GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT URGES UNITY AMONG CULTURES

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT URGES UNITY AMONG CULTURES
New York, May 11 2007 8:00PM
Closing a major conference today at United Nations Headquarters in New York, General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa called on the peoples of the world to overcome their mutual indifference to each other to solve grave global problems.

"As President of the General Assembly, I have the opportunity to closely observe the misery that millions of humans suffer from in the face of sometimes fatal indifference," Sheikha Haya said at the end of a two-day programme on the co-existence of cultures.

"I also had the opportunity to learn the means by which nations, if they unite as one, could overcome difficulties regardless of their size and type," she added.

Entitled Civilizations and the Challenges for Peace: Obstacles and Opportunities, the programme featured prominent academics, commentators and political leaders exploring causes and solutions for tensions between different groups.

During the programme, four panel discussions took place, entitled: "Respect for cultural diversity is a prerequisite for dialogue," "Religion in Contemporary Society," "The responsibility of the media," and "Civilizations and the challenge for global peace and security."

In addition, a roundtable on the arts asked the question, "How can the UN better use the arts in further developing strategies to bridge the gap between cultures?"

During the discussions, most delegates agreed that current world tensions involved many more factors than religion, with many mentioning political and economic inequality in particular.

Some of the panellists suggested ways that religion could help people solve their problems peacefully. Author Karen Armstrong, for example, proposed that religious leaders turn their focus to the core value of compassion, such as that expressed by the Golden Rule, which is common to major religions.

Sheikha Haya and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the programme yesterday, with both officials calling on religious figures, the media, and individuals to promote respect for diversity.
2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM URGES ACTION ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE

UN-BACKED CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM URGES ACTION ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE
New York, May 11 2007 7:00PM
Sounding a strong collective call to action, a broad cross-section of civil society gathered in Pretoria for a United Nations-backed Public Forum in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/gapal1052.doc.htm">stressed the urgent need to press for the immediate resumption of the political dialogue between the two sides, and for renewed efforts to keep talks focused on ending the occupation and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people.

The day-long Forum, convened by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, featured academics, activists, writers, former-government negotiators and civil society experts on the situation in the Middle East.

Opening the Forum, which was held at the University of Pretoria, Committee Chairman Paul Badji said that a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would be impossible without informing and mobilizing public opinion, and civil society organizations, including the media, were at the forefront of that effort.

Their non-violent actions, bringing together Palestinian, Israeli and international activists, "is the best example of fighting for peace by peaceful means," he said, urging civil society actors to intensify efforts, in their respective fields, to alleviate hardships of Palestinians, mobilize national and global public opinion and engage their respective national decision-makers to support efforts aimed at a peaceful solution of the conflict.

The Forum followed the UN African Meeting on the Question of Palestine, which had devoted a large portion of its work to finding new and creative ways to mobilize civil society – in Africa and beyond – to generate greater awareness of the Palestinian struggle.

That meeting "wholeheartedly welcomed" the increased international efforts to achieve a viable peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, seeing in those efforts the world community's renewed determination to bring a close to the decades-old conflict.

Participants were encouraged by recent positive political developments on the ground, chiefly the formation of the new Palestinian National Unity Government, the regular meetings that had begun to take place between President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the revival of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and the League of Arab States' decision to establish working groups tasked with engaging international partners in that regard and efforts by the diplomatic Quartet to broaden the scope of its work by engaging regional actors.

At the same time, the participants, who included UN and other diplomats, world renowned experts on the situation in the Middle East, parliamentarians and members of the academic community and civil society, expressed "great concern" at the deepening economic and humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Those hardships, in their view, were a direct consequence of the continuing occupation, further compounded by the withholding of direct donor assistance to the Palestinian Authority.
2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL WORKING GROUP URGES ACTION TO DEMOBILIZE CHILD SOLDIERS

SECURITY COUNCIL WORKING GROUP URGES ACTION TO DEMOBILIZE CHILD SOLDIERS
New York, May 11 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict has demanded that the parties in Sri Lanka and Nepal demobilize all child soldiers without delay, as it also examined new reports on children caught up in fighting in Uganda and Somalia.

In messages addressed to the Sri Lankan rebels known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), as well as the so-called Karuna faction – which split from them and now supports Government troops – the Group, meeting yesterday, called for the cessation of child recruitment, respect for safe zones for children and guarantees of humanitarian access to all areas, according to the Office of the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

Addressing the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which are now engaged in a peace process under UN monitoring, the Working Group called for the immediate liberation of child soldiers without waiting for further stages in that process.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, welcomed the actions of the Working Group.

"These recommendations send a strong message to the LTTE, a repeat offender who has been on the Secretary General's list of violators for four years and to the Karuna faction-TMVP. They have to stop grave violations of children's rights, especially the recruitment and the use of children in the conflict in Sri Lanka," she said.

"In regard to Nepal, we hope that the children who remain in the ranks of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) will be demobilized and reintegrated in their communities without delay," added Ms. Coomaraswamy.

During the Working Group meeting, Ms. Coomaraswamy gave a briefing on her recent visit to Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Group was established pursuant to by the Security Council in 2005 to promote the protection of children in armed conflict through a monitoring and reporting mechanism, and to recommend actions on the issue to the UN system.

Mr. Ban's report on Somalia, also presented to the Group yesterday, estimates that more than one third of the victims who were killed and injured in fighting there in 2006 were children, with violence in Southern and Central Somalia is characterized by grave child rights violations.

In addition, he says, continued fighting in and around Mogadishu between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and remnants of the Union of Islamic Courts forces has resulted in more casualties and violations against children in 2007.

"The recruitment and use of child soldiers by the TFG and other armed groups is a significant concern," he says.
The report says that humanitarian access in Somalia has been severely compromised, with serious implications for children. In the absence of a functioning police and judiciary, crimes against civilians, including women and children, are committed with impunity.

In the Uganda report, Mr. Ban said he was "deeply concerned over the absence of any concrete signs regarding the release of children associated with various forces."

The conflict in the northern part of the country, which began in 1986, pits the Government and local forces against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), the rebel group which has become notorious for abducting children and then using them as soldiers or porters, while allocating many girls to senior officers in a form of institutional rape.

He urged the leaders of the LRA to take immediate steps to end child recruitment and the use of child soldiers, and to immediately release all children to child protection agencies.

He also called upon Ugandan Government forces to allow independent monitoring visits to military barracks to determine the existence of any child soldiers either in their ranks or in the ranks of allied local defence forces.
2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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UN RIGHTS UNIT CALLS DARFUR BOMBARDMENTS 'INDISCRIMINATE AND INAPPROPRIATE'

UN RIGHTS UNIT CALLS DARFUR BOMBARDMENTS 'INDISCRIMINATE AND INAPPROPRIATE'
New York, May 11 2007 4:00PM
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/english/">OHCHR) today described as "indiscriminate" a series of deadly aerial bombardments across the North Darfur region of Sudan and said there were many civilian casualties.

OHCHR said it has learned that the attacks – over which United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern on Wednesday – were carried out near El Fasher, North Darfur with helicopter gunships and Antonov aircraft between 19 and 29 April, killing and wounding civilians and destroying property, school buildings and livestock.

"The bombardments appeared to have been indiscriminate and disproportionate, failing to distinguish between military and civilian targets," Mr. Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas said. "The disproportionate use of force constitutes violations of international humanitarian and human rights law," she added.

In one incident that was cited by the Secretary-General in his <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10985.doc.htm">statement, the school in the village of Um Rai was struck by rockets fired from a Government helicopter. Some of the 170 pupils in the school were injured in that attack, with two civilians killed in the attack on the village.

The OHCHR spokesman identified four other villages attacked during the period and said more information was being gathered on their consequences.

What we do know, he said, is that the attacks have contributed to an already critical humanitarian situation, causing renewed displacement and spreading terror among the civilian population.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2 million others displaced from their homes in Darfur since 2003 because of fighting between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias and rebel groups since 2003.
2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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UN MOBILIZING EMERGENCY TEAM FOR FLOOD-HIT URUGUAY

UN MOBILIZING EMERGENCY TEAM FOR FLOOD-HIT URUGUAY
New York, May 11 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations is mobilizing a Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team for deployment to Uruguay early next week in the wake of the worst floods to hit the country in half a century.

The UNDAC team is being sent following an official request for support from the Government of Uruguay, where flooding has already driven some 12,000 people from their homes, and has affected more than 110,000 people overall.

Displaced people are being housed in shelters, including stadiums and sport institutions, and basic supplies are being delivered, according to an update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA).

But OCHA also warned that the high number of affected people and harsh weather conditions mean that additional assistance is needed. Thousands of houses have been damaged, as has much of the public infrastructure, including the water supply, sewer and drainage systems, power and telephone lines, roads, agricultural land and municipal buildings. Many of those affected are poor and vulnerable persons such as women, children and the elderly.

The situation is expected to worsen when the flood waters reach low-lying areas, according to OCHA, which yesterday made an emergency cash grant of $30,000 available for relief activities.
2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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UN SEEKS ADDITIONAL $23 MILLION TO AID THOUSANDS MORE DISPLACED IN CHAD

UN SEEKS ADDITIONAL $23 MILLION TO AID THOUSANDS MORE DISPLACED IN CHAD
New York, May 11 2007 2:00PM
With the number of people displaced by violence in eastern Chad nearly tripling in the past half year, to some 140,000 from less than 50,000 in November, the United Nations today <"http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVOD-734JCA?OpenDocument">appealed for $23 million in supplementary funds to cover their basic needs for the next three months.

"Not only has the growing displacement put pressure on already scarce natural resources in eastern Chad, it has stretched the humanitarian community's ability to respond to needs within existing resources to the limit," UN Humanitarian Coordinator Kingsley Amaning said.

He said the additional funding is needed to provide drinking water, shelter, food, farming seeds and basic health services to internally displaced persons (IDPs), as part of a 90-day emergency assistance plan developed by the UN and its partners.

"Time is of the essence," Mr. Amaning stressed. "If we don't act now it will be too late when the rains begin at the end of June; there will be limited access to the areas where most of the IDPs are."

The emergency appeal does not replace the <"http://ochaonline.un.org/cap/webpage.asp?Page=1492">2007 Consolidated Appeal for Chad, but instead fills gaps that have arisen, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) emphasized.

Displacement has been rising steadily in eastern Chad over the past year as fighting flares between the Government, militias and other armed groups, with much of the violence thought to be spilling over from the conflict in the neighbouring Darfur region of Sudan.

On 31 March alone, an estimated 400 people were killed and 9,000 displaced from the villages of Tiero and Marena during one such militia confrontation.
2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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UN OFFICIAL URGES UGANDAN PARTIES TO PUT HUMAN RIGHTS AT CENTRE OF TALKS

UN OFFICIAL URGES UGANDAN PARTIES TO PUT HUMAN RIGHTS AT CENTRE OF TALKS
New York, May 11 2007 2:00PM
The top United Nations human rights official today urged the Government of Uganda and the insurgent Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to reject impunity and ensure respect for international standards during peace talks set to resume tomorrow in Juba, southern Sudan.

"For a peace agreement to be durable it must be based on the principles of justice, accountability and the rule of law," High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/E7EDC77A0D57F750C12572D8004F0E5B?opendocument">said in Geneva.

"Any accord must reaffirm the commitment of both parties to the core principle of international law that there can be no amnesty for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and gross violations of human rights," she said.

Recalling that members of the LRA have been indicted by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (<"http://www.un.org/law/icc">ICC) for crimes against humanity and war crimes, the High Commissioner said, "Discussions concerning those persons should be focusing on the terms and circumstances of their surrender so they can go and address the charges against them before the ICC."

The High Commissioner also encouraged parties in Juba to commit to a national "victim-centered consultative process" aimed at gathering the views of all stakeholders on appropriate justice, accountability and reconciliation mechanisms.

"The peace agreement should set a timeframe for the national dialogue and identify an independent institution to coordinate the process, so that past abuses and violations, as well as deep-seated social and economic inequalities, may be addressed comprehensively," Ms. Arbour said.
Since the LRA rebellion began in 1986, the rebel group has become notorious for abducting children and then using them as soldiers or porters, while subjecting some to torture and allocating many girls to senior officers in a form of institutional rape.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in October, 2005 issued its first-ever arrest warrants against Joseph Kony, the LRA leader, and four of the group's commanders – Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen and Raska Lukwiya – on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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UN COUNTER-TERRORISM BODY LAUNCHES ONLINE INFORMATION ASSISTANCE

UN COUNTER-TERRORISM BODY LAUNCHES ONLINE INFORMATION ASSISTANCE
New York, May 11 2007 1:00PM
In its continuing bid to help countries bolster their ability to fight terrorism around the globe, the Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) has launched an online database containing information about technical assistance both requested by and provided to States.

The technical assistance matrix provides potential donors with a snapshot of where assistance is still needed by States in implementing Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and the relevant provisions of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, according to the Executive Director of CTED, Assistant Secretary-General Javier Rupérez.

Resolution 1373 (2001) was adopted in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., and calls on countries to adopt a series of counter-terrorism measures in their national legislation. The Global Strategy, meanwhile, was an initiative of the General Assembly that brings together the various counter-terrorism activities of the UN system under a common strategic approach.

The matrix – accessible through the Committee's website at www.un.org/sc/ctc – gives potential donors a comprehensive overview on a country-by-country basis, from a regional perspective or by technical assistance subject area. It also provides information about assistance either currently or previously provided by other international and regional organizations, the UN system and Member States.

"We see the matrix as a valuable tool in helping donors to decide how best to develop their own counter-terrorism programmes and where it might be most useful to focus their efforts, in part to avoid duplication, since it highlights where assistance has already been matched and provided," Mr. Rupérez added.

As part of its work to facilitate technical assistant to States, CTED seeks to line up countries needing support with the various counter-terrorism programmes donors and organizations have available in such areas as drafting terrorism-related legislation, financial law and practice, training for law enforcement personnel, customs control and enhancing financial regulations.
2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCY ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS ON INTEGRATION OF REFUGEES IN EUROPE

UN AGENCY ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS ON INTEGRATION OF REFUGEES IN EUROPE
New York, May 11 2007 9:00AM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has issued a series of recommendations to help integrate refugees in Europe with the aim of enabling them to become productive members of society whether they stay or return home.

The proposals came following assessments in several countries which revealed a number of obstacles, including insufficient knowledge of local languages and differing cultures, lack of understanding within host societies of the specific situation of refugees, and discrimination and unreceptive attitudes towards foreigners, as well as the psychological impact of protracted inactivity during asylum procedures, agency spokesman William Spindler told reporters in Geneva today.

In response, he said, reception policies on asylum seekers "should be designed to minimize isolation and separation from host communities, as well as to provide for effective language and vocational skills development and assistance to pursue employment."

The overall aim is to empower asylum seekers and refugees to become active members of society, as this will boost their chances of successful integration in the host country or reintegration in their own country upon return.

"Detention, even if for a short period of time, can have lasting effects on individuals and on their ability to adjust to and integrate in the host society, particularly in the case of children and traumatized persons," Mr. Spindler said.

The recommendations were released in conjunction with an informal meeting of European Union (EU) ministers responsible for integration organized by the German EU Presidency in Potsdam this week.

2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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JOLIE-PITT FOUNDATION DONATES $1 MILLION TO UN AND OTHER GROUPS WORKING IN DARFUR

JOLIE-PITT FOUNDATION DONATES $1 MILLION TO UN AND OTHER GROUPS WORKING IN DARFUR
New York, May 11 2007 9:00AM
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and actor Brad Pitt have donated $1 million towards the humanitarian effort assisting millions of people affected by the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, the agency has announced.

"The donation from the Jolie-Pitt Foundation will go to three agencies playing key roles in Darfur and neighbouring Chad: the UN refugee agency; the International Rescue Committee and the international non-governmental organization, SOS Children's Villages," UNHCR said in a press release issued on Thursday.

All three agencies are active in providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to the more than 2 million people displaced within Darfur and the 240,000 refugees from Darfur living in camps in eastern Chad.

"This generous donation comes just months after Angelina Jolie made a personal visit to a refugee camp in Chad and it shows, once again, her and Brad Pitts' commitment to helping refugees and the displaced," said Michel Gabaudan, UNHCR's regional representative for the United States and the Caribbean.

"As Goodwill Ambassador, Jolie's continued support of UNHCR and those we seek to help is a powerful force in ensuring they are not forgotten."

In New York, George Rupp, president of the International Rescue Committee, said, "This donation will make a real difference in the lives of thousands of vulnerable people. We are grateful to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for remembering them."

Ms. Jolie has visited the region three times. During her recent visit to the Oure-Cassoni camp she said she was struck by the sense of hope she encountered and by the widespread desire for peace-keepers to be deployed in eastern Chad.

It was in Oure-Cassoni where the actress met staff working for SOS Children's Villages, who are providing psychological assistance to traumatized children.

"The children benefit enormously from the therapy," said Yolan
Broek, project leader of the Emergency Relief Programme of SOS Children's Villages in Chad. "Children who at first did not speak, did not eat and who were isolated in their own worlds, are now playing happily and are able to interact with others."

2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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SOME SOMALIS RETURNING TO MOGADISHU, BUT SITUATION STILL TENSE, UN REPORTS

SOME SOMALIS RETURNING TO MOGADISHU, BUT SITUATION STILL TENSE, UN REPORTS
New York, May 11 2007 9:00AM
People displaced by the recent fighting in Somalia -- the worst in 16 years -- are gradually returning to parts of the capital, Mogadishu, but fear is preventing others from going back to areas where the military still has a strong presence, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman William Spindler told reporters in Geneva today that families who used to live in neighbourhoods affected by the fighting are still reluctant to go back, mainly because of the reported presence of soldiers from the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and allied Ethiopian troops.

"Civilians fear that should they go back, they might be caught once more in the crossfire if the fighting resumes," he said. "Our team reports that, even though fighting has ceased in Mogadishu, the situation remains very tense."

Some of the estimated 250,000 people who were internally displaced within the city by the previous conflicts that had been raging in Somalia since the central government collapsed in 1991 have not been able to return to their homes because their houses have been destroyed by mortar shelling, or because they can no longer access the place where they used to live because of insecurity.

"Many of these people were living in former public buildings such as Ministries or police stations, but the TFG recently announced that people had to vacate these buildings in the coming weeks," Mr. Spindler said.

"UNHCR is negotiating with the TFG to make sure that these people are relocated to other parts of Mogadishu where they can have access to basic services and infrastructure."

Meanwhile, UNHCR continues to deliver assistance to the numerous families who remain in Afgooye, 30 kilometres away. More than 40,000 people fled to the Afgooye area during March and April as heavy fighting raged in Mogadishu. In recent weeks, the agency has distributed relief items such as plastic she
some 50,000 people in and the area.

"Assistance is also being provided to poor, rural residents of Afgooye, many of whom live in the same places as the displaced families who fled Mogadishu and it is extremely difficult to distinguish between them, as they are all equally in need," Mr. Spindler said.

According to data provided to UNHCR by a network of aid agencies, almost 400,000 people have fled Mogadishu since the beginning of February, when the last round of fighting began.

People who have returned to Mogadishu mainly lack food, water and medicine. Mr. Spindler said the agency swill be appealing for more funds shortly to help Somalis displaced within the country and in surrounding countries.

2007-05-11 00:00:00.000

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EXPERTS APPOINTED BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL TO THE BOARD OF THE UNITED NATIONS REGISTER OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WALL IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

EXPERTS APPOINTED BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL TO THE BOARD OF THE UNITED NATIONS REGISTER OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WALL IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
New York, May 10 2007 7:00PM
The Secretary-General, in compliance with a recent resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, has appointed in their personal capacity three international experts to begin the work of establishing a register of damage caused by Israel's construction of a wall in occupied Palestinian territory.

Appointed to the Board of the United Nations Register of Damage caused by the Construction of the Wall in the occupied Palestinian territory, are: Harumi Hori of Japan, Matti Paavo Pellonpää from Finland and Michael F. Raboin of the United States.

They will commence their mandated work on 14 May at the office of the United Nations Register of Damage which is being established at the United Nations Office at Vienna , the Secretary-General's spokesperson, Michele Montas, told reporters in New York on Thursday.

The Board has the overall responsibility for the establishment and maintenance of the Register of Damage. As a policymaking organ, the Board would establish the rules and regulations governing the work of the office of the Register of Damage, determine eligibility criteria, categories of damage and the procedure of registration of claims, and have the ultimate authority in determining the inclusion of damage claims in the Register of Damage.

2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF AND CHAD SIGN AGREEMENT TO DEMOBILIZE CHILD SOLDIERS

UNICEF AND CHAD SIGN AGREEMENT TO DEMOBILIZE CHILD SOLDIERS
New York, May 10 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has reached an agreement with the Government of Chad for the demobilization of child soldiers across the African country.

"UNICEF places the utmost importance on the protection of children, especially those affected by conflict," said <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_39603.html">UNICEF Representative Stephen Adkisson.

He signed the accord, which builds on Chad's commitment to the Paris Protocols reached last February to demobilize child soldiers, yesterday in N'Djamena, the country's capital, with Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Djidda Moussa Outman.

The Minister reiterated his country's commitment to the Protocols and said that his Government will work with organizations such as UNICEF to help former child soldiers reintegrate into society.

UNICEF will assist the Government's national programme releasing children from armed groups, and offer them support and aid in reintegrating into their communities. This programme will also help Sudanese children who can return to their homeland.

Less than a week ago, approximately 300 soldiers were identified in the Guera region.

According to informed sources, the rebel group Forces Unies pour le Changement, which recently reached a peace deal with the Government, has more than 1,000 child soldiers within its ranks, and negotiations are currently underway for their demobilization and return to civilian life with their families.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD THAT KOSOVO REMAINS CALM BUT TENSE

SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD THAT KOSOVO REMAINS CALM BUT TENSE
New York, May 10 2007 6:00PM
Although the overall security situation in Kosovo is calm, tension is palpable in the ethnic Albanian majority Serbian province that the United Nations has administered since 1999, according to a new report by on last month's Security Council fact-finding mission made public today.

"Security is an essential pillar of any society and that is even more so for societies emerging from a violent and brutal conflict such as Kosovo," Ambassador Johan Verbeke of Belgium, the head of the six-day mission, <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9015.doc.htm">told the 15-member Council.

The report, based on the mission's findings, noted that "while the Kosovo Albanian community is confident about the future, the Kosovo Serb community is apprehensive about its prospects for the future."

Although Kosovo, where Albanians outnumber Serbs and others by nine to one, remains divided between the two communities, the report said that there were encouraging signs, such as "the commitment to build a Kosovo for all its communities, conveyed by Kosovo's political leaders."

Just as divided are the positions of Serbia and Kosovo Serbs, on the one hand, and Kosovo Albanians and non-Serb communities, on the other, regarding the province's future.

While Belgrade and Serbs residing in Kosovo were adamantly against a solution that would lead to independence, the province's Albanians were optimistic that a solution would be reached soon.

In March, a report was issued by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the future status process Martti Ahtisaari, who said the only viable option for Kosovo was a phased process of independence.

The fact-finding mission's report also expressed concern at the very low numbers of internally displaced returning to their homes. Despite there being mechanisms in place for people to repatriate, many are discouraged by complex procedures, security concerns and limited economic prospects in the province where unemployment hovers near 60 per cent.

Last week, Mr. Verbeke briefed the Council on the mission's visit, which was undertaken based on a Russian proposal, to Pristina, Belgrade, Brussels and Vienna.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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NEWSWEEK EDITOR NAMED UN DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND SPEECHWRITING

NEWSWEEK EDITOR NAMED UN DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND SPEECHWRITING
New York, May 10 2007 6:00PM
Michael R. Meyer, a United States journalist who worked previously in support of United Nations activities in Kosovo, was today named as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Director of Communications and Speechwriting.

Mr. Meyer "has had a long and distinguished career as a journalist with Newsweek Magazine," UN spokesperson Michele Montas said in making the announcement. Most recently, he was the Europe/Middle East editor for Newsweek International. He has also served as the magazine's Bureau Chief in Central Europe and in Los Angeles.

In addition, Mr. Meyer was assigned by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to work with the UN Mission in Kosovo on media development projects from 1999 to 2001.

The 55-year old journalist served as Newsweek's Bonn/Berlin bureau chief covering the collapse of the Berlin Wall and German reunification. He was also Newsweek's lead reporter throughout the revolutions in Eastern Europe and the war in Yugoslavia.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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EXPERTS APPOINTED TO UN UNIT FOR PALESTINIAN CLAIMS AGAINST ISRAELI BARRIER

EXPERTS APPOINTED TO UN UNIT FOR PALESTINIAN CLAIMS AGAINST ISRAELI BARRIER
New York, May 10 2007 5:00PM
Ahead of Monday's activation of the United Nations unit that will register claims for damage caused by Israel's construction of a barrier in occupied Palestinian territory, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sga1064.doc.htm">appointed three international compensation experts to guide its operations.

Appointed to the Board of the United Nations Register of Damage, the Secretariat for which is based at the UN office in Vienna, are: Harumi Hori of Japan, Matti Paavo Pellonpää from Finland and Michael F. Raboin of the United States.

The purpose of the Register of Damage is to document damage incurred to Palestinian homes, business and agricultural holdings. That documentation will be used for possible future international adjudication, not to settle claims directly, according to the Register's mandate, which was set out in a December 2006 General Assembly resolution.

The Board, among other responsibilities, will determine eligibility criteria, categories of damage and the procedure of registration of claims, and has the ultimate authority to accept or reject inclusion of such claims in the Register.

The Register was created in response to a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which concluded that Israel violated various international laws by constructing the barrier, which, it said, destroyed homes, businesses and agriculture.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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UN'S SECOND-IN-COMMAND MAKES PUBLIC HER FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

UN'S SECOND-IN-COMMAND MAKES PUBLIC HER FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
New York, May 10 2007 5:00PM
Following the example of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, his deputy today released her financial disclosure statement for 2006-07 to the public after submitting it for review to an outside financial auditing company.

A confidential review of the statement of Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the firm hired by the UN to examine such documents, found that no further action is required regarding her compliance with the UN Financial Disclosure Programme.

The disclosure statements apply to about 2,000 UN personnel and were one of the initiatives aimed at creating greater accountability put in place during the tenure of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who also submitted the form but never made its contents public.

Under the programme, which is administered by the UN Ethics Office, public disclosure is not required and is done so on a voluntary basis.

This past January, in a speech in Washington D.C. to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Mr. Ban said he was making his statement public "to set an early example" of his goal as Secretary-General to promote "the highest standards of integrity and ethical behaviour" at the UN.

Ms. Migiro's statement, which covers the period between 1 February 2006 and 31 January 2007, has been posted on the Secretary-General's website with certain personal details removed for security reasons.

It indicates that Ms. Migiro and her husband, Cleophas Lukanazya Chitende Migiro, own two houses and a plot of land in their native Tanzania, as well as stock in a cement company. They also maintain several bank accounts containing more than $10,000.

In 2006, Ms. Migiro also received salary and expenses from the Government of Tanzania for her work as Member of Parliament and Foreign Minister of that country. She states that she has resigned from both posts as well as from her position in the central committee of a Tanzanian political party.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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TIMOR-LESTE: BAN KI-MOON 'GREATLY ENCOURAGED' BY PEACEFUL PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF

TIMOR-LESTE: BAN KI-MOON 'GREATLY ENCOURAGED' BY PEACEFUL PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF
New York, May 10 2007 4:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that he was "greatly encouraged" by yesterday's peaceful presidential run-off election in Timor-Leste, the tiny nation that gained independence from Indonesia in 2002.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the country, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmit/index.html">UNMIT, reported that "the people cast their votes in a calm and orderly manner, reflecting once again their commitment to democracy," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm10991.doc.htm">statement issued by his spokesperson.

"The final round caps a similarly peaceful electoral campaign," he added.

Voters went to the polls yesterday to select either Jose Ramos-Horta or Francisco Guterres as their nation's president. The initial round of polls – the first ever in Timor-Leste – took place on 9 April with eight candidates vying to lead the country.

Mr. Ban "congratulates the people and authorities of Timor-Leste and trusts that the same peaceful and democratic spirit will prevail during the vote counting and tabulation process over the next few days," the statement added.

Provisional results of the election are expected to be released either tomorrow or Monday.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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SIERRA LEONE ELECTIONS ON TRACK, BUT ASSISTANCE STILL NEEDED - BAN KI-MOON

SIERRA LEONE ELECTIONS ON TRACK, BUT ASSISTANCE STILL NEEDED – BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 10 2007 4:00PM
Calling preparations for the upcoming national elections in Sierra Leone a "remarkable success," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the international community to remain engaged in helping the West African country continue its recovery from a brutal civil war.

"The fact that 91 per cent of the eligible voters have registered for the July 2007 elections is both a demonstration of the civic maturity of the people of Sierra Leone and an important indication of the increased capacity of the National Electoral Commission," Mr. Ban said in his latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/257">report on the work of the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (<"http://www.uniosil.org/">UNIOSIL).

Among other notable accomplishments of the Commission, as assisted by UNIOSIL, Mr. Ban noted the recruitment and training of election workers, the drafting of election petition rules and the installation of technical advisers.

The deployment of state authority across the country, however, continues to lag behind and efforts to combat corruption and promote accountability have been painfully slow to yield results, he said.

"In this regard, the country clearly needs the support of the international community," he maintained, urging the Government to work closely with the UN's Peacebuilding Commission following the agreement reached on a framework for further consolidation of the peace.

In October 2006, the Commission declared Sierra Leone eligible to benefit from the recently set-up multi-million dollar Peacebuilding Fund, which is aimed at assisting countries emerging from conflict to rebuild and prevent them falling back into bloodshed. Sierra Leone's 10-year conflict began in 1991 and left thousands dead and many more mutilated.

In order to further advance peace consolidation, Mr. Ban said the national armed forces and the police needed "significant additional support" in the areas of equipment and accommodation.

In addition, he pointed out that a solid private sector in the country was still lacking. "Without a vibrant economy based on free-market principles and clean practices, the country will not be able to achieve the much-needed acceleration of the growth rate," he said.

Finally, he advocated that the Government and its partners should step up efforts to reform the judiciary and promote human rights, especially those of women and children.

UNIOSIL, the first integrated UN office established to support a peace-consolidation process, was established following the completion of peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone that ended on 31 December 2005. It is made up of almost 300 people, comprising 82 international staff, 192 local staff and 24 UN Volunteers.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR PEACE PROCESS AT A 'CROSSROADS,' UN ENVOY SAYS

DARFUR PEACE PROCESS AT A 'CROSSROADS,' UN ENVOY SAYS
New York, May 10 2007 4:00PM
The fragile peace process in Darfur is at a "crossroads," the United Nations Special Envoy for the strife-torn region said today, as he and his counterpart from the African Union (AU) wrapped up their third joint visit to Sudan.

Serious obstacles to the political process – including the dire humanitarian situation, the persistence of tribal clashes and unrest in camps – still exist, Jan Eliasson told reporters at the Khartoum headquarters of the UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS).

"We have talked very much about peacekeeping, an indispensable part of the process towards peace in Darfur, but we all must remember there has to be a peace to keep," he said.

In order to capitalize on the momentum, the efforts of all sides must unite since "there is a risk that the parties will turn to various alternatives," Mr. Eliasson said. "But if we have convergence now and move the negotiations process in a convergent framework, then we will be able to seriously prepare for negotiations."

The AU's Salim Ahmed Salim echoed Mr. Eliasson's sentiments. Saying that he is conscious of the role played by such countries as Eritrea, Libya, Egypt and Chad, Mr. Salim said that "the question of common position or platform on the part of the movement is extremely crucial to facilitate a speedy and effective process of negotiations."

Mr. Salim stressed the significance of the relationship between Chad and Sudan in bringing peace to Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million others forced to flee their homes since 2003.

"We firmly believe that without the normalization of these relations, without the improvement of these relations, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible to achieve a breakthrough in the Darfur peace process," he noted, welcoming recent initiatives to bolster their relationship.

One of the main objectives of the visit, Mr. Salim said, was to hold internal talks to assess the current situation and to map out the next phase. "We have had intensive discussions on this and we are now, at least as the Special Envoys, quite clear on the way forward and how to bring about the process, how to bring the negotiations, and how to initiate the various steps before the negotiations," he stated.

The two envoys have submitted their road map for the future of the peace process to their principals – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konaré, and will wait for their responses before proceeding.

Since arriving in Sudan on Tuesday, the two envoys have held a series of meetings with the UN/AU Joint Mediation Support Team to discuss the next steps to spur the peace process.

They also met with Government authorities, including First Vice-President and President of the Government of Southern Sudan Salva Kiir to discuss the initiative of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), a former rebel group in the south, to help reinvigorate peace talks.

Today, Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim held talks with Presidential Advisor Majzoub Al Khalifa and with diplomats in the capital.

Mr. Eliasson is scheduled to brief the Security Council in New York next week.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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MEDIA, RELIGION MUST OVERCOME RAMPANT MISTRUST BETWEEN CULTURES - BAN KI-MOON

MEDIA, RELIGION MUST OVERCOME RAMPANT MISTRUST BETWEEN CULTURES – BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 10 2007 3:00PM
With an epidemic of mistrust of the "other," along with rising terrorism and other inter-group violence, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of the General Assembly today called on the media, religions and individuals to work for mutual respect as a major conference on co-existence opened in New York.

"In our age of satellite television and jet travel, distances have collapsed but divisions have not," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm10990.doc.htm">said at the start of the Assembly's two-day programme entitled Civilizations and the Challenges for Peace: Obstacles and Opportunities, which will feature prominent academics, commentators and political leaders exploring causes and solutions to the problem.

"Instead, our proximity has heightened longstanding suspicions of 'the other' – the other religion, the other ethnicity, the other nationality," he noted.

"In response, we need to reassert the truth that diversity is a virtue, not a threat," maintained Mr. Ban, who recently named former Portuguese president Jorge Sampaio as the first UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, the international initiative set up in 2005 to promote reconciliation between religions, cultures and nations.

At today's Assembly session, Mr. Ban said that the media can shape people's views and influence their actions, educating, informing and demystifying, even while it entertains.
"It can promote the message that what unites humanity is much stronger than what superficially separates us," he said.

Similarly, he said that religion can have a tremendous positive influence if people of faith stress their common ideals – compassion, solidarity, respect for life and kindness towards others – and urge their fellow believers to treat others as they themselves would wish to be treated.

In opening the programme, Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa <"http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/statements/statement20070510.shtml">agreed that religions were the key. "We must put a stop to the misuse of religion in contemporary society, and reject extremist ideologies that severely threaten peace and understanding among nations and peoples," she said.

In general, she said, "It is our obligation to act quickly to put an end to preconceived ideas and to mutual fears. Only then will we rise above our differences and together build a better future for all."

It is also necessary to acknowledge and act on the causes of instability in the world, she said, listing poverty, disease and armed conflict, as well as intolerance and cultural clashes.

In a series of round-tables during the event, panellists will include Amre Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and Ghassan Salame, Professor of International Relations at Sciences Po University and Former Minister of Culture of Lebanon.

Karen Armstrong, a prominent author of texts on comparative religion, is also expected to participate, along with Mohamed Arkoun, Emeritus Professor of the History of Islamic Thought at the Sorbonne, Robert Thurman, Department of Religious Studies at Columbia University, Manish Kasliwal, National Chairman of the Young Jains of India, Karen Brooks Hopkins, President of the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Paul LeClerc, President and CEO of the New York Public Library.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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UN HUMANITARIAN AGENCY RUSHES EMERGENCY AID TO FLOOD-RAVAGED URUGUAY

UN HUMANITARIAN AGENCY RUSHES EMERGENCY AID TO FLOOD-RAVAGED URUGUAY
New York, May 10 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced today that it is sending an emergency cash grant of $30,000 to Uruguay to aid victims of flooding, the worst the country has seen in half a century.

Approximately 12,000 people have been forced from their homes and 110,000 people, the majority being the poor and vulnerable such as women, children and the elderly, have been affected by the heavy rains, <"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA reported. Seven of the country's 19 departments have been affected, with three central ones – Durazno, Soriano and Treinta y Tres – suffering the worst.

Most of the displaced are currently living in Council shelters and local sports clubs, and most schools in the affected areas have been shut down.

Thousands of homes and much of the public infrastructure – such as the water supply, sewer and drainage systems, power and telephone lines, roads, agricultural land and municipal buildings – have been damaged.

The OCHA grant, which comes after an official Government request for UN assistance, will be channelled through the world body's Resident Coordinator in the South American country and will be utilized for the purchase of relief supplies and to provide logistical support for national and local authorities.

Of particular concern is the water and sanitation situation in the areas affected by the flooding, with roughly 30,000 people having no access to clean drinking water. There is also an increased risk of waterborne disease spreading in vulnerable communities.

Preliminary needs include food, blankets and mattresses for those driven from their homes, as well as chlorine, soap and other cleaning supplies to prevent the spread of disease.

With adverse conditions expected to persist in the coming days, the number of people affected by heavy rains is expected to increase, especially as flood waters reach lower-lying areas.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED FORUM LINKS ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

UN-BACKED FORUM LINKS ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
New York, May 10 2007 1:00PM
The interconnections between education, scientific research and technological innovation and their part in sustainable development will be explored in Trieste, Italy, starting today by policy-makers and experts from the educational, scientific and business worlds, the United Nations' educational agency said today.

The World Forum on Education, Research and Innovation is sponsored by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=37732&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) and the G-8 group of countries that includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.

According to UNESCO, the Forum aims to identify opportunities, as well as risks, for both industrialized and developing countries in the pursuit of sustainable development through advanced knowledge and technologies, including special roundtables on Africa and the role of Government.

The forum, which runs through 12 May, is being organized by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, an international scientific institution under the aegis of UNESCO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/index.html">IAEA).
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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UN TEAMS WITH AMERICAN RED CROSS TO RESTORE FISHERIES IN TSUNAMI-DEVASTATED AREAS

UN TEAMS WITH AMERICAN RED CROSS TO RESTORE FISHERIES IN TSUNAMI-DEVASTATED AREAS
New York, May 10 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today that it has partnered with the American Red Cross to help fishing communities in Indonesia's Aceh Province that were heavily impacted by the 2004 tsunami.

The three-year project will assist in promoting the responsible and sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture that coastal communities rely on for food and employment. Enhanced supervision of these sectors is crucial to prevent overfishing and prevent any further damage to ecosystems still recovering from the tsunami, <"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000556/index.html">FAO said.

Focusing on long-term planning, good management practices and improved handling and marketing practices, the scheme will target problems that existed prior to the devastating tsunami but were exacerbated by the disaster and its aftermath.

"These capacity-building measures seek to foster sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture in Aceh after the tsunami," noted Ichiro Nomura, FAO's Assistant Director-General of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.

FAO will provide technical and planning help, as well as hold training sessions and will lead the project's implementation, while the American Red Cross will foot the $7.5 million bill.

Roughly 750 Indonesian Government officials at the national, provincial and local levels will participate in the scheme, along with 4,000 people in fishing communities. An additional 770,000 others will benefit indirectly through increased food supplies and employment opportunities.

"We are excited to be working in partnership with FAO on a project that will have a significant impact in restoring these communities," said Gerald Anderson, Senior Director of the Tsunami Recovery Program for the American Red Cross. "Not only will the project provide people with essential needs – like food and income – but it will also help them to develop the capacity to manage fisheries for the long-term."
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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UN-BROKERED HEALTH CARE TRUCE AIDS CHILDREN IN 700 PHILIPPINES VILLAGES

UN-BROKERED HEALTH CARE TRUCE AIDS CHILDREN IN 700 PHILIPPINES VILLAGES
New York, May 10 2007 12:00PM
Children and their families in 700 remote villages in conflict-ravaged southern Philippines have received essential health care, many for the first time in their lives, through a historic truce arranged with Muslim rebels, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced today.

In a campaign known as 'Days of Peace,' arranged between <"http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/philippines_39598.html">UNICEF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), fighting that has raged between the insurgents and the Government for decades was suspended for two weeks starting in mid-April so that health workers could provide immunizations, micronutrient supplementation, counselling and other basic care.

"Peace-building efforts will not succeed if we fail to deliver the basic services that families need," said UNICEF's Representative in the Philippines, Dr. Nicholas Alipui, who led immunization teams deep into remote areas during the campaign.

Members of the popular Filipino rock band Bamboo also joined aid workers in the region to support the campaign and assist children in the villages, many of whom were found in desperate need. "We knew we were going to see children who needed help, but nothing could have prepared us for the reality of seeing such deprivation," lead singer Bamboo Manalac said.

Because of such great need, two more Days of Peace campaigns are now in the works for the region – one in July and another in October.

"The Days of Peace campaign is not just a series of special missions," Dr. Alipui said. "We intend to help re-establish routine coverage of conflict areas."
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION STILL RAMPANT AND TAKING ON NEW FORMS, UN SAYS

WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION STILL RAMPANT AND TAKING ON NEW FORMS, UN SAYS
New York, May 10 2007 10:00AM
Although progress has been made at combating discrimination in the workplace, rising gender disparities in income and other forms of discrimination – including age, sexual orientation and HIV/AIDS status – are cause for growing concern, the United Nations Labour Organization (<" http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_082596">ILO) said in a new report released today.

"The global picture of the struggle to overcome discrimination shows a mixture of advances and failures," said the study, entitled "Equality at work: Tackling the challenges," which finds that people are not only being discriminated against based on their sex, race or religion, but also on newer criteria such as age, sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status and disability.

"These barriers to equality can prevent societies from realizing the full potential of today's globalized economy," it stated.

The report said that the ILO's Member States have made great progress in their efforts to curtail discrimination in the workplace. "The condemnation of discrimination in employment and occupation is today almost universal," it noted, citing that improvements have been made since its first edition was issued four years ago. Since then, most of the ILO's 180 Member States have ratified its two main conventions on discrimination.

However, the need to stamp out such discrimination has become far more urgent "in the face of a world that appears increasingly unequal, insecure and unsafe," the study observed.

Inequalities in income, assets and opportunities "dilute the effectiveness of any action aimed at combating discrimination." The ILO warned that "this may lead to political instability and social upheaval, which upset investment and economic growth."

One of the study's major themes is the perpetuation of gender gaps in employment and pay as well as the need for policies that take work and family responsibilities into account to address this issue. In the European Union (EU), for example, the difference in average gross hourly earnings between men and women has remained high at 15 per cent.

The ILO cites the availability of good-quality jobs for women in legislative, senior or managerial positions as a key indicator in women's improvement, with higher rates of participation signifying a drop in discriminatory barriers.

Women continue to represent a distinct minority in these positions worldwide, with only 28.3 per cent of all women holding such positions. Progress in this area is uneven across regions, with North America at 41.2 per cent, Latin America and the Caribbean at 35 per cent and the EU at 30.6 per cent. Although the number of women with such professions has almost doubled in the past nine years in South Asia, the women of the region have the lowest share of the positions at only 8.6 per cent.

Despite the push for greater global commitment to non-discrimination and equality and such landmark initiatives as the "<" http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids/publ/code.htm">ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS in the world of work" which have revolutionized responses to AIDS in the workplace, the report states that "many shortcomings persist."

Enforcement remains weak and oftentimes offices created expressly to tackle discrimination are understaffed or underfunded. Additionally, a growing informal economy allows for such anti-discrimination laws to be bypassed.

The report also asserts that the likelihood of a person with a disability finding a job decreases as the level of disability increases. With almost half a billion people with disabilities being of working age, there is mounting concern regarding discrimination against these people. The study noted that in Europe, a person between the ages of 16 and 64 has a 66 per cent likelihood finding employment, but this figure dips to 47 per cent for a moderately disabled person and drops even further to 25 per cent for a severely disabled person.

Also highlighted in the report was the penalization of people with a genetic predisposition to developing certain diseases or those who have lifestyles considered unhealthy.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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OVER A DOZEN UN RIGHTS EXPERTS JOINTLY URGE RELEASE OF DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI

OVER A DOZEN UN RIGHTS EXPERTS JOINTLY URGE RELEASE OF DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI
New York, May 10 2007 10:00AM
As the current detention term of Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi approaches, over a dozen United Nations human rights experts have joined their voices to <"http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/6CCD799AB7BCEC96C12572D70032492F?OpenDocument">call on the Myanmar authorities to free her and all other political prisoners.

"We believe this would give a significant sign of the Government's will to initiate a genuine and effective transition towards democracy," the experts said in a statement released in Geneva.

Ms. Suu Kyi, the General-Secretary of the National League for Democracy, has a current detention term ending on 27 May, and has been held for 11 years without charge or trial since her party and its allies won the 1990 election with over eighty percent of the Parliamentary seats. She has been kept in isolation for the past four years.

"As of one of the world's most acclaimed human rights defenders, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate is a major political and spiritual leader of Myanmar," the experts said. "Her tireless commitment to non-violence, truth and human rights has made her a worthy symbol through whom the plight of all people in Myanmar may be recognized."

They called on the Government of Myanmar to release her unconditionally and to free all the remaining political prisoners.

The stability of Myanmar, they said, "is not well served by the arrest and detention of several political leaders or by the severe and sustained restrictions on the exercise of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights."

The statement was endorsed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro; the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders, Hina Jilani; the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo; the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Leandro Despouy; the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak; the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Ertürk; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir.

Also signing on were the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, Rodolofo Stavenhagen; the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Miloon Kothari; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Paul Hunt; the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler; the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Sigma Huda; and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Juan Miguel Petit.
2007-05-10 00:00:00.000

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WORSENING TENSIONS IN PAKISTANI REGION PROMPT SUSPENSION OF UN ACTIVITIES

WORSENING TENSIONS IN PAKISTANI REGION PROMPT SUSPENSION OF UN ACTIVITIES
New York, May 9 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations has suspended its operations and closed its offices in the Tehsil Bagh area of Pakistan for two weeks amid mounting concerns at a series of recent attacks against humanitarian workers operating in the region.

In a statement released in the capital Islamabad, the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan said the decision had been taken "in view of the current security situation and the prevailing tensions."

Only emergency services will continue during the next two weeks, while UN officials will consult Government authorities and monitor the situation before announcing any resumption of activities.

UN aid workers have been particularly active in Bagh district since the devastating earthquake struck the region in October 2005.

Today's statement added that the UN had decided to enhance its coordination and communication links with the rest of the humanitarian community and with Bagh civil authorities and local community leaders.

A communication plan will also be developed to better inform the local community about the activities and policies of the world body.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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ACTRESS DREW BARRYMORE BECOMES ADVOCATE FOR UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME

ACTRESS DREW BARRYMORE BECOMES ADVOCATE FOR UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME
New York, May 9 2007 6:00PM
The American actress Drew Barrymore was named today as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and charged with the task of using her celebrity as a film star to advocate for school feeding projects in some of the world's poorest countries.

Ms. Barrymore, 32, becomes the latest Ambassador for the <"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=320">WFP, joining Kenyan world marathon record-holder Paul Tergat, himself a former recipient of school feeding programmes, among others. Last year WFP fed 19.4 million children across 71 countries through such projects.

"I can't think of any issue that is more important than working to see that no schoolchild in this world goes hungry," Ms. Barrymore said after today's announcement in Washington. The actress recently visited WFP-supported school feeding projects in Kenya.

"Feeding a child at school is such a simple thing – but it works miracles," she said. "I've seen it with my own eyes," adding that school feeding schemes have a proven record of boosting enrolment rates and academic performance.

Ms. Barrymore, Mr. Tergat and senior WFP officials have been in Washington this week to raise awareness about school feeding programmes and to advocate for legislation that would expand and regularize United States funding for such activities.

Currently WFP estimates that more than 112 million school-aged children around the world are undernourished and live in poor nations.

WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran welcomed the announcement of Ms. Barrymore, who has been involved in the Artists for the UN initiative since 2004, as an Ambassador for the Programme.

"Her passion and commitment to changing the world for the better – and of course the respect and admiration she commands – will make her a wonderful champion for school feeding," Ms. Sheeran said.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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WITH UN-BACKED CD, SIERRA LEONEANS TO DANCE TO THE RHYTHMS OF RECONCILIATION

WITH UN-BACKED CD, SIERRA LEONEANS TO DANCE TO THE RHYTHMS OF RECONCILIATION
New York, May 9 2007 5:00PM
The lilting messages of peace and civic engagement will be heard on sound systems across Sierra Leone, starting this week, with the release of a new CD produced by local musicians in collaboration with the United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL).

According to <"http://www.uniosil.org/">UNIOSIL, the CD will help amplify its efforts to broadcast the findings of the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), meant to help heal rifts left by 14 years of bloody civil war, and to elicit greater citizen engagement in the country, where illiteracy rates remain high and where music plays an important role in social and cultural life.

The 35 artists who contributed to the CD include such local stars as Zibo, Born Dada, Father T, Jonny Wisdom and Miriam.

Topics of the 15 numbers, as indicated by their titles, include "Sierra Leone belongs to every citizen," "Human Rights," "Corruption" and "Women in Sierra Leone," sung in English, Krio, Temne, and Mende.

The album will be launched at a gala concert at the national stadium in the country's capitol, Freetown, on 12 June, by Adisa Jelani Andwele, renowned musician and poet of Barbados and Goodwill Ambassador of the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP).

In his letter of invitation to the concert, the Executive Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sierra Leone, Victor Angelo, noted that "the messages contained in the music CD are widely anticipated to create the opportunity for greater citizen engagement towards a further strengthening of the legal, judicial, institutional and administrative mechanisms, as well as cultural and democratic values."
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT MUST BE TACKLED TOGETHER - BAN KI-MOON

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT MUST BE TACKLED TOGETHER – BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 9 2007 5:00PM
Climate change, industrialization, air pollution and the need to boost clean energy supplies for developing countries are urgent global challenges that must be addressed in concert, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he opened a gathering of dozens of environmental ministers at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

"Energy, climate change, industrial development and air pollution are critical items on the international agenda. Addressing them in unison creates many win-win opportunities and is crucial for sustainable development," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2561">told the high-level <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/envdev935.doc.htm">meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

In the area of energy, which provides the particular focus for the current session that runs from 30 April to 11 May, the Secretary-General noted that about 1.6 billion people lack access to electricity, and 2.4 billion people do not have modern energy services for cooking and heating.

"We must do more to use and develop renewable energy sources," he said, calling for unified efforts that could create benefits on all fronts.

"Greater energy efficiency is also vital," he stressed. "So are cleaner energy technologies – including advanced fossil fuel and renewable energy technologies – which can create jobs, boost industrial development, reduce air pollution and help to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions."

With climate, energy and sustainability issues priorities for his term as Secretary-General, Mr. Ban pledged to tighten coordination on the issues.

"The United Nations system has taken steps to respond to these challenges in an integrated and coherent way," he said. "We need to mainstream energy and climate issues more deeply into our programmes and activities, and to strengthen inter-agency cooperation on specific activities," he added.

This year's CSD marks the 20th anniversary of the Brundtland Commission report, Our Common Future, which was seen as a landmark document on sustainable development.

Addressing today's meeting after the Secretary-General, Gro Harlem Brundtland – a former Norwegian prime minister and director-general of the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/en/">WHO) – said that while some progress had been made on poverty in years since the report, billions still fight for survival at the same time that climate change looms.

"We must move forward on a broad front," Ms. Brundtland said, advocating the development of a truly global carbon market and serious measures to enable developing countries to "leap-frog" to clean development.

With increased political will, "we stand on the threshold of a new, green economy," she added. "This is our calling and it can be done," she said, concluding that "failure is not an option."

Following Ms. Brundtland's presentation, some 30 of the assembled ministers made statements, agreeing that halting the degradation of the earth's environment and providing energy and development to the poor were equally crucial, and urging coordinated action from the international community.

"It is no secret that implementation has been the Achilles heel of the global development agenda," Malik Amin Aslam, Pakistan's Minister of State for the Environment, said on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries. "Ironically, the implementation of what has already been agreed to globally also remains the biggest challenge to sustainable development."

Like other ministers from developing countries, Mr. Aslam noted that the poorest were the hardest hit by environmental degradation and climate change, and that developing countries could not tackle the challenges alone. "Working together, in partnerships, premised on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development, is, therefore, important and indispensable," he said.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of today's ministerial meeting, Dr. Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of <"http://www.unhabitat.org/">UN-HABITAT, briefed reporters on climate change from the perspective of cities and towns.

Ms. Tibaijuka noted that 60 per cent of greenhouse gases come from cities, and many cities are vulnerable to rising sea levels and other threats from climate change. Nearly one third of the urban poor are victims of climate change whose rural lifestyles are no longer viable.

"Without sustainable urbanization, sustainable development will prove to be illusive," she stressed.

Also coinciding with the current CSD session, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000555/index.html">FAO), today announced the launch of a new <"http://www.globalbioenergy.org/">website to promote the use of bioenergy.

The website is the Internet home of Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP), whose Secretariat is hosted by FAO in Rome and which encourages the sustainable use of "green" fuels, with particular focus on developing countries.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF IN TIMOR-LESTE WAS INCIDENT-FREE, UN REPORTS

PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF IN TIMOR-LESTE WAS INCIDENT-FREE, UN REPORTS
New York, May 9 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Timor-Leste said that today's presidential run-off election in the small island country which gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 proceeded smoothly and peacefully.

According to the UN mission in the country, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmit/">UNMIT, no security incidents were reported, the Secretary-General's spokesperson Michele Montas said at a press briefing in New York.

Voters went to the polls to select either Jose Ramos-Horta or Francisco Guterres as their nation's president.

Ballot counting has begun and provision results are set to be released either this Friday or next Monday.

UNMIT has observed that the campaigning period leading up to today's election "has been free of any serious incidents of violence and intimidation."

The initial round of polls, which were the first ever in Timor-Leste, took place on 9 April with eight candidates vying to lead the country.

UNMIT is helping Timor-Leste with all aspects of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary electoral process, including through technical and logistical support, electoral policy advice and verification.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCY LAUNCHES FREE E-COURSE ON CAUSES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MALNUTRITION

UN AGENCY LAUNCHES FREE E-COURSE ON CAUSES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MALNUTRITION
New York, May 9 2007 4:00PM
The causes and nature of malnutrition are the focus of a free e-learning course launched today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the aim of improving the collection, analysis and dissemination of food security information.

The three-lesson course, known as "Nutritional Status Assessment and Analysis," has been produced by <"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000554/index.html">FAO in conjunction with the European Commission (EC) and was launched in Rome during the latest meeting of the Committee of World Food Security.

Each lesson is designed to be interactive and self-paced, using illustrated step-by-step exercises and instructions to guide the student and drawing on case studies, job aids and methodological guidelines. The course also has resources available for trainers.

Other e-learning courses already available include "Reporting Food Security Information" and "Food Security Information Systems and Networks." A French-language version of each course is expected to be developed soon.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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FIVE NEW EXPERTS JOIN UN ANTI-NARCOTICS PANEL

FIVE NEW EXPERTS JOIN UN ANTI-NARCOTICS PANEL
New York, May 9 2007 3:00PM
Five new experts from three continents have joined the 13-member independent body monitoring the implementation of United Nations drug control conventions, which began its latest session today in Vienna.

Raymond Yans (Belgium), Xin Yu (China), Carola Lander (Germany), Sri Suryawati (Indonesia) and Maria-Elena Medina Mora (Mexico) were elected by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to serve five-year terms on the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).

They join <"http://www.incb.org/incb/index.html">INCB President Philip O. Emafo of Nigeria, Brian Watters (Australia), Camilo Uribe Granja (Colombia), Joseph Bediako Asare (Ghana), Hamid Ghodse (Iran), Tatyana Borisovna Dmitrieva (Russian Federation), Sevil Atasoy (Turkey) and Melvyn Levitsky (United States).

Meeting in closed session in the Austrian capital, the Board will consider the latest developments in more than 200 countries and territories, discuss shortcomings in some countries' drug control systems and devise proposals to overcome these deficiencies.

The Board, which is meeting through 18 May, will also focus on the specific situations in Bhutan, Colombia, Liberia, Nepal and the Republic of Congo after undertaking missions to those nations. Afghanistan's Deputy Minister of Counter Narcotics Col. Gen. Khodaidad will speak about the efforts made by that country's Government to tackle its serious problem with illicit drugs.

INCB members serve in an individual capacity and monitor compliance with the provisions of the international drug control treaties. The panel ensures that adequate supplies of legal drugs are available for medical and scientific purposes, and makes certain that no leakage from licit sources of drugs to illicit trafficking occurs. It also identifies and helps to correct weaknesses in drug control systems and determines which chemicals used to manufacture drugs should be under international control.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON URGES PEACEFUL SOLUTION AT UN MEETING ON QUESTION OF PALESTINE

BAN KI-MOON URGES PEACEFUL SOLUTION AT UN MEETING ON QUESTION OF PALESTINE
New York, May 9 2007 3:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for a peaceful and negotiated two-state solution as the UN Committee opened the UN African Meeting on the Question of Palestine today in Pretoria with the South African Government's support.

"A viable and independent Palestine and a safe and secure Israel would not only be a blessing for the two peoples, but would also help promote peace and stability in the wider region," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2559">message delivered by Tuliameni Kalomoh, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs.

He said that he is encouraged by recent international and regional efforts to spur action on the Middle East peace process, while pointing out that challenges remain.

"The United Nations will continue to support international efforts aimed at bringing an end to the occupation that began forty years ago, and achieving a two-state solution," he added.

The two-day gathering sponsored by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People Africa will be followed on 11 May by the UN Public Forum in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, to be held at the University of Pretoria.

Under the theme "African solidarity with the Palestinian people for the achievement of its inalienable rights," the gathering aims to "encourage broad international action, including by African States, in support of achieving a viable Israeli-Palestinian peace," the Committee said in a news release.

Among those invited to participate are internationally renowned experts, including Israelis and Palestinians, diplomats, parliamentarians, representatives of the UN system and other intergovernmental organizations, and representatives of civil society and the media.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS CHEMICAL WEAPONS MEMORIAL 'A SYMBOL OF SUFFERING AND HOPE'

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS CHEMICAL WEAPONS MEMORIAL 'A SYMBOL OF SUFFERING AND HOPE'
New York, May 9 2007 3:00PM
Marking the unveiling of a permanent memorial in The Hague to victims of chemical weapons, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged to redouble the efforts of the world body to achieve universal membership of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

"The memorial you unveil today is a symbol of suffering and hope," Mr. Ban said in a video <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2560">message to the unveiling ceremony in the Dutch city. "With it, we remember the unspeakable horror endured by victims of chemical weapons. And we vow that their pain will never be forgotten by present and future generations."

The memorial, designed by the Dutch sculptor Voebe de Gruyter, consists of a maple tree situated among dunes outside the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The tree carries a solar panel array that will be used as a power source for a webcam, with the live video captured by that webcam to be displayed on the memorial's website. Granite paving around the tree will feature a poem dedicated to victims of chemical weapons.

The ceremony also marks the 10th anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention entering into force, and the pact now has 182 States Parties covering 98 per cent of the world's population.

"I call on those States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention to do so without delay," Mr. Ban said. "And I call on all possessor States to complete the destruction of their declared stockpiles according to the deadlines."

The ceremony in The Hague was attended by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, OPCW Director-General Rogelio Pfirter, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen and representatives of OPCW Member States, international organizations, the chemical industry and civil society.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON VOICES ALARM AT SUDANESE AERIAL ATTACKS IN NORTH DARFUR

BAN KI-MOON VOICES ALARM AT SUDANESE AERIAL ATTACKS IN NORTH DARFUR
New York, May 9 2007 2:00PM
Expressing deep concern about reports of a series of deadly aerial bombardments across North Darfur state during the past three weeks, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the Sudanese Government to halt all attacks and comply with the peace agreements it has signed and with international humanitarian law.

"These attacks have brought more destruction and loss of life, including new displacement of civilians," Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2562">statement. "In one instance, the school in the village of Um Rai was struck by rockets fired from a Government helicopter."

Only a political solution can bring peace and stability to Darfur, the statement stressed, calling on both the Government and rebel groups in the impoverished region on Sudan's western flank to renounce military action.

Mr. Ban "strongly urges the Government of Sudan to cease all attacks and to comply fully with the Darfur Peace Agreement, Security Council resolutions and international humanitarian law."

More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2 million others displaced from their homes because of fighting between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias – notorious for their attacks against civilians – and rebel groups since 2003.

The UN and the African Union (AU) have been engaged in joint efforts to mediate an end to this conflict, which is threatening to spill into neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) as well. Today's statement urged all sides to cooperate fully with the UN-AU team, which is led by UN envoy Jan Eliasson and AU envoy Salim Ahmed Salim.

The two special envoys are currently in Juba, southern Sudan, for talks with Sudanese Vice-President – and President of the Government of southern Sudan – Salva Kiir. The discussions are expected to focus on the initiative of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), a former rebel group in the south, to help in re-energizing the Darfur peace process.

Fresh bouts of inter-tribal fighting and militia attacks throughout Darfur are causing further population displacements across the region, <"http://www.unmis.org/english/2007Docs/PC-09May.pdf">according to the UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.unmis.org/english/weekly-p-releases.htm">UNMIS). Continuous new arrivals in Nyala, capital of South Darfur state, have brought internally displaced person (IDP) camps near there to capacity.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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NEW UN RURAL PROJECT SUPPORTS SRI LANKAN TEA AND RUBBER FARMERS

NEW UN RURAL PROJECT SUPPORTS SRI LANKAN TEA AND RUBBER FARMERS
New York, May 9 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations International Fund for Agriculture Development (<"http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2007/26.htm">IFAD) is supporting a new almost $40 million project in Sri Lanka that has the dual aims of bolstering incomes of 40,000 poor tea and rubber farmers and increasing their bargaining power.

"The people targeted by the programme are among the very poorest in Sri Lanka," said Sana Jatta, the agency's programme manager for Sri Lanka.

The Smallholder Plantations Entrepreneurship Development Programme will target small tea farmers in the Kandy, Kegalle and Matale districts, as well as food crop farmers in the Moneragala district who also wish to grow rubber.

The project "will not only give poor people the tools to pull themselves out of poverty, it will also empower them through strengthened grassroots institutions that will eventually transform into farmers' companies. This will give farmers increased bargaining power with private tea and rubber companies and private institutions," Mr. Jatta noted.

Under the scheme, the poor's access to land will be improved, with the implementation of a mutually beneficial arrangement where small farmers will be directly linked to factories that will process their crops, allowing both producers and processors to benefit. Additionally, crop diversification and better access to markets for crops, including tea, rubber and spices, will be included.

Financial services will also be provided to the project's participants. Farmers will form small self-help groups to accumulate and manage their savings, supply credit and make collective decisions about such matters as investment. These groups will act collectively to increase their bargaining power with private companies, banks and public services, and ultimately function as their own private companies in accrue assets.

More than two decades of conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have impeded rural development, particularly in the districts covered by the Programme.

"By increasing equitable access to resources, services, technologies and markets, IFAD hopes the programme will contribute to conflict prevention and peace building in Sri Lanka," said Matthew Wyatt, the agency's Assistant President for External Affairs.

The agreement was signed today in Rome by Mr. Wyatt and E. Rodney M. Perera, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Italy, where IFAD is headquartered.

IFAD will furnish a loan of $22.5 million for the Programme, while the Sri Lankan Government will provide $3.8 million, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will contribute $5.5 million and the Sri Lankan Wellassa Rubber Company will donate $5.2 million.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS SWISS PHYSICIST AS NEW RECTOR OF UN UNIVERSITY

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS SWISS PHYSICIST AS NEW RECTOR OF UN UNIVERSITY
New York, May 9 2007 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today named Konrad Osterwalder, a Swiss physicist, as the new Rector of the United Nations University (<"http://www.unu.edu/">UNU), which serves as the world body's think tank.

The <"http://www.unu.edu/media/archives/2007/files/mre18-07.pdf">decision to appointment Mr. Osterwalder was made after consultations with Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura 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) and an extensive international search process.

Mr. Osterwalder, who will assume this position on 1 September, will be the fifth Rector of the UNU. He will succeed Hans van Ginkel, a Dutch geographer who has been serving in the position since 1997.

Founded in 1973, the UNU is an international network of scholars engaged in research, postgraduate training and the dissemination of knowledge to further the UN's aims of peace and progress. Headquartered in Tokyo, the University has 13 research and training centres around the world and cooperates with more than 100 research institutions in various countries across the globe.

Mr. Osterwalder "greatly values the importance of the UNU and intends to promote and enhance the collaboration of this key institution with leading institutions around the world," according to a press release.

A physicist by training, he is currently the Rector and President ad interim of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, located in Zurich.

He received his doctorate in theoretical physics from the same institution in 1970, and was appointed as a full professor there seven years later. He has held positions at New York University, Harvard University and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundations, and has also been a visiting fellow at numerous universities and research institutes around the world.

Mr. Osterwalder's research has mainly focused on the mathematical structure of quantum field theory, elementary particle physics and statistical mechanics.

He is a member of the Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences and received an honorary doctorate from the Helsinki Technical University.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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UN TRIBUNAL REVERSES BOSNIAN SERB'S GENOCIDE CONVICTION FOR SREBRENICA MASSACRE

UN TRIBUNAL REVERSES BOSNIAN SERB'S GENOCIDE CONVICTION FOR SREBRENICA MASSACRE
New York, May 9 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia today overturned a former Bosnian Serb army commander's conviction for complicity to commit genocide against Muslims at Srebrenica in July 1995, but upheld other convictions for his role in the mass killings there.

The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (<"http://www.un.org/icty/latest-e/index.htm">ICTY), sitting in The Hague, reduced the sentence of Vidoje Blagojevi&#263; from 18 years' jail to 15 years after reversing the complicity in genocide conviction.

But the judges confirmed his convictions – and that of Dragan Joki&#263;, another Bosnian Serb army officer – for crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war over their actions at Srebrenica, and upheld Mr. Joki&#263;'s sentence of nine years in prison.

More than 7,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered in Srebrenica in July 1995 after Bosnian Serb forces overran what was supposed to be a UN-protected enclave, or safe haven, and the ICTY has found that the events there constituted genocide.

Mr. Blagojevi&#263;, 56, served as commander of the Bosnian Serb army's Bratunac Brigade while Mr. Joki&#263;, 49, was the chief of engineering in the same army's Zvornik Brigade, and both participated in the persecution and killings around Srebrenica.

Troops commanded by Mr. Blagojevi&#263; fired on the Srebrenica enclave, attacked a group of men and boys attempting to flee and blocked humanitarian convoys bound for the safe haven. Mr. Joki&#263; organized machinery and troops to dig mass graves for the people killed.

Announcing its judgment today, the ICTY appeals chamber said the trial chamber had erred in convicting Mr. Blagojevi&#263; of complicity in genocide in 2005 because it was not clear beyond a reasonable doubt that he knew of the main perpetrators' genocidal intent.

The ICTY has now rendered final judgments against six persons in connection with the crimes committed at Srebrenica, one of the most notorious events of the Balkan wars of the 1990s. A trial against seven accused continues, while three other accused persons are in a pre-trial phase and one case has been referred to the courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina for trial.

Six men remain as fugitives, including the former Bosnian Serb president Radovan Karadži&#263;, Bosnian Serb army leader Ratko Mladi&#263; and the senior army officer Zdravko Tolimir.
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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ZAMBIA: UNICEF HELPS 60,000 CHILDREN RECEIVE SCHOOLING IN WAKE OF FLOODS

ZAMBIA: UNICEF HELPS 60,000 CHILDREN RECEIVE SCHOOLING IN WAKE OF FLOODS
New York, May 9 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations Children's Fund (<" http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/zambia_39590.html">UNICEF) has provided educational kits to jump start the educations of 60,000 school pupils in six flood-ravaged provinces of Zambia.

UNICEF has donated 640 'school-in-a-box' kits to the Southern African country's Ministry of Education. Each box contains such items as flipchart pads, markers, pens, crayons, erasers, exercise books, rulers, pencils, chalk and chalkboards.

The agency has also contributed $133,000 to revitalize the education system.

"It is important that children receive appropriate and immediate psycho-social support in affected areas in order to reduce the possible affects of trauma," Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF's Representative in Zambia, said.

Between December and February, almost 300,000 people were impacted by severe flooding that damaged homes and also disrupted water and sanitation services as well as the delivery of health care.

In addition, over 320 schools were affected nationwide, according to Geoffrey Lungwangwa, the Minister of Education. Some rural districts have reported a 40 to 50 per cent reduction in school attendance due to damage to schools and displacement.

"UNICEF received a request from the Ministry of Education in the very early stages of the flooding and was able to respond," Ms. Sylwander said.

"We hope to continue working hand-in-hand in order to further the lives of Zambian children and women."
2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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WINNERS OF NORTH POLE RACE PLEDGE FUNDS TO UN REFUGEE AGENCY

WINNERS OF NORTH POLE RACE PLEDGE FUNDS TO UN REFUGEE AGENCY
New York, May 9 2007 9:00AM
Two intrepid young Britons have won an Arctic sprint to the magnetic North Pole which they say should boost their chances of raising $495,000 for the United Nations refugee agency.

Co-organizer Jock Wishart confirmed on Tuesday that former UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) staffer Jake Morland and teacher James Turner had reached the Pole last Wednesday and edged out five other teams to win the 2007 Polar Race.

The two, racing as Team Refuge, trudged across 560 kilometres of snow and ice in just over two weeks, almost seven hours ahead of second-placed Polar Horizon and five days faster than the final team, which included a 62-year-old woman and her son.

"When I think of all of the hard assignments I've had with UNHCR, nothing can compare to the desolation or difficulty of surviving in the Canadian Arctic," Mr. Morland, who has served in East Timor, Iraq, Sri Lanka and the Sudan, told the agency in a telephone interview. "The long process of recuperation is beginning," he added.

Arch Insurance (Europe) donated $80,000 to Team Refuge to cover the costs of the race, which means that all additional funds raised will go straight to UNHCR. The public will be able to continue donating to the team through the rest of this year.

Mr. Morland, who is continuing to raise funds, said the win should help add to the pot. "It should make it a lot easier to approach people, capture their imagination and get a donation from them."

The polar veteran has said he wants to earmark $495,000 for a special trust fund to cover urgent medical evacuations for refugee children and a quick access fund to enable field officers to bypass some of the regular paperwork which can slow things down.

UNHCR has an historic attachment to the Arctic. Nobel Peace laureate and Arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen was the world's first High Commissioner for Refugees, serving in this position for the League of Nations, precursor of the United Nations. Each
name to a person or group for outstanding services in supporting refugee causes.

2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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UN COMMITTEE, SOUTH AFRICA CONVENE MEETING ON QUESTION OF PALESTINE

UN COMMITTEE, SOUTH AFRICA CONVENE MEETING ON QUESTION OF PALESTINE
New York, May 9 2007 8:00AM
In a bid to spur action on Middle East peace, a United Nations Committee is slated to open its African Meeting on the Question of Palestine today in Pretoria, with support from the South African Government.

The two-day gathering sponsored by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People Africa will be followed on 11 May by the UN Public Forum in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, to be held at the University of Pretoria.

Under the theme "African solidarity with the Palestinian people for the achievement of its inalienable rights," the gathering aims to "encourage broad international action, including by African States, in support of achieving a viable Israeli-Palestinian peace," the Committee said in a news release.

Among those invited to participate are internationally renowned experts, including Israelis and Palestinians, diplomats, parliamentarians, representatives of the UN system and other intergovernmental organizations, and representatives of civil society and the media.

2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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IRAN, UN AGENCIES LAUNCH FIRST REGIONAL SEISMIC RISK REDUCTION CENTRE

IRAN, UN AGENCIES LAUNCH FIRST REGIONAL SEISMIC RISK REDUCTION CENTRE
New York, May 9 2007 8:00AM
Three and half years after a massive earthquake killed more than 26,000 people in the ancient city of Bam, Iran, a regional centre to reduce the damage from such seismic threats was launched in the country today by the Government and the United Nations unit focussed on disaster mitigation.

According to the UN Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), which has signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation with the Iranian Government, the Asian Centre on Seismic Risk Reduction will build awareness and provide training in order to improve construction urban planning standards, develop appropriate early warning systems and enhance disaster management and encourage a "culture of safety."

Through these efforts, it will encourage regional and inter-regional networking and partnerships to reduce seismic damage, the UNISDR said. It will also assist States to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action, a 10 year plan approved in Kobe, Japan by 168 Governments in 2005 to make nations and communities more resilient to disasters.

"Although earthquakes can not be prevented, negative impacts of earthquake can be minimized by reducing risks and vulnerability through effective use of expertise and information technology," said Salvano Briceño, Director of the UN/ISDR Secretariat.

"The region has a lot of knowledge and experience in seismic risk assessment that can be shared and can contribute to reduce the vulnerabilities of many populations," he added.

South, west and central Asia are among the most earthquake-prone regions in the world, according to UNISDR. Earthquakes are responsible for 73 per cent of the deaths and 51 per cent of the economic damages caused by all natural disasters in the region, which include floods, drought and landslides.

The launch of the Centre, to be established by the Government and supported by a consortium of international organizations, coincides with the Fifth International Confere
Engineering, which will take place in Tehran next week May.

2007-05-09 00:00:00.000

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FRENCH JUDGE RESIGNS FROM INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT BECAUSE OF POOR HEALTH

FRENCH JUDGE RESIGNS FROM INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT BECAUSE OF POOR HEALTH
New York, May 8 2007 7:00PM
The head of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has paid tribute to Judge Claude Jorda of France, whose permanent ill-health has forced him to resign from the body set up under an international treaty to hear trials of individuals charged with acts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since 2002.

Judge Jorda, whose resignation will take effect on 12 August, was assigned to the Court's pre-trial division and has been serving as the presiding judge in the case against Thomas Lubango Dyilo, a former militia leader from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who is charged with war crimes for enlisting child soldiers, in the first such trial for the court.

In a statement issued by the Court in The Hague, <"http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/246.html">ICC President Judge Philippe Kirsch voiced regret at Judge Jorda's departure and thanked him "for his service and for his commitment to fulfilling his obligations before leaving the Court."

Established by the Rome Statute of 1998, the ICC can try cases involving individuals charged with war crimes committed since July 2002. The UN Security Council, the ICC Prosecutor or a State Party to the court can initiate any proceedings, and the ICC only acts when countries themselves are unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute.

The Assembly of States Parties to the ICC, which currently has 104 members, will now elect a judge to fill the vacancy created by Judge Jorda's resignation.

Before joining the ICC, the Frenchman had served previously as a judge and as the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (<"http://www.un.org/icty/">ICTY).
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF BIOENERGY MUST BE CONSIDERED, UN EXPERTS SAY

BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF BIOENERGY MUST BE CONSIDERED, UN EXPERTS SAY
New York, May 8 2007 6:00PM
As the demand for biofuels surges with over one billion people living without access to electricity, a new United Nations report released today cautions that the world's energy needs must be met in a sustainable and environmentally sound manner.

The report from <"http://esa.un.org/un-energy">UN-Energy, an inter-agency body established to coordinate the world body's work in the realm of energy, is entitled "Sustainable Energy: A Framework for Decision Makers" and was funded by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/">FAO).

The study is the first of its kind to examine the issue of bioenergy through the lens of nine issues, including poverty, health, food security, agriculture, climate change, finance and trade.

"We tried to create the framework to discuss it really all together because they need to be seen together," Gustavo Best, Vice Chair of UN-Energy, said at a <"http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2007/070508_Energy.doc.htm">press briefing for the report's launch in New York.

Bioenergy is produced from biofuels – solid fuels, biogas, liquid fuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel – which come from crops such as sugar cane and beet, maize and energy grass or from fuel wood, charcoal, agricultural wastes and by-products, forestry residues, livestock manure and others.

The report underscores the many benefits that bioenergy provides in reducing poverty, improving access to energy and promoting rural development.

A surge in oil prices has lead some of the world's poorest countries to spend six times as much on petroleum as they do on health care, and thus bioenergy "can create a lot of opportunities," Alexander Müller, Assistant Director-General of FAO, told reporters at the briefing.

"In this <"http://esa.un.org/un-energy/pdf/susdev.Biofuels.FAO.pdf">report, we provide a framework for the worldwide use of bioenergy, not only for the developed and industrialized world, for mitigation of climate change, but also for the poorest people to get access to a modern form of electricity."

However, it warns that "unless new policies are enacted to protect threatened lands, secure socially acceptable land use, and steer bioenergy development in a sustainable direction overall, the environmental and social damage could in some cases outweigh the benefits."

In the realm of food security, for example, price increases in major biofuel sources such as sugar, palm oil and soybeans could drive up the prices of basic foods.

These detrimental possibilities must be weighed against the tremendous benefits bioenergy stands to offer, Mr. Best observed.

"The biofuel market offers a new and fast-growing opportunity for agricultural producers and could contribute significantly to higher incomes and could support higher productivity growth in agriculture with positive implications for food availability, sustainability and access," he said.

Bioenergy could potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives annually. In developing countries, the "kitchen killer" – or smoke inhalation from cooking with fuels such as coal and biomass, or wood, dung and crop residues – claims more lives annually than does malaria.

At the national level, suggestions made to decision makers include creating bioenergy policies that take into account availability, access, stability and utilization. It also recommends that governments weigh the economic and social costs of subsidizing bioenergy sources, in particular, liquid biofuels.

Meanwhile, the study proposes at the global level that signatories to the Conventions on Biological Diversity and on Combating Desertification consider opportunities for the sustainable cultivation and utilization of energy crops. It also suggests that greater emphasis is placed on promoting research on the social, scientific, technological, economic, policy and environmental facets of bioenergy development.

Today's report release coincided with the Commission on Sustainable Development – with long-term energy solutions, together with the interlinked issues of climate change, industrial development and air pollution, at the core of its agenda – which is in the midst of its two-week session.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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CONCERNED AT GROWING ETHIOPIA-ERITREA TENSIONS, SECURITY COUNCIL URGES RESTRAINT

CONCERNED AT GROWING ETHIOPIA-ERITREA TENSIONS, SECURITY COUNCIL URGES RESTRAINT
New York, May 8 2007 6:00PM
Voicing concern over increased friction between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which have hit a stalemate in efforts to resolve their border dispute, the United Nations Security Council today called on both Horn of Africa countries to refrain from violence.

"Members of the Security Council remain deeply concerned by the impasse in the Eritrea-Ethiopia peace process and by the growing tension between the two countries," United States Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the Council President for the month of May, said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9014.doc.htm">press statement.

Council members "reiterate their call on both parties to show maximum restraint and to refrain from hostile public statements and from any threat or use of force against each other," the President said.

He reaffirmed the integrity of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ), where the UN has deployed a peacekeeping mission known as UNMEE, and urged both parties to immediately withdraw their troops and equipment from positions in the area.

Council members are "encouraged" by the Ethiopian Prime Minister's recent statement that Government had accepted the final and binding decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, Ambassador Khalilzad said, demanding that Ethiopia carry this out without delay.

Ethiopia has not accepted the binding border delineated in 2002 by the Boundary Commission which awarded Badme, the town that triggered the fierce fighting from 1998 to 2000, to Eritrea.

Underlining their support for UNMEE, Council members also repeated their demand that Eritrea reverse, without delay or preconditions, all restrictions on the mission's movement and operations.

They called on parties "to fully cooperate with UNMEE with a view to resuming the meetings of the Military Coordination Commission," a body chaired by the UN which brings together both sides.

The statement also reaffirmed the Council's "unwavering commitment to the peace process," including action the boundary decision. It called on both parties "to request and enable the Boundary Commission to proceed with the complete and prompt demarcation of the border."

Today's press statement by the Council echoed views expressed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who in his latest report on Ethiopia and Eritrea warned that the impasse "continues to be serious source of instability for the two countries, as well as for the wider region."
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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CLIMATE CHANGE MUST BE TACKLED AT THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL LEVEL, SAY UN ENVOYS

CLIMATE CHANGE MUST BE TACKLED AT THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL LEVEL, SAY UN ENVOYS
New York, May 8 2007 6:00PM
Climate change is no longer a matter for scientific debate, but has become a question to be solved at the international political level, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's three new Special Envoys on the issue said today, pledging to use their experience from previous posts and their contacts with national leaders and other senior figures to galvanize more concerted environmental action.

The three envoys – former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Republic of Korea Foreign Minister and General Assembly President Han Seung-soo and former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos Escobar – held a working luncheon today with Mr. Ban, who announced earlier this year that tackling climate change is one of his priorities as head of the UN.

In their first press conference since taking up the <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sga1061.doc.htm">assignment, the three envoys said their brief from Mr. Ban was to discuss the issue with the world's major political figures, especially national leaders, and to formulate proposals ahead of the next high-level international meeting, scheduled for September, and a follow-up conference in Bali in December.

"The scientific basis is now clear. Nobody needs to question the diagnosis," Dr. Brundtland said. "We know that the world is warming up, and we know that the issue is to be able to act quickly enough so that we can avoid the types of dramatic consequences that are also irreversible… without sufficient action."

Echoing those remarks, Mr. Lagos said, "The time for diagnosis is over. The time for action is now."

He added that the UN would come to play a vital role as most countries realized that climate change could not be resolved with a single policy in a single State.

"Therefore, this is the first time where we've had a global problem that has to be faced at the global level. And therefore it's here in this institution where we're going to be able to solve that or we're going to fail."

Reports issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<"http://www.ipcc.ch/">IPCC) earlier this year show clearly that the warming of the earth's climate system is unequivocal and attributable to human activities, and will have severe economic effects, particularly in developing countries.

Dr. Brundtland stressed that the envoys would make sure they would not cut across existing UN efforts to deal with climate change, but would use their influence and reach among national leaders to generate political momentum on the issue.

Mr. Lagos said that the envoys would concentrate on convincing national leaders, in both developed and developing countries, of the environmental and economic value of seeking alternative fuels to meet their energy needs.

He also noted that many of the initiatives and proposals for dealing with climate change were emerging from civil society, and the envoys would try to build on them.
Mr. Han said he was "awed by the responsibility" granted to him and his fellow envoys by Mr. Ban.

Dr. Brundtland is the former Chair of the World Commission of Environment and Development, which is best known for developing the broad political concept of sustainable development and two decades ago published a landmark report, "Our Common Future."

Mr. Lagos founded the Foundation for Democracy and Development, which works for sustainable development. Since April 2006, he has been serving as president of the Club de Madrid, where he led the organization – comprised of former heads of State and government in democratic nations – to increase its involvement in environmental issues.

Mr. Han currently heads the Korea Water Forum, which works towards sustainable water management in Asia. He served previously in numerous high-level Government posts, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Minister of Trade and Industry, Chief of Staff to the President and Korean Ambassador to the United States.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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AT UNESCO-ORGANIZED MEETING, MEDIA PROFESSIONALS ADOPT DECLARATION ON SECURITY

AT UNESCO-ORGANIZED MEETING, MEDIA PROFESSIONALS ADOPT DECLARATION ON SECURITY
New York, May 8 2007 6:00PM
Some 200 media professionals from around the world have adopted a declaration laying the ground for a wide range of measures to improve the safety of journalists and punish crimes against them at a meeting convened by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=37699&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO).

The "Medellin Declaration Securing the Safety of Journalists and Combating Impunity" was endorsed on 5 May at the close of a two-day international conference on Press Freedom organized by UNESCO in the Colombian city on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2007.

The Declaration voices concern over attacks on freedom of the press including murder, abductions, hostage-taking, intimidation, illegal arrests and detention against journalists, media professionals and associated personnel because of their professional activities. It points out that most attacks on media professionals occur outside situations of armed conflict.

The link between freedom of expression and development is recognized by the Medellin Declaration, which asks UNESCO Member States to make respect for freedom of expression and fighting impunity a condition for granting of financial assistance and calls for an end to statute of limitations for crimes committed to prevent the exercise of freedom of information and expression.

The Declaration calls on news associations to promote actions that secure the safety of journalists, including safety training, health care, life insurance, and equal access to social protection for freelance employees and full-time staff.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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UN PANEL PROPOSES MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN SANCTIONS ON TALIBAN, AL-QAIDA

UN PANEL PROPOSES MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN SANCTIONS ON TALIBAN, AL-QAIDA
New York, May 8 2007 5:00PM
United Nations Member States are asked to share information more widely, run Interpol fingerprints through their own police databases, and pursue other measures to strengthen strictures on the Taliban and Al-Qaida in a report released today by the Security Council Committee in charge of those sanctions.

Acting on the latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/229">report of their monitoring team, the Committee strongly supported that group's advice to States to share information on terrorist financing patterns, thoroughly investigate leads from Interpol and exercise vigilance to recognize forged travel documents.

"States are reminded that even the most sophisticated identity and travel documents can be forged in the absence of strict acquisition procedures," the Committee warned.

According to the sanctions regime, States are required to freeze financial assets controlled by the Taliban, and to ensure that they are not used by the group. Countries are also obliged to freeze funds, property and other financial assets of Usama bin Laden and his associates in the Al-Qaida organization, and to prevent their entry or transit through the State's territory.

In addition, nations must prevent the supply, sale and transfer of all arms and materiel – along with any form of military training – to the named individuals and entities.

In addition to its recommendations, the Committee reminded States that are victims of Al-Qaida-related attacks that it is possible for them to add suspects to the sanctions list. It also reminded them of their obligations to prosecute any of their nationals who violate the arms embargo.

The sanctions were originally adopted, and later tightened, in response to the indictment of Usama bin Laden for the 1998 terrorist bombings of US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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HAITI: MAJOR GANG LEADER ARRESTED IN CAPITAL'S SLUMS

HAITI: MAJOR GANG LEADER ARRESTED IN CAPITAL'S SLUMS
New York, May 8 2007 5:00PM
A long-hunted Haitian gang leader accused of assassinations, kidnappings and extortion was arrested today in a joint operation by Haitian National Police and United Nations peacekeepers in Cité Soleil, the notorious slum area in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The arrest of Torchon Jean Eoldy, alias Blade Nasson, who terrorized the neighbourhoods of Ti-Haïti and Linteau, is a part of "the joint efforts of the blue helmets and the PNH to return a lasting peace to Cité Soleil," according to the UN Mission in Haiti, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH.

"It will, in particular, allow the population of Linteau and Ti-Haiti to get back little by little to normal life," the mission noted in a press release.

In addition to being the leader of violent criminal activity in his own right, Mr. Eoldy was also known as the right-hand man of another recently arrested gang leader, Bélony Emalyse, who has been accused of attacking MINUSTAH troops in Cité Soleil.

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.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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UN, PARTNERS TO STRENGTHEN WORKPLACE AIDS PROGRAMMES IN HAITI

UN, PARTNERS TO STRENGTHEN WORKPLACE AIDS PROGRAMMES IN HAITI
New York, May 8 2007 5:00PM
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (<"http://www.unaids.org/en/">UNAIDS) and its main partner in Haiti have agreed to cooperate on fighting the epidemic in the country's workplaces, a UN spokesperson announced today.

The agreement with the local Fondation SOGEBANK, a facilitator for the UN-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, follows last week's visit by Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, and the release of information, from an ongoing study, of the 20 largest Haitian companies' response to HIV/AIDS.

The study, part of a larger project launched in 2005 by a request from the UN General Assembly, shows that Haiti's labour-intensive workplaces such as factories have a greater awareness of, and a more active response to HIV/AIDS than do banks and similar work sites.

To elicit a greater response from industry, UNAIDS and SOGEBANK will consult with business leaders, encouraging information-sharing, joint resource mobilization and a continuous and open dialogue.

"UNAIDS will seek to assist the private sector in establishing ways for an effective, open cooperation to ensure business response that addresses the impacts and dangers of HIV/AIDS on economic growth and development of Haiti," Assistant Secretary-General and UNAIDS Deputy Director Michel Sidibe said on announcing the new initiatives.

Haiti has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the region: 4 to 5 per cent of the population is infected with HIV and male life expectancy is only 52 years.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF LAUDS PRICE SLASHING OF 16 AIDS MEDICINES IN 66 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

UNICEF LAUDS PRICE SLASHING OF 16 AIDS MEDICINES IN 66 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
New York, May 8 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) hailed a joint new initiative by a UN-backed drug purchasing consortium and former United States President Bill Clinton's foundation which will slash the prices of 16 AIDS treatments in developing countries, opening the door to improving children's access to much-needed medicines.

According to <"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF, this agreement will allow millions of children to receive treatment.

Mr. Clinton announced that the agreements with the generic drug manufacturers Cipla and Matrix will drastically reduce the prices of second-line antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and a new, once daily pill that is currently prohibitively expensive in poorer countries.

"Seven million people in the developing world are in need of treatment for HIV/AIDS," he said. "We are trying to meet that need with the best medicine available today, and at prices that low and middle income countries can afford."

The negotiations were conducted by the Clinton Foundation, including new prices for second-line drugs which will save poorer countries 25 per cent and middle-income nations 50 per cent. These drugs are used to treat patients who develop a resistance to first-line ones.

These price reductions were made possible by <"http://www.unitaid.eu/EN-Inutaid-unis-pour-soigner.html">UNITAID, an international drug purchasing facility launched by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006, which will provide the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative with over $100 million over 18 months to buy these second-line medications for 27 countries.

"Every person living with HIV deserves access most effective medicines, and UNITAID aims to ensure that these are affordable for all developing countries," said Philippe Douste-Blazy, chairman of UNITAID's Board and French Foreign Minister.

UNITAID, which is funded by 34 countries as of now, relies on innovative mechanisms to raise money, including a levy on airline tickets. This year, it will provide $300 million, and financing is expected to exceed $500 million in 2009.

Mr. Clinton today also announced that the cost of a first-line medicine, a once daily pill made available in the US in 2006 which is now considered the gold-standard treatment, combining the drugs tenofovir, lamivudine and efavirenz. The new cost per patient per year of $339 – less than $1 per day – marks a 45 per cent decrease from current prices in developing countries and a 67 per cent reduction in middle income ones.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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AFRICAN UNION, UN NAME JOINT ENVOY TO SPEARHEAD PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN DARFUR

AFRICAN UNION, UN NAME JOINT ENVOY TO SPEARHEAD PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN DARFUR
New York, May 8 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations and the African Union (AU) announced today that the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Congo will be their new joint envoy for Darfur and will also head up the proposed hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping mission to the war-torn Sudanese region.

Rodolphe Adada, 61, has been appointed Joint AU-UN Special Representative for Darfur, according to a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2558">statement issued by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konaré.

Mr. Adada will have overall authority over the hybrid peacekeeping mission in <"http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=88&Body=Sudan&Body1=">Darfur, oversee the implementation of its mandate and be responsible for its management and functioning.

The new mission, which is expected to deploy about 17,000 troops and 3,000 police officers, will be the final phase in a three-step process in which the UN is supporting and enhancing the existing but under-resourced AU peacekeeping mission to Darfur, known as AMIS. Most of the troops in the hybrid force will be African.

As part of the first phase, known as the "light support package," the UN handed over medical support items ranging from a fully equipped ambulance to pharmaceutical products such as drugs and vaccines to AMIS.

Today's announcement about Mr. Adada referred to the conclusions reached by the UN, the AU and the Sudanese Government at a high-level meeting in Addis Ababa in mid-November last year and endorsed subsequently by the AU and Khartoum.

The UN and AU have stepped up their peacemaking efforts over the past year amid mounting international concern at the 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.

Mr. Ban has described Darfur as the scene of the world's worst humanitarian crisis and the conflict between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias – notorious for their attacks on civilians – and rebel groups has threatened to spill into neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).

The individual Special Envoys of the UN and the AU for Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, respectively, are scheduled to arrive in Khartoum today for a two-day visit, their third to the country as part of their joint efforts to revitalize the political process.

Before the visit to Khartoum, the two envoys travelled to Cairo for talks with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Amr Moussa.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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PAKISTAN DONATES $5 MILLION TO UN REFUGEE AGENCY TO ASSIST AFGHAN REFUGEES

PAKISTAN DONATES $5 MILLION TO UN REFUGEE AGENCY TO ASSIST AFGHAN REFUGEES
New York, May 8 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today that it will receive $5 million from Pakistan to help Afghan refugees return to their homeland.

The agency has appealed for an additional $15 million to bolster its voluntary repatriation and integration programme, and is "grateful to the government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for this generous and timely contribution towards this effort," <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46404b2fd.html">UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva.

The country's Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind will present High Commissioner António Guterres with a check for approximately $5 million in Geneva tomorrow.

Separately, Pakistan has also pledged an additional $1 million for the registration of Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan, and their de-registration upon returning to their country.

Over five million Afghan refugees have repatriated, 3.2 million coming from Pakistan and 1.8 from Iran. However, last year, repatriation of Afghans dropped significantly, with 133,000 returning home from Pakistan and 5,000 from Iran.

"UNHCR believes that the main factors behind the decline in returns are the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the challenging economic and social conditions inside the country, and the long exile of the remaining 3 million Afghans, half of whom were born outside Afghanistan," Mr. Redmond said.

To jumpstart the return of refugees this year, the agency – in close consultations with Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan – has increased the grant given to those repatriating from $60 to $100 per person.

In another move meant to reinvigorate the repatriation process, between 1 March and 15 April, Afghans who did not register during the recent mandatory drive in Pakistan but still wished to return to their homeland were still eligible to receive the increased assistance package. As a result, over 200,000 unregistered Afghan refugees went home with the additional funds.

Due to a higher than expected number of unregistered people repatriating, UNHCR launched its appeal for an extra $15 million, pushing its total budget for its return programme to $99 million. To date, UNHCR has only received a third of the necessary funding.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON HAILS FORMATION OF POWER-SHARING GOVERNMENT IN NORTHERN IRELAND

BAN KI-MOON HAILS FORMATION OF POWER-SHARING GOVERNMENT IN NORTHERN IRELAND
New York, May 8 2007 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed news of the formation of a new power-sharing government in Northern Ireland involving politicians from the British province's Protestant and Roman Catholic communities.

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10982.doc.htm">statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that he "joins others in applauding this development as a historic step on the road to a peaceful future for the people of Northern Ireland."

Ian Paisley of the Democratic Unionist Party will serve as First Minister in the power-sharing government while Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein will be Deputy First Minister.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED COURT IN SIERRA LEONE UNVEILS START DATE FOR TRIAL OF FORMER LIBERIAN LEADER

UN-BACKED COURT IN SIERRA LEONE UNVEILS START DATE FOR TRIAL OF FORMER LIBERIAN LEADER
New York, May 8 2007 2:00PM
The war crimes trial of Charles Taylor, the notorious former Liberian president, will begin on 4 June with opening arguments, the United Nations-backed <"http://www.sc-sl.org/index.html">Special Court for Sierra Leone announced today following a pre-trial conference in The Hague.

"That Charles Taylor will now face justice is the very embodiment of the maxim that no one is above the law," Special Court Prosecutor Stephen Rapp said, calling the staging of the trial "a victory over impunity," according to a <"http://www.sc-sl.org/Press/prosecutor-050707.pdf">press statement released by the Court.

"Taylor's indictment, apprehension and arrest are a credit to the persistence of the world community, the governments of the region and, above all, the courageous people of Sierra Leone."

Mr. Taylor faces 11 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law, including mass murder, mutilations, rape, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers, for his role in the decade-long civil war that engulfed Sierra Leone. He was indicted on those charges in March 2003.

Last June the Security Council authorized the staging of Mr. Taylor's trial at The Hague in the Netherlands, citing reasons of security and expediency. Prosecutors have indicated they plan to call up to 139 core witnesses and have said previously that the trial could take about 12 to 18 months.

The Special Court was established on 16 January 2002 by an agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the UN and is mandated to try "those who bear greatest responsibility" for war crimes and crimes against community committed in the country after 30 November 1996. So far 11 people have been indicted.
2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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UN FOOD AGENCY STARTS FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN BATTLE-SCARRED SOMALI CAPITAL

UN FOOD AGENCY STARTS FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN BATTLE-SCARRED SOMALI CAPITAL
New York, May 8 2007 10:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2471">WFP) today announced that it has distributed aid to 16,000 people in the most ravaged districts of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, which has suffered the worst fighting seen there in 16 years.

By the end of this week, the agency expects to have distributed food to a total of 114,000 people who fled the city plus vulnerable people unable to escape the fighting. Urgent WFP food distributions continue to be expanded given the prevailing security situation in and around the capital, where relative calm recently returned following two weeks of fierce clashes between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, and anti-TFG factions.

Yesterday, a Somali non-governmental organization (NGO) started distributing WFP maize, nutritious corn-soya blend and vegetable oil to 7,000 people at three sites in Mogadishu, and 9,000 others are expected to be reached today at five more sites.

The agency also plans today to start distributing five tons of food to hospitals in Mogadishu for 1,500 people injured in the fighting.

"These people are exhausted," said WFP Somalia Country Director Peter Goossens in Nairobi. "Most of them are women and they were either forced to flee their homes with their children during the recent fighting or they stayed in the city throughout the worst bombardments. These families require food and other assistance after their terrible ordeal."

The agency began its work in the most ravaged areas in north Mogadishu, where the
fighting was concentrated. "But we are also reaching many of those who are still outside Mogadishu and are too frightened to return, but are struggling in terrible conditions under trees in the rain," said Mr. Goossens.

WFP has already distributed food to 42,000 people displaced southwards from Mogadishu to the port of Merka and 9,000 displaced in Qoryoley distric
13,500 people in Brava town starting on Wednesday. In late April, WFP food was distributed to 32,000 displaced west of the capital shortly before heavy fighting ended in Mogadishu on 27 April.

The agency is seeking an extra $10 million in donations for its operation due to the fighting in Mogadishu and displacement of civilians. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) estimates that some 395,000 people fled the city -- over a third of the capital's population -- since 1 February. But following the end of heavy fighting, some are now trickling back.

2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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UN GEARS UP FOR TIMORESE ELECTIONS WITH SECURITY MEASURES TO ENSURE PEACE

UN GEARS UP FOR TIMORESE ELECTIONS WITH SECURITY MEASURES TO ENSURE PEACE
New York, May 8 2007 9:00AM
On the eve of the second round of presidential elections in Timor-Leste, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the small country is shoring up security measures with the expectation that the polls will be peaceful.

UN police officers (UNPOL), which worked with the National Police of Timor-Leste to provide security during the campaigning, "will continue to provide a strong presence at polling stations tomorrow," the UN Mission (UNMIT) said in a news release.

A strong security presence will also be provided across Timor-Leste during the counting and tabulation of votes.

So far, the campaigning period for this second round "has been free of any serious incidents of violence and intimidation," UNMIT said.

The mission's Deputy Special Representative in charge of security, Eric Tan, said lessons learned from the first round formed the basis for strengthening security for tomorrow's election.

"UNPOL, through its National Investigation Department, will place teams in key locations to ensure prompt investigations into any allegations of irregularities, especially intimidation, during the elections," Mr Tan said. "This is a new addition to the security plan."

In addition to this measure addressing intimidation, UNPol and the National Police will have a presence at every polling centre with mobile patrols stationed in each district. Formed Police Units (FPUs) will be on standby to quell any security incidents that may arise.

UNMIT is mandated by the Security Council to "support Timor-Leste in all aspects of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary electoral process, including through technical and logistical support, electoral policy advice and verification or other means."

The mission said it is "confident that the second round for the presidential election to be held tomorrow will be peaceful."

2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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AFGHANISTAN: UN MOURNS DEATH OF MURDERED STAFF MEMBER, VOWS INVESTIGATION

AFGHANISTAN: UN MOURNS DEATH OF MURDERED STAFF MEMBER, VOWS INVESTIGATION
New York, May 8 2007 9:00AM
The senior United Nations envoy to Afghanistan today mourned the death of a murdered staff member, vowing to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Mr. Sadequllah, 38, a driver for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), was shot dead while on his way to work in Kandahar, apparently by men on a motorbike, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

The victim, who had been with the UN for 15 years, "was a loyal and much respected colleague. I am greatly saddened by his death, which is a loss to all of us," said UNAMA chief Tom Koenigs in a statement.

Mr. Koenigs, who also represents Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Afghanistan, noted that the motives have yet to be established.

"We are working with the authorities in Kandahar to help the investigation," he said. "We will spare no effort to ensure that Sadequllah's murderers are found and properly brought to account."

The envoy emphasized that the safety and well-being of the UN's Afghan and international staff are "a matter of paramount importance."

2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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ENERGY INDICATORS CAN HELP ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS -- UN REPORT

ENERGY INDICATORS CAN HELP ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS -- UN REPORT
New York, May 8 2007 9:00AM
Energy indicators for sustainable development represent an important component in national planning, says a new report analyzing results in seven countries that was issued today by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The report, "Energy Indicators for Sustainable Development: Country Studies on Brazil, Cuba, Lithuania, Mexican, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Thailand," was launched in New York today at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development which is focusing on energy, climate change, air pollution and industrial development.

The 463-page volume presents examples of how energy indicators -- such as energy use per capita, share of renewable energy, share of households without electricity, per-capita greenhouse-gas emissions from energy production and use -- are developed at the national level, how they can be used to assess national energy systems and how they assist in reviewing the effectiveness of policies undertaken or planned.

Analytical tools such as energy indicators can be helpful in finding the best solutions in a menu of available options, the report says. Countries can adapt the indicators to suit national energy characteristics and use them as a versatile tool for analyzing different energy policies, with respect to their social, economic, environmental and institutional dimensions.

In the Russian Federation, for example, an assessment using energy indicators revealed that the current energy situation and the effectiveness of energy policies in recent years are far from sustainable. The indicators highlighted the need for greater attention to environmental impacts and the needs of the poor, as well as necessary measures for the transport sector and for overcoming barriers impeding greater energy efficiency.

In Thailand, the application of indicators proved to be a useful tool for analyzing energy efficiency
Focusing on energy use by the poor, the indicators revealed that progress had been made in extending the electricity grid and encouraging more efficient cooking stoves.

Energy continues to pose a fundamental dilemma for sustainable development: While energy production and use are necessary to alleviate poverty, promote economic growth and foster social development, they can place stress on human health, the atmosphere and the natural environment.

2007-05-08 00:00:00.000

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UN POLITICAL ADVISER TO HOLD TALKS IN SAUDI ARABIA ON AID TO IRAQ

UN POLITICAL ADVISER TO HOLD TALKS IN SAUDI ARABIA ON AID TO IRAQ
New York, May 7 2007 6:00PM
Just back from the official launch of the International Compact on Iraq, a five-year plan for peace and development, the top United Nations envoy on the issue today said he will travel to Riyadh to discuss aid to the war-torn country with Saudi officials.

"There are all kinds of negotiations going on, particularly between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Kuwait and Iraq, Bulgaria and Iraq in terms of the details of their commitments," said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser for the International Compact with Iraq and Other Political Issues, Ibrahim Gambari, briefing reporters in New York on last week's launch in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

At that meeting, the Compact was endorsed by 70 countries, with $30 billion in specific financial commitments announced. The plan obliges the Baghdad Government to 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 are expected to help unlock Iraq's own development potential. International partners, in turn, pledge to provide financial, technical and political support to help meet these challenges on the basis of mutual commitments.

Responding to press questions on the participation of countries in the region, Mr. Gambari said, "The Saudis have a sense of what is owed. The Iraqis have a slightly different sense of how much is owed. Then there is official debt and debt owed to private people and they are trying to sort all of that out."

Saudi Arabia has invited Mr. Gambari and Sinan Mohammed Rida Al-Shabibi, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, "to see how we can promote the reconciliation of some of these issues where there are differences of opinion between Iraq and the Saudis," the envoy said.

Co-chairing the official launch last Thursday, Mr. Ban pledged the world body's full support for the five-year plan. "The United Nations stands ready to assist the Government of Iraq in the implementation of the Compact," he <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1027">said.

"We cannot leave Iraq on its own to meet the enormous challenges that it faces. The international community as whole, and in particular Iraq's neighbours and regional countries, must work together to help Iraq build a peaceful, unified and prosperous country."
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL THANKS UN PEACEMAKING OFFICIAL FOR QUARTER CENTURY OF SERVICE

SECRETARY-GENERAL THANKS UN PEACEMAKING OFFICIAL FOR QUARTER CENTURY OF SERVICE
New York, May 7 2007 5:00PM
As the Peruvian Alvaro de Soto – whose peacemaking skills were put to use in the Middle East, Western Sahara and Myanmar, among other places – concludes a quarter century of service to the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his profound gratitude to him for his contributions to the world body.

"During a distinguished career both at UN Headquarters and in the field, the diplomatic talents of Under-Secretary-General Alvaro de Soto were in high demand around the world," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10978.doc.htm">statement released by his spokesperson.

Mr. Ban also noted that Mr. de Soto's work spanned the globe, "from El Salvador to Myanmar, Cyprus to Western Sahara, and most recently in the search for peace in the Middle East."

Since June 2005, Mr. de Soto has been serving as a Middle East envoy, a position to which he was named by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Prior to that, he was appointed as the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus in 1999.

As the Secretary-General's Personal Representative for the Central American Peace Process, Mr. de Soto led the 1990-1991 negotiations that brought an end to the decade-long war in El Salvador.

"The agreements he helped to broker in El Salvador not only brought a better future to the people of that country, but also became a model for UN peacemaking efforts elsewhere," Mr. Ban said.

"Mr. de Soto's contributions to the development of UN practices in conflict mediation and resolution will be a lasting part of his legacy to the United Nations."

Before joining the UN, Mr. de Soto served Peru as a diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lima, at UN Headquarters in New York and in Geneva. Mr. de Soto was the coordinator and spokesman for the Group of 77 and China in negotiations on the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON URGES ACTION TO HELP WORLD'S 2.6 BILLION PEOPLE LACKING SANITATION SERVICES

BAN KI-MOON URGES ACTION TO HELP WORLD'S 2.6 BILLION PEOPLE LACKING SANITATION SERVICES
New York, May 7 2007 5:00PM
The world is lagging seriously in its efforts to slash the number of people who lack access to decent sanitation, leaving too many people deprived of basic dignity, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for concrete measures from United Nations Member States, civil society groups and others in the year ahead to remedy the problem.

Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10981.doc.htm">told the first preparatory meeting for the International Year of Sanitation, which will be marked in 2008, that "access to sanitation is a fundamental issue of human dignity and human rights, and also of economic development and environmental protection."

An estimated 2.6 billion people – including about 980 million children – worldwide do not have access to basic sanitation services, a statistic Mr. Ban described as "simply unacceptable." Instead they are forced to defecate in bags, buckets or roadside ditches, causing serious health risks to themselves and others.

Mr. Ban urged the participants at today's meeting, held at UN Headquarters in New York, to make the most of the opportunity provided by the official Year to generate "real, positive changes" for those without sanitation.

"Efforts by UN agencies are just one part of the equation. Real change demands resources, commitment, policy changes and other concrete steps by governments, civil society and all stakeholders."

Access to sanitation "is deeply and inextricably connected to virtually all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular those involving the environment, education, gender equality and the reduction of child mortality and poverty."

The MDGs are a series of anti-poverty targets which world leaders agreed in 2000 to try to work towards, and they include a commitment to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation. Yet if current trends continue, the number of people without basic sanitation will only drop to 2.4 billion by 2015.

Today's meeting was held after the General Assembly voted in December last year to designate 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation. Participants included representatives of UN Member States, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academics, civil society groups and the private sector.

The meeting heard improved sanitation facilities could have dramatic effects, from reducing diarrhoea-related deaths among young children by more than one third to speeding up economic development in countries where poor sanitation is a key cause of lost work and school days.

The Prince of Orange, Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who is Chairperson for the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, told the meeting that it is important to translate the general goals of the Year into measurable targets that include concrete plans and detailed figures.

"What do we want to achieve by the end of 2008, and how do we achieve it?" he asked.

UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_39569.html">UNICEF) Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said in a message to the meeting that young people are especially vulnerable to diseases caused by a lack of proper sanitation, with unsafe water and bad hygiene and sanitation thought responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million children under the age of five every year.

Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo added his voice to the calls for accelerated action. He called the lack of access to sanitation a "silent humanitarian crisis" because it is a problem so many people are too shy or embarrassed to discuss openly.
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL 'SADDENED' BY DEATHS OF PEACEKEEPERS IN SINAI

SECRETARY-GENERAL 'SADDENED' BY DEATHS OF PEACEKEEPERS IN SINAI
New York, May 7 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was 'saddened' to learn of the deaths of nine members of the independent peacekeeping force in the Sinai, a United Nations spokesperson said today.

Eight French and one Canadian members of the Multinational Force and Observers, deployed as part of the 1978 Camp David peace accords between Egypt and Israel, died in an airplane crash yesterday in the desert peninsula.

Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10980.doc.htm">expressed his sincere condolences to the bereaved families and to the governments of the victims of the accident, spokesperson Michele Montas said.
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES RECONCILIATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN SUDAN AND CHAD

BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES RECONCILIATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN SUDAN AND CHAD
New York, May 7 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the latest agreement between Chad and Sudan aimed at calming tensions in the strife-torn Sudanese region of Darfur and the eastern area of the neighbouring country.

"The agreement is a positive step towards normalizing the relations between Chad and Sudan, which is a very important factor in resolving the tragic conflicts in both Darfur and eastern Chad," Mr. Ban's spokesperson, Michele Montas, said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10977.doc.htm">statement on the agreement signed on 3 May in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"It is now crucial for the parties to honour their agreements and, in close collaboration with the United Nations and the African Union, to work together to achieve lasting peace and stability," Ms. Montas said.

She added that the Secretary-General commended King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, under whose auspices the agreement was signed.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2 million others displaced from their homes in the fighting in Darfur, and fears are increasing that the conflict is spilling over into neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic.

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, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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DEADLY CLASH AT UN-RUN SCHOOL IN GAZA STRIP SPARKS CONCERN FROM BAN KI-MOON

DEADLY CLASH AT UN-RUN SCHOOL IN GAZA STRIP SPARKS CONCERN FROM BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 7 2007 3:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced deep concern over yesterday's violent clash outside a school in the Gaza Strip operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA) in which one person was killed and eight others – including two schoolchildren – were injured in an intra-Palestinian clash.

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10979.doc.htm">statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban noted that this was the latest in a series of internecine incidents that have "have claimed innocent and unarmed victims.

He called on the Palestinian National Unity Government "to exercise its responsibility to ensure law and order, including the protection of humanitarian organizations such as UNRWA that deliver vital aid services to the people of Gaza," according to the statement.

Mr. Ban also urged the Palestinian Authority to take all measures needed to immediately halt the firing of rockets from Gaza towards Israeli population centres, observing that they target civilians by definition, the spokesperson added.
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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UN CONCERNED OVER DEPORTATION OF AFGHANS FROM IRAN - SPOKESMAN

UN CONCERNED OVER DEPORTATION OF AFGHANS FROM IRAN – SPOKESMAN
New York, May 7 2007 2:00PM
Reporting that some 44,000 people have been returned to Afghanistan from Iran as illegal immigrants since 21 April, the United Nations Assistance Mission in the country (UNAMA) today called on the Governments of the two countries concerned to make sure that humanitarian considerations are taken into account.

"It's very important in any return of large numbers of people that it is orderly, gradual, and humane," <"http://www.unama-afg.org/">UNAMA spokesman Adrian Edwards <"http://www.unama-afg.org/news/_pc/_english/2007/07may7.html">said today in Kabul.

He said that the mission, along with the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF), 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), are doing what they can to ensure the well-being of those who are coming across the border.

"So far the situation is manageable," he said, adding that an assessment team and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission have been closely monitoring the situation over the past two days.

"From reports we have, it appears that some people have been separated from members of their families," he said. "There are cases where people may not have sufficient water or transportation to get home. These are the issues we are trying to help with."

Mr. Edwards also said that UN agencies have been working with local authorities to provide food and other assistance to some 900 families displaced by recent fighting in Herat province, and that 900 tons of food assistance, held up by heavy snows, is now being transported by WFP to Ghor province.
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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AHEAD OF RAINY SEASON, UN WRAPS UP ETHIOPIA-SUDAN REPATRIATION PROGRAMME

AHEAD OF RAINY SEASON, UN WRAPS UP ETHIOPIA-SUDAN REPATRIATION PROGRAMME
New York, May 7 2007 2:00PM
A 17-truck convoy carrying over 600 refugees, including a newborn baby, completed a three-day journey to southern Sudan, marking the end of the United Nations refugee agency's repatriation programme from Ethiopian camps before the rainy season begins.

The trip was organized jointly by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Despite the exhausting trip, which was hindered by heavy rains from Bonga Refugee Camp, the returnees – who spent up to two decades in exile – were in good spirits upon reaching Blue Nile state in Sudan.

"I was born in Bonga camp," said Samira, an 18-year-old mother, upon arriving in the village of Gindi. "This is the first time I will see Sudan."

She and her family plan to stay with other relatives until they can construct their own tukuls, or traditional circular shelters made of wood, mud and grass.

"If not, we will sleep in the open," she added. "It does not bother us, as long as we are in our own country."

Gindi and another village, Chali, are the two main return areas in southern Blue Nile state, and both have grown rapidly since repatriation picked up steam in the past year.

"When I arrived here a year ago there were only a few people around," said Jelvas Musau, a field officer for UNHCR. "Since repatriation started in April 2006, we have received 17 convoys and brought back 11,747 people to this area."

He added that a surge in population has highlighted the need for improved infrastructure, basic services and income-generating projects. UNHCR has repatriated 13,200 refugees to Blue Nile over the past year.

However, development projects in the region are impeded since the state is considered a transitional one whose borders have yet to be formally established.

Those who returned home on the convoy voiced eagerness to contribute to the revival of their home districts struggling to recover after years of conflict.

"I was trained as a blacksmith," said Oda, a father of four who had spent more than 20 years as a refugee in Ethiopia. "If I can get tools, I will open a shop. If not, I'll work as a farmer on my land."

Upon reaching Sudan, UNHCR distributed supplies including plastic sheets, buckets, mats, kitchen sets and mosquito nets, while the UN World Food Programme (WFP) provided food rations to last three months.

"The plastic sheets are particularly needed now that the rains will start," noted Fouven, who returned home from Ethiopia last year and now works as a community services assistant for the Sudan Social Development Organization, UNHCR's partner on the ground.

UNHCR will monitor the situation of the repatriated during the rainy season and focus on reintegration efforts, including schools, health clinics and sanitation plants.

While approximately 300,000 Sudanese still live outside their country's borders, as of the end of last month, the agency has repatriated almost 59,000 refugees to southern Sudan from neighbouring countries. A 2005 peace pact ended the country's north-south war, but a separate conflict is still raging in the western region of Darfur.
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCY STAFF RAISES $125,000 FOR SUFFERING FAMILIES IN BEIT HANOUN

UN AGENCY STAFF RAISES $125,000 FOR SUFFERING FAMILIES IN BEIT HANOUN
New York, May 7 2007 1:00PM
Staff members of the main United Nations agency caring for Palestinian refugees have raised $125,000 to aid anguished families in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, where a six-day Israeli siege in November 2006 took the lives of 82 Palestinians and injured 26 others.

"I am sitting among you toady and my heart goes out to those who suffered and are still suffering from the tragedy at Beit Hanuon," said Karen Koning AbuZayd, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Speaking at a ceremony last Friday to celebrate the accomplishment of the agency's Area Staff Union also attended by the President of the Municipality of Beit Hanoun, she pledged that UNRWA will continue to support those picking up their lives in the aftermath of the attack.

According to the agency, 80 houses were either completely or partially destroyed, while 1,000 more were damaged. When their residence was hit by tank shells on 9 November 2006, 10 members of the Al Athamna family were killed.

The staff launched an appeal for funds shortly after the attack, and the distribution of the funds began this weekend.

Despite the difficulties in dealing with their own economic situations, over 5,000 staff, more than 50 per cent of local staff working in Gaza, contributed to the fund. More than 40 Gaza staff members gave over four days' pay.

UNRWA employees "not only carry out their duties at work," said Mohammad Aklok, the Area Staff Union head in the Gaza field office, "but they also go beyond the call of duty, donating from their own salaries to the families of Beit Hanoun."

Of the $125,000, $51,500 will be distributed to 134 families, and the remainder will be put towards rebuilding a clinic and family centre, which, in a show of gratitude by the town's residents, will be named after UNRWA's employees.

Area Staff Union President Adel Eid said that the "donation emphasises the fact that we care and support the people of Beit Hanoun as employees of UNRWA, but also as people; people who have a deep rooted sense of what it means to be a community."
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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HOUSING CONDITIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA OFTEN 'DESPERATE' DESPITE EFFORTS - UN EXPERT

HOUSING CONDITIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA OFTEN 'DESPERATE' DESPITE EFFORTS – UN EXPERT
New York, May 7 2007 12:00PM
South Africa has made great efforts to redress housing inequality but desperate living conditions persist, according to a United Nations human rights expert who today called on the country's Government to boost social services and take other measures to improve all settlements.

"Success cannot be measured merely through the number of houses built but also needs to take into account quality of housing and access to services, especially for the poor," the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari, who visited the country from 12 to 24 April, said.

In a statement released in Geneva, Mr. Kothari acknowledged efforts made by the South African authorities at all levels to address democratization of housing since the end of apartheid in 1994, and he said that genuine attempts by law and policy makers have been made to deal with racial segregation, inequality and systematic human rights violations.

In that light, he said he was particularly pleased that 90 per cent of land claimed by communities after desegregation had already been redistributed.

At the same time, he said many informal settlements that have sprung up as a result of large development projects, rapid urbanization and land restitution claims still face desperate conditions.

"In many such cases, communities do not receive even the most basic support services, including proper sanitation, water, access to schools, and access to livelihood options," he said, adding that "there are few follow up support mechanisms such as regular maintenance or service repair facilities in cases of resettlement."

To redress these conditions, Mr. Kothari recommended that the Government improve coordination between departments covering housing, water, health and social services, ensuring a unified approach to housing.

He also advocated inclusive tactics for the rehabilitation of urban areas, strategies to mitigate skyrocketing real-estate prices, restrictions on evictions and renewed concern for land restitution for indigenous peoples and shelter for households headed by women.

Mr. Kothari, who acts in an independent personal capacity, will present his final recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council.
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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AMID GROWING CONCERN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, BAN KI-MOON URGES PREVENTIVE ACTION

AMID GROWING CONCERN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, BAN KI-MOON URGES PREVENTIVE ACTION
New York, May 7 2007 11:00AM
Amid growing global concern about climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged experts meeting in Geneva to address the need for warning systems to mitigate the damage from extreme weather.

"At no other time in history have there been so many expectations from the sciences of meteorology and hydrology," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10975.doc.htm">message to the 15th World Meteorological Congress meeting in Geneva.

"I urge you to continue your efforts to promote enhanced applications of science and technology, including the use of climate and weather information, and to improve predictions and early warnings on impending weather and climate hazards," he said.

Mr. Ban said the session, which "takes place at a time of unprecedented public awareness of the importance of weather, climate and water and their relation to sustainable development." He praised the World Meteorological Organization (<"http://www.wmo.ch/">WMO) for its work in promoting sustainable development and for its "important role in promoting scientific understanding of the global climate at a time when climate change is rising on the international agenda."

The WMO is a UN specialized agency dealing with the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.
2007-05-07 00:00:00.000

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UN RIGHTS EXPERT VOICES CONCERN ABOUT PRESS FREEDOM IN AZERBAIJAN

UN RIGHTS EXPERT VOICES CONCERN ABOUT PRESS FREEDOM IN AZERBAIJAN
New York, May 7 2007 12:00AM
An independent United Nations human rights expert has voiced concern about press freedom in Azerbaijan while reporting that his recent meetings there offered hope that court decisions which have caused a prevailing sense of fear among journalists will be reviewed.

"While the Government and State institutions have expressed a willingness to conduct a more open dialogue with media representatives and international organizations, the media environment is marked by various deficiencies," said Ambeyi Ligabo, the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression, in a statement released in Geneva.

He noted that his information indicated the defamation legislation "in not in line with the increasing trend towards decriminalization of related offences, and courts tend to be particularly severe in judging media professionals."

During his visit to Azerbaijan in late April, Mr. Ligabo met with President Ilham Aliyev, senior State and government officials, as well as representatives of the media, trade unions and members of the civil society. He also held an exchange of views with members of the diplomatic corps and senior officials of international organizations.

He noted that journalists and other media professionals have sometimes been victims of repression, including violence and persecution by some law enforcement officials, and spotlighted the need for measures to create favorable economic conditions "in which the rights to freedom of expression and information can be fully enjoyed."

At the same time, Mr. Ligabo said he was encouraged by his official meetings and voiced hope that measures will be taken to review national policies and several courts decisions "which have created a widespread sense of fear and censorship among journalists thus diminishing their editorial freedom."

The expert, who acts in an independent personal capacity, will report his findings to the UN Human Rights Council.

2007-05-06 00:00:00.000

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