broadly fair. "Traditionally marginalized groups must feel that they have been properly consulted and listened to, so that they have a motive for cooperating rather than wanting to boycott or wreck an election," he said.

Also today, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/english/">OHCHR) in Nepal issued a <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/A617F77B5BB8C4B5C12572C700443679?opendocument">statement welcoming the progress achieved since the movement began last April while cautioning that more must be done, citing the need to address accountability and the right to justice of the many who have suffered violations or abuses at the hands of the State or the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M), both during and after hostilities.

OHCHR-Nepal paid tribute to the role played by human rights defenders both during and after the people's movement, known as Jana Andolan. "They continue to be vital partners for the Office in its daily work," the statement said.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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UN FOOD AGENCY TO FEED 20,000 IN CYCLONE-HIT MADAGASCAR

UN FOOD AGENCY TO FEED 20,000 IN CYCLONE-HIT MADAGASCAR
New York, Apr 24 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations World Food Programme (<" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2452">WFP) today announced that it is flying desperately needed food aid and other supplies by helicopter for 20,000 people in north-western Madagascar who have been effectively cut off after the African island nation faced one of the worst cyclone seasons in years.

Air transport is necessary because villages have been isolated due to road and bridge damage caused by several cyclones.

"For weeks people in these remote areas have survived on stocks of food but these have now been consumed and new supplies of food are urgently needed," said WFP's Madagascar Representative Krystyna Bednarska.

"The cyclones that hit this part of the country caused extensive damage to roads and bridges and have made an air operation our only option to save lives."

The agency plans to distribute 100 metric tonnes of food and other crucial items by helicopter over four weeks from a base in the town of Antsohihy in the north-west of the country.

The first phase of this operation, which has already provided 25 metric tonnes of food and other supplies since its start last Friday, targets 8,200 people in the area surrounding Antsohihy, while the second leg will focus on villages hundreds of kilometers north around Ambanja where 12,000 require assistance.

WFP's scheme is aimed at those most in need of food. Over 150 people were killed and 190,000 were left in need of humanitarian aid when two cyclones – Indlala and Jaya – hit the north-east and north-west of the country in March and April.

This year, the country was also hit by cyclones Gamede, Favio and Enok, as well as by several severe tropical storms.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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2008 BEIJING SUMMER OLYMPICS CAN BOOST DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, UN ENVOY SAYS

2008 BEIJING SUMMER OLYMPICS CAN BOOST DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, UN ENVOY SAYS
New York, Apr 24 2007 1:00PM
Next summer's Beijing Olympics provides a unique opportunity for the United Nations to promote development and peace-building activities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace said today.

<"http://www.un.org/themes/sport/contact.htm">Adolf Ogi is scheduled to meet on Thursday with Liu Qi, President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad to discuss its collaboration with the UN.

"The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics promises to be an historic event for the world of sports and for people worldwide," Mr. Ogi said.

"The United Nations is increasingly cooperating with the International Olympic Committee on development and peace-building activities, and the Beijing Olympics is a tremendous opportunity as well as a great responsibility."

He met with the Secretary-General last week in Geneva to discuss UN activities in which sport is used to improve education and health, expand economic opportunities and bolster peace.

While visiting the Chinese capital, Mr. Ogi will also address the General Association of International Sports Federations and speak at the Beijing Sport University.

China is also hosting this year's Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai and the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

UN agencies are already involved in schemes for next year's Olympic Games.

The UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org">UNEP) signed an agreement with Beijing Organizing Committee for a "Green Olympics" that promotes curtailing air, water and noise pollution; environmentally friendly transportation; and the responsible disposal of solid waste.

UN Volunteers (<"http://www.unv.org">UNV) is coordinating with the Beijing Committee to mobilize 70,000 volunteers for the 2008 Olympic Games and 30,000 for the Paralympics.

The UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF) is organizing, with the Beijing Committee, a "Youth Camps" project to bring together 800 youth between the ages of 16 and 18 who represent all International Olympic Committee member countries and regions, including 50 living with disabilities.

Last November, the General Assembly unanimously approved a three-year plan on sport for development and peace, which invites the UN family, Member States and other partners to utilize sport-based programmes to hasten the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals">MDGs), eight targets for tackling poverty, hunger and other social ills by 2015.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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UN RUSHES AID TO DR CONGO AS VIOLENT CLASHES DISPLACE TENS OF THOUSANDS

UN RUSHES AID TO DR CONGO AS VIOLENT CLASHES DISPLACE TENS OF THOUSANDS
New York, Apr 24 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (<" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2451">WFP) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<" http://www.unhcr.org/news.html">UNHCR) are rushing aid to mitigate the suffering of tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes after an outbreak of fighting in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In North Kivu province alone, close to 65,000 people have been displaced in recent weeks due to intensified fighting between militias and government forces.

Some of the internally displaced people (<"http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs) are living in makeshift camps approximately 100 kilometres from the city of Goma in the country's north-east, while thousands of others are living in the bush – hiding during the day and going to their fields at night.

"The latest fighting underlines the need for a strong humanitarian presence in eastern Congo," said Charles Vincent, WFP's DRC Country Director, adding that humanitarian agencies play a key role in "assisting those caught up in fighting as well as providing for others who are able to settle down when peace prevails."

To date, WFP has provided over 1,000 metric tonnes of food to 68,000 IDPs in North Kivu.

To identify human rights concerns and the needs of IDPs, UNHCR's rapid monitoring teams have conducted 25 assessments at several hotspots in areas affected by renewed fighting. The agency is discussing reports it has received from victims regarding serious human rights abuses at the hands of armed groups with the DRC's military and local authorities.

As violence rages in the north-eastern portion of the country, which is trying to rebuild after decades of civil war and misrule, nearly 100,000 refugees, including some who fled eight years ago, have been able to return home thanks to stability in other regions.

UNHCR is assisting the voluntary return of Congolese refugees from five neighbouring countries, including Tanzania and Burundi. Since the start of the year, a lower-than-expected 8,000 people have returned to their home country, as many refugees are concerned about the difficult living conditions in the DRC.

Meanwhile, more than 1.1 million Congolese have been displaced within the DRC by conflict and persecution, and rely on the UN and its partner agencies for aid and protection.

"Despite all the country's troubles, the DRC is at the heart of solutions for long-standing refugee problems throughout Africa's Great Lakes region," said Eusebe Hounsokou, UNHCR Representative in the country's capital, Kinshasa, adding that refugees from Sudan, Angola and Burundi have taken refuge in the DRC.

The agency provides returning refugees with help in building mud-brick houses and assists in rebuilding health centres, while WFP distributes a three-month supply of food.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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ALMOST 20 DIE AT HANDS OF SMUGGLERS IN FAILED EFFORT TO REACH YEMEN - UN

ALMOST 20 DIE AT HANDS OF SMUGGLERS IN FAILED EFFORT TO REACH YEMEN – UN
New York, Apr 24 2007 10:00AM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today said that at least 18 people died – either by being thrown overboard on the high seas by smugglers or by asphyxiation and dehydration – as they attempted to make the perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia to Yemen.

Accounts from eyewitnesses and survivors told UNHCR of this latest incident, which occurred on 20 April, the agency's spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/462ddf222.html">said in a press briefing in Geneva.

The deaths occurred during a voyage of two boats, a smuggling boat and a transport vessel used to transport fish and cattle, carrying 150 people – 80 Ethiopians and 70 Somalis. One boat arrived at the Yemeni port of Buroom, while the other reached Mukalka city, 25 kilometres away.

Survivors reported paying the smugglers $100 to cross the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, where authorities have taken 35 Ethiopians into custody.

The Somalis, who the Yemeni Government has recognized as refugees, were given food and water before being transferred to UNHCR's reception centre in Mayfa.

In 2006, approximately 26,000 people crossed the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, and 330 died. Another 300 were reported missing as they attempted the perilous journey and are presumed dead.

Since the start of this year, over 5,600 people have reached Yemen while at least 200 have died and many are still missing.
2007-04-24 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL DELEGATION ON KOSOVO HEADS TO REGION TOMORROW

SECURITY COUNCIL DELEGATION ON KOSOVO HEADS TO REGION TOMORROW
New York, Apr 23 2007 8:00PM
A Security Council delegation heads tomorrow for Kosovo on a fact-finding trip as the 15-member body considers a United Nations envoy's proposal to grant independence in a phased process to the ethnic Albanian-majority province of Serbia that has been run by the UN since 1999.

The mission – the fourth such trip by the Council since April 2000 – will visit Kosovo, Belgrade, Brussels and Vienna before returning on Sunday to UN Headquarters in New York, according to a letter from the Council's monthly President to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The six-day trip is designed to give Council members a first-hand understanding of the political, social and economic situation inside Kosovo, and talks have been scheduled with the leaders of the province's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) and ethnic minority communities, as well as with the Serbian leadership.

The 15-member delegation, comprised of representatives of the Council's current membership, is tasked with assessing Kosovo's progress since the UN took over in 1999, particularly on the implementation of the agreed standards. Ambassador Johan C. Verbeke of Belgium will lead the group.

The agreed standards are a set of eight overall targets that include building democratic institutions, enforcing minority rights, creating a functioning economy and setting up an impartial legal system.

Today Council members received a closed-door briefing from Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno on the current situation on the ground in Kosovo, where the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) operates.

Mr. Guéhenno told reporters that he "did not paint a rosy picture" of the situation, adding that it would be valuable for Council members to see for themselves what conditions are like and whether the current uncertainty over Kosovo's final status is helping or hindering progress.

He noted that while some advances have been made, and Kosovo is a long way forward on the events of 1999, more progress is needed on the economy, the issue of returns and Serbian participation in the PISG.

Last month, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the future status process Martti Ahtisaari concluded that independence in a phased process with initial supervision by the international community was the only viable option for Kosovo.

Mr. Ahtisaari said in his report to Mr. Ban that the province, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by nine to one, could only become politically stable and economically viable if it was independent because Kosovo's PISG and Serbia could not reach agreement on even small, practical issues.

Any further delay in reaching a permanent solution would cause further stagnation, threaten democratic development and imperil any hopes at ethnic reconciliation, he said, adding that an international civilian and military presence would be needed for some time, focused especially on such areas as minority community rights, the rule of law, decentralization and the protection of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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EXPERTS AT UN MEETING AGREE BIOENERGY CAN BE FORCE FOR GOOD IN RURAL AREAS

EXPERTS AT UN MEETING AGREE BIOENERGY CAN BE FORCE FOR GOOD IN RURAL AREAS
New York, Apr 23 2007 7:00PM
Governments can use bioenergy as a positive force for rural development, so long as environmental and food security concerns are taken into account, a meeting of international experts hosted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000540/index.html">FAO) has agreed.

The three-day meeting at FAO's headquarters in Rome, which concluded on Wednesday, acknowledged that there are legitimate concerns among some groups about the potential dangers from harnessing bioenergy.

Biofuels are currently made from such materials as sugar cane, palm oil and maize and, given they can substitute for fossil fuels, hold the potential to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They could also boost employment and infrastructure in rural areas.

But there have been warnings that large tracts of land are being cleared for monocultures, causing environmental damage and a loss of biodiversity. The merit of using food crops to make fuel for vehicles rather than for consumption by humans or animals is also being questioned.

Alexander Müller, Head of FAO's Natural Resources Management and Environment Department, said the specialists attending the meeting agreed that, despite those concerns, biofuels can be "an important tool for improving the well-being of rural people," provided potential pitfalls are taken into account.

"In food security terms, bioenergy only makes sense if we know where the food-insecure populations are located and what they need to improve their livelihoods," he said.

"Environmentally, we must make sure that both large- and small-scale producers of bioenergy fully take into account both the negative and positive impacts. There is a key role for governments to play in setting standards of performance."

The meeting's participants also concurred that FAO's International Bioenergy Platform should soon draw up a set of guidelines for governments and potential investors to use in dealing with the biofuels industry.

Better data is also required for analyzing the environmental and food security impact of bioenergy production, they said.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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CHILDREN BEAR BRUNT OF CONFLICT IN MIDDLE EAST, TOP UN OFFICIAL SAYS

CHILDREN BEAR BRUNT OF CONFLICT IN MIDDLE EAST, TOP UN OFFICIAL SAYS
New York, Apr 23 2007 7:00PM
Returning from a two-week mission to Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, the top United Nations envoy on children and armed conflict today said that children bear the brunt of the conflict.

Although the children from all areas she visited were "very playful and resilient… they all shared, regardless of whichever community I spoke to, a great deal of anxiety, insecurity and despair," the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy said at a press briefing in New York.

Especially among Palestinian youth, she sensed a "great deal of anger and a desire for vengeance."

She gave an anecdote of meeting a group of young boys in the occupied Palestinian territory who told her of how they threw stones. When she quoted human rights activist Mahatma Gandhi, who said that "an eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind," the boys responded: "In this region, it's an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, until justice is done."

Ms. Coomaraswamy also outlined the various issues she brought up with Government officials and others in the three countries she visited.

With Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and other officials in Lebanon, she discussed the plight of Palestinian refugees living in the country and how their living conditions in camps could be improved, as well as how they could be given increased access to social services and employment opportunities.

She also asked him to have Lebanon take the lead in pushing for an international agreement on cluster munitions.

The Special Representative conferred with a Hizbollah deputy regarding the use of minors for political and armed violence, and he stated that his party would support the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict when it comes before the Lebanese Parliament.

Ms. Coomaraswamy also said she was heartened by the positive response of Lebanese civil society and others for rehabilitation and humanitarian needs.

In Israel, she met with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and one of the topics discussed was the barrier erected by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, which "we found has enormous humanitarian and psychosocial consequences for Palestinian children" and impedes health, education and freedom of movement.

"There is a belief that the barrier as it stands today is unconscionable," she told reporters, calling for a comprehensive civilian review of the humanitarian consequences of the barrier.

While she said she understood the country's security concerns, "in certain contexts, the balance towards security over humanitarian affairs has shifted too far and is having enormous consequences on Palestinian children and also on Israeli children."

Ms. Coomaraswamy also urged the Israeli Government to replace the current "military" system of child detention with a "judicial" one. Many children have been incarcerated for what she believes as more minor offences, such as stone throwing, and a punitive approach is not successful as it has made children "hard and bitter."

She also brought up the issues of settler violence as it affects children, greater accountability for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) and assistance on locating cluster munitions in southern Lebanon.

In the occupied Palestinian territory, she met with President Mahmoud Abbas and his chief of staff, with whom she also discussed the mobilization of children for violence. Mr. Abbas noted there is talk of resuscitating a 2003 code of conduct by which militias agreed not to use children in armed violence.

She also encouraged the President to curb the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel, "especially since those rockets do not separate civilians from combatants."

One positive development she found during her visit to the region was that both Palestinian and Israeli authorities have agreed to explore methods to establish a tripartite commission, with an as-of-yet unknown third party, to examine education materials used by children in the two areas.

The Special Representative said that much of the "incitement and hatred" between the two groups is "fed by the education system," adding that peace education was a distinct possibility.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN URGES UNITED EFFORT ON IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY

SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN URGES UNITED EFFORT ON IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY
New York, Apr 23 2007 7:00PM
Observing that "road safety will not happen by accident," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on government ministers, community and business leaders, parents, insurers, car makers, the media, survivors of road accidents and others to play their part in toughening laws and regulations to reduce the death and injury toll from crashes.

Mr. Ban marked the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week, which began today, with a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10960.doc.htm">call for greater political will, financial investment and decisions "at the highest levels of government" to cut the number of accidents – many of which are entirely preventable.

A report released last week by the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/en/">WHO) found that road traffic crashes have become the leading cause of death for people aged between 10 and 24, with nearly 400,000 people in that age bracket killed every year and millions of others permanently disabled or injured. Global Road Safety Week is dedicated to young road users this year.

The overwhelming majority of those deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and the report concluded that, on average, the crashes cost such nations more than one per cent of their gross national product (GNP) in health care, material and other expenses.

In his message marking Global Road Safety Week, Mr. Ban praised recent initiatives undertaken by several countries, such as mandating the use of helmets and seat belts and toughening measures against speeding and drink driving.

"A significant number of lives can be saved and resources spared, even as motorization continues to rise," if such initiatives are introduced into other countries as well, Mr. Ban said.

As part of Global Road Safety Week, a two-day World Youth Assembly for Road Safety involving more than 100 delegates will be staged in Geneva so that young people can share experiences and plan projects to encourage more awareness about the issue.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME TO WITHDRAW TWO REMAINING STAFF FROM DPR KOREA

UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME TO WITHDRAW TWO REMAINING STAFF FROM DPR KOREA
New York, Apr 23 2007 6:00PM
At the request of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will withdraw its remaining two international staff members from Pyongyang early next month, but both will be able to facilitate an ongoing audit of the agency's activities in the country, a UN spokesperson announced today.

The two staff will leave the DPRK capital on 3 May. "They will proceed to Beijing and will be accessible to facilitate the audit," Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

The UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP) has agreed to provide storage and support for its current office assets, as well as to make any necessary further payments on behalf of <"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP, said Ms. Montas, adding that all UNDP records are secured.

UNDP's programme in DPRK remains formally in suspension, and the agency will retain its lease on its Country Office building in Pyongyang until further notice.

The agency announced the suspension last month, and said it would withdraw all but two of its international staff over the failure to implement conditions set up following reports that UN funds improperly went to the Government.

These conditions included ending all hard currency payments and discontinuing sub-contracting of national staff via Government recruitment as of 1 March, as well as adjusting the content of current programmes to support sustainable human development goals.

The DPRK has been subject to UN Security Council sanctions since October following its proclaimed nuclear test.

The internal audit was triggered by press reports suggesting that the agency's own audits raised concerns about payments being channelled to the Government.

After the issue came to light in January, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon promised an external, system-wide probe of UN activities in the field, targeting as his first priority countries where hard currency transactions, independence of staff hiring and access to review local projects were an issue and beginning with the DPRK.

The UN does not anticipate that the suspension of UNDP's programme in DPRK and the departure of its staff will have an impact on the audit of other UN agencies in the country, Ms. Montas said.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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UN WELCOMES NEW YORK CITY'S 'GREEN INITIATIVE'

UN WELCOMES NEW YORK CITY'S 'GREEN INITIATIVE'
New York, Apr 23 2007 6:00PM
Plans unveiled by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Earth Day to reduce the strain on natural resources such as water, air and land were warmly embraced by officials with the United Nations department that promotes sustainable development.

"This is exactly the type of initiative that we would like more cities and communities to undertake," says UN Director of Sustainable Development JoAnne DiSano. "Real development has to allow for economic growth and social development in an environmentally balanced way. We are strongly encouraged by this proposal."

The proposal unveiled on Sunday calls for a more energy-efficient city, including by rebuilding aging water mains, fostering greater support for mass transit, putting limits on vehicular congestion, and creating more energy-efficient buildings.

Energy issues, climate change, air pollution and industrial development are all key matters up for consideration by the UN's Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), that will open in New York next Monday and run from 30 April-11 May. More than 2,000 delegates and citizen groups will attend the meeting, which makes recommendations that affect all countries.

The CSD is unique among UN commissions in that it involves participation from all sectors of society and it is the place where countries and organizations showcase new ideas and innovations for sustainable development.

According to UN statistics, about 50 per cent of the world's population is living in cities today. By 2030 this percentage will be over 60 per cent. To ensure a viable future, Ms. DiSano said cities can take a leadership role in addressing the strain on the environment caused by urbanization and a growing population.

"The issues that New York City is addressing are the key issues that all countries and communities must address," Ms. DiSano said. "If we are going to make a difference on air pollution and climate change, if we are going to have cleaner cities, we need to take a different approach."

She said that the fact that more cities from around the world were adopting sustainable development policies was particularly encouraging.

"More and more people have come to understand that sustainable development makes sense," she said, "and it is a process that can help more people enjoy fuller and more productive lives."
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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CURRENT GLOBAL TRADE TALKS CANNOT AFFORD TO FAIL - BAN KI-MOON

CURRENT GLOBAL TRADE TALKS CANNOT AFFORD TO FAIL – BAN KI-MOON
New York, Apr 23 2007 6:00PM
The current round of international trade talks must succeed, or the world's poorest countries will slip further behind and the entire multilateral trading system will be in jeopardy, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today in Qatar as he urged Member States to re-double their efforts to reach agreement.

In a speech to the Seventh Forum on Democracy, Development and Free Trade, held in the capital, Doha, Mr. Ban said globalization had made travel, shipping and communications much easier and made the benefits of trade "more evident than ever."

For this reason, he said there must be a successful conclusion to the Doha round of trade talks. "The global trading regime needs to create opportunities for the poorest countries, instead of leaving them at a disadvantage."

Named after the city where they were launched in 2001, the Doha Round of trade talks stalled last year amid disputes between developed and developing countries over agricultural subsidies, but talks have resumed recently.

Mr. Ban warned that if the latest talks fail, "serious damage will be done to those who can least afford it, to the multilateral trading system, and to multilateralism itself. Should this round of trade talks succeed, Doha will become synonymous not only with free trade, but also indelibly linked to development."

The Secretary-General told the Forum that while democracy was intrinsically valuable on its own terms, it also brought positive effects to trade and development, offering institutional certainty and stability and encouraging businesses to have greater confidence in a country's economic outlook.

"Democracy, development and free trade share a conception of men and women as free and autonomous individuals, capable of fulfilling their inner potential," he said, stressing the closeness of the relationship between the three topics.

He urged the world's countries to work towards "truly free trade," transparent governance and institutions based on the will of the people, and sustainable development and globalization that benefits everyone, and not just some of the world's peoples.

Earlier, Mr. Ban told reporters travelling with him on his four-nation official trip that he was frustrated by the pace of progress so far on the resumed Doha Round.

While in Qatar, the UN chief has also met with the country's Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and its Prime Minister, Sheikh Hamad ibn Jassem bin Jabr Al-Thani, as well as Finland's President Tarja Halonen, who opened the Forum.

His last stop on the trip, which began in Italy, will be Damascus, Syria, where meetings with senior Government officials, including President Bashar Assad, are expected.

On Saturday in Geneva, Mr. Ban concluded the latest two-day meeting of the Chief Executives Board (CEB), which brings together top officials from across the UN system.

The CEB agreed to restructure arrangements for cooperation among UN entities to ensure a more transparent, cost-effective and coherent approach to developing common programmes, as well as to support the "aid-for-trade" initiative, which is designed to help poorer nations to take a greater role in the international trading system.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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COUNTRIES IGNORANT ABOUT THREATS POSED BY TRANSNATIONAL CRIME - UN AGENCY CHIEF

COUNTRIES IGNORANT ABOUT THREATS POSED BY TRANSNATIONAL CRIME – UN AGENCY CHIEF
New York, Apr 23 2007 5:00PM
Law enforcement authorities around the world "operate in an information fog" about transnational organized crime, ignorant of the scope of the threats faced and unable to gauge global trends, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (<"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/press_release_2007_04_23.html">UNODC) warned today, calling on UN Member States to develop a coherent blueprint to deal with the problem.

Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa told the opening of the annual session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, meeting in Vienna, that globalization meant activities ranging from money laundering and corruption to cyber-crime, identity theft and deliberate environmental destruction are "not threats that any State can fight alone."

Mr. Costa urged Member States to track organized crime more effectively and provide more detailed information so that policy-makers have the necessary data to develop the most comprehensive response possible.

"While the building blocks of a global crime control regime are taking shape, the overall architecture needs to be made more explicit, coherent and results-oriented," he said.

Instruments such as the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime had not reached their full potential, despite the fact there are now 132 parties to the pact.

"Its teeth are only starting to nibble on extradition, mutual legal assistance and cross-border judicial cooperation," and no agreement has been reached yet on monitoring mechanisms or reporting obligations, he said.

More generally, although there is widespread anecdotal evidence about anti-crime measures, such as the indictment of corrupt public officials and the breaking up of human trafficking rings, there have been few attempts to systematize the information on a global scale.

"At times we cannot even define the enemy we face or assess its strength. We just see the tips of icebergs, or, if you allow me another metaphor, the shadow of dangerous entities. But the actual objects – whether submerged in murky waters or casting dark shadows – remain unfathomable."

But he said he was encouraged by recent initiatives relating to the UN Convention against Corruption, with many promising ideas sponsored by governments as well as multilateral banks and financial institutions.

The Commission's session runs until Friday and will consider a broad range of issues, including criminal justice responses to urban crime, combating the sexual exploitation of children, and strengthening international cooperation against illegal trafficking in timber.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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WANTED GANG LEADER ARRESTED IN HAITI - UN

WANTED GANG LEADER ARRESTED IN HAITI – UN
New York, Apr 23 2007 5:00PM
Haitian National Police officers this weekend apprehended a gang leader who had been on the run since late February when law enforcement officials and United Nations peacekeepers seized control of his headquarters in Cité Soleil, the notorious slum area in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The arrest of Belony Pierre, who led a gang in the Bois-Neuf area of Cité Soleil, "marks another significant step forward in the fight against Haiti's armed gangs," the Secretary-General's spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today in New York.

Haitian police arrested the suspect in St. Michel de l'Attalaye, 100 kilometres north of Port-au-Prince, and he was transferred immediately to the capital where he faces charges of murder and kidnapping.

The UN mission, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH, assisted in his transfer and subsequent detention at police headquarters in Port-au-Prince by providing additional security.

In recent months, MINUSTAH has stepped up efforts to crack down on criminal gangs in violence-ridden Haiti; since the start of the year, more than 400 gang members have been arrested.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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RELIGIOUS LEADERS CAN TAKE LEAD ON INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE, SAYS BAN KI-MOON

RELIGIOUS LEADERS CAN TAKE LEAD ON INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE, SAYS BAN KI-MOON
New York, Apr 23 2007 5:00PM
Religious and community leaders can play a leading role in promoting constructive intercultural dialogue that can help to bridge the widening gulf between peoples and nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a conference on the issue today.

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10958.doc.htm">message to the conference on "The Religious Dimension of Intercultural Dialogue," held in San Marino, the Secretary-General urged the leaders to use their "tremendous influence… to teach your followers to actively learn about other cultures, societies and religions."

Warning that participants were gathering "at a time of rising intolerance and growing cross-cultural tensions," exacerbated by events from acts of terrorism to offending statements or publications, Mr. Ban said the divide between communities and countries has the potential to undermine global peace and stability.

"Today there is an urgent need to rebuild bridges and to engage in a sustained and constructive intercultural dialogue, one that stresses common values and shared aspirations. People of faith can play a leading role in such an exchange. They can stress the core beliefs and ideals found in all the great faith traditions: compassion, solidarity, respect for life, and kindness towards others."

The message was delivered on Mr. Ban's behalf by Staffan de Mistura, Director of the UN System Staff College.

Mr. Ban's message added that the San Marino conference would also help the UN's Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative launched in 2005 with the support of Turkey and Spain to promote understanding between different religious, ethnic and national communities.

The Alliance's High-Level group issued a report late last year calling for a series of measures in education, media, youth and migration to build bridges between different communities and promote a culture of respect.

Last week Mr. Ban said he would soon appoint a High Representative to assist him on the issue and to defuse crises that emerge at the intersection of politics and culture.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON EXPRESSES SADNESS AT DEATH OF FORMER RUSSIAN LEADER YELTSIN

BAN KI-MOON EXPRESSES SADNESS AT DEATH OF FORMER RUSSIAN LEADER YELTSIN
New York, Apr 23 2007 4:00PM
Voicing sadness today at the death of Boris Yeltsin, the Russian Federation's first democratically elected president, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled the critical role he played in promoting political and economic reforms in his country.

Mr. Ban also remembered the efforts of Mr. Yeltsin – who served as president from 1991 to 1999 – "in fostering rapprochement between East and West," his spokesperson said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2534">statement issued at UN Headquarters in New York.

"The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to Mr. Yeltsin's family and to the people and Government of the Russian Federation."
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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USE OF MINOR IN TALIBAN EXECUTION SPARKS UNICEF OUTRAGE

USE OF MINOR IN TALIBAN EXECUTION SPARKS UNICEF OUTRAGE
New York, Apr 23 2007 4:00PM
Condemning the use of a minor in an execution carried out by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today that such acts – deplorably not uncommon in many countries – constitute war crimes under international law.

A video circulating currently in Pakistan shows a young boy beheading an adult, UNICEF said in a statement released in New York and Geneva.

"The act was a terrible example of how children can be used by adults to commit heinous crimes in times of conflict," the statement noted, adding that the use of any child under the age of 15 in a conflict in any capacity represents a war crime.

"It is not uncommon to see children forced to commit atrocities against their neighbours and even their own families. These acts cut off all ties between these children and their original communities and strengthen their dependency on the armed group that has recruited them."

UNICEF has programmes in many countries where former child soldiers are helped to reintegrate into their communities and given psychological and emotional support to overcome their distress.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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UN OFFICIAL EMBARKS ON TRIP TO BOOST SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPACT WITH IRAQ

UN OFFICIAL EMBARKS ON TRIP TO BOOST SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPACT WITH IRAQ
New York, Apr 23 2007 4:00PM
A senior United Nations official has embarked on a week of travel to Europe and the Middle East in a bid to build support for the <"http://www.iraqcompact.org/">International Compact with Iraq, a five-year plan for peace as well as political, economic and social development in the war-torn country.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Advisor, Ibrahim Gambari, is in the United Kingdom today, and will travel from there to Kuwait, Bulgaria and Belgium before returning to New York next week, according to a UN spokesperson. He is accompanied by the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq.

The Compact will be launched formally early next month in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, culminating a preparatory process that began last July and was initiated by the Iraqi Government to establish a new partnership with the international community.

Mr. Ban announced earlier this month that he and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki would attend the launch on 3 May.

The preparatory process was co-chaired by Iraq and the UN, through Mr. Gambari, and has also had the support of the World Bank.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF EMBARKS ON FOUR-COUNTRY TOUR OF CENTRAL ASIA

UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF EMBARKS ON FOUR-COUNTRY TOUR OF CENTRAL ASIA
New York, Apr 23 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) on Tuesday will kick off an 11-day tour of Central Asia with stops in four countries in the region.

On the first leg of her trip, Louise Arbour will visit Kyrgyzstan, where she will meet with President Kurmanbek Bakiev and other senior Government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

She will also hold discussions with representatives from both regional and international organizations, civil society groups and diplomats.

The High Commissioner's stop at the country "aims at increasing her Office's engagement in the region," according to a <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/459D028172EA44C7C12572C6002D05A2?opendocument">press release issued today of the visit which will give her the opportunity to discuss future cooperation with the Government and other key figures in Kyrgyzstan.

"She hopes that the visit will enhance dialogue and technical cooperation between her Office and the Government and people of Kyrgyzstan," it added.

On her tour, Ms. Arbour will also visit Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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ON FIRST AFRICA VISIT, NEW UN AGENCY CHIEF PLEDGES TO OPTIMIZE FOOD PURCHASES

ON FIRST AFRICA VISIT, NEW UN AGENCY CHIEF PLEDGES TO OPTIMIZE FOOD PURCHASES
New York, Apr 23 2007 3:00PM
Making her first trip to Africa since becoming the head of the United Nations World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2449">WFP) earlier this month, Josette Sheeran today called for joint actions to ensure that food aid purchases can help poor farmers to access markets and assist in solving chronic food insecurity.

"I am convinced that strategically directed local purchase can benefit not only the hungry, but also poor farmers producing food," said Ms. Sheeran, speaking to a wide variety of economists, traders and market experts at two round-table discussions in Addis Ababa.

"Food security requires access to food and sustainable production of food," she added.

Starting her three-country trip to the Horn of Africa with a visit to the Ethiopian capital's central grain market, Ms. Sheeran talked with many kinds of business people, from farmers selling a few sacks of wheat carried on the backs of their donkeys to traders dealing in tens of thousands of metric tons.

She noted that WFP has a "huge market presence" with its cash-based purchases in Africa. The agency today buys 20 times more in Ethiopia than it did in 1990, last year purchasing $37 million worth of grain from the country.

"We're hoping to take a more strategic look at our purchases to see that we are doing all we can to have the maximum positive impact on development," the WFP chief said.

Ms. Sheeran, who told the grain market experts that her intent in coming to Ethiopia was to "listen and learn," said WFP is determined to create a "virtuous circle of food security" – from the small-scale farmers to the ultimate beneficiaries of food assistance.

She met today with Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse and is scheduled to meet tomorrow with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. On Wednesday, Ms. Sheeran travels to Sudan, where WFP has its largest operation.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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RUSSIAN AND CONGOLESE INVENTORS WIN AWARDS FROM UN AGENCY

RUSSIAN AND CONGOLESE INVENTORS WIN AWARDS FROM UN AGENCY
New York, Apr 23 2007 2:00PM
A Russian woman who invented a new drug screening test and a Congolese man who created a solar-powered dryer that can be used in agriculture have received awards from the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva.

The awards, presented at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions on Friday night, were given to the best invention to a woman and the best invention by a national from developing country. Each winner receives a medal, a certificate signed <"http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2007/article_0027.html">WIPO Director-General Kamil Idris and a cash prize of $2,000.

Marina Myagkova of the Russian Federation has invented a drug screening test that can diagnose whether or not a person has taken narcotics within a two-to-four-month period, while Tsengué Tsengué of the Republic of Congo created a continuous and adjustable solar-powered dryer that collects thermal solar energy, stocks it and releases it on demand for agricultural purposes.

WIPO has been presenting the awards at the exhibition in Geneva since 1979 as a way to help stimulate inventive activity worldwide, but especially in developing countries. More than 1,000 medals have been awarded over the years by the organization.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES END TO DEADLY VIOLENCE IN SOMALIA

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES END TO DEADLY VIOLENCE IN SOMALIA
New York, Apr 23 2007 2:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for an end to the violence raging in Somalia, where hundreds of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of others forced to flee their homes in recent days.

"The Secretary-General is gravely concerned about the continuing heavy fighting in Mogadishu, which has reportedly killed more than 250 people and forced more than 320,000 from their homes in the past six days alone," spokesman Michele Montas <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm10956.doc.htm">told reporters in New York.

"He deplores the reported indiscriminate use of heavy weapons against civilian population centres, which is in disregard of international humanitarian law," she added in a statement.

Mr. Ban called on the parties to "immediately cease all hostilities and to facilitate access for the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance," reiterating that there is no military solution to the Somali conflict and renewing his call for an urgent resumption of political dialogue.

UN agencies warned last week that efforts to deliver relief aid to Somalis in need are being hampered by the security situation in the capital, and warned of a looming humanitarian crisis there.

In December 2006, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, dislodged the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from Mogadishu and much of the rest of the country, which has not had a functioning government since 1991.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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AFGHANISTAN: UN OFFICIAL URGES INVESTMENT IN WOMEN'S HEALTH TO STEM MATERNAL DEATHS

AFGHANISTAN: UN OFFICIAL URGES INVESTMENT IN WOMEN'S HEALTH TO STEM MATERNAL DEATHS
New York, Apr 23 2007 2:00PM
Afghanistan, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, must intensify efforts to improve the health of women and children as part of overall efforts to boost conditions in the war-ravaged country, the head of the United Nations Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/">UNFPA) said today in Kabul.

"I would like to make a strong call for greater investment in the health and well-being of Afghanistan's women and their families," <"http://www.unama-afg.org/news/_pc/_english/2007/07April23.html">said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.

In Afghanistan, UNFPA is supporting a national census while seeking to promote gender equity and women's empowerment and foster maternal health, reproductive health and HIV prevention.

Ms. Obaid said work in these areas will benefit Afghanistan as a whole. "We all know from many studies that women contribute greatly to their families and communities and that when women participate in the community and the family, that the country becomes much stronger," she said.

"In our work in Afghanistan and the overall strategy of the country, the big challenge facing human development in Afghanistan is to support women and girls so they can exercise their rights to education, to health, to decent work, to live free from violence, coercion and discrimination, and to participate fully in public life," she added.

A central concern is addressing the problem of violence against women, in law enforcement and through public awareness. "But most importantly violence against women will not stop if the men themselves do not participate in stopping the violence," she said.

On average, one Afghan mother dies for every 60 births, but maternal death rates in some provinces are several times higher, according to UNFPA, which is working with the authorities to train female health personnel to deal with the problem. "We want to ensure that we can offer a comprehensive package of life-saving health services, including family planning, skilled attendance at birth and access to emergency obstetric care," said Ms. Obaid.

The UNFPA Executive Director, who will meet with senior Government officials and representatives of civil society during her stay in the country, said these talks would be a two-way exchange of ideas. "I am here to discuss the development and progress of Afghanistan, but also to listen to the Government and civil society to understand better the issues that you are facing."

Overall, she said the agency's aim is "to ensure that we can support development for the Afghan people and that they can have a better quality of life throughout."
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED PARTNERSHIP SETS AMBITIOUS FUNDING TARGETS TO COMBAT MALARIA

UN-BACKED PARTNERSHIP SETS AMBITIOUS FUNDING TARGETS TO COMBAT MALARIA
New York, Apr 23 2007 2:00PM
Just ahead of Africa Malaria Day, marked each year on 25 April, the United Nations-backed Roll Back Malaria Partnership today announced that it has set ambitious new targets to attain funding to fight the disease in Africa.

The group hopes that half of all malaria grant applications worldwide and 80 per cent in African countries, where over 90 per cent of the 1 million global malaria deaths yearly occur, receive the necessary funding.

In many African countries, malaria is the leading cause of death, with one child dying from the disease every 30 seconds.

The Partnership was created in 1998 by the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO), the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF), the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP) and the <"http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,pagePK:34382~piPK:34439~theSitePK:4607,00.html">World Bank. It now brings together governments affected by malaria, international development agencies, academic institutions and others aiming toward the common goal of halving the global malaria rate by 2010.

Every year, grants are awarded, mostly by the <"http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/">Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to countries based on an assessment of the technical needs of the programmes requesting support.

Over six years, the Fund, a UN-backed international public/private partnership which is the world's largest donor in curbing malaria, has approved grants totally $2.6 billion.

However, in the latest round of assessments last November, less than a third of all applications were deemed to be of sufficient quality to receive support.

"This is the first phase of a massive initiative both to ensure sustained funding and improve countries' ability to achieve impact," said Awa Marie Coll Seck, the Partnership's Executive Director.

"Success breeds success," she continued. "We all need to make the money work better and achieve results if we are to secure predictable funding and meet ambitions malaria control targets over the next three years."

Anti-malarial medicines are crucial in the fight, alongside other measures such as insecticide-treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying.

The first-ever Africa Malaria Day was on 25 April 2000, when African leaders from 44 malaria-affected countries gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, for the African Summit on Malaria. At the summit, the first of its kind on the continent, participants signed the historic Abuja Declaration which commits Governments to fighting the disease with a view to halve it by 2010.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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IN DR CONGO, MIGIRO PLEDGES CONTINUED UN HELP FOR EFFORTS TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE

IN DR CONGO, MIGIRO PLEDGES CONTINUED UN HELP FOR EFFORTS TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE
New York, Apr 23 2007 2:00PM
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where she has pledged continued United Nations support for the country's efforts to consolidate peace.

Speaking to reporters when she arrived in Kinshasa on Sunday, Ms. Migiro pointed out that the UN has deployed its largest peacekeeping operation in the DRC. She hailed last year's free and fair elections – the first held in the country in some four decades – and paid tribute to the "determination of the Congolese people to rejoin the family of democratic African nations in the world."

The Deputy Secretary-General, who will meet with the President, Prime Minister, other senior officials and representatives of various groups, said she would reassure them of the UN's commitment to support their efforts to achieve reconstruction and reconciliation.

"I will also underline the need for all in the DRC to work together with the UN and the international community to attain these objectives, which are necessary conditions to consolidate democracy and pave the way for the prosperity that this country richly deserves," she said.

"This is a critical moment in the history of the DRC; with the formation of the Government, the Congolese people are waiting, as is their right, to benefit from the sacrifices made in the cause of peace," she added, voicing hope that these aspirations would be realized.

Ms. Migiro is expected to travel next to the capital of the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville, where she will attend an annual meeting with the regional management team of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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INDIAN UN BLUE HELMETS PROVIDE ARTIFICIAL LIMBS TO MINE VICTIMS IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

INDIAN UN BLUE HELMETS PROVIDE ARTIFICIAL LIMBS TO MINE VICTIMS IN SOUTHERN LEBANON
New York, Apr 23 2007 1:00PM
Indian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are providing artificial limbs to victims of mine and cluster bombs in a special project at their headquarters in the south of the country.

The peacekeepers identified over 100 Lebanese people who could benefit from the artificial limb, and these patients received free medical examinations and fittings by a medical team flown from India for the project, which is being funded by the Arab Finance House bank.

The artificial limb, called the "Jaipur Foot," is named for the city in India where it was developed and is manufactured.

The ten-day clinic opened on 14 April and closes tomorrow, and approximately ten patients have been fitted with the prosthetic limbs each day.

While in Lebanon, the Indian specialists are also training local technicians to provide after-care treatment to those who receive the artificial limbs.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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CULTURAL DIVERSITY HIGHLIGHTED IN UN WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY

CULTURAL DIVERSITY HIGHLIGHTED IN UN WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY
New York, Apr 23 2007 1:00PM
Libraries, schools, cultural centres, authors' organizations and publishers in more than 100 nations around the world are holding events today to mark the 12th World Book and Copyright Day, which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched to pay tribute to the role of books in modern life.

This year's Day is focusing on the impact that books – especially when they are copyrighted – play in promoting not only education, economics, cultural creation and democratic participation, but freedom of expression and cultural diversity as well.

In a message on the Day, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura said that copyright provides valuable "moral and heritage protection" to works and their authors and is particularly vital to encouraging cultural diversity.

"Such action, which has an ethical as much as a political dimension, is part of a long-term approach and requires specific and lasting measures for the promotion of books and reading, whose impact will extend far beyond the symbolic date of 23 April," Mr. Matsuura said.

UNESCO chose 23 April to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day as it also marks the day on 1616 that Britain's William Shakespeare, Spain's Miguel de Cervantes and the Peruvian writer "El Inca" Garcilaso de la Vega all died. The prominent writers Vladimir Nabokov, Halldór Laxness, Josep Pla, Maurice Druon and Manuel Mejía Vallejo were also either born or died on this day.

The Colombian capital, Bogotá, was designated this year's World Book Capital, the seventh city to hold the honour, while Amsterdam in the Netherlands will be next year's title-holder. The World Book Capital is chosen by a selection committee comprising representatives of UNESCO, the International Publishers Association, the International Booksellers Federation and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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RUSSIAN SHIPMENT OF WHEAT TO SUDAN WELCOMED BY UN FOOD AGENCY

RUSSIAN SHIPMENT OF WHEAT TO SUDAN WELCOMED BY UN FOOD AGENCY
New York, Apr 23 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed Russia's donation of $2 million worth of wheat to Sudan to help the agency's recovery and development operations, saying the shipment will help feed 284,500 school children and 6,000 adults.

The shipment of 4,205 tons of wheat will go to children enrolled in WFP's school feeding programme in three Sudanese states – Kassala and Red Sea in the country's east and North Kordofan in the centre – as well as 6,000 participants in food-for-work projects, WFP said in a news release issued yesterday.

WFP Regional Director in Sudan Kenzo Oshidari described the shipment, part of a total $11 million donation from Russia to the UN food agency last year, as "vital for the future of thousands of Sudanese children.

"When children get a hot meal at school, they are better able to concentrate and retain information," he said. "We are especially pleased that absenteeism among girls in our programme is almost zero at schools where hot meals are served."

Last year WFP provided food aid to about 275,000 school children, boosting overall enrolment by 24 per cent and raising attendance rates from 86 to 91 per cent. The programme, part of a three-year arrangement costing $66 million, has expanded this year.

The food-for-work programme allows participants to receive food rations in exchange for work on community development projects such as the construction of school classrooms, pit latrines, tree plantations and water collection ponds.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS UNITE TO PROTECT JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY - UNESCO

ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS UNITE TO PROTECT JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY – UNESCO
New York, Apr 23 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=37605&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) today announced today that it has adopted a landmark decision reaffirming the universal value of the Old City of Jerusalem, marking the first time that Israelis and Palestinians had worked together to protect the World Heritage site.

The decision adopted by consensus by UNESCO's Executive Board also called for the safeguarding of the area, which is protected by the UN Convention the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), and is inscribed on the UN World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.

This decision also is the first taken by Israelis and Palestinians to "work together constructively towards achieving consensus on this important and highly complex matter," said Zhang Xinsheng, the Board's Chairman.

In February, Israel initiated a construction project in the Old City, prompting UNESCO to call for a halt to any action that could exacerbate tensions.

The Islamic Waqf (religious authorities) of Jerusalem has called the work illegal since under international law no action should be undertaken in an occupied city. Israel captured the Old City in the 1967 war. The Waqf asked UNESCO to intervene, saying it also feared the excavations would destroy the last vestiges of an old Muslim quarter demolished after 1967.

In late February, the agency dispatched a technical team to the site, which found after a four-day investigation that although Israeli archaeological work for an access pathway in the Old City does not threaten the Al-Aqsa Mosque and complies with professional standards, Israel should at once stop excavations and consult on a final plan with Muslim religious authorities and other parties.

Of today's decision, Mr. Zhang noted that "the ability of the parties involved to achieve what, at the outset seemed unachievable, demonstrates UNESCO's unique ability… to build bridges, generate solidarity, and, most especially, to help in our own way towards building a harmonized world, thus creating greater peace and relieving tensions in the Middle East."

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, hailed the decision, since "our determination to safeguard all cultural heritage properties – especially those in danger, wherever they may be, and in whatever circumstances – is an integral part of our mandate," he said.

In addition, the decision announced today recommends that the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee hold an urgent and informal meeting in early May to follow up on the findings of the technical mission, and also requests that the World Heritage Committee make certain that its decisions are properly implemented.
2007-04-23 00:00:00.000

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AFGHANISTAN: UN OPENS NEW OFFICE IN DAIKUNDI TO DRIVE DEVELOPMENT

AFGHANISTAN: UN OPENS NEW OFFICE IN DAIKUNDI TO DRIVE DEVELOPMENT
New York, Apr 23 2007 12:00AM
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today opened its latest new office, in Daikundi, to drive development efforts in the central highlands of Afghanistan.

"We believe that our presence can help cement peace, stability and progress for the people of Afghanistan and that is why we will open more offices around the country as the security situation allows," said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative, Tom Koenigs.

This new office will allow UNAMA to play a key co-ordination role, to improve its links with local networks, and to encourage increased development for local communities, the mission said in a press statement.

"Recent flooding and avalanches have highlighted the urgent need to establish a coordinated response for natural disasters that have plagued Daikundi," Mr. Koenigs said, adding that the new office would cooperate closely with the local authorities to establish faster, more effective responses to the needs of affected communities.

"We will help strengthen governance and the rule of law, as well as monitoring human rights issues and will encourage aid agencies to deliver more development assistance to the people of Daikundi," he pledged.

UNAMA, which has 15 other offices located in various parts of the country, said it plans to open another one in the province of Ghor shortly.

2007-04-22 00:00:00.000

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