DARFUR: UN ENVOY SAYS FORMAL POLITICAL NEGOTIATIONS COULD START SOON

DARFUR: UN ENVOY SAYS FORMAL POLITICAL NEGOTIATIONS COULD START SOON
New York, May 18 2007 7:00PM
Formal political negotiations to resolve the deadly conflict engulfing Sudan's Darfur region could begin soon, with many of the warring parties indicating they are ready to sit down and talk, the senior United Nations envoy to the crisis said today.

Jan Eliasson, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Darfur, told reporters that the pre-negotiations phase has almost concluded, with the convergence of several parallel efforts by Sudan's neighbours and the UN to end the fighting.

"We have the beginning now of a credible political process," he said during a press briefing following his most recent trip to the region with his African Union (AU) counterpart, Salim Ahmed Salim. "We are now at the stage where we will practically prepare for the negotiations."

One of the biggest obstacles is the number of rebel movements in Darfur, which have grown because the movements have splintered into factions since the beginning of the fighting in the remote and impoverished region. At least nine distinct groups are now fighting the Government.

Mr. Eliasson said the number of rebel groups would present a major logistical challenge to organizing formal negotiations, but he was still confident that the process was on track as many of the groups have pledged that they are ready to talk.

"We expect all parties to cooperate; if they don't, we will face a new stage, new era of conflict in Darfur," he said.

More than 200,000 people have been killed across Darfur and at least 2 million others have been displaced since rebel groups took up arms in 2003 against Government forces, which have since been backed by the notorious Janjaweed militias.

The killings, destruction of villages, widespread displacement and human rights abuses have continued, despite the efforts of the under-resourced AU peacekeeping mission known as AMIS.

Under a deal struck by the UN, the AU and the Sudanese Government late last year, AMIS will be replaced in a three-step process by an eventual hybrid AU-UN peacekeeping force comprising about 17,000 troops and 3,000 police officers.

But Mr. Eliasson warned today that any peacekeeping operations would be in jeopardy so long as the political divisions driving the conflict are not resolved. "It's time for us now to put much more emphasis on the political process," he said. "If we don't deal with the solutions, we will have major problems with peacekeeping in the years to come."

He added that the swelling populations inside Darfur's many camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) – and those over the border in neighbouring Chad – were being steadily radicalized by the conflict, further endangering the sustainability of any solution.

The envoy also noted that more people in Darfur are being killed today in tribal clashes, often over productive land made scarce by desertification, than in fighting between the rebels and the Government and allied militias.

This aspect, combined with the splintering of the rebel groups, has made the conflict increasingly internecine and ever more complex to solve. It has also sundered community relations across the region.

"The cultural, social and economic fabric of Darfur is gone," he said.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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DIVERSIFICATION IN CENTRAL ASIA IS FOCUS OF UN-SPONSORED BUSINESS FORUM

DIVERSIFICATION IN CENTRAL ASIA IS FOCUS OF UN-SPONSORED BUSINESS FORUM
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
With the economies of Central Asia hurtling forward but tied to a single sector, some 300 business leaders and policymakers gathered today for a United Nations-sponsored forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to discuss diversification and international competitiveness.

The region is among the fastest growing in the world, registering a 12.4 per cent growth rate in 2006, but too much of the growth has been driven by oil, gas and mineral resources industries, according to the Bangkok-based UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (<"http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2007/may/g15.asp">UNESCAP), which organized the conference in cooperation with the government of Kazakhstan.

"Only through opening up or greater liberalization can economic diversification be achieved, thereby limiting the risk of reliance on a few commodities," said Mr. Kim Hak-Su, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNESCAP Executive Secretary at the fourth Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF).

The theme of the forum is "At the Crossroads between Asia and Europe: Harnessing the Possibilities of Central Asia," and in his opening address, Mr. Kim noted that the region was once a crossroads of global trade.

"With the right policies in place, it can once again be an important part of that trade," he said, adding that efficient transport procedures were crucial in that regard.

The forum is timed to coincide with the 63rd UNESCAP Commission Session, also taking place in Almaty from 17-23 May, so that its recommendations can be transmitted to the trade ministers attending that high-level meeting.

Both meetings represent the first of their kind to be held in Central Asia since UNESCAP was established 60 years ago, the agency said.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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CÔTE D'IVOIRE: PEACE PROCESS NEEDS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT, FACILITATOR SAYS

CÔTE D'IVOIRE: PEACE PROCESS NEEDS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT, FACILITATOR SAYS
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
The peace process in Côte d'Ivoire needs international support to succeed, a representative of the key negotiator told the United Nations Security Council today.

The UN must "provide its consistent support to the parties and to facilitation – both technically and financially – and do this through the end of the crisis," Djibrill Y. Bassole, Minister for National Security of Burkina Faso, said on behalf of the country's President, Blaise Compaoré, the Facilitator of the Ouagadougou Agreement.

The Ouagadougou agreement, struck on 4 March, sets out a series of measures to deal with the political divide in Côte d'Ivoire, which has been split between the Government-controlled south and the rebel Forces Nouvelles-held north since 2002.

"The peace process is well underway but it could prove vulnerable given the electoral issues at stake," said Mr. Bassole, stressing the need for international support to the holding of free, democratic presidential elections.

He called the Agreement an "acceptable and balanced way out for the parties" and said it had been welcomed in Ivorian political circles and by the country's people.

"The decision of the two parties to implement their commitments under the Agreement has made a major contribution to relaxing the political environment in Côte d'Ivoire," he said. "The rationale of confrontation that previously existed has given way to a rationale of useful partnership."

But he cautioned that implementation "is facing a number of challenges inherent in the very nature of the crisis and which are also tied to financing operations."

The Facilitator, Mr. Bassole said, is committed to resolving the crisis. "The parties to the Ouagadougou Agreement will not be able to carry out this process without the assistance of the international community, particularly the UN," he said, welcoming the role being played by the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unoci/index.html">UNOCI) and the French Licorne forces.

Meanwhile, in Ouagadougou, the Officer-in-Charge of UNOCI, Abou Moussa met with the Facilitator and other officials to exchange views on recent political developments in Côte d'Ivoire. "We acknowledged that there has been significant progress, that there have also been some difficulties, especially operational problems, but that the political will is there," he said.

In a recent <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/275">report on the peace process in Côte d'Ivoire, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommends that UNOCI not begin to draw down its troop numbers at least until after the zone of confidence has been replaced successfully with a green line. The green line is to be marked by 17 UNOCI observation posts that will be dismantled progressively.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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DEADLY ATTACKS IN SOUTH DARFUR SPARK UN CALL FOR INDEPENDENT INQUIRY

DEADLY ATTACKS IN SOUTH DARFUR SPARK UN CALL FOR INDEPENDENT INQUIRY
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations human rights chief today <" http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/69B910048B7A7A03C12572DF00372CA2?opendocument">called for an immediate independent probe into the involvement of Sudanese Government security forces in deadly attacks this year against a series of villages in the violence-wracked Darfur region.

At least 100 people were killed and thousands more displaced in the area known as Bulbul, close to the South Darfur state capital, Nyala, during the large-scale attacks that took place between January and March. Many houses were burned and their contents looted.

The violence results from a long-simmering dispute over land between the Rizeigat Abbala, who are largely pastoralists, and the Tarjum, a mainly agricultural and cattle herding tribe. Members of both groups describe themselves as Arabs and have been pro-Government in the wider Darfur conflict.

A <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/docs/periodicreport7.doc">report issued today by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documents numerous violations of international human rights law during the attacks by Rizeigat Abbala, with the involvement of Sudanese Border Intelligence Guards, on Tarjum villages and settlements.

OHCHR said the witness testimony has been consistent: hundreds of heavily armed attackers, many of whom were identified as Border Intelligence personnel, have fired indiscriminately from the outskirts of settlements with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. They then entered the settlements, burned large sections, shot men found inside and systematically looted any items of value, especially livestock.

No effective action has been taken by the Government to prevent the attacks, bring the perpetrators to justice or compensate the victims, High Commissioner Louise Arbour stated in the report.

"The ongoing impunity for these crimes is of great concern and is a violation of Sudan's obligations," she wrote.

Ms. Arbour said "an adequately resourced, independent, transparent investigation" was needed into the Bulbul attacks, with any evidence collected to be used for potential prosecutions and the findings to be made public.

"All necessary measures, including through disciplinary and dismissal procedures," should be taken to control members of the regular armed forces and paramilitary forces, the High Commissioner added.

She called for the deployment of police officers and regular armed forces in the Bulbul area settlements that are deemed vulnerable to attacks, with a clear mandate to intervene to prevent further attacks.

The Sudanese Government should also "publicly condemn violations of human rights and hold those in command of security forces and law enforcement activities at the time violations are perpetrated personally responsible for the abuses."

Across Darfur, 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 and rebel groups since 2003.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF 2 PALESTINIAN MEDIA WORKERS IN GAZA CITY

UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF 2 PALESTINIAN MEDIA WORKERS IN GAZA CITY
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
The Director-General of the United Nations Educationa, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today called for an investigation into the killing of two Palestinians working at a newspaper in Gaza City earlier this month.

"I condemn the murder of Suleiman Abdul-Rahim al-Ashi and Mohammad Matar Abdo," <"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=37806&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">said Koïchiro Matsuura. "Killing journalists and media workers is not just a crime against individual people but an attack on society's right to be informed – it is also an attack against the basic human right of freedom of expression," he declared.

"I trust the Palestinian authorities will investigate these crimes and bring their perpetrators to justice," said Mr. Matsuura.

"I also urge the Palestinian presidency and Government to do their utmost to ensure respect for freedom of the press, an indispensable condition for the development of a democratic Palestinian society and for the improvement of the living conditions of the Palestinian people."

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, on 13 May gunmen wearing presidential guard uniforms shot Abdul-Rahim al-Ashi, and Mohammad Matar Abdo who were in a taxi in a high security area southwest of Gaza City.

Abdul-Rahim al-Ashi, was an economics editor for the Hamas-affiliated daily Palestine, and Mohammad Matar Abdo was responsible for the paper's distribution.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN MERCENARY EXPERTS CALL ON FIJI TO REGULATE PRIVATE SECURITY ACTIVITIES

UN MERCENARY EXPERTS CALL ON FIJI TO REGULATE PRIVATE SECURITY ACTIVITIES
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
Concerned that many Fijians have been recruited as mercenaries, experts on the issue today urged the authorities of the Pacific country to ensure that private security companies operate in full accordance with international human rights standards, as they <" http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/07327AECD14905D8C12572DF0037ABC8?opendocument">concluded a fact-finding mission for the United Nations.

In preliminary recommendations, the Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries, five independent experts who report to the UN <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil">Human Rights Council, urged the Government to maintain transparent registers of private security companies as well as a system of regular inspections, so that security workers, their families and the populations among which they worked were protected.

"The Working Group notes that Fiji has an established tradition of well trained, disciplined and highly skilled military and security personnel, who perform security functions in various capacities worldwide," the group said in its statement, adding that remittances from such personnel formed an important part of the domestic economy.

"However, the Working Group notes with concern that in a number of instances the activities carried out by Fijians abroad may qualify as mercenary-related activities," it continued.

The group said it was most worried about companies that work in situations of armed conflict such as Iraq, as well as those that exploit Fijians through excessive working hours, non-payment of salaries, ill-treatment and neglect of basic needs.

It was also concerned over limited reintegration services available to Fijians who return to their communities after working in security services abroad, which it said are necessary to prevent domestic violence and the spread of sexually transmittable diseases.

To remedy this gap, the group recommended the establishment of a comprehensive system of debriefing and professional counselling.

It also recommended that Fiji accede to the <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/cescr.htm">International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm">International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/cmw.htm ">International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, as these instruments would strengthen the protection of Fijians contracted for security work abroad.

The Working Group, established by the then UN <" http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/chr.htm ">Commission on Human Rights in 2005, is headed by its Chairperson-Rapporteur, José Luis Gómez del Prado of Spain.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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AT UN MEETING, COUNTRIES OFFER PRACTICAL STEPS FOR COUNTERING TERRORISM

AT UN MEETING, COUNTRIES OFFER PRACTICAL STEPS FOR COUNTERING TERRORISM
New York, May 18 2007 5:00PM
From sharing best practices on preventing radicalization to ensuring that the voices of victims are heard, United Nations Member States, regional organizations and civil society groups have wrapped up a symposium in Vienna on counter-terrorism by proposing a raft of practical measures to defeat the scourge.

The two-day <"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/terrorism_seminars.html">symposium – the first major forum on the issue since the landmark UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy was adopted at the General Assembly last September – concluded with calls for Member States to work together more closely to try to put an end to terrorist activity.

In his concluding remarks, Assistant Secretary-General Bob Orr, Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, said he was heartened that so many participants at the symposium acknowledged that the main responsibility for implementing the Strategy lay with Member States.

He also welcomed the many suggestions and proposals offered at the meeting, many of which envision the Task Force playing a crucial role to help Member States and regional groups to implement the Strategy.

The proposals include: ensuring that the voices of terrorist victims are heard, and facilitating a dialogue between victims and States; sharing best practices on preventing radicalization; countering the growing terrorist use of the Internet; incorporating human rights obligations into all aspects of counter-terrorism work; sharing experiences on protecting vulnerable targets, such as users of mass transport; and ensuring the Strategy is carried out in an integrated manner.
Adopted after a year of often fractious negotiations, the Strategy includes practical steps at the local, national and international level – ranging from strengthening the capacity of individual States to prevent and combat terrorism to ensuring that human rights and the rule of law are always respected in the fight against the scourge.
It also calls for measures to enhance the role of the UN system to deal with terrorism, and to make sure that the world body's efforts are better coordinated.
The Vienna symposium was convened jointly by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Austria.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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NUMBER OF RETURNING SOUTHERN SUDANESE REFUGEES TOPS 140,000 - UN AGENCIES

NUMBER OF RETURNING SOUTHERN SUDANESE REFUGEES TOPS 140,000 – UN AGENCIES
New York, May 18 2007 5:00PM
More than 140,000 southern Sudanese refugees have returned home since the north-south civil war ended at the start of 2005, but almost twice as many remain in neighbouring countries, the United Nations humanitarian arm reported today.

In its latest update on the situation in southern Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA) said of the approximately 143,500 refugees that have returned so far, more than 61,400 were directly helped by either the UN or its partner agencies.

This year alone some 35,380 refugees have returned as the south continues to slowly rebuild in the wake of the comprehensive peace agreement that ended one of the continent's longest civil wars. The UN aims to repatriate 102,000 refugees in 2007.

But about 270,000 refugees are still outside Sudan, OCHA reported, living in Uganda, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea or Egypt.

The UN, the Sudanese Government and the Government of Southern Sudan have been working to boost returns of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) under a joint plan as part of the comprehensive peace deal which ended the North-South conflict, separate from the fighting that continues to rage in the western region of Darfur between rebel forces, the Government and allied militias.

As many as 850,000 IDPs are estimated to have also returned home to central or southern Sudan during the past two years.

UN humanitarian agencies are also reporting success in their "Go to School" initiative, launched in April last year.

Student enrolment in southern Sudan has leaped from 343,000 during the civil war to 850,000 today, and girls now comprise more than one-third of students. Over 2,500 teachers have been trained, more than 200 new classrooms have been built and another 300 classrooms are being rehabilitated, while school supplies have been provided to all students.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN AID AGENCY AIRLIFTS EMERGENCY GEAR TO CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FROM GHANA

UN AID AGENCY AIRLIFTS EMERGENCY GEAR TO CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FROM GHANA
New York, May 18 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that it was <" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2485">airlifting 31 metric tons of equipment to the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of expanded efforts to reach over 230,000 people affected by recent violence and displacement.

"In a matter of hours, we are going to move our gear from Accra into CAR, where it will be immediately deployed to support our complex logistics operation there," said Amer Daoudi, Associate Director of WFP's transport division.

The equipment from WFP's Humanitarian Response Depot (<" http://www.unhrd.org">HRD) in the Ghanaian capital Accra includes temporary storage facilities, living accommodations and accompanying tool kits, all scheduled to depart today onboard a WFP-chartered Illyushin 76 cargo jet for the three-hour flight to Bangui in CAR.

"This airlift from our Accra Humanitarian Response Depot confirms the importance for WFP of the global network of HRDs we are operating," said Daoudi. "Airlifting equipment we had pre-positioned in Accra is resulting in huge savings of time and money."

HRD Accra is part of the Global Network established by WFP to build on the success of the agency's original UNHRD in Brindisi, to support the emergency response effort of the UN, governments non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Nearly 300,000 people have had to flee their homes in the CAR over the past year because of fighting, banditry and rebel attacks. Many people are living in the open bush, too afraid to return to their former homes.

Today's airlift is part of an enhancement of logistical capacity for WFP to meet the increased needs in the CAR, for which the agency recently appealed for $3.5 million in addition to its other requests for the country in 2007.

In addition to the new funds required to reinforce logistics, the agency's current food assistance programme still has a shortage of $25 million for operations in the CAR, one of the world's poorest countries.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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MEDICAL TRENDS REVEALED IN LATEST UN HEALTH STATISTICS COMPILATION

MEDICAL TRENDS REVEALED IN LATEST UN HEALTH STATISTICS COMPILATION
New York, May 18 2007 3:00PM
The rising deaths caused by non-communicable diseases and the vast inequality in health resources between developed and developing countries are two of the trends spotlighted in an annual statistical compilation <" http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2007/np24/en/index.html">released today by the United Nations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) report represents the most complete set of health statistics available, for a set of 50 health indicators from the agency's 193 Member States, with the new edition also highlighting trends in 10 of the most closely watched global health figure.

According to the publication, World Health Statistics 2007, the ageing of the global population will result in significant increases in the total number of deaths caused by most non-communicable diseases, particularly cancer, over the next 30 years.

In regard to the distribution of health resources, the volume points out that there is a 20/90 syndrome in which 30 developed countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) make up less than 20 per cent of the world's population but spend 90 per cent of available health funding.

Other trends monitored by the publication include projections of mortality for the year 2030, aspects of maternal mortality, rates of growth stunting due to malnutrition, the
extent to which people can access treatment, the major risk factors for ill-health, and health outcomes in the context of demographic factors in individual countries.

In her speech introducing the report to current World Health Assembly, the annual policy-making meeting of WHO, Director-General Margaret Chan, focused on the need for accurate evidence and up-to-date statistics as the basis for policy decisions.

"Reliable health data and statistics are the foundation of health policies, strategies, and evaluation and monitoring," Dr. Chan told the gathering in Geneva. "Evidence is also the foundation for sound health information for the general public."
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON URGES COMPROMISE ON IRAQ'S CONSTITUTION

BAN KI-MOON URGES COMPROMISE ON IRAQ'S CONSTITUTION
New York, May 18 2007 2:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General today urged Iraqi leaders to compromise on the Constitution in the interests of the country as a whole.

As Iraq's Constitutional Review Committee prepares to submit the results of its deliberations to the full parliament, Mr. Ban's spokesperson issued a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2571">statement emphasizing the importance of the process to achieve national reconciliation in Iraq.

Core issues dealt with by the Committee lie at the heart of how Iraq's system will function, involving a balanced division of powers between the federal government and the regions as well as a system for the fair distribution of oil revenues throughout the country.

"Striking a compromise on the core constitutional issues at the heart of Iraq's system of governance is essential for establishing stability in the country," Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

"The Secretary-General hopes that Iraqi leaders will embrace this opportunity by rising above narrow sectarian interests, remaining open to compromise, and fostering consensus," she said, pledging the UN's full commitment to a national dialogue towards a Constitution than can be supported by all Iraqis.

The statement also lauded the Committee for carrying out its work "responsibly in an atmosphere of mutual respect."

On Monday, Mr. Ban's top envoy to Iraq also called for compromise on the Constitution.

In the absence of a conclusion, Special Representative Ashraf Qazi warned that "the review process has the potential to be extremely divisive exercise."

The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (<"http://www.uniraq.org">UNAMI) said the process offers an opportunity to address the real gaps and problems in the current constitutional text, and that improving the system of governance would be beneficial to all.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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TECH COMPANIES INCREASING LOOKING AT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, UN PANEL TOLD

TECH COMPANIES INCREASING LOOKING AT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, UN PANEL TOLD
New York, May 18 2007 1:00PM
The larger information technology corporations in Silicon Valley are undergoing a "significant mindset change" regarding emerging markets, a top executive has told a panel at the United Nations.

Information technology (IT) companies were seizing the opportunity to think very differently about providing products that would be used in different ways than in developed nations, said Gary Bolles, President of Microcast Communications. But some companies were still reluctant to enter developing country markets for a variety of reasons.

One problem, said Richard LeFave, Chief Information Officer of Sprint Nextel, was insufficient spectrum. Governments had a responsibility to manage the spectrum as a resource, just like water and electricity. "We would not be in India or Brazil if there was not a capability for us to operate there. And the intellectual capability available in a country makes a big difference, too."

Wireless, including broadband, was providing a new set of tools for deploying telecommunications capabilities, Mr. LeFave said. The number of accesses in the 14 Latin American countries where his company was present had tripled since 2002, mainly thanks to wireless technology. Developing countries that had introduced wireless had registered significant growth.

Wireless was constantly achieving higher speed and lower costs: this would benefit developing countries and "bridge many gaps that seemed previously unbridgeable," he added. The combination of wireless technologies with new capabilities and software tools would develop a new set of applications for countries in their quest for economic growth.

To convince IT companies to enter developing markets, "you have to stimulate a need for technology, to create a demand for IT applications, as well as efficient markets," said Antonio Castillo Holgado, Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs, Telefonica. The public and the private sectors should work together to create capability, focusing on all applications. "You can then sell technology as a tool -- for instance for disseminating health information."

The traditional way of thinking was that first research and development created products, then these would go into production, and finally they would be marketed. But in developing countries "first you create an attractive market, then production will come in, and finally R & D," he said.

"You have to live in a market, observe it, be there, study it before you introduce a product," said Tero Ojanperä, Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer of Nokia. "You don't just push the technology."

The world had now 2.6 billion mobile users, Mr. Ojanperä said. Their number would increase to 4 billion by 2010 and to 5 billion by 2015, nearing universal connectivity. But first a number of steps were needed, and one of them was education. In China, Nokia was providing, together with other partners, English courses through mobile phones. African farmers were using Short Message Service (SMS) via mobile phones to find out prices for their crops and decide the best moment for selling.

The Internet was not just available in advanced markets, he said, but was present in almost every network in the world. It provided unprecedented opportunities for small entrepreneurs, for software developers, for a host of small businesses. Handset-based technologies were progressing quickly, mobile phones were becoming more and more like personal computers, and this expansion of capabilities would benefit developing countries.

People in developing countries were ready to spend 8 to 12 per cent of their income in phone calls, said Heather Hudson of University of San Francisco. "There is much more demand than we think: businesses, schools, institutions, are ready to pay." What was needed was to bring down regulatory barriers and let in competitors, as countries with monopolies had a much lower mobile growth rate.

The Internet worked out in rural areas just as well as it did in urban settings, said Jose Alberto Cuellar Alvarez, speaking via videoconference from the UN Information Centre in Mexico City. The Internet had improved market efficiency, speeded up information exchange and opened a host of new possibilities: for instance, agricultural producers in remote rural areas could now advertise and sell their products on a scale previously not possible.

Governments should play a major role in devising strategies for using IT technologies, he said, linking the spread of IT to overall development plans. For instance, "public policies for roads should go hand in hand with IT policies," he said.

The meeting, "Tale of Two Worlds: Keeping Pace with a Moving Target", which marked <" http://www.un.org/events/infoday/2007">World Information Society Day, 17 May, was organized by the Global Alliance for ICT and Development and the United Nations Association Diaspora Network.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN MEETING IN BONN MOVES WORLD CLOSER TO ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

UN MEETING IN BONN MOVES WORLD CLOSER TO ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, May 18 2007 12:00PM
Parties to United Nations-backed agreements on climate change today concluded a preparatory session on stemming the emission of greenhouse gasses and mitigating their effects ahead of a major world conference on the issue in December in Bali, Indonesia.

"This meeting has served to resolve a number of issues ahead of the Bali conference," Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC) at the close of the discussions in Bonn, Germany, which were attended by around 1,800 participants, including the 191 Parties to the Convention and 173 Parties to its <"http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php">Kyoto Protocol, which contains legally binding targets for reducing emissions through 2012.

Topics covered included methods for increasing the transfer of clean technologies, adapting to the inevitable effects of climate change and preventing deforestation, estimated to account for more than 20 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

The conference was also the first opportunity for delegates to react to the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<"http://www.ipcc.ch">IPCC), released in early May, which maintained that climate change can be mitigated at relatively low cost with the right policies and incentives.

The current high level of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere was caused by industrialized countries, said developing countries at the meeting, advocating for their own right growth and poverty alleviation, according to Mr. de Boer.

"This is why the issue of economic incentives to green investments in developing countries is so important," he said, adding that these would probably involve carbon trading schemes.

"The fact that European, American and Australian business groups here in Bonn have been calling on governments to adopt long-term, legally binding emission reduction targets is as strong signal that they feel the carbon market will be an important part of any 2012 agreement, " said Mr. Boer.

The talks will resume in Vienna this August.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE AGENCY BEGINS ASSISTING RESETTLEMENT OF BURUNDIANS IN US

UN REFUGEE AGENCY BEGINS ASSISTING RESETTLEMENT OF BURUNDIANS IN US
New York, May 18 2007 11:00AM
With the assistance of the United Nations refugee agency, the first group of some 8,500 Burundians to be <"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/print?tbl=NEWS&id=464d78ccd">resettled in the United States today left a refugee camp in Tanzania, where they had taken refuge after fleeing mass violence 35 years ago.

The 88 who left today are part of 3,000 so-called '1972 Burundians' – about 35 per cent of the number accepted for resettlement – who are expected to leave over the next 15 weeks for Nairobi and then travel on to various US cities, such as Atlanta and Phoenix, according to Jennifer Pagonis, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

"The 1972 Burundians represent one of the world's most protracted refugee situations, and resettlement is the only viable durable solution for most of them," Ms. Pagonis said in Geneva.

Hundreds of thousands of Burundians fled to neighbouring countries that year to escape ethnic violence which killed an estimated 200,000 people, she said, adding that children of refugees born in exile were also considered for resettlement in the US.

"While repatriation of Burundian refugees remains a priority, we believe that successful repatriation and reintegration of this particular group is not possible," she commented.

"After nearly 35 years in exile, they would face complex and unresolved land issues. Moreover, some refugees believe they are viewed as outsiders and would never be able to fully integrate in Burundi," she said.

She added that those born in exile identify closely with their host country, Tanzania, but it cannot offer them integration either.

The resettlement operation is being organized by the US Government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR. Before their departure from Nairobi, the refugees will undergo an orientation workshop organized by IOM.

This will help prepare them for a new life in the US and ease their integration, UNHCR said.

Tanzania still hosts some 276,000 refugees, mainly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN INCREASES FOOD DELIVERIES IN SOMALIA AMID PIRACY

UN INCREASES FOOD DELIVERIES IN SOMALIA AMID PIRACY
New York, May 18 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today began a distribution of food to 122,500 Somalis affected by violence while warning that piracy is hampering its operations.

"We are expanding our distributions to the displaced -- many of whom are women and children -- with this round of distributions, which means WFP should be reaching 80 per cent of the 150,000 we plan to feed," said Peter Goossens, the agency's Somalia Country Director in Nairobi.

"But just when we are reaching more people, incidents of piracy against ships off Somalia are again on the rise and are threatening to cut the fastest and most efficient way -- by sea -- to move large amounts of food assistance to the needy in Somalia during this crisis," he said.

Mr. Goossens charged that the pirates "are very cruelly playing with the lives of the most vulnerable women and children who had to leave their homes because of fighting" and appealed to the Somali authorities to act "before they cause more misery both to the crews of hijacked ships and to the people who rely on WFP food for their survival."

The recent distribution follows aid deliveries in late April and early May to 114,000 displaced people and returnees.

The United Nations estimates that between 300,000 and 400,000 people fled Mogadishu since 1 February.

Somalia has recently experienced its worst fighting in 16 years between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, and anti-TFG factions.

2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN CONDEMNS MURDER OF HAITIAN JOURNALIST ALIX JOSEPH

UN CONDEMNS MURDER OF HAITIAN JOURNALIST ALIX JOSEPH
New York, May 18 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations mission in Haiti today condemned the assassination of radio journalist Alix Joseph, vowing to help the authorities find the perpetrators.

Mr. Joseph, the director of Radio Provinciale, was assassinated on 16 May in Gonaïves by armed men, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haïti (MINUSTAH) said in a news release deploring the crime.

"This cruel and irresponsible act adds to the long list of crimes already committed against professionals of the Haitian press," MINUSTAH said, pledging to help the Haitian authorities in the investigation and prosecution of the assassins.

The mission also voiced its solidarity with members of the Haitian media who continue to seek the end of the impunity for the killers of their murdered colleagues.

2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN GOODWILL AMBASSADOR HONOURED FOR CHRONICLING STRUGGLE AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS

UN GOODWILL AMBASSADOR HONOURED FOR CHRONICLING STRUGGLE AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS
New York, May 18 2007 8:00AM
An Italian photojournalist who brings the work of the United Nations anti-drug unit before the public has been awarded a prestigious German publishing prize for a feature on the global struggle against illicit narcotics.

Alessandro Scotti Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), captured the Henri Nannen Prize for his feature Weltmacht Drogen (Drugs, the global power) feature published in the German magazine GEO.

The prize is awarded annually by Gruner + Jahr, publishers of Stern magazine. Mr. Scotti's powerful black and white images, which won the award in the Best Photographic Achievement section, chronicle the battle against the narcotics industry in Iran, Afghanistan, Latin America and Central Asia, UNODC said in a news release.

"Scotti's talent has transformed the tragic plight of a few into a global campaign against narco-trafficking," UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said. "He shows us the face of addiction, exploitation, and physical suffering, and challenges us to respond."

In its citation, the jury said that in documenting the drugs trade for more than five years, Scotti had succeeded in bringing his reportage vividly to life. "The photographer gets so close to the action that the viewer can sense the great demands his reporting is making on him."

Mr. Scotti, one of 10 prizewinners selected from 863 submissions from 188 German-language publications, has worked as a professional photographer and writer for 10 years. Since 2005, he has travelled extensively in Afghanistan, Colombia, Iran, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand to represent UNODC.

He is presently completing a trilogy of books for UNODC documenting the global drugs trade. Entitled De Narcoticis, the series explores all aspects of the narcotics trade, including cultivation, trafficking, prevention and addiction.

Mr. Scotti's haunting images help the public to understand the complexity

2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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CENTRAL AFRICA NEEDS 'CONCRETE MEASURES' TO ACHIEVE STABILITY, SAYS BAN KI-MOON

CENTRAL AFRICA NEEDS 'CONCRETE MEASURES' TO ACHIEVE STABILITY, SAYS BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 17 2007 7:00PM
Welcoming steps to approve a Central African pact against the illegal trafficking of arms and a code of conduct for the countries' armed forces, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today told a United Nations-sponsored security meeting that such concrete measures were needed for the region to achieve lasting peace and stability.

In a message to the latest ministerial meeting of the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, Mr. Ban said there have been several signs of important progress in the region over the past year despite the many challenges it faces.

He cited the holding of presidential and legislative elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the ceasefire between the Burundian Government and that country's last major rebel group, PALIPEHUTU-FNL, as encouraging examples.

But he added that the delay in implementing the ceasefire in Burundi and the outbreak of deadly violence in the DRC in March indicated the fragility of the situation in those two countries.

"It is therefore very important to put in place the mechanisms and the programmes which will consolidate the progress realised," Mr. Ban said in the message, delivered on his behalf to the meeting by Agnès Marcaillou, Chief of the Regional Disarmament Branch of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.

The five-day meeting, which concludes tomorrow, is being held in São Tomé, capital of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Mr. Ban added that the current conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, which is threatening to engulf neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) as well, showed the need for a regional framework for collective security.

"I welcome also your intention to approve as soon as possible the text of a sub-regional instrument in the fight against the illegal trade in small arms, and a code of conduct for the armed and security forces in Central Africa.

"Only concrete measures to reinforce peace and security will restore the necessary stability for sustainable development of Central Africa and give the populations the opportunity to exploit fully their immense human and natural riches."

The Committee, which meets twice a year at the ministerial level, was established by the UN Secretary-General in May 1992 and its membership comprises all 11 countries in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) – Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the CAR, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and São Tomé and Príncipe.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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GREECE AND FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA RENEW UN-LED TALKS

GREECE AND FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA RENEW UN-LED TALKS
New York, May 17 2007 7:00PM
Representatives of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have held a fresh round of United Nations-mediated talks over the question of the official name of the latter country.

Matthew Nimetz, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Greece-FYROM talks, initiated yesterday's discussions, which took place in New York.

Greece was represented by its Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, while FYROM was represented by Ambassador Nikola Dimitrov.

"The parties continued to exchange views in the context of Article 5 of the Interim Accord" of 13 September 1995, according to an update released by the UN after the talks. "They decided to meet again on a date to be agreed."

Article 5 of the Interim Accord, which was brokered by the UN, details the difference between the two countries regarding the official name of FYROM. It also obliges the two sides to continue negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General to try to reach agreement on their dispute.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UN OFFICIALS URGE COUNTRIES TO ACT ON COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY

UN OFFICIALS URGE COUNTRIES TO ACT ON COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY
New York, May 17 2007 6:00PM
The main responsibility for carrying out the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy "falls squarely on Member States," a senior UN official today told a symposium in Vienna convened to translate the landmark plan from words into action.

Assistant Secretary-General Bob Orr, Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, told the opening of the two-day symposium that a majority of the more than 50 practical recommendations and provisions in the Strategy are direct calls for Member States to take specific action.

"If we are to have concrete results to show to the world at the Two-Year Review of the Strategy, all actors must be actively engaged, both individually and collectively," Mr. Orr said, pledging that the UN and its various departments and agencies would also introduce practical measures when required.

Adopted by the General Assembly last September after a year of often fractious negotiations, the Strategy includes practical steps at the local, national and international level – ranging from strengthening the capacity of individual States to prevent and combat terrorism to ensuring that human rights and the rule of law are always respected in the fight against terrorism.

It also calls for measures to enhance the role of the UN system to deal with terrorism, and to make sure that the world body's efforts are better coordinated.

Speaking during a debate following the opening speeches, Mr. Orr said the Strategy had been adopted as a holistic, comprehensive document and its implementation should therefore be done in an integrated manner and not as a pick-and-choose exercise by Member States.

The Vienna symposium – convened jointly by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (<"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/news_and_publications.html">UNODC) and Austria – is the first major forum for Member States and the UN system to gather to chart a path for implementing the Strategy since its adoption.

UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa told the meeting that his agency has the history of technical assistance, the network of field offices and the knowledge of the links between drugs, crime and terrorism to help UN Member States on the ground as they devise the practical measures to counter terrorism.

Mr. Costa also called on States to set clear benchmarks against which performance can be measured, adding that "we will be judged by our actions, by results."
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO LEAD UN CONTINGENT IN AIDS WALK FUNDRAISER

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO LEAD UN CONTINGENT IN AIDS WALK FUNDRAISER
New York, May 17 2007 4:00PM
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro will walk with a contingent of United Nations staff members and about 50,000 other people in the annual fundraiser called AIDS Walk New York on Sunday, a UN spokesman said today.

The UN Cares team has participated for many years in the massive event, raising more than $35,000 in 2006.

In announcing her intention to participate, Ms. Migiro said AIDS remains one of the most serious challenges of our time.

"Our collective efforts are needed if we are to stop the spread of the disease and ensure that everyone has access to the prevention, treatment, care and support services they need," she said in her message to staff, encouraging them to join her.

Last night, the Deputy Secretary-General spoke at the UN Association (UNA) of New York, to lend encouragement to New Yorkers who actively support the Organization's agenda.

Sharing with them the priorities of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's new administration, she divided the UN's challenges into pressing geo-political and development issues and mid to long-term issues such as climate change, human rights and cultural understanding.

She also outlined progress in UN reform, saying she expects to work closely in the months ahead with Mr. Ban and with Member States to advance the issue.

For advancing the entire agenda, however, the UN's partnership with the United States is particularly crucial, she said, calling UNA members in the country "guardians of that bond."
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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INTERNAL VIOLENCE DOWN IN GAZA, BUT PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI VIOLENCE ON THE RISE - UN

INTERNAL VIOLENCE DOWN IN GAZA, BUT PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI VIOLENCE ON THE RISE – UN
New York, May 17 2007 4:00PM
Following the Palestinian ceasefire, which took effect yesterday, internal violence has calmed in the Gaza strip, though Palestinian-Israeli clashes have escalated, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

"There are some signs of improvement regarding civilian movement and the delivery of services throughout the Gaza Strip as the extent and intensity of violence has abated somewhat," UN spokesperson Michele Montas said in New York.

The situation in Gaza City, however, remains more volatile, <"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA said. Two schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA) in Rafah, with about 3,000 pupils, came under fire earlier this afternoon as a result of ongoing clashes between Hamas and Fatah gunmen.

The children were forced to congregate on the first floor of the school, pending evacuation, for their own safety.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT ISSUES CALL FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN MIDDLE EAST

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT ISSUES CALL FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN MIDDLE EAST
New York, May 17 2007 4:00PM
The President of the United Nations General Assembly, a lawyer and rights advocate from Bahrain, has issued a strong call for addressing the social, educational and other constraints impeding the equality of women in the Middle East.

"The concept of human rights is based on the notion that all human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms," Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa noted in an <"http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/statements/statement20070516-awards.shtml">address to a panel discussion Wednesday evening on Women and Human Rights in the Middle East at Rutgers University, New Jersey, United States.

"Yet, in the Middle East women face multi-layered and multi-dimensional discrimination that is embedded in our culture, government policies, educational systems and the legal framework."

She said the situation stems in part from the interpretation of Islamic text. "Women are subject to family laws that are Sharia based which strictly follow the interpretations of Islamic scholars that lived 1000 years ago at the beginning of Islam. These interpretations are applied now without making any allowances to the very different social contexts of today," she said.

"In fact, these interpretations are sanctified as holy which prevent them from criticism and change. This is one of the main reasons behind the discrepancy between personal status codes on the one hand and the current social circumstances on the other."

Under family law, women cannot conclude marital contracts without a male guardian and cannot obtain a divorce without a court proceeding. Men can divorce their wives by a mere verbal declaration.

"These rules deprive women of their basic right of self determination," said Sheikha Haya. "These rules deprive women from maintaining peace and security within their home as they are constantly threatened by divorce or polygamy."

The General Assembly President blamed a "lack of rational interpretations of the text that integrate the current social circumstances" and called for "new interpretations of Islamic text in light of contemporary circumstances and needs."

She said social structure also plays a part, especially the concept of the family versus the individual as the nucleus of society. This has led women to conform to the needs of men who in turn offer protection and financial support. "It has led women to accept a level of control and submission, even violence at times for the preservation of the family," she said.

The structure has also "created a mentality that fears the autonomy of women, viewing it as a threat to the centrality of the traditional family, a threat to marital relationships and a catalyst to sexual freedom," added the President. "These attitudes which were based on traditions are now associated with religion, making it harder to criticize or change them."

Politically, women remain under-represented in parliaments and at higher government positions. "Even when they are ministers, they are often assigned ministries that reinforce their traditional roles," she observed, citing a number of reasons, including the opposition of women themselves to their own involvement in politics. "We saw this in Bahrain in 2002 when the majority of voters were women but not one woman out of the eight female candidates was actually elected."

Despite these circumstances, women have been active in influencing policy making and public opinion through other means, including the media, in petitions to Members of Parliament and government officials, and through their memberships in unions, political parties and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). "Today, the Middle East is witnessing a proliferation of NGOs, many of which are active in women empowerment issues."

Although the Middle East has come a long way in educating women, "the fact of the matter is that critical thinking, and the teaching of philosophy and theology are absent in our curricula; and they are essential in laying the foundation to review, evaluate and criticise the ideas that shape our societies," she said.

"We are left with a fertile ground for fundamentalist ideologies and we have reverted to the past to solve our problems of the present."

Stressing that the status of women must be examined in the light of the regional and international circumstances, she noted that the Middle East "continues to face the devastating effects of war, occupation, civil unrest, weak governance as well as the challenges of globalization, economic volatility, impoverishment, demographic changes and counter-terrorism measures which may negatively affect human rights and further constrain freedoms."

Amid a prevailing determination within the Middle East to modernize and reform so that people can live without fear and want, "it is now, more than ever before, that the voices of women need to be heard," declared the Assembly President.

"We must not only hear these voices – we must listen to them, and then act. So much of our future depends on our response."

Sheikha Haya was honoured at the event sponsored by the University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies along with Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi for their dedication to women and human rights in the Middle East.

"Over the past three decades, I have strived to defend women's rights in my home country, in the region of the Middle East, and more broadly on an international level," said the Assembly President. "It therefore immensely gratifies me to see Rutgers recognize our struggle, not only as women from the Middle East but also as women who have dedicated their lives to advancing the rights of other women."
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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INTIMIDATION HAMPERS PROBE INTO POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN DR CONGO - UN

INTIMIDATION HAMPERS PROBE INTO POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN DR CONGO – UN
New York, May 17 2007 3:00PM
Though it has interviewed some 200 victims and witnesses of the post-election clashes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations mission there said today that Government cooperation with investigators has been tepid and many witnesses have been intimidated.

The April human rights <"http://www.monuc.org/News.aspx?newsID=14592">report by the UN Mission in the country (known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/index.html">MONUC), says that, despite those obstacles, its special investigations team plans to conclude this month its probe into the March violence in the capital, Kinshasa, where hundreds were killed during fighting between Government forces and the guards of unsuccessful presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba.

"The team's work suffered from the refusal of the authorities to grant access to some important locations, such as the compound of former Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba and some military camps," the report said.

"Numerous incidents of intimidation by the intelligence services, police and military in the wake of the violence have also discouraged victims, witnesses, hospitals and medical centres staff and authorities from coming forward or speaking freely with the team," it added.

The Mission also found that police officers were involved in a large number of serious human rights violations, especially in the eastern Kasaï Province. Government troops were also found to have summarily executed civilians and to have engaged in other egregious human rights abuses.

It said that members of other armed groups have continued to commit human rights abuses on the populations of North and South Kivu. In particular, reports of attacks by armed Rwandan Hutu militias on villages in area continued throughout the period in review, including allegations of executions, abductions and looting.

Also in the Kivus, Mayi-Mayi militias were accused of multiple rapes, mutilations and killings, including the burning alive of three villagers in retaliation for the death of one of their number at the hands of Government forces.

Yesterday, the UN Security Council extended the deployment of MONUC to help the DRC consolidate security in the wake of recent violence which follows the end of a six-year civil war, widely considered the most lethal conflict in the world since World War II.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UN DISASTER OFFICIALS BEGIN AID ASSESSMENTS IN FLOOD-RAVAGED URUGUAY

UN DISASTER OFFICIALS BEGIN AID ASSESSMENTS IN FLOOD-RAVAGED URUGUAY
New York, May 17 2007 3:00PM
United Nations disaster assessment officials are on the ground in Uruguay, determining what aid is needed to help the thousands of people forced to flee their homes after the worst floods to strike the country in almost half a century.

The UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team, as well as officials from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are carrying out rapid assessments in Durazno, Soriano and Treinta y Tres departments.

Télécoms Sans Frontières, a non-governmental organization (NGO), is also helping with assessments, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today.

Preliminary reports indicate that local authorities are providing enough food, water and medicines to meet emergency needs, while UN agencies operating in the country have also bought supplies such as blankets, mattresses and health and sanitation items.

Although flood levels have receded in some areas, allowing people to return to their homes, the waters are still so high in many places that a comprehensive assessment of the damage to housing and other infrastructure remains impossible.

About 12,000 people were evacuated at the peak of the floods, which followed several days of torrential rainfall across Uruguay. At the height of the downpour, some 350 millimetres of rain fell in just 48 hours starting on 5 May.

The Uruguayan Government estimates that 110,000 people have been affected in nine of the Latin American country's 19 departments. The three hardest-hit departments stretch across the centre of Uruguay.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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FOURTEEN NATIONS ELECTED TO SERVE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

FOURTEEN NATIONS ELECTED TO SERVE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
New York, May 17 2007 3:00PM
Fourteen countries have been <" http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/ga10593.doc.htm">elected to serve on the United Nations Human Rights Council after two rounds of balloting among Member States today at UN Headquarters in New York.

Angola, Bolivia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Qatar, Slovenia and South Africa were successful after the first round of voting, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy were chosen following a second round.

Successful countries – which were elected according to a formula that allots seats among regional groups – needed to obtain an absolute majority of the General Assembly's membership of 192 States. The second round of balloting was restricted to those States which had scored the most votes in the first round without achieving a majority.

In the African States group, Madagascar (182 votes), South Africa (175), Angola (172) and Egypt (168) exceeded the majority during the first round, while India (185), Indonesia (182), the Philippines (179) and Qatar (170) won the seats allotted to the Asian States group. In the Latin America and the Caribbean States group, where two seats were up for grabs, Nicaragua (174) and Bolivia (169) were elected.

Slovenia, which obtained 168 votes, was the only nation in the Eastern European States category to win a majority in the first round, but in the second round Bosnia and Herzegovina picked up 112 votes. Belarus did not score enough votes in either round.

Two seats were available to the Western European and Other States group, and the Netherlands won 121 votes in the opening round, while Denmark and Italy tied on 114 votes. In the second round, Italy scored 111 votes and Denmark obtained 86.

Some of today's successful countries – South Africa, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Netherlands – were actually being elected to their second term after winning a seat during the inaugural elections of the Council last year, when the body was established to replace the discredited Commission on Human Rights.

As part of the Council's formation, some members won three-year terms and others were given one-year terms and allowed to run for re-election again this year. Under Council riles, members serve three-year terms and cannot run for re-election after two consecutive terms. Those elected today will serve three-year terms on the 47-member body.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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ASIA-PACIFIC OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS HEALTH SERVICES, ANTI-POVERTY GOALS AT UN MEETING

ASIA-PACIFIC OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS HEALTH SERVICES, ANTI-POVERTY GOALS AT UN MEETING
New York, May 17 2007 2:00PM
The global anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and strategies for boosting investments in health care are expected to top the agenda this week at the annual high-level meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Officials from 62 <"http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2007/may/g14.asp">UNESCAP member governments have gathered today in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for the week-long meeting – 60 years after the body, then known as the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East, was founded in Shanghai.

The Asia-Pacific Business Forum, a two-day event starting tomorrow, is taking place alongside the Commission meeting, bringing together business leaders and civil society representatives as well as senior government officials.

UNESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su <"http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2007/may/l17.asp">said the Forum would "provide participants with a unique platform to discuss opportunities and challenges for Central Asia's increasing integration into the global economy and to learn from other Asian experiences."

During the Commission meeting's ministerial segment, which begins on Monday, member nations will examine how the region's poorest countries can achieve the <"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs by the target date of 2015.

They will also consider a UNESCAP study that shows a clear link between increased investment in health services and improved economic performance. It also recommends making the national health systems more accessible to vulnerable groups.

Spending on health services is so low in some of the Asia-Pacific region's poorest countries – about 20 States spend less than $20 a person each year – that an additional $25 billion would be necessary to meet the minimum requirements, the study found.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UN STUDY REVEALS LESS THAN HALF OF REGISTERED RETURNEES LIVE IN CROATIA

UN STUDY REVEALS LESS THAN HALF OF REGISTERED RETURNEES LIVE IN CROATIA
New York, May 17 2007 10:00AM
Less than half of some 120,000 ethnic Serbs registered as returnees in Croatia actually live in the country, according to the findings of a just-released survey commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"We estimate that actual returnees account for about 43 percent of the total number of registered returnees," said the report's authors, Zagreb University academics Milan Mesic and Dragan Bagic, during a public presentation in the Croatian capital Tuesday attended by the country's President, Stjepan Mesic, and other dignitaries.

The survey also found that 40 per cent of the registered Serb returnees had settled in the areas -- mainly in Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina -- where they had sought refuge during the war in the 1990s, but visit Croatia at least once a year. Some 6 per cent reside sporadically in Croatia, while about 11 per cent of the registered returnees have died.

Covering a representative selection of 1,450 registered returnees and conducted between September and December last year with the help of the Croatian Red Cross and the Serb Democratic Forum, the survey also found that some 43 per cent of returnees are aged over 60, while 46 percent are retired. The average age of all returnees is 51, compared to the Croatian average of 39 years.

About a third of returnee Serbs were unemployed, compared to a countrywide average of 17 percent for Croatia. Only 8 per cent were employed or self-employed, while 11 per cent were dependent on humanitarian assistance.

The authors concluded that the most effective way to ensure increased and sustainable return of the Serbs was to develop and implement programmes aimed at revitalizing the economy in areas of return and at tapping the labour and entrepreneurial resources of both the Serb returnees and the majority Croat population.

Wilfried Buchhorn, the UNHCR representative in Croatia, endorsed these conclusions. "Stronger
international level is required in order to create better living and employment conditions for the returnees," he said.

The country's leadership, meanwhile, pledged to work for the continued return and reintegration of Croatia's Serb community. "The creation of conditions for the return of all, including the Serbs, is in the best national interest in the full sense of the word," President Mesic said at the presentation of the survey findings.

"There is no alternative to the process of return, and there should not be any. There is no alternative to coexistence, tolerance and equality of all citizens of this country," he added.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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PAKISTAN: UN URGES CALM FOLLOWING UNREST AT REFUGEE CAMP

PAKISTAN: UN URGES CALM FOLLOWING UNREST AT REFUGEE CAMP
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
Reacting to recent unrest at a refugee camp in south-western Pakistan, the United Nations today appealed for calm ahead of next month's planned closure of the facility.

Tensions were sparked on Wednesday at Jungle Pir Alizai camp in Killa Abduallah district of Balochistan province after local authorities said they were bulldozing some walls of an uninhabited compound in the camp as a first step toward closing it. Camp residents started throwing stones in protest, tear gas was fired, and the authorities withdrew from the scene, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which said it could not confirm casualties.

"We regret the outbreak of violence at Jungle Pir Alizai camp," said UNHCR's Representative in Pakistan, Guenet Guebre-Christos. "While we recognize the Government's right to close camps on its soil for security reasons, we also urge the authorities and Afghans to do so in a peaceful way, to preserve the goodwill that has developed between them over the last 27 years."

She added that UNHCR was lending its good offices to offer a way out through voluntary repatriation with enhanced assistance averaging $100 per person, or relocation with transport to and reception facilities at an existing camp in Pakistan.

"As remaining in the camp marked for closure is not an option, we strongly appeal to Afghans that they should avail the opportunity either to relocate to an existing refugee camp or chose voluntary repatriation with UNHCR assistance."

UNHCR has not been able to access Jungle Pir Alizai camp since mid-2005 -- a year after the Pakistan Government first announced that the camp would be closed for security reasons. The closure deadline is set for 15 June.

A census in 2005 counted some 35,000 Afghans living in the camp, including many who claimed to be from the local tribes in Pakistan. Afghans affected by the closure of the camp have been given two choices -- to voluntarily repatriate with UNHCR ass
the existing Ghazgai Minara camp in Balochistan's Loralai district, where they will receive primary education, basic healthcare, water and sanitation facilities.

More than 3 million Afghans have returned home from Pakistan with UNHCR assistance since 2002. Over 2.15 million registered Afghans remain in Pakistan today.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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SRI LANKA: UNICEF HELPS CHILDREN DISPLACED BY ESCALATING CONFLICT

SRI LANKA: UNICEF HELPS CHILDREN DISPLACED BY ESCALATING CONFLICT
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
Despite the insecurity in parts of Sri Lanka torn by conflict, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is working to help the youngest victims of the violence who are increasingly deprived of adequate food, sanitation and education.

The escalating clashes between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or Tamil Tigers, is affecting 3 million people, including over 500,000 who have fled their homes, according to UNICEF.

The agency is supporting a range of activities to alleviate the conflict's psychosocial impact on children. "We've got animators and young people working together with these children and teaching them about mine awareness, but also doing theatre and just play activities," said UNICEF's Chief of Field Coordination in Sri Lanka, Natascha Paddison.

"They're just trying to get a sense of normalcy to the youngsters, which is very important."

Despite UNICEF's best efforts, the impact of the violence on children and families is enormous, with malnutrition rates rising, a lack of access to education and adequate water and sanitation facilities, and recruitment of child soldiers into rebel factions. The psychological effects cannot be underestimated, Ms. Paddison noted.

She said in the conflict-torn areas, children who are asked about the future "don't say what they want to be, but what they want to have -- which is peace. They all say they want the shelling to stop. They want peace."

The situation in Sri Lanka poses many challenges, as multiple players enter the conflict and it become increasingly militarized, said UNICEF, which is working to provide children and families with services.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF GUATEMALAN JOURNALIST

UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF GUATEMALAN JOURNALIST
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has condemned the murder of Mario Rolando López Sánchez, a producer for the Guatemalan station Radio Sonora.

The crime occurred on 3 May, which is commemorated as World Press Freedom Day, and UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura said it was disturbing that this "should become a day of mourning due to another violent act by people who resort to guns to silence their critics."

He voiced confidence that action would be taken in response, saying, "I trust that the Guatemalan authorities will do their utmost to arrest and bring to justice the culprits of this crime."

The 64-year old journalist was hit by several gunshots a few metres from his home. Head producer for Radio Sonora, he also co-produced for the last 14 years a daily programme about politics, entitled Casos y Cosas de la Vida Nacional (Cases and things concerning the life of the nation).

According to Arnulfo Agustín Guzmán, Director of Radio Sonora, the murder cannot be considered an ordinary crime as the victim's car and personal effects were not stolen.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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YOUTH NEED MORE ACCESS TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, BAN KI-MOON SAYS

YOUTH NEED MORE ACCESS TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, BAN KI-MOON SAYS
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged policymakers and industry leaders to work together with young people to give more of them access to information and communications technology (ICT).

"In many instances, young people are the driving force behind innovation in the development and use of new technologies," Mr. Ban said in a message on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which is being observed under the theme Connect the Young.

"But the digital chasm leaves others out of this picture, and unable to capitalize fully on the benefits of globalization," he said. "Young people everywhere must have equal opportunities to rise out of poverty and illiteracy, and to realize their full potential," he added.

Pointing out that the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has been helping the world to communicate from the advent of the telegraph to the present, he said the entire UN system, following the World summit on the Information Society, is now committed to strongly linking ICT with development.

"So let us promote visionary public policies, innovative business models and creative technological solutions that will empower young people and engage them in the global effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals," Mr. Ban urged, referring to the internationally agreed targets for reducing poverty and other world ills by 2015.

Also marking the International Day today, 16 UN information centres (UNICs) that provide communication services to 34 countries in sub-Saharan Africa today launched new websites in an effort to bring the work of the UN closer to local constituencies.

In addition to news generated by UN Headquarters, the UN Country Teams and the UNICs themselves, the websites will host translations, into more than 20 national languages, of key UN documents, as well as providing a variety of links to UN system websites and programmes, according to UNIC Pretoria, w
the sites.

The websites will be based at the UNICs in Ghana, Madagascar, Eritrea, Republic of Congo, Burundi, Senegal, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Togo, Zambia, Lesotho, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Namibia and Cameroon.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UN, CHINA JOIN FORCES TO COMBAT ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME

UN, CHINA JOIN FORCES TO COMBAT ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is joining forces with China to help customs officials in the Asia Pacific region to prevent the smuggling of banned chemicals and endangered species.

"Customs are in the frontline, expected to maximize the benefits society can derive from the globalized trading system while also expected to minimize the risks and threats that trade can pose -- threats from illegal trade in banned or restricted chemicals up to managing movements of living modified organisms and the illegal trade in rare and endangered wildlife," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner told a workshop being held this week at the Shanghai Customs College.

He said China, with some 50,000 customs officials and an increasingly important role in international trade and global political life, could make a key contribution in this field.

Environmental crime and illegal trade is, by some estimates, valued at tens of billion if not well over 100 billion dollars a year, UNEP said in a news release.

A wide range of chemicals, including persistent organic pollutants and substances that deplete the ozone layer, are now controlled, banned or subject to phase outs under multilateral environmental agreements. These measures are aimed at protecting public health and the wider environment but also present opportunities for unscrupulous individuals and organized crime, UNEP said.

Meanwhile treaties such as the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), cover trade in wildlife as part of a range of international measures to allow legitimate trade in animals and plants and restrict or outlaw trade in species under threat.

Mr. Steiner said it was impressive that a treaty like CITES had, over the decades, become as relevant to customs officials work as tackling illegal trade in arms, drugs and trafficking in humans.

The four-day Shanghai workshop, involving UNEP, secretariats of the Multilateral Environme
the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and Interpol, aims to 'train the trainers' from regional customs agencies.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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GOAL OF UNIFIED KOREAN PENINSULA ACHIEVABLE, SAYS BAN KI-MOON

GOAL OF UNIFIED KOREAN PENINSULA ACHIEVABLE, SAYS BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 16 2007 7:00PM
The dream of a reunified Korean Peninsula will come true, if the international community works in concert and all sides are willing to put aside their Cold War tensions, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a speech pledging renewed United Nations commitment towards resolving the outstanding issues in contention.

"All of us should embrace the change coming to our part of the world," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm10996.doc.htm">speech last night in New York to a dinner marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Korea Society.

He welcomed the recent advances in the multilateral negotiations on the nuclear activities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying he was heartened to see it was "back on track" and promising the UN would do all it could to support the process.

In February, the participants in the six-party talks reached an accord on initial steps towards denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula in which the DPRK committed to dismantling its nuclear arms programme in return for international energy and other aid.

"Beyond a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue with North Korea, we should aim to establish a peace mechanism, through transition from armistice to a permanent peace regimen," he said.

Mr. Ban stressed his view that if the international community works together, it "can help achieve a secure, prosperous and democratic Peninsula… It is time to set aside the divisions of the Cold War, and focus on the future."

The Secretary-General said he was equally concerned about ensuring those people most in need in the DPRK, especially children, the elderly and women, receive the aid they require.

"I am determined, through dialogue and engagement with the DPRK and other countries, to mobilize international support for both humanitarian and longer-term development needs in the DPRK, as well as work for goodwill and mutual understanding in the region."

During his speech Mr. Ban also outlined the priorities of his agenda as Secretary-General and the steps he has undertaken so far to achieve those ends. He discussed the crisis in Darfur, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Lebanon's political impasse, violence in Iraq, climate change, human rights, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the internal working culture of the UN.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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UN HEADQUARTERS REFURBISHMENT AIMS TO MEET 'GREEN' STANDARDS - OFFICIAL

UN HEADQUARTERS REFURBISHMENT AIMS TO MEET 'GREEN' STANDARDS – OFFICIAL
New York, May 16 2007 6:00PM
The senior United Nations management official today said a planned $1.9 billion refurbishment of the Organization's dilapidated Headquarters complex will aim to meet or even exceed environmental standards.

Reviewing the timetable for the overhaul, known as the "capital master plan," Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, said parts of the Secretariat's iconic building would be vacated and renovated while other parts would remain in use.

Movement of staff would begin in 2008, with construction on a lawn on the UN's premises to begin the same year so that the General Assembly could meet in the new space during the renovation.

"We are taking this opportunity of the capital master plan to move ahead with the 'greening of the UN,'" she said. "This is a very important opportunity for all of us and we're going to take it to make sure the UN can become a model, if we can, on the environmental front."

She acknowledged that this is a tall order. "It is not going to be easy because this is an old building that we are renovating. If we start from scratch it would be easier," she said.

To guide its work, the UN was following the standards set by LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a group that provides certification to buildings in the United States when they accomplish certain measures. The UN was trying to achieve the group's 'silver rating,'" said Ms. Bárcena.

"We are trying to go further if we can," she added.

Ms. Bárcena said top priority would be given to eliminating safety and health risks. "This is an old building, so as soon as you start renovating there might be the risk of certain substances that can appear in the construction, like asbestos," she said, emphasizing that these factors would be fully taken into account.

She said a recent fire inspection by the local New York City authorities revealed numerous flaws. "Others call them violations but we call them directives," she said of the Fire Department's findings. "They found 850 directives, of which we are taking care of them one by one," she said, adding that a detailed plan of action has also been put into place to address each concern.

"When the capital master plan is finished in 2014 we will not only meet the existing fire safety regulations in New York; we hope that we will exceed them," she said.

The main UN Headquarters buildings were constructed in 1949 and 1950 and have not been significantly improved or maintained since then. They are extremely energy inefficient, costing the UN more than $30 million a year in energy costs alone. The capital master plan is expected to save costs in the long run while saving energy.

Ms. Bárcena also briefed correspondents on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's proposals on UN peacekeeping, which are now under consideration by the budget watchdog, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).

Under the plan, the new Department of Peace Operations would consolidate all factors dealing with strategy, planning and deployment while the new Department of Field Support would take on the responsibility of what Mr. Ban has called the current "impossibly overstretched" management.

Ms. Bárcena said the proposals as they relate to the regular UN budget are "cost neutral," with increases being sought from the "support account," a mechanism funded through the individual budgets of peacekeeping missions. The aim would be to reduce the current headquarters-to-field staff ratio from 1 for every 149 to 1 for every 106. An increase of $65 million is being sought.

"Yes, it includes an increase in posts and yes, it includes an increase in money, but this increase in numbers and resources in a certain way was going to be there even if the restructuring was not proposed," she said, explaining that the changes were long overdue.

Of the 495 new posts being sought, not all were to be in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, she said, noting that some 80 would go to the Office for Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the UN's investigative arm.

Ms. Bárcena also reviewed progress in improving the UN's internal justice system with steps being taken to start strengthening the Ombudsman and mediation capacity while bolstering formal judicial structures.

On a more personal note, Ms. Bárcena said she would make her own financial disclosure form public. This follows the example of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro. Others would be made public on a voluntary basis.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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BOSNIAN LEADERS MUST 'SEIZE THIS MOMENT' FOR REFORMS, UN ENVOY SAYS

BOSNIAN LEADERS MUST 'SEIZE THIS MOMENT' FOR REFORMS, UN ENVOY SAYS
New York, May 16 2007 5:00PM
With reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina blocked for over a year and agreements with the European Union (EU) on the table, the country's leaders must "seize this moment" for progress, the United Nations envoy to the country <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9018.doc.htm">told the Security Council today.

"It is time for the Bosnian leaders to step up to the plate," Christian Schwarz-Schilling, High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement, told the 15-member body, noting that local ownership of reform was producing insufficient progress in the areas of police, constitutional issues and reconciliation.

"That does not mean that the ownership path is wrong – but it is a warning we should not ignore," Mr. Schwarz-Schilling said, stressing that Bosnian authorities must live up to their responsibilities to govern their own country, but also that "serious long-term international engagement must continue."

He said that Bosnia and Herzegovina has an historic window of opportunity to move closer to Europe, now that the EU has approved the text of a Stabilization and Association Agreement.

"The Agreement is ripe to be initialled – but political conditions must be met," he said, calling for leaders to overcome their differences on show real unity for that purpose.

On the matter of police reform, he said party leaders came close to a compromise on two recent occasions, but were stalled by a lack of political will and vision.

In the area of reconciliation, he said the fact that war crimes suspects like Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadžic remained at large was still an impediment to stability in the region and urged Serbia to carry out its obligations to help bring them to justice.

Within Bosnia and Herzegovina, in addition, Mr. Schwarz-Schilling said that there has recently been "ruthless" political manipulation of the issue of the 1995 Srebrenica massacres. To improve the situation in that area, he said he had appointed former United States Ambassador Clifford Bond to coordinate action by local authorities.

Concrete improvements in regard to Srebrenica, he said, involved justice and law enforcement doing their work, rights of returnees being upheld and livelihoods and social conditions restored in the region.

In addition, he urged the UN to establish an international Day of Srebrenica to commemorate the tragedy and to pay respect to the victims of genocide and their families.

While calling for stepped up reform in the areas of the economy, public information, public media and education, Mr. Schwarz-Schilling also noted that there had been much progress in the country.

Such progress includes achievements in regional cooperation, the long-standing issue of police certification and the successful holding of last October's election. Though the subsequent government formation was a long and frustrating process, he said it was carried out by the Bosnian politicians without international intervention.

"Such are the painful learning experiences that accompany the lessons of ownership," he commented.

Adnan Terzic, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the representatives from other interested countries, also spoke during the Council's open meeting.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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BRITISH ADVISER CHOSEN AS NEXT UN ENVOY ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS

BRITISH ADVISER CHOSEN AS NEXT UN ENVOY ON MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS
New York, May 16 2007 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed the United Kingdom's Michael Williams, a long-time United Nations staffer and foreign policy adviser, to the post of Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

Mr. Williams will also serve as the Secretary-General's Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority and his Envoy to the Quartet, the international diplomatic grouping on the Middle East.

Mr. Williams – who replaces Alvaro de Soto of Peru – has been serving as Mr. Ban's Special Adviser on the situation in the Middle East, and was previously Director of the Asia and the Pacific Division in the UN Department of Political Affairs.

He held several senior UN posts during the early 1990s, including within the then UN Transitional Administration in Cambodia (UNTAC) and the UN Protection Force in the Former Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR).

Between 1999 and 2005, Mr. Williams served as a special adviser to successive Foreign Secretaries in the British Government, and he has also worked for Amnesty and as a journalist with the BBC.

Mr. Ban, who conveyed his decision on the Middle East envoy in a letter sent yesterday to Security Council members, announced other senior appointments today.

Haile Menkerios of Eritrea – who is currently the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – becomes the new Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, succeeding Tuliameni Kalomoh of Namibia.

South Africa's Nicholas Haysom has been chosen as the next Director for Political Affairs in Mr. Ban's Executive Office, replacing Carlos Lopes of Guinea-Bissau. Mr. Haysom served most recently as head of the Office of Constitutional Support in the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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DESPITE RECORD CEREAL CROP THIS YEAR, SOME COUNTRIES WILL STRUGGLE - UN AGENCY

DESPITE RECORD CEREAL CROP THIS YEAR, SOME COUNTRIES WILL STRUGGLE – UN AGENCY
New York, May 16 2007 5:00PM
Although global cereal production is expected to reach record levels this year, at least 33 countries are forecast to face serious difficulties, largely because of conflict, economic struggles or bad weather, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000560/index.html">FAO) reported today.

The latest issue of the FAO Crop Prospects and Food Situation report, released at the agency's headquarters in Rome, found that cereal production is on track to reach 2,095 million tons, a jump of 4.8 per cent on the figures from last year. The bulk of the increase is tipped to be in maize production.

Demand and prices are on the rise, according to the report, driven by the fast-growing biofuels industry and by stocks hitting their lowest level in more than 20 years.

FAO warned that this could hurt some States classified as low-income food deficit countries, which will now face higher bills for the import of cereals. Several of these nations, include Morocco and Zimbabwe, are also expecting reduced harvests this year.

Emergency assistance will be needed in 33 countries, the report predicts, with the majority of the affected nations in Africa. Millions of Zimbabweans are expected to face food shortages as the country's economic crisis deepens and inflation continues to skyrocket, while the recent flare-up of conflict in southern Somalia has led to so much displacement that crop production is almost certain to drop sharply around the capital Mogadishu.

Outside Africa, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is a cause for concern, with economic constraints and floods jeopardizing the food supply situation for millions of people. A combination of drought and floods in Bolivia during the main cropping season has left large numbers of vulnerable farmers in the Andean nation as well.

The "countries in crisis requiring external assistance" are: Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, the Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, the DPRK, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Bolivia.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN GAZA PROMPTS CONCERN FROM BAN KI-MOON

ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN GAZA PROMPTS CONCERN FROM BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 16 2007 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today issued a fresh call to Palestinian leaders to bring an end to the factional fighting engulfing the Gaza Strip, voicing "profound concern" at the latest violence, which has caused the deaths of several dozen people in the past week.

The fighting has included "unacceptable attacks on Palestinian Authority installations, institutions and personnel, and endangers civilians throughout Gaza," Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10997.doc.htm">statement.

"Equally unacceptable is the firing by Palestinian militants of rockets into Israel, targeting and injuring civilians."

Stressing that all Palestinian factions must immediately cease all acts of violence, the statement calls on President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and the Palestinian Authority government to play their part to end the fighting and restore calm.

Mr. Ban "underlines the obligations on all parties involved to act in strict accordance with international human rights and humanitarian law, and to ensure that humanitarian operations can continue without impediment."

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA) reported today that at least 37 people have been killed and 114 others injured in internal Palestinian violence since Sunday and that everyday life in Gaza City has become paralyzed as locals are now too afraid to leave their homes.

"There are no shelters for the civilian population, and most people can only seek cover inside their homes, leaving them vulnerable to stray bullets and other types of ammunition," OCHA stated in its latest update on the situation.

"Streets are barricaded and masked gunmen at dozens of impromptu checkpoints stop the few vehicles travelling on the roads for ID checks and searches," the report said, adding that access to education and health care have also been disrupted.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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UN OFFICIALS PAY TRIBUTE TO UGANDAN PEACEKEEPERS AFTER 4 DIE IN SOMALIA

UN OFFICIALS PAY TRIBUTE TO UGANDAN PEACEKEEPERS AFTER 4 DIE IN SOMALIA
New York, May 16 2007 5:00PM
Top United Nations officials paid tribute to Ugandan troops from the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, after four of their number died and several others were injured in an attack today in the violence-torn capital, Mogadishu.

The Special Representative of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for Somalia, François Lonsény Fall, strongly condemned the attack, reiterating his appreciation for the AU mission's initiative to ease the suffering of the people of Somalia, where some of the worst fighting of 16 years of instability recently raged.

"Mr. Fall regretted that such unjustified acts are carried out at a time when efforts are under way by all international partners to help Somalis engage in a genuine political dialogue," the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) said in a press release.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said he was especially saddened by the losses since he had been personally protected by Ugandan peacekeepers during his recent visit to Somalia and had been impressed by their professionalism.

Mr. Holmes was in Kampala, Uganda today, where he met with Government officials, donors and representatives of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), after visiting refugee camps where hundreds of thousands have been displaced during a 21-year conflict between Government forces and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

Continued UN support for the talks on that conflict taking place in Juba, South Sudan is already easing the humanitarian situation both there and in Northern Uganda, he said, but the humanitarian appeal for Uganda is still only half funded.

Mr. Holmes noted that the international community now has many opportunities in the north of the country in providing aid for relief, recovery and development and increasing partnership with the Government.

"We cannot afford to waste this opportunity," Mr. Holmes said. "We have no excuse not to get it right in Uganda, because we can see recovery on the horizon. But it will require collective engagement for several years to come," he cautioned.

Mr. Holmes will return to New York tomorrow and is scheduled to brief the Security Council on his mission to Somalia and Uganda on Monday, 21 May.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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VIOLENCE CONTINUES TO HAMPER HUMANITARIAN AID IN SUDAN'S DARFUR, UN SAYS

VIOLENCE CONTINUES TO HAMPER HUMANITARIAN AID IN SUDAN'S DARFUR, UN SAYS
New York, May 16 2007 5:00PM
Although many humanitarian activities, including a successful polio vaccination campaign, are currently being carried out in Sudan's Darfur region, violence continues to threaten the operations, according to the United Nations Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS).

"Incidents of road banditry and fighting between the warring factions continue to disrupt long-term planning," spokesperson Radhia Achouri said today at the weekly UNMIS press conference in Khartoum.

She said that in North Darfur state, a non-governmental organization (NGO) was forced to suspend its food distributions in the Dar Zaghawa area as a result of aerial bombings by the Government and the high risk of carjackings.

"If the situation does not improve, the NGO's suspension of activities could also affect the populations in Kutum Rural, thus leaving 165,000 people without food assistance at the beginning of the hungry season," she added.

She also said that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the continuous stream of new internally displaced persons (IDPs) is putting a serious strain on several camps, where services and space are running out.

The fact that thousands of Chadian civilians are also streaming into West Darfur is a worrying development, according to OCHA, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is currently investigating the reasons behind this massive move.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million others forced to flee their homes in Darfur since 2003 when fighting flared between rebel forces, the Government and allied militias.

In Southern Sudan, recovering from a separate long-term civil war, UNMIS reports that strong co-operation on returnees continues between the Government of National Unity (GNU), the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) and the UN.

During the past week returns have continued, with over 2,300 IDPs assisted in organized convoys, according to the mission.

Over 34,000 Sudanese IDPs have taken advantage of the transport arranged by the three partners to Southern Sudan and its neighbouring areas since road convoys commenced in early February, the mission said.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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IVORIANS REACH 'TURNING POINT' IN PEACE PROCESS BUT CHALLENGES PERSIST - BAN KI-MOON

IVORIANS REACH 'TURNING POINT' IN PEACE PROCESS BUT CHALLENGES PERSIST – BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 16 2007 5:00PM
The peace process in Côte d'Ivoire has reached "a unique turning point" after the signing of an agreement between the country's rival political leaders two months ago, but many of the fundamental issues that led to its prolonged crisis remain unresolved, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns today.

In his latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/275">report to the Security Council on the work of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unoci/index.html">UNOCI), Mr. Ban says the Ouagadougou agreement reached on 4 March marks the first time "the Ivorian parties have undertaken a dialogue at their own initiative, with a facilitator of their own choice" and then drawn up the framework for resolving the key issues in dispute.

But "the ultimate test for the Ouagadougou agreement" will be its ability to resolve those issues, he writes, citing the reunification of the country, the identification of the population, the disarmament of combatants, and the re-establishment of State authority throughout Côte d'Ivoire.

Failure to effectively deal with these problems could lead to a breakdown of the peace process, with "dire consequences" for the rest of West Africa as well as Côte d'Ivoire itself.

Mr. Ban cautions that the combined political will of the major parties will not be sufficient to sustain the peace process, and he urges the UN and other international partners to play an active rather than passive role in re-developing the capacity of the country's main national institutions.

The dismantling of militias, the cantonment of former fighting forces, the redeployment of State authority and mobile court hearings, all scheduled to begin last month, have had to be delayed, and the Secretary-General says this underlines the fragility of Ivorian institutions.

But he welcomes the willingness of all sides to seek a way out of their crisis, which has kept Côte d'Ivoire divided between the Government-controlled south and the rebel Forces Nouvelles-held north since 2002.

The Ouagadougou agreement, struck in the capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso with the help of that country's President and Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Blaise Compaoré, sets out a series of measures to deal with the political divide.

It calls, among other steps, for: creating a new transitional government; organizing free and fair presidential elections; merging the Forces Nouvelles and the national defence and security forces through the establishment of an integrated command centre; dismantling the militias, disarming ex-combatants and enrolling them in civil services programmes; and replacing the so-called zone of confidence separating north and south with a green line to be monitored by UNOCI.

Since the agreement was signed, President Laurent Gbagbo and Guillaume Soro of the Forces Nouvelles reached a separate pact designating Mr. Soro as the new Prime Minister, stipulating he will remain in office until presidential elections are held, and then barring him from running in that election.

An integrated command centre has also been inaugurated and Mr. Gbagbo has issued an amnesty for national security-related crimes – excluding war crimes, crimes against humanity and economic crimes – committed between 17 September 2000 and the signing of the Ouagadougou agreement.

Mr. Ban's report recommends, based on the advice of a recent technical assessment mission and the views of Ivorian authorities, that UNOCI should not begin to draw down its troop numbers yet, at least until after the zone of confidence has been replaced successfully with a green line. The green line is to be marked by 17 UNOCI observation posts that will be dismantled progressively.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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YELLOW FEVER INITIATIVE FOR WEST AFRICA LAUNCHED AT UN-BACKED HEALTH ASSEMBLY

YELLOW FEVER INITIATIVE FOR WEST AFRICA LAUNCHED AT UN-BACKED HEALTH ASSEMBLY
New York, May 16 2007 1:00PM
The effort to contain deadly yellow fever, recently resurgent in West Africa, received a boost today at the annual policy meeting of the United Nations health agency, with the launch of an immunization campaign backed by a $58 million contribution.

Thanks to the grant from the GAVI Alliance, a public-private partnership focused on increasing children's access to vaccines in poor countries, the world's 12 highest-risk countries will be able to implement comprehensive campaigns to immunize more than 48 million people, the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr23/en/index.html">WHO) said.

"The Yellow Fever Initiative will be able to vaccinate at-risk populations and thus quickly reduce the risk of devastating outbreaks that could otherwise threaten the region and the world," Mike Ryan, Director of the WHO Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response said in Geneva, where the World Health Assembly is convened.

To prevent yellow fever infections from spreading into an epidemic, immunization coverage must be at least 60 to 80 per cent, according to WHO. Until now, though, the vaccine has often been too expensive in light of a host of competing health problems and coverage rates in some West African countries are critically low, the agency said.

In Nigeria, for example, the coverage rate in 2005 was estimated at 36 per cent.

Between the 1940s and 1960s, widespread mass vaccination campaigns in some African countries had resulted in the almost-complete disappearance of yellow fever, an acute viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes that may kill up to 50 per cent of those with severe cases, WHO said.

However, as immunization campaigns waned, a generation of people grew up with no immunity to the disease, and by the 1990s the number of annual cases had risen to an estimated 200,000 per year, with 30,000 deaths, and urban outbreaks were starting to occur.

"As we see more people moving to cities for work, but returning to their rural villages from time to time, we also see the possibility of Yellow Fever epidemics multiply," said Sylvie Briand, Project Manager of the Yellow Fever Initiative in WHO.

Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo are the countries covered by the initiative.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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UN SAYS IT WILL NOT TOLERATE VIOLENCE IN TIMOR-LESTE

UN SAYS IT WILL NOT TOLERATE VIOLENCE IN TIMOR-LESTE
New York, May 16 2007 8:00AM
The top United Nations envoy in Timor-Leste has expressed concern at signs of a resurgence of gang fighting and mob violence in the nation's capital, Dili, in the past 24 hours.

The fighting, which included rock-throwing and arson, occurred yesterday evening between two groups of approximately 100 people in the Bairro Pite area of Dili, according to the UN Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), and continued this morning in the same area. Four small houses and a vehicle were burned.

Malaysian and Portuguese Formed Police Units along with UN Police and the International Stabilization Force (ISF) brought the situation under control, the mission said in a news release. There were no injuries and 17 people were arrested.

The Special Representative of the Secretary General in Timor-Leste, Atul Khare, visited the area this morning to talk with residents affected by the violence.

"While the police, with the assistance of the ISF, took control of the situation very quickly I am concerned to see fighting between groups of young people," Mr Khare said.

"People who commit criminal acts will be treated as criminals by the police," he added. "Claiming to act out of political motivation following last week's election will not be tolerated."

Mr. Khare said he had communicated to all Timorese leaders "that violence justified as political is unacceptable."

President-elect, Jose Ramos Horta, the Secretary-General of Fretilin, Mari Alkatiri and the President of the Democratic Party Fernando Araujo Lasama "all agreed that any persons committing criminal acts who claim to be party supporters should be put in jail," Mr Khare added.

In another development, the envoy formally congratulated Mr. Ramos-Horta on his victory in the country's presidential election.

"During both rounds of the presidential election, all candidates have conducted themselves with dignity and professionalism, and showed respect for democratic principles," Mr. Khare observed.

president at a ceremony in Dili on Sunday.

2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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IRANIAN NEWS AGENCY JOINS UN IN FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER

IRANIAN NEWS AGENCY JOINS UN IN FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER
New York, May 16 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a new partnership with Iran's Cultural Heritage News Agency (CHN) aimed at raising awareness and generating funding for relief operations.

As part of an agreement signed last week, WFP and CHN launched a Tourism against Hunger campaign in which the news agency, whose 100 journalists and photographers specialize on covering issues related to Iran's cultural heritage and tourism, will provide news coverage of all relevant WFP activities throughout the country.

CHN will also provide technical assistance to develop WFP's Farsi/English website, provide translation services as well as help develop a local advocacy strategy that will include the production of news packages, publications and advertisements.

"The partnership between WFP and CHN is yet another sign of how WFP can work with the private sector in raising awareness," said Robert Hauser, WFP's Representative in Iran.

WFP opened an office in Iran in 1971 and was active in several projects requiring food assistance until 1979. At the request of the Government, the agency resumed activities in 1987 and today provides food assistance to over 26,000 Afghan refugees and 4,800 Iraqi refugees in Iran.

In addition, in 2003, WFP provided emergency food assistance to nearly 100,000 survivors of the Bam earthquake and who were gradually able to re-establish their livelihoods.

2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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'FOOD FORCE' VIDEO GAME SWEEPS NORTHERN EUROPE -- UN AGENCY

'FOOD FORCE' VIDEO GAME SWEEPS NORTHERN EUROPE -- UN AGENCY
New York, May 16 2007 8:00AM
As Europe's largest games industry event gets underway in Sweden, "Food Force," the world's first humanitarian video game for children, is celebrating the launch of three new language versions, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced.

"Children have very few opportunities to understand the realities of a hungry world. By engaging children in a fun and creative way, 'Food Force' will help children become better global citizens - now and in the future," said John Powell, WFP Deputy Executive Director for Fundraising and Communications.

In the days leading up Nordic Game 2007, the gathering of video game professionals from the Nordic region and the world, WFP presented translations of the game about hunger in Finnish, Norwegian and German.

These come in addition to versions of the game in Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, Polish, Hungarian and the original English. Swedish, Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish are under development.

Launched in 2005, as the world's first humanitarian video game, Food Force explores the problem of global hunger and the logistics of humanitarian aid work, and is designed for children aged 8 to 13. The game is available as a free internet download from www.food-force.com , where it has been downloaded about 5 million times.

The game consists of six missions in which players join Food Force's crack team of emergency aid workers on the fictitious island of Sheylan.

Children are faced with a number of realistic challenges: piloting helicopters on reconnaissance missions, assembling nutritious ration packs on a tight budget, air-dropping food to remote villages, sourcing and purchasing food supplies, delivering truckloads of food through minefields and rebel-held territories, and using food to help people as they rebuild their lives.

All translations of Food Force have been fully sponsored by WFP partners or carried out pro bono by gaming companies. Yahoo! Games has helpe
with numerous language versions by hosting the game files for download on their servers.

2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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REFUGEE AGENCY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN IN CANADA AIMS TO SHOCK -- UN

REFUGEE AGENCY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN IN CANADA AIMS TO SHOCK -- UN
New York, May 15 2007 11:00PM
The United Nations refugee agency is running a provocative international advertising campaign that employs shock tactics to raise awareness about its work and drum up public support for those who have been forced to flee their homes.

The pro bono TV campaign, launched in Canada earlier this month and also running in about a dozen countries in Europe, South America and Africa, was created by the Toronto office of the BBDO advertising agency, said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which hopes the drive will help raise $1.8 million for the agency this year.

One of the TV spots features a computer-generated snail being pulled from its shell with a pair of tweezers. The tag line reads: "If you think taking one snail from its home is disturbing, you should know it's already been done to 21 million people."

BBDO also produced print and radio advertisements dealing with the theme of home and using sarcasm to get the message across. One of the ads features a photograph of three refugee women shielding themselves from a sandstorm with nothing but their clothes and a blanket. "Refugees are so lucky," the headline says, explaining how high-end appliances cost so much compared to the simple tarp, wood and cardboard materials used by the homeless.

Jonathan Wade, UNHCR's fund-raising officer in Ottawa, said it was agreed from the start that the campaign would be designed to attract the attention of urban professionals. "These are the elusive 30 to 45-year-old professionals who are generally well educated, well read, but have not had direct experience or knowledge of refugee issues," he said.

"We are very gratified that BBDO has offered to leverage the power of advertisement to help refugees," said Jahanshah Assadi, UNHCR representative in Canada, praising the individuals involved in the campaign.

The UNHCR office in Ottawa has received calls from print and broadcast media asking to run the ads, which picked up five
Canadian Marketing Awards in March, before the formal launch of the campaign.

2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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YOUNG PEOPLE IN TURKMENISTAN PRODUCE FILMS ON CHILD RIGHTS -- UNICEF

YOUNG PEOPLE IN TURKMENISTAN PRODUCE FILMS ON CHILD RIGHTS -- UNICEF
New York, May 15 2007 11:00PM
Young people in Turkmenistan are using their creativity to produce short video films on children's rights thanks to an initiative cosponsored by the country's Government and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The "One Minutes Jr. Video" workshop which opened this week in Ashgabat aims to encourage youth expression and motivate children to share their opinions. "The workshop is a chance for young people to speak out to a broad audience, using their creativity to bridge the gap between themselves and the media," the agency said in a news release.

Over the next week, young people will develop their own scripts and produce 60-second videos on child rights in various parts of Ashgabat, including schools, parks, stadiums and markets, and 20 of these shorts will be launched at a National Children's Forum dedicated to child protection, and broadcast on TV, according to UNICEF.

The agency, which organizes "One Minutes Jr. Video" workshops throughout the world in close partnership with the One Minutes Foundation and the European Cultural Foundation, says in many countries the initiative serves as "as a tool for social change."

2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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UN EXPERTS EXAMINE DISABILITY ISSUES, FAMILY SUPPORT

UN EXPERTS EXAMINE DISABILITY ISSUES, FAMILY SUPPORT
New York, May 15 2007 6:00PM
Families of persons with disabilities should be equipped with the resources to provide adequate care and avoid institutionalization, several experts said at a panel discussion today at the United Nations.

"Governments need to assist families with persons with disabilities, making them able to support their disabled members," said Alexei Tulbure, Moldova's Permanent Representative to the UN, who will chair the next session of the Commission on Social Development in 2008.

"We must do everything in our power to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, using families to achieve this goal," he said.

Most Eastern European countries with economies in transition had significant problems in supporting families with persons with disabilities, Mr. Tulbure said. Moldova had some 12,000 children – many of them with disabilities – in institutions because their parents could not afford to take care of them or had left for other countries in search of work.

Historically, the first approach to disability had been medical – seeking to "fix" disability and "make it go away," said Sue Swenson, Executive Director of the Arc of the United States, the nation's tenth largest non profit organization. This had not worked, and the rehabilitation approach had been tried, in an effort to accommodate person with disabilities to what society expected from them. This involved providing those support and services that allowed persons with disabilities to produce and otherwise fit in society.

The third approach had been to investigate what persons with disabilities wanted for their lives, and to provide that – "the rights approach," she said. "My son, who has a learning disability, loves opera. We have a duty to support him in his right to be part of a community and enjoy the very best of human creation."

But there was a forth dimension, Ms. Swenson said. Disability had a social impact, and there was a need to ensure "that all families that include persons with disabilities can enjoy the support they need." Her organization was against institutionalization and for providing support to families, so that they could have loving connections with their members with disabilities.

"Often children with disabilities feel a sense of control instead of a sense of support from their families," she said. Instead, families should be given adequate support, including public support, so that they could be independently able to take care of their disabled members.

Women with disabilities have a right to have a family and children, said MiJoo Kim, Director of the Seoul-based Women with Disabilities Arts and Culture Network. "I am married, with two wonderful children," she said, adding that her organization was trying to foster change by advocating for mothers with disabilities and offering them an art and culture education programme.

Article 23 of the recently adopted UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognized the right to marry and found a family, she said. "Many people still think that mothers with a disability will have disabled children. There are many prejudices against women with disabilities, which prevent many of them from having children," she said.

Governments had a role in providing social services, she said, because "if there is no assistance from the public sector the burden is transferred to the family."

Megan Kirshbaum, Founder and Executive Director of the California-based National Resource Center for Parents with Disabilities "Through the Looking Glass," said the Center was providing parenting skills, education and support for parents with disabilities in 41 countries.

Some 15 per cent of families with children in the United States had one or both parents with a disability, she said. The average out-of-home placement of children of parents with an intellectual disability in the United States was 40 to 60 per cent, she said; with the intervention of "Through the Looking Glass" it was as low as 2 to 7 per cent.

There was a natural process of adaptation between parents with disabilities and their babies, and the "ingenuity of parents and adaptability of children over time" solved many problems. Adaptive techniques and equipment could greatly help both parents and children.

While the expertise of her organization had resulted in new legislation in Idaho, Kansas and California, "there is still the need for a lot of legislation to deal with all this," Ms. Kirshbaum said. "We need to work across disabilities to achieve public interventions," she said, adding, "It is important not to overprotect and isolate families with disabilities, but rather to provide them with the right skills for parenting."

The panel discussion was organized by the United Nations and the New York NGO Committee on the Family to mark <"http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/idf2007.htm">International Day of Families, whose theme this year is "Families and Persons with Disabilities."
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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WORSENING AGRICULTURE FORCES UN TO DOUBLE ITS APPEAL FOR CYCLONE-HIT MADAGASCAR

WORSENING AGRICULTURE FORCES UN TO DOUBLE ITS APPEAL FOR CYCLONE-HIT MADAGASCAR
New York, May 15 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations relief arm today more than doubled the appeal it launched just two months ago to help Madagascar as the country tries to recover and rebuild its agriculture after a series of deadly recent cyclones and tropical storms since December.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is now seeking $19.5 million and those funds are needed urgently, <"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs told a press briefing in Geneva.

More than 450,000 people have been affected by the six cyclones and tropical storms themselves and then by the subsequent heavy floods which have struck the Indian Ocean nation, severely damaging agricultural production in some areas.

This season has been one of the worst cyclone seasons in years for Madagascar, with the most recent tropical storm hitting the northeast in early April.

Ms. Byrs said the food security situation in Madagascar was especially weak because much of the country had been suffering from drought before the cyclone season began at the end of last year.

Last year, the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP) ranked Madagascar 143rd out of 177 nations on its Human Development Index (HDI), which measures social, economic and material well-being.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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TIME FOR SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION ON LEBANESE TRIBUNAL - BAN KI-MOON

TIME FOR SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION ON LEBANESE TRIBUNAL – BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 15 2007 6:00PM
The Security Council should "take necessary action" to ratify the planned special tribunal to try the suspected killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri because the country's own efforts to resolve its political impasse on the issue have not succeeded, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

Responding to <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1028">press questions after his monthly luncheon with Council members at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban said he believed "that, as a matter of principle, there should be no impunity for the perpetrators of political assassinations."

Mr. Ban noted that Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora had sent him a letter stating that "for all practical purposes, the road to ratification through constitutional procedures has no possibility" and calling on the Council to therefore take steps to ensure the tribunal is ratified and can enter into force.

"I am of the view that, after having exhausted all diplomatic efforts by the United Nations, including myself, and having received an official request from the Government of Lebanon, asking the Security Council to take necessary action, I think it is necessary for the Security Council to take necessary action," he said.

Lebanon's major political figures – who have all expressed support in principle for such a tribunal – have remained deadlocked on the issue for months, with many opposition figures saying the resolution of a dispute over the current composition of the Government was a precondition for setting up the tribunal.

Mr. Ban held talks with Lebanese leaders during a visit to the Middle East last month, and last month he dispatched his UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel to try to persuade the leaders to settle their differences and begin the process of parliamentary ratification. But Mr. Michel subsequently told the Council that no progress had been made.

Asked today about the potential destabilization of Lebanon if the Council proceeds with action to ratify the tribunal, Mr. Ban said "even at this time I would hope and urge the Lebanese Government and people to agree themselves on a national consensus to establish the special tribunal in accordance with the [earlier] decision of the Security Council."

The planned tribunal will be of "an international character" to deal with the assassination of Mr. Hariri, who was killed along with 22 others in a massive car bombing in downtown Beirut in February 2005.

Once it is formally established, it will be up to the tribunal to determine whether other political killings in Lebanon since October 2004 were connected to Mr. Hariri's assassination and could therefore be dealt with by the tribunal.

In April 2005 the Security Council set up the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) after an earlier UN mission found that Lebanon's own inquiry into the Hariri assassination was seriously flawed and that Syria was primarily responsible for the political tensions that preceded the attack. Its mandate runs out next year.

Serge Brammertz, the current head of the IIIC, told the Council last September that evidence obtained so far suggests that a young, male suicide bomber, probably non-Lebanese, detonated up to 1,800 kilograms of explosives inside a van to assassinate Mr. Hariri.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General's latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/262">report to the Council on the implementation of <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1559(2004)">resolution 1559 states that Lebanon's prolonged political crisis over the Government's composition and the ratification of the tribunal proves that the country's transition in recent years is far from complete.

"The enduring stand-off also demonstrates that Lebanon is in need of a comprehensive and, most importantly, consensual political framework, as manifested in the Taif Agreement," Mr. Ban writes, referring to the 1989 deal that followed the country's protracted civil war.

Without such a framework, "Lebanon will not be able to make much further progress towards reasserting its sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence, or to sustain such progress in the long term."

The report voices concern at allegations that arms are being trafficked illegally across the border from Syria into Lebanon and that various Lebanese and foreign groups are being armed again.

"I am deeply worried that the political crisis in Lebanon may be deepened and exacerbated by the allegations and related speculation. Most importantly, fears of and speculation fuelling a process of widespread rearmament of political groups in Lebanon have raised the spectre of return to Lebanon's darkest days. This must not happen."

The Secretary-General stresses the importance of establishing formal diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria, delineating the Syrian-Lebanese border and better monitoring it.

He urges all sides to play their part to implement resolution 1559, the Taif Agreement and all other relevant Council resolutions and ensure that their role is always peaceful.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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UN AID AGENCY APPEALS FOR $3.5 MILLION FOR CENTRAL AFRICAN LOGISTICS NEEDS

UN AID AGENCY APPEALS FOR $3.5 MILLION FOR CENTRAL AFRICAN LOGISTICS NEEDS
New York, May 15 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2478">WFP) today made an urgent appeal for $3.5 million for transport and storage needs in the Central African Republic (CAR), in order to feed at least 230,000 people affected by recent violence and displacement.

"The current infrastructure cannot cope with the scale of our new operation so we're going to have to do the job ourselves," WFP Country Director Jean-Charles Dei said.

"We need additional financial support to accomplish that, not only for WFP but also for other humanitarian organizations that need the means to reach people whose lives are at stake," he stressed.

According to a WFP press release, 25 all-terrain trucks are being moved to the country, along with eight food storage structures and temporary office and living accommodation for WFP staff.

Funding is also necessary for repairs to roads and bridges which are crumbling in decay, WFP said.

Nearly 300,000 Central Africans have had to flee their homes over the past year because of the escalating fighting, banditry and rebel attacks. Many people are living in the open bush, too afraid to return to their former homes.

In addition to the new funds required to reinforce logistics, WFP's current food assistance programme still has a shortage of $25 million for operations in the CAR, one of the world's poorest countries.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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UN JOINS WITH HOLOCAUST MUSEUM TO FOSTER GENOCIDE PREVENTION, REMEMBRANCE

UN JOINS WITH HOLOCAUST MUSEUM TO FOSTER GENOCIDE PREVENTION, REMEMBRANCE
New York, May 15 2007 5:00PM
United Nations information staff from around the Western Hemisphere are spending this week exploring the Holocaust and ways that public outreach can prevent future genocides.

At a groundbreaking seminar at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., participants will examine topics as diverse as the genesis of famous anti-Semitic texts and genocide in the Internet era.

The seminar, "The History of the Holocaust: Confronting Hatred, Preventing Genocide and Cultivating Moral Responsibility," is the result of a new partnership between the museum and the UN Department of Public Information (DPI).

Information Officers from UN Information Centres in Paraguay, Colombia, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil and the United States are taking part to support educational initiatives on the Holocaust by Member States, mandated in a 2005 General Assembly resolution.

They are exploring how intolerance can lead to the breakdown of democratic values and, in its extreme form, turn into mass killing, according to DPI's outreach division.

They will also examine the moral obligation and responsibility that each community has – both individually and collectively – to protect human rights and preserve human dignity, the division said.

"History has shown that the Holocaust was intimately linked to the founding of the United Nations," Kiyo Akasaka, UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information said in a message to participants.

"I urge you to be curious, ask questions and reflect on ways in which you can enhance outreach activities in your respective countries in the areas of Holocaust remembrance, human rights and genocide prevention," Mr. Akasaka said.

The seminar, which began yesterday and will run until 18 May, will be conducted in English and Spanish by experts in Holocaust studies and genocide prevention, with first-person presentations also given by Holocaust survivors.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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IRAQ: UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF JOURNALISTS IN IRAQ

IRAQ: UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF JOURNALISTS IN IRAQ
New York, May 15 2007 3:00PM
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) has condemned the murder of three journalists and their driver earlier this month in northern Iraq, as well as a separate deadly attack on a radio station in Baghdad.

"I condemn the killing of journalists Raad Mutashar, Imad Abdul-Razzaq al-Obeidi and Ageel Abdul-Qader, and of their driver Nibras Razzaq," said UNESCO's Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura on Monday. "The appalling list of journalists and media professionals who have died in Iraq is growing ever longer."

He said the killings of media professionals in Iraq are unprecedented. "Never in history have so many journalists been murdered. Attacks against journalists constitute attacks against fundamental liberties."

Mr. Matsuura repeated his call for the authorities to "take urgent measures to put a stop to these violent acts and to provide better protection for media personnel."

Raad Mutashar, president of the Writers' Union in Kirkuk, was the owner of the Al-Raad media company which publishes newspapers and magazines. Imad Abdul-Razzaq al-Obeidi and Ageel Abdul-Qader worked for the company. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), they were forced out of their vehicle, tortured and shot to death near Rashad, southwest of Kirkuk. Their driver Nibras Razzaq was also killed.

These last four murders and the death on 6 May of Russian photographer Dmitry Chebotayev, in a bomb blast targeting the American soldiers he was with, brings the number of journalists and media employees killed in Iraq in the last four years to over 200, according to the IFJ.

In a separate statement issued on Monday, Mr. Matsuura also condemned the 3 May attack by a large number of masked and armed individuals on Radio Dijla in Baghdad. One radio staff member was killed and equipment was destroyed, forcing a halt to broadcasts.

"I condemn the attack against Radio Dijla on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day," declared the Director-General. "The attack which cost the life of the guard Adel al-Badri is only one of the many aggressions perpetrated against this radio and its staff."

He emphasized that independent voices, such as Radio Dijla's, are necessary for the reconstruction of a democratic Iraq. "But they are much too vulnerable," he added.

On 17 March, Radio Dijla anchor Karim Manhal and driver Thamir Sabri were abducted. There has been no news of the two since then. In December 2006, Nabil Ibrahim al Dulaimi, a journalist for Radio Dijla, was gunned down by unknown assailants. The Committee for the Protection of Journalists is also investigating the abduction on 13 September 2006 of Muhammad Abdul Rahman, another one of the Radio's employees.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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UN HEALTH CHIEF CALLS FOR BUILDING OF 'HEALTH LEGACY' FOR WOMEN, AFRICA

UN HEALTH CHIEF CALLS FOR BUILDING OF 'HEALTH LEGACY' FOR WOMEN, AFRICA
New York, May 15 2007 3:00PM
The chief of the United Nations World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/wha01/en/index.html">WHO) today called on global leaders to build a "health legacy" for women and the people of Africa, as she addressed the annual policy meeting of the body in Geneva Switzerland.

"I have identified the health of two populations as indicators of our overall performance: the people of Africa and women," WHO Executive Director Margaret Chan said.

Dr. Chan said that women need special attention in health agendas because of their function as care-givers and their reproductive role.

"Women are agents of change," she pointed out. "They can lift households and communities out of poverty."

She stressed, in addition, that Africa bears an overwhelming burden of disease and must not be left behind by development.

Endorsing the continent's first overarching health strategy, which was developed under the auspices of the African Union, Dr. Chan said it "emphasizes the need to revitalize the primary health care approach, and calls for a minimum package of core interventions that can be made available to all."

Dr. Chan opened her presentation with an upbeat assessment of the importance of health and health policy in the world: "Health is now seen as a key area of engagement for foreign policy. Health has become an attractive focus for corporate social responsibility."
While acknowledging that there will always be unmet needs, she said, "health has never before received such attention or enjoyed such wealth."

The 60th World Health Assembly, which is attended by 193 Member States, runs from 14 through 23 May.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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NORTHERN UGANDA IMPROVING BUT STILL FACES PROBLEMS - UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF

NORTHERN UGANDA IMPROVING BUT STILL FACES PROBLEMS – UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF
New York, May 15 2007 2:00PM
Meeting with local authorities and aid workers in northern Uganda, the United Nations humanitarian chief warned today that the region still faces serious problems despite the recently improved security situation.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes spent much of the day in Kitgum district, where about 260,000 IDPs are living in 23 settlements because of the 21-year conflict between Government forces and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

During meetings with local authorities in Kitgum, Mr. Holmes stressed that problems remain in the north despite the signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement last year by the two sides.

Peace talks between the Government and the LRA resumed at the weekend in Juba, southern Sudan, but Mr. Holmes – who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator – said the international community must continue its support to the recovery process and to locals as they try to return to their former homes.

Thousands of people have been killed and an estimated 1.5 million others have become displaced in Uganda or in neighbouring countries since the LRA insurgency began in 1986. During that time, 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.

In October 2005 the International Criminal Court (ICC) 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.

Tonight Mr. Holmes is scheduled to visit an IDP camp that is also home to numerous ex-combatants in the conflict, and he is expected to hold talks there with aid workers, elders, and women and children who had been previously abducted.

Earlier today in Kampala, the national capital, the Under-Secretary-General met Ugandan Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi and the Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees. Yesterday he held what he described as "a lively exchange" with President Yoweri Museveni.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN DR CONGO UNTIL YEAR'S END

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN DR CONGO UNTIL YEAR'S END
New York, May 15 2007 2:00PM
Aiming to help the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) cement stability, the Security Council today extended the deployment of the United Nations peacekeeping mission there until the end of this year.

Through a resolution adopted unanimously, the 15-member body agreed to maintain the personnel strength of the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/index.html">MONUC), whose mandate was due to expire today, at approximately 17,000 troops, 760 military observers, 400 police trainers and 750 personnel of formed police units.

The resolution reaffirmed the importance of security sector reform and of the reintegration of Congolese and foreign armed groups for the long-term stabilization of the county, which is rebuilding following the end of a six-year civil war that cost 4 million lives due to fighting, hunger and disease.

In March, hundreds of people were killed in the capital, Kinshasa, during fighting between Government forces and the guards of the former vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba, who lost the run-off round of landmark presidential elections to Joseph Kabila last year.

In January and February, in the country's far west Bas-Congo province, violent clashes over closely contested local elections led to the deaths of more than 130 people.

In the wake of those deadly clashes, the Council called on the DRC's authorities and political parties to pursue national reconciliation and resolve their differences through dialogue, with respect to the constitutional framework and the law.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON VOWS TO BOOST COOPERATION WITH ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE

BAN KI-MOON VOWS TO BOOST COOPERATION WITH ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE
New York, May 15 2007 2:00PM
Praising the cooperative relationship between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today anticipated strengthening these ties in the years ahead.

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10995.doc.htm">message to the OIC Ministerial Conference meeting in Islamabad, Mr. Ban said the gathering comes at a crucial juncture. "Instability in Islamic States – from Afghanistan and Iraq to Sudan and Somalia – carries profound implications for international peace and security," he said, calling for a sustained and collective response.

"The OIC, as a leading multilateral institution, is well placed to play a leading role in addressing all these challenges," said Mr. Ban. "I would especially like to commend the excellent cooperation between the Untied Nations and the OIC."

The Secretary-General said engagement between the two on matters of peace and security "holds tremendous promise," while joint UN-OIC economic, cultural and social projects are "already yielding significant dividends" in a number of countries.

"I look forward to strengthening these ties even further in the months and years to come," Mr. Ban said in the statement, which was delivered by his Special Adviser on the International Compact with Iraq and Other Political Issues, Ibrahim Gambari.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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SRI LANKA: UN REFUGEE AGENCY ASSISTS RETURN OF THOUSANDS WHO FLED CONFLICT ZONE

SRI LANKA: UN REFUGEE AGENCY ASSISTS RETURN OF THOUSANDS WHO FLED CONFLICT ZONE
New York, May 15 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations refugee agency announced today that it had begun helping Sri Lanka return over 90,000 displaced civilians who had fled heavy fighting in February between Government and rebel troops.

The return of the villagers, who left West Batticaloa in the eastern part of the island as the Government fought to dislodge the forces of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), appears to be voluntary, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"Our staff monitoring the situation on the ground say the majority of people are eager to return home, the returns are voluntary and in line with international protection standards," UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/464982332.html">said in Geneva.

However, she cautioned that attention must be given to people with special needs and urged the Government to continue the step-by-step phased approach, upholding international standards and ensuring that returns will continue to be voluntary under any circumstances and at all times.

"UNHCR will continue to monitor the returns and report directly to the government on any problems regarding the voluntariness and any deviation from the civilian characteristics of the move," she said, calling on the Government to speed up access for all international aid agencies to the region so they can carry out assistance programmes.

Starting Wednesday, UN agencies will be given full access to West Batticaloa to provide support to the returnees, she noted, and the UNHCR representative is already on the ground to observe the first movements and speak with officials about reintegration plans.

Local government officials are registering the returnees and issuing them with identity documents and are providing rations both at the point of departure and on return to the villages, according to UNHCR.

Ms. Pagonis added that there is a need for a more comprehensive understanding of what kind of assistance is required in the return areas to help restore essential services and boost livelihood opportunities.

"UNHCR together with its partners is looking at possible reintegration packages and is calling on the international community to help with assistance, as well as asking the government to expedite its own rehabilitation plan for the return areas," she said.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE AGENCY SEEKS URGENT HEALTH CARE FOR PALESTINIANS AT IRAQ BORDER CAMP

UN REFUGEE AGENCY SEEKS URGENT HEALTH CARE FOR PALESTINIANS AT IRAQ BORDER CAMP
New York, May 15 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations refugee agency said today it is "highly concerned" over living conditions for hundreds of Palestinians who fled their homes in Baghdad to a camp near Iraq's Syrian border, which has no healthcare and is vulnerable to a harsh climate.

"We are particularly worried about the lack of medical facilities – many of the camp's 942 residents need urgent medical attention, including a mother of seven who suffers from leukaemia and a teenage diabetic boy," Jennifer Pagonis, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4649822f4.html">said of the Al Waleed facility.

At least three people, including a six-month-old baby, have died from treatable illnesses since the camp opened last December, Ms. Pagonis said.

A UNHCR team that visited this week found the tented camp overcrowded and many of its residents suffering from respiratory and other ailments, with the nearest hospital in Iraq four hours away by roads that pass through dangerous territory.

Water is trucked to the camp daily, but this is rationed to less than one litre per person because of the increasing numbers of Palestinians fleeing Baghdad violence.

International aid agencies, including UNHCR, are not allowed to maintain a presence in the camp due to security reasons and so they must visit during the day and only on an infrequent basis.

The agency said that living conditions are only likely to get worse during the summer months, when temperatures soar and sandstorms threaten.

A steady flow of Palestinians have fled Baghdad since March 2006, when intimidation, forced evictions and attacks against their community began mounting.

According to UNHCR, an estimated 1,400 Palestinians are living in desperate conditions along the Iraq-Syria border, unable to cross the frontier into a country already straining to cope with hundreds of thousands of refugees from Iraq.

"UNHCR has repeatedly called for international support, but with limited success," Ms. Pagonis said.
2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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IRAQ: UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF JOURNALISTS NEAR KIRKUK

IRAQ: UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF JOURNALISTS NEAR KIRKUK
New York, May 15 2007 9:00AM
The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has condemned the murder of three journalists of the Al-Raad media company and their driver earlier this month near Rashad in northern Iraq.

"I condemn the killing of journalists Raad Mutashar, Imad Abdul-Razzaq al-Obeidi and Ageel Abdul-Qader, and of their driver Nibras Razzaq," said UNESCO's Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura on Monday. "The appalling list of journalists and media professionals who have died in Iraq is growing ever longer."

He said the killings of media professionals in Iraq are unprecedented. "Never in history have so many journalists been murdered. Attacks against journalists constitute attacks against fundamental liberties."

Mr. Matsuura repeated his call for the authorities to "take urgent measures to put a stop to these violent acts and to provide better protection for media personnel."

Raad Mutashar, president of the Writers' Union in Kirkuk, was the owner of the Al-Raad media company which publishes newspapers and magazines. Imad Abdul-Razzaq al-Obeidi and Ageel Abdul-Qader worked for the company. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), they were forced out of their vehicle, tortured and shot to death near Rashad, southwest of Kirkuk. Their driver Nibras Razzaq was also killed.

These last four murders and the death on 6 May of Russian photographer Dmitry Chebotayev, in a bomb blast targeting the American soldiers he was with, brings the number of journalists and media employees killed in Iraq in the last four years to over 200, according to the IFJ.

2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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SOCIETIES MUST AID FAMILIES TO PROTECT RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: BAN KI-MOON

SOCIETIES MUST AID FAMILIES TO PROTECT RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 15 2007 8:00AM
Marking the International Day of Families, celebrated today, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the international community to assist families to empower and enrich the lives of the persons with disabilities in their households.

"On this International Day of Families, let us dedicate ourselves to enabling the family, the most basic unit of society, to fulfil its role in ensuring that persons with disabilities enjoy full human rights and dignity, and flourish as individuals," Mr. Ban said, introducing this year's theme for the Day, "Families and Persons with Disabilities."

He said that, for many persons with disabilities, the family is already a source of empowerment, while others experience their family as overly protective, restrictive or a source of shame or even abuse.

Citing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the General Assembly in December 2006, Mr. Ban noted that families should be given protection and assistance so they can contribute towards the full and equal enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities.

In article 23 of the Convention, governments agreed to protect persons with disabilities against discrimination in matters relating to marriage, relationships and the family. They also agreed to ensure the equal rights of children with disabilities with respect to family life, and to ensure that children with disabilities are not separated from their families against their will, except when necessary for the best interests of the child.

Should the immediate family be unable to care for a child with disabilities, governments agreed to undertake every effort to provide alternative care within the wider family or, failing that, within the community in a family setting, the Convention states.

2007-05-15 00:00:00.000

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WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PANEL OPENS SESSION AT UN

WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PANEL OPENS SESSION AT UN
New York, May 14 2007 7:00PM
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) set up to monitor compliance with a landmark treaty on the issue today opened its <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/wom1624.doc.htm">session at United Nations Headquarters in New York with plans to review reports from Mauritania, Serbia, Syria, Mozambique, Niger, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu.

The 23-member expert panel will also continue important work under the Convention's Optional Protocol, which enables the Committee, based on certain criteria, to undertake inquiries into possible grave or systematic violations of women's rights.

The Committee is also scheduled to meet with representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to hear information about the countries that are reporting at the current session.

In opening remarks, Rachel N. Mayanja, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, recalled that Ban Ki-moon has endorsed calls to consolidate and strengthen several current women's units into "one dynamic UN entity" focused on gender equality and women's empowerment, which should mobilize change at the global level and inspire enhanced results at the country level.

The Committee is tasked with ensuring that 185 States parties meet their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Adopted in 1979 by the General Assembly, the pact is often described as an international bill of rights for women. In a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end it.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF DISCUSSES PEACE TALKS WITH UGANDAN PRESIDENT

UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF DISCUSSES PEACE TALKS WITH UGANDAN PRESIDENT
New York, May 14 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator held talks today with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, stressing the importance of protecting civilians and meeting their humanitarian needs during the current peace process between the African country's Government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

John Holmes, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, met Mr. Museveni in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, at the start of the second leg of his African tour.

Mr. Holmes described the meeting as "a lively exchange" and said the latest round of peace talks in Juba, southern Sudan, between the Ugandan Government and the LRA topped the discussions, according to a press release issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA).

The peace talks resumed on the weekend, a month after the two sides agreed to extend an agreement on a formal cessation of hostilities – first struck last year – until the end of June.

Mr. Holmes said he emphasized to Mr. Museveni the importance of meeting humanitarian needs during the anticipated return process for some of the vast population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees.

"We agreed that the United Nations and the Government of Uganda should work on humanitarian and development issues in the coming years and also enhance partnership to ensure a smooth transition process," he said.

He added that the two men discussed the security situation in Karamoja, one of Uganda's poorest regions, where there has been escalating violence since November last year. Last month UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said "the indiscriminate and excessive use of force" by Government forces had led to the deaths of 69 civilians in Karamoja between last November and the end of March.

Tomorrow Mr. Holmes is expected to travel to Kitgum district in the north to meet aid workers and local authorities and tour settlement camps for IDPs, including ex-combatants. Kitgum is home to about 260,000 IDPs spread across 23 settlements.

Thousands of people have been killed and an estimated 1.5 million others have become displaced in Uganda or neighbouring countries since the LRA insurgency began in 1986. During that time, 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.

In October 2005 the International Criminal Court (<"http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html&l=en">ICC) 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.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS DESERVE BETTER GOVERNMENT POLICIES, SAYS ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS DESERVE BETTER GOVERNMENT POLICIES, SAYS ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT
New York, May 14 2007 7:00PM
Governments around the world can play a crucial role in helping to lift women and their families out of poverty by introducing more gender-sensitive policies that offer greater employment, taxation and investment opportunities for women, especially those who want to be entrepreneurs, the General Assembly President said today.

Speaking to a conference at UN Headquarters in New York on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the set of eight anti-poverty goals agreed to by world leaders in 2000, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa called on governments to incorporate gender perspectives into their fiscal and monetary policies. Promoting gender equality and empowering women is one of the eight MDGs.

"Gender-sensitive policies assist women entrepreneurs in accessing markets and obtaining reasonable interest rates for loans, as well as promote decent employment opportunities, fair taxation, and investments in infrastructure," Sheikha Haya said.

Ms. Haya emphasized that experience from developing nations in Asia, Latin America and Africa showed that when women are given the chance to succeed through small business loans or increased educational opportunities, they take it, benefiting themselves, their families and their local communities.

She noted that 13 million entrepreneurs worldwide have advanced thanks to microfinance, using the small loans to increase their income and lift their families out of poverty. Yet an estimated 200 million families still do not have access to affordable credit.

Ms. Haya also noted that the Internet can also help by giving women a voice and allowing them to tap into information and communication technologies.

The conference was organized by Women Together, a non-governmental organization (NGO).
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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UN GROUP TARGETS OBSTACLES THAT PREVENT POOR FROM ACCESSING FINANCIAL SERVICES

UN GROUP TARGETS OBSTACLES THAT PREVENT POOR FROM ACCESSING FINANCIAL SERVICES
New York, May 14 2007 6:00PM
A United Nations group that was formed to promote financial inclusion has released a series of key messages designed to remove the obstacles that prevent poor people from opening a bank account, taking a loan or buying insurance to protect their crops.

The messages, which are targeted at governments, regulators, development partners and the private sector, were formed through a consultative process lead by the UN Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors.

Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, a member of the Advisors Group and chairperson of the working group on advocacy, said she hopes the key messages clarify the role of the four different target groups. "We need to expand financial inclusion so that the poor can get access to financial services," she said.

"But let us be clear: microcredit can be a catalyst for growth but not a quick fix to the poverty problem. It takes a concerted development effort that calls on the private sector, governments, regulators and development partners alike to each play their natural role."

Richard Weingarten, Executive Secretary of the UN Capital Development Fund (<"http://www.uncdf.org/english/microfinance/advisors_group/index.php">UNCDF), said the Advisors are fully engaged in advocacy efforts to address the obstacles that limit access to financial products and services. "The Advisors will bring these messages to governments, regulators, development partners and the private sector to underscore the constructive role each of those groups can play in broadening access to financial sectors."

Among other messages, the Group advises governments that inclusive financial sectors require building and supporting permanent, local financial institutions and embracing new technologies and systems that deliver a diverse range of financial products and services to the poor.

It notes that governments' vision for a well-functioning financial system should include access for all citizens to a broad range of financial products and services including savings, credit, insurance, and money transfers.

Messages for Regulators include that their role is to establish environments that allow a diverse range of institutions to provide a wide variety of financial products and services.

Regulators must be flexible in their approach; they must mitigate risks, without limiting access to financial services, the Group notes, adding that regulators must also exercise caution that anti-money laundering and related regulations do not block access to financial transfers that are critical for poor people.

The Group points out that providing financial products and services to poor people represents a large business opportunity for the private sector. Providers of financial products and services should use their strengths to develop a range of products that better serve the needs of the poor, it says in messages to the private sector.

Addressing development partners, the Group says development assistance for inclusive finance should complement private sector activities, not compete with them. Better information on the performance of development partner investment portfolios is essential, the Group says, noting that "what is not measured cannot be managed."

Created by the UN for a two-year term following the 2005 International Year of Microcredit, the Group's principal role is to advise the United Nations system and member states on global issues relating to inclusive finance.

The UNCDF, the UN organization that hosted the Secretariat for the 2005 International Year of Microcredit, also hosts the Secretariat for the UN Advisors Group in collaboration with the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON HAILS REV. TAKEYASU MIYAMOTO AS 'TIRELESS' CHILDREN'S ADVOCATE

BAN KI-MOON HAILS REV. TAKEYASU MIYAMOTO AS 'TIRELESS' CHILDREN'S ADVOCATE
New York, May 14 2007 6:00PM
On the occasion of the ninetieth birthday of Reverend Takeyasu Miyamoto, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed the long-time advocate for children as "a legendary humanitarian."

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10993.doc.htm">message delivered today in Tokyo by Kul C. Gautam, Deputy Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF), Mr. Ban noted that Mr. Miyamoto has long championed grass-roots efforts to improve the lives of children everywhere through the Arigatou Foundation.

"His vision and commitment also led him to establish the Global Network of Religions for Children, a worldwide interfaith network dedicated to the well-being of children," Mr. Ban noted.

Many of the faith-based organizations founded by Reverend Miyamoto work closely with several UN agencies, including UNICEF. "Every day, these collaborations help advance our shared mission to promote child rights, world peace and global understanding," the Secretary-General said.

"Reverend Miyamoto is a tireless advocate for children and a legendary humanitarian."
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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UN'S TOP COMMUNICATION OFFICIAL HAILS ADOPTION OF TEXT ON INFORMATION WORK

UN'S TOP COMMUNICATION OFFICIAL HAILS ADOPTION OF TEXT ON INFORMATION WORK
New York, May 14 2007 6:00PM
The senior United Nations communications official has hailed the adoption of a wide-ranging draft resolution by the world body's Committee on Information as a "road map for the year ahead."

Addressing the broad range of information services provided by the UN, the resolution notes that these should furnish comprehensive, objective and equitable information about the issues before the Organization and maintain editorial independence, impartiality and accuracy and full consistency with the resolutions of the General Assembly.

"The draft resolution that you now have adopted provides the Department for Public Information (DPI) with a clear and comprehensive roadmap for the year ahead," Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, told the concluding session of the Committee on Information on Friday.

The partnership between DPI and the Committee on Information is of primary importance, he said. "The whole world is our audience, but you are our mentors and our primary focus group – helping us gauge how we are doing, where we need to make changes and how to be more effective in our work," Mr. Akasaka told the assembled delegates.

He cited the example of the interactive dialogue held on the opening day of this year's session. "You not only spoke candidly about what we do and how we do it, but you also provided us with useful benchmarks and suggestions for progress," he said.

Reporting on the results of a survey, he said some 40 per cent of respondents described the Department as either effective or very effective in raising awareness about the UN in their respective countries.

"But it is also of real interest to me as a newcomer to DPI to know that half of you still think that DPI is only 'somewhat effective,'" he added. "The quick conclusion I draw from this is that it is essential for us to continue to improve the way we work at the country level."

Mr. Akasaka, who took office in March following a long career on the international scene, said the Committee's session had furnished lessons. "I will soon sit down with my senior managers to review your deliberations and to identify areas where you want us to refocus our efforts," he said, pledging to work together to inform the world about the work accomplished by the UN.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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INJECTING DRUG USERS MISSING OUT ON HIV PREVENTION SERVICES, FINDS UN REPORT

INJECTING DRUG USERS MISSING OUT ON HIV PREVENTION SERVICES, FINDS UN REPORT
New York, May 14 2007 5:00PM
Fewer than one in every 10 injecting drug users have access to basic HIV prevention and treatment services, even though they comprise almost one third of new infections outside sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Joint UN Programme Against HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

In its latest review of the global response to the AIDS pandemic, released on Friday, <"http://www.unaids.org/en/MediaCentre/PressMaterials/FeatureStory/20070511_BP_High_coverage_sites.asp">UNAIDS found that the social and legal stigmas surrounding drug use mean people with drug dependence problems are often unwilling or unable to use HIV treatment programmes because of fears of recrimination.

Only 8 per cent of injecting drug users receive HIV prevention services, the review observed, despite increased political commitment and funding worldwide to tackle the AIDS pandemic.

Anindya Chatterjee, UNAIDS Adviser on Prevention and Public Policy, said the care and treatment for drug users is lagging behind the overall response to AIDS.

"We know that focused HIV prevention programmes have been successful in reducing HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs," Mr. Chatterjee said. "In countries and cities where harm reduction programmes have been implemented early and on a large scale, HIV prevention programmes have been successful – down to less than 5 per cent in some cases."

The review cited examples in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Brazil and Hong Kong, China.

But given drug use is illegal in most countries and often punishable by incarceration, some of the HIV prevention programmes tailored for injecting drug users have met strong resistance from governments and local communities.

The review noted that such initiatives worked best when they followed an advocacy campaign in which support was established first among local community representatives, and then among the mass media.

It warned that programmes rarely achieve immediate success and that funding for these initiatives should therefore be solid, flexible and sustainable to overcome early concerns about the merit of the prevention services.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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DR CONGO: UN ENVOY VOWS TO HELP GROWING NUMBERS OF DISPLACED IN UNSTABLE NORTHEAST

DR CONGO: UN ENVOY VOWS TO HELP GROWING NUMBERS OF DISPLACED IN UNSTABLE NORTHEAST
New York, May 14 2007 5:00PM
Visiting the troubled northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the senior United Nations envoy to the country called on the region's swelling population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to continue to seek international support and promised to pressure Congolese authorities to act more quickly to alleviate their plight.

William Lacy Swing, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the DRC, spent the weekend touring IDP camps in Rutshuru in North Kivu province, where at least 140,000 Congolese have become displaced since the start of the year because of fresh outbreaks of violence and insecurity. He also held working meetings with UN officials posted in the region as well as local Congolese authorities.

The northeast has long been the most unstable region in the vast DRC, and about 85 per cent of the more than 17,000 peacekeepers and military observers in the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/index.html">MONUC) are deployed in the provinces in that part of the country.

Speaking in Rutshuru, Mr. Swing vowed to the recently displaced Congolese that he would press authorities in the national capital, Kinshasa, to work swiftly to improve conditions and stabilize the region so that it becomes more secure for locals.

Mr. Swing also said the MONUC Force Commander and local representatives of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) would be assessing conditions across the northeast to determine how to meet the immediate needs of the region's growing number of IDPs.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today began her 12-day tour of Africa's Great Lakes region with a series of talks with senior DRC officials in Kinshasa.

Ms. Arbour met President Joseph Kabila, Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga and Defence Minister Chikez Diemu, as well as with senators and deputies in the DRC National Assembly and members of Congolese human rights groups.

Tomorrow the High Commissioner is scheduled to hold further talks with DRC Government ministers before travelling to Kisangani, a major city in the northeast, on Thursday. The widespread impunity in the DRC, sexual violence directed at women and girls and the use of child soldiers are expected to top the agenda during her talks.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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HEAD OF UN-BACKED HEALTH ASSEMBLY URGES RAPID KNOWLEDGE-SHARING ON DISEASES

HEAD OF UN-BACKED HEALTH ASSEMBLY URGES RAPID KNOWLEDGE-SHARING ON DISEASES
New York, May 14 2007 5:00PM
The head of the decision-making body of the United Nations World Health Organization today stressed the importance of rapid, world-wide sharing of knowledge on diseases, as he opened the annual policy meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

"In a globalized world, health issues present new challenges that go far beyond national borders and have an impact on the collective security of people around the world," Paulo Ivo Garrido, Minister of Health of the Republic of Mozambique and the President of the 59th <"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2007/wha60/en/index.html">World Health Assembly told the Assembly.

Issues to be discussed by participants include avian and pandemic influenza, polio and smallpox eradication, malaria and tuberculosis control, health systems and progress in the use of medicines.

"To handle new and emerging diseases, the most important issues are how to get the relevant information to the most peripheral level of health workers and how to increase access to knowledge regarding the preventive and control measures for populations at large," Mr. Garrido told the Assembly.

In this context, he said the strength of multiple players – governments, international organizations, the corporate sector and civil society – must be leveraged to improve global response.

The World Health Assembly, which is attended from 193 Member States, will run through 14 May.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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UN ENVOY TO TIMOR-LESTE PRAISES HANDLING OF MINISTER'S TRIAL

UN ENVOY TO TIMOR-LESTE PRAISES HANDLING OF MINISTER'S TRIAL
New York, May 14 2007 3:00PM
The top United Nations envoy in Timor-Leste today praised the handling of the ongoing case against a former interior minister who was convicted of arming civilians in the deadly violence that rocked the small South-East Asian country last year.

After an appeals court upheld the seven-and-a-half-year sentence of former Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato, the head of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmit/index.html">UNMIT), Atul Khare, commended all parties involved in the trial, noting that Mr. Lobato submitted voluntarily and peacefully to justice.

Mr. Khare expressed hope that others would follow this example, including Major Alfredo Reinado, another target of investigations by the UN Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor-Leste, set up to look into the deadly violence that erupted in May and April 2006.

Speaking of Mr. Lobato's case, UNMIT said in a press release that: "The latest decision shows that a culture of impunity will not be tolerated in Timor-Leste and that respect for the legal process will lead to the longer term goals of reconciliation and unity."

The 2006 crisis, attributed to differences between eastern and western regions, erupted after the firing of some 600 striking soldiers, a third of the armed forces. Ensuing violence claimed at least 37 lives and drove 155,000 people, 15 per cent of the total population, from their homes.

The Security Council created UNMIT in August 2006 to help restore order after the violence, especially in the run-up to this year's elections, which were the first polls held in the tiny nation since it gained independence from Indonesia in 2002.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF ARRIVES IN UGANDA TO MEET INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS

UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF ARRIVES IN UGANDA TO MEET INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
New York, May 14 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations humanitarian chief today travelled to Uganda to meet aid workers and local authorities and tour camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) created in the wake of the long-running conflict between Government forces and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, arrived today in the capital, Kampala, for the start of the second leg of his African tour, where he has become the most senior UN official to visit violence-wracked Somalia since the early 1990s.

Mr. Holmes is scheduled to visit the district of Kitgum in northern Uganda tomorrow. Kitgum is home to a settlement camp for IDPs, including ex-combatants.

Peace talks between the Government and LRA leaders resumed in Juba, southern Sudan, on the weekend, a month after the two sides agreed to extend an agreement on a formal cessation of hostilities – first struck last year – until the end of June.

Thousands of people have been killed and an estimated 1.5 million others have become IDPs or refugees in neighbouring countries since the LRA insurgency began in 1986. During that time, 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.

In October 2005 the International Criminal Court (ICC) 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.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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PROVIDING MEDICAL SERVICES PART OF UN POLICE ROLE IN HAITI: COMMANDER

PROVIDING MEDICAL SERVICES PART OF UN POLICE ROLE IN HAITI: COMMANDER
New York, May 14 2007 2:00PM
Along with its security and law-enforcement role, the Senegalese specialized United Nations police unit in Haiti continues to help civilian doctors provide medical services in some of the poorest areas of the capital, Port-au-Prince, its commander highlighted recently before ending his mission to the impoverished country.

Officers from the Formed Police Unit (FPU) provide free consultations, medicine and hot meals to people from Cite Militairé and Village Solidarité, the UN Mission in Haiti (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH) said in a press release, adding that most of those receiving treatment are women and children.

"Since our arrival in Haiti, we initiated a policy of taking charge of medical services… officers must carry out development actions outside of their security activities. Thus they provide reinforcement to civilian doctors in offering consultations to the population," said the contingent commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Hassan Diouf.

The most common cases treated are children or adults suffering viral infections and those who have been involved in road accidents. Shooting victims also receive help. In addition, Senegalese officers working with charity organizations, distribute food to the poor three times a day, including inside orphanages.

Working closely with the Haitian National Police, FPU officers are also helping restore law and order in the violence-ridden country, through regular patrols and crowd control, efforts that along with the work of other UN and national units has improved security, said Lieutenant-Colonel Diouf.

"When I arrived in Haiti the security situation was bad but it is now very different," he said, voicing satisfaction with the work of the men under his command.

In particular, in recent months the mission has stepped up efforts to crack down on criminal gangs. Since the start of the year, more than 400 gang members have been arrested.

MINUSTAH is currently staffed with almost 9,000 uniformed personnel, including over 7,000 troops and 1,800 police, along with 444 international civilian personnel, 727 local civilian staff and 165 UN Volunteers.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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UN ANTI-DRUG OFFICES EXPANDS FACILITIES TO AID PROSECUTION OF AFGHAN TRAFFICKERS

UN ANTI-DRUG OFFICES EXPANDS FACILITIES TO AID PROSECUTION OF AFGHAN TRAFFICKERS
New York, May 14 2007 2:00PM
In an effort to reinforce the ability of Afghanistan's legal system to bring narcotics traffickers to justice, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today announced the completion of a new justice support centre in the city of Jalalabad.

The initiative, which builds on the opening previously of two other centres in Pakya and Mazar-i-Sharif, aims to provide a "one-stop-shop" for law enforcement officials and the judiciary, providing them with a safe environment to learn, work research and conduct criminal trials, according to UNODC.

"These new justice support centres will play a vital role in strengthening Afghanistan's judicial system and will eventually help to bring to book some of Afghanistan's biggest drug traffickers, aiming to end impunity and prevent the scourge of narcotics from undermining Afghanistan's progress," Aleem Siddique, a spokesperson for the UN Assistance Mission in the country (UNAMA), said today in Kabul.

This past March <"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/index.html">UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa told the Security Council that while opium cultivation in the centre-north of the country was decreasing, thanks to improved security conditions and development, in the south, a "vicious circle" of drugs funding terrorism and terrorism supporting drug lords was stronger than ever.

In another development, <"http://www.unama-afg.org/">UNAMA also announced today that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed provisions to 4,000 people in support of a food-for-work programme in Kunar, Lahman and Nangarhar provinces, while nearly 35,000 students benefited from school feeding programmes in Nuristan, Kunar and Nangarhar, where over 800 tuberculosis patients are also recipients.

The mission said that <"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP plans to provide over 520,000 tonnes of food to over 5.4 million needy Afghans through the end of 2008, through both emergency relief and regular distributions.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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IRAQ: UN ENVOY URGES COMPROMISE IN CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW PROCESS

IRAQ: UN ENVOY URGES COMPROMISE IN CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW PROCESS
New York, May 14 2007 11:00AM
On the eve of Iraq's deadline for completing its Constitutional Review, the top United Nations envoy to the troubled country today called for action to build consensus and foster compromise among all political blocs, pledging the world body's full support for this process.

"For a successful constitutional review process, all groups will have to come to the table to make compromises, and the process will need to be kept alive until it reaches a conclusion," Ashraf Qazi, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative, said in Baghdad.

"If this does not occur, the review process has the potential to be extremely divisive exercise," Mr. Qazi warned.

He reiterated the determination of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (<"http://www.uniraq.org/default.asp">UNAMI) to assist the Constitutional Review Committee in its efforts to deal with the core issues at the heart of how Iraq's federal system will function.

Chief among those is the creation of a balanced division of powers between the federal government and the regions and a system for the fair distribution of oil revenues throughout Iraq.

"UNAMI believes the constitutional review is an opportunity that should be seized to find an agreement that addresses the concerns and anxieties of all communities, and believes that such solutions exist and urges Iraqis to work together to find them," the mission said in a press release.

It is also an opportunity to address the real gaps and problems in the current constitutional text, the mission added, pointing out that properly addressing and improving the system of governance contained in the Constitution so that it functions more effectively is not a concession by any bloc or group.

"Everyone would be a winner if this were to occur," the mission concluded.
2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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OPENING TWO-WEEK SESSION, UN INDIGENOUS FORUM TACKLES LAND, RESOURCE ISSUES

OPENING TWO-WEEK SESSION, UN INDIGENOUS FORUM TACKLES LAND, RESOURCE ISSUES
New York, May 14 2007 12:00AM
More than 1,000 indigenous representatives from all regions of the world are gathering at United Nations Headquarters in New York for the two-week session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to focus on issues related to lands, territories and natural resources.

These matters are widely viewed as central to indigenous peoples' efforts to gain recognition for their rights. "With the increasing desire of States for more economic growth, senseless exploitation of indigenous peoples' territories and resources continues unabated," said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum, which will meet from 14 to 25 May.

The majority of the world's remaining natural resources -- minerals, freshwater, potential energy sources and more -- are found within indigenous peoples' territories, she said. Access to and ownership and development of these resources remain contentious.

Recent decades have seen some progress in the area of legal recognition of indigenous peoples' rights to the protection and control of their lands, territories and natural resources, but in practical terms, this has not always translated into action.

Threats to indigenous peoples' lands and territories include such things as mineral extraction, logging, environmental contamination, privatization and development projects, the classification of lands as protected areas or game reserves, the use of genetically modified seeds and technology, and monoculture cash crop production.

Estimates point to more than 370 million indigenous peoples in some 70 countries worldwide. While they are from diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds, they generally suffer from similar problems, such as lack of basic health care, limited access to education, loss of control over land, abject poverty, displacement, human rights violations and economic and social marginalization.

The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was established
Economic and Social Council in July 2000. It is composed of 16 independent experts, functioning in their personal capacity. The Economic and Social Council appoints the members, eight of whom are nominated by Governments and eight nominated directly by indigenous organizations in their regions.

Efforts to highlight indigenous issues at an international, intergovernmental level started in 1923 when Chief Deskaheh of the Cayuga Nation went to Geneva to speak to the League of Nations -- the UN's predecessor -- and defend the right of his nation to live on their land under their own laws and faith. Maori Leader Ratana made the same journey to Geneva in 1924 to plead the case of his peoples. Even though they were not allowed to speak at the League of Nations, their vision nourished the generations that followed.

The participation of indigenous peoples in discussions and programmes that impact on them is a top priority of the Permanent Forum. A Trust Fund for the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People has been established to fund small grants projects that focus on culture, education, health, human rights, the environment, and social and economic development by and for indigenous peoples.

2007-05-14 00:00:00.000

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IN MOGADISHU, UN EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR URGES AID TO CIVILIANS

IN MOGADISHU, UN EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR URGES AID TO CIVILIANS
New York, May 13 2007 10:00AM
The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator today became the highest-ranking UN official to visit Somalia's capital Mogadishu since the early 1990s, and amid continued violence called for increased relief aid to civilians there.

John Holmes undertook the mission to assess the humanitarian situation in the areas affected by the recent fighting, to commit parties in Somalia to respect International Humanitarian Law, and to encourage authorities to allow full and unhindered humanitarian access to populations in dire need of assistance and protection.

"It is the authorities' responsibility to look after civilians, to protect civilians and at the very least not to obstruct aid," Mr. Holmes said. He noted that access and insecurity have impeded the provision of humanitarian assistance commensurate with the needs of the population.

During his visit, Mr. Holmes met President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi. The USG highlighted his concerns about the severity and magnitude of the crisis and stressed that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) must provide a more enabling operating environment for aid workers. On its part, the TFG noted its desire to cooperate with international organizations.

Mr. Holmes also visited a cholera treatment centre which has admitted 308 patients just in the last month, as well as a former embassy now hosting 150 displaced families, some for as long as 17 years. Many are pastoralists and agro-pastoralists who have lost their livelihoods, who are unable to find work in the capital, and who lack the means to return to their former lives.

In addition, he met with representatives of civil society in the capital, including elders and women's groups. Together, they discussed the dire situation that has prevailed in Mogadishu.

"I feel enormous sympathy for the suffering that the Somali people have endured," Mr. Holmes said. "I am here to help, and I wi
advocate tirelessly on their behalf," he concluded.

A bomb exploded a few minutes after Mr. Holmes arrived in the Somali capital, and two other bombs went off within half an hour, all on the path of his itinerary. Personnel from the Africa Union Mission to Somalia defused a fourth explosive device, also on the route of his itinerary. Mr. Holmes returned to Nairobi today, and plans for a second day in Somalia were cancelled.

Mr. Holmes will continue his mission, traveling to Uganda from 14 to 16 May, where he will conduct discussions in the capital, Kampala, and travel to new settlement sites and camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kitgum District in northern Uganda.

2007-05-12 00:00:00.000

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