UN CONVOY ATTACKED IN TIMOR-LESTE

UN CONVOY ATTACKED IN TIMOR-LESTE
New York, Aug 11 2007 11:00AM
A United Nations convoy in Timor-Leste was attacked today, drawing condemnation from the world body's top official there, who called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice while pledging continued assistance to the small country.

During the incident, which involved stone throwing and reported gunshots at UN vehicles, one UN Police vehicle was also set ablaze by the criminal elements. There were no injuries.

The ambush on three UN vehicles was perpetrated by a group of people between the villages of Fatumaka and Gariuai, according to the UN Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which said personnel traveling in the convoy included four UN Police officers, two national police of Timor-Leste officers, a language assistant, two national staff members and a worker with a non-governmental organization (NGO).

UN police and their counterparts in the national and international forces are working to restore stability in the area.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for Timor-Leste strongly condemned those behind the attack.

In a statement, Atul Khare stressed that the perpetrators must be brought to justice, and condemned all those involved in the incident, "including those who may have inspired it."

Mr. Khare recalled that the UN and the international community are in Timor-Leste to assist the Timorese people, "and, having been through difficult times before in this country, will not be deterred by a few criminal elements who by their ill-considered actions are trying to tarnish the good name of the majority of Timorese."

Timor-Leste has been rocked by violence in recent days following the announcement, after June elections failed to produce an outright winner, that the new Government would be led by former president Xanana Gusmão.

The UN served as midwife in the birth of the nation, organizing a popular consultation in 1999 that was marred in the aftermath by widespread violence, and shepherding the country to independence in 200

Last year, the UN enhanced its peacekeeping and policing roles in Timor-Leste after violence attributed to differences between eastern and western regions led to the deaths of at least 37 people and forced 155,000 others, 15 per cent of the population, to flee their homes.

2007-08-11 00:00:00.000

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AT UN, YOUTH STRESS EFFORTS TO PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT

AT UN, YOUTH STRESS EFFORTS TO PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT
New York, Aug 10 2007 6:00PM
More than 200 young people from around the world held a celebration today at United Nations headquarters in New York, kicking off a series of UN events to mark International Youth Day this year.

Youth groups from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States showcased their contributions to society, and spoke about their efforts to make the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – a series of targets to slash a host of social and economic ills by 2015 – a reality.

They also gave presentations on how they are utilizing the Internet to take action in local and global communities as well as on the importance of young people's participation in shaping the world they are to inherit.

The celebrations also included performances from youth performing gymnastics, circus art routines, step dances and poetry.

The photographs by the winners of the Shoot Nations International Photo Competition – which asked young people to document what matters to them and how to make a difference – were put on display in a specially made light-box art installation.

International Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12 August, providing an opportunity to recognize the world's 1.2 billion young people, to celebrate their achievements and to push for their participation in all areas of society and development. This year's theme is "Be seen, be heard: youth participation for development."
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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UN BOOSTS FUNDING OF RELIEF EFFORT IN WAKE OF SOUTH ASIAN FLOODS

UN BOOSTS FUNDING OF RELIEF EFFORT IN WAKE OF SOUTH ASIAN FLOODS
New York, Aug 10 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations humanitarian arm is stepping up its financial support of governments across South Asia as they try to help the estimated 45 million people affected by the recent deadly flooding across the region.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes announced today that the world body will provide up to $20 million to assist governments and to boost the in-country capacity of the UN and its partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

At least 2,200 deaths in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan have been linked to the floods, caused largely by particularly heavy monsoon rains this year. Government figures indicate that more than four million hectares of crops have also been damaged.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) reported that the most urgent needs include food, temporary shelter, medicines and mosquito nets.

The UN has already allocated about $4.4 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline.un.org/cerf">CERF) to Pakistan to help that country respond to heavy rains and flooding last month in the wake of Cyclone Yemyin and monsoon rains.

But Mr. Holmes said the recovery effort there is being hampered by the fact that the UN has received less than one-third of the $38 million it appealed for to complement the emergency activities of the Pakistani Government.

About 2.5 million people were affected by those floods, which hit Baluchistan and Sindh provinces hardest in late June and early June. Over 300 people were killed and more than 240 others remain missing. At least 700,000 people have not been able to return to their homes and live in makeshift roadside camps or in collective centres such as schools or other public buildings.

"For most families affected by these floods, the recovery of their livelihoods will be arduous and protracted," said Mr. Holmes, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. "Six weeks with nothing but uncertainty can feel like forever. I hope that donors will respond quickly and generously."

South Asia is not the only region where the UN is helping with flood relief activities, drawing from the CERF. In Colombia, about $2.2 million in funding has been approved to support the Government's efforts in the Mojana region and the Córdoba department, which have suffered from floods and landslides. And in Sudan, around $2.7 million will be given to help with relief efforts in the wake of recent floods, particularly in the north.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS ARMS EMBARGO AGAINST MILITIAS IN DR CONGO

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS ARMS EMBARGO AGAINST MILITIAS IN DR CONGO
New York, Aug 10 2007 5:00PM
The Security Council today <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9097.doc.htm">extended by six months its arms embargo against militia groups operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and condemned the continuing illicit flow of weapons into and around the vast African country.

Council members voted unanimously to maintain the sanctions until at least 15 February next year after receiving the final report from the Group of Experts – who have also been re-established as a result of today's resolution – on the monitoring of illegal arms flows.

The 15-member Council said it was most concerned about the situation in the far east of the DRC, especially the provinces of North and South Kivu and the Ituri district, where militia groups remain active and help to "perpetuate a climate of insecurity in the whole region."

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC) has also been asked to focus its monitoring activities on the Kivus and Ituri, which share a border with Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

The embargo was first imposed in 2003 amid concerns that the growth and trafficking of arms was serving to fuel and exacerbate conflicts across Africa's Great Lakes region. The Council also noted the link between the illegal exploitation and trade of natural resources in the DRC and the proliferation of arms.

The latest report from the Group of Experts confirmed "that the most profitable financing source for armed groups remains the exploitation, trade and transportation of natural resources."

It also called on the Congolese Government to ensure it is doing all it can – or seeking help from the international community when it cannot – to tackle the problem.

"The Government is now in a strategic position to choose between addressing the country's ills in an effective manner or allowing violence, corruption and the absence of rule of law to continue to hinder the country and the development of its population," the report stated.

The embargo does not apply to arms and related materiel intended for the use of units of the national army or police, as long as those units meet certain criteria. Any group or person who violates the embargo is subject to a travel ban and an assets freeze.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON HAILS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON STRENGTHENED UN ROLE IN IRAQ

BAN KI-MOON HAILS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON STRENGTHENED UN ROLE IN IRAQ
New York, Aug 10 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that a new Security Council resolution on the work of the United Nations in Iraq paves the way for the world body to "enhance" its role in such key areas as national reconciliation, regional dialogue, humanitarian assistance and human rights.

Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm11120.doc.htm">told the 15-member body that he welcomed the unanimously passed resolution to renew for a year and strengthen the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (<"http://www.uniraq.org/aboutus/aboutus.asp">UNAMI).

"A peaceful and prosperous future is for Iraqis themselves to create, with the international community lending support to their efforts," he said.

"The United Nations looks forward to working in close partnership with the leaders and people of Iraq to explore how we can further our assistance under the terms of the resolution."

UNAMI, established in 2003, noted in a fact sheet released today that the resolution establishes responsibilities for the mission to "advise and assist in areas such as political facilitation and national reconciliation and the promotion of regional cooperation between Iraq and the countries of the region, including through the continued role of the United Nations in the International Compact with Iraq."

Although tackling challenges the Iraqi Government and people face is a "national responsibility, we however cannot achieve it without the assistance of the international community represented by the United Nations, especially the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq, UNAMI," Iraqi Ambassador Hamid Al Bayati said in his <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9095.doc.htm">address to the Council.

"For three years, UNAMI has stood by the Iraqi people and successive Iraqi governments during that period and especially with the current national democratically constitutionally elected Government," he said.

Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1057">told reporters after the Council's meeting the UN will act as a facilitator to foster talks regarding Iraq.

"Promoting and encouraging political facilitation and dialogue among different factions and ethnic religious groups – this will be one of the important areas where the United Nations will be engaged," he said.

Although the Secretary-General also intends to increase the UN's presence in Iraq, "the safety and security of our staff is of paramount concern and interest, as you may understand," he said.

At present, he said he has not reached a final decision on how many and which staff members will be dispatched to the war-torn country.

After a bomb attack four years ago this month which killed the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others, many UN international staff were relocated from Iraq. They began returning in April 2004, and currently there are almost 300 international staff and nearly 400 national staff in Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan.

While taking into account concerns regarding staff safety, Mr. Ban stressed that "we cannot shy away because of" security concerns. "There must be somebody who should work for those people to help them overcome social and economic and political difficulties."
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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UN POLITICAL CHIEF HEADS TO ASIA NEXT WEEK FOR THREE-NATION TOUR

UN POLITICAL CHIEF HEADS TO ASIA NEXT WEEK FOR THREE-NATION TOUR
New York, Aug 10 2007 4:00PM
The top United Nations political official will travel next week to Asia on a visit that will take him to China, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal, a spokesman for the world body said today.

The first stop for Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe will be Beijing, where he will hold talks with senior officials on a range of UN-related issues from 13 to 15 August.

On 16 August, Mr. Pascoe will be in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, where he will deliver a message on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the summit of Heads of State of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – a regional body comprising China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

While in Kyrgyzstan, he will also meet with a number of visiting leaders to discuss the situation in Central Asia and the broader region.

Mr. Pascoe will be in Kathmandu from 18 to 19 August to discuss the peace process with national leaders and to consult with the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which is providing critical assistance to the holding of Constituent Assembly elections later this year.

During his stay in the Himalayan nation, Mr. Pascoe is expected to meet with Nepal's Prime Minister and other key political figures in the country.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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WESTERN SAHARA: SECOND ROUND OF UN-LED TALKS GET UNDER WAY

WESTERN SAHARA: SECOND ROUND OF UN-LED TALKS GET UNDER WAY
New York, Aug 10 2007 3:00PM
The second round of United Nations-led negotiations on Western Sahara began this morning outside New York with a call on the participants to ensure that the talks are productive and conducted in good faith.

Peter van Walsum, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, is leading the negotiations, which are being attended by representatives of the parties, Morocco and the Frente Polisario, and the neighbouring countries Algeria and Mauritania.

Morocco's Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa heads his country's delegation to the talks, which are taking place in Manhasset on Long Island, while Mahfud Ali Veiba, a member of the Polisario leadership, leads his delegation.

In his opening remarks this morning, Mr. van Walsum said he hoped they would take place in "the same good atmosphere that characterized the first round" of talks in mid-June, which were also held in Manhasset.

"However, atmosphere is not everything," Mr. van Walsum said. "The Security Council expects us to conduct good-faith and productive negotiations."

The participants are expected to continue the discussions they initiated in June, and will start with meetings in plenary today as well as separate discussions between Mr. van Walsum and each of the four delegations.

The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minurso/index.html">MINURSO) has been in place since September 1991 to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, which contest the territory. In an April resolution, the Security Council called on the parties to enter into negotiations "without preconditions in good faith."
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF HAILS JORDAN'S DECISION TO OPEN SCHOOL DOORS TO IRAQI REFUGEE CHILDREN

UNICEF HAILS JORDAN'S DECISION TO OPEN SCHOOL DOORS TO IRAQI REFUGEE CHILDREN
New York, Aug 10 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today hailed the decision by the Government of Jordan to open the country's public schools to the tens of thousands of Iraqi children who have fled there.

When Jordanian public schools start classes on 19 August, all children will, for the first time, be able to attend classes, regardless of whether they possess a residency permit or not, <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40571.html">UNICEF said in a statement, noting that previously, formal education was available only to Iraqis holding residency permits.

Welcoming the move, the agency pointed out that Iraqi youngsters have faced numerous obstacles since fleeing their homeland. "Many have lost a parent, a teacher, their friends and their place in communities. A large proportion of Iraqi children living in Jordan had not attended school for years," it noted.

For its part, UNICEF has been supporting education of Iraqi children in Iraq and through the region.

In July, UNICEF and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNICEF) launched a $129 million joint appeal to support host Governments such as Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon in providing schooling for 155,000 Iraqi children for the 2007-2008 academic year, including 50,000 in Jordan.

"These funds are needed urgently to allow children to begin the school year in a little over a week, and also to ensure that they can continue their education into 2008," UNICEF said today.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON CALLS ON SIERRA LEONEAN VOTERS TO ENSURE PEACEFUL ELECTIONS

BAN KI-MOON CALLS ON SIERRA LEONEAN VOTERS TO ENSURE PEACEFUL ELECTIONS
New York, Aug 10 2007 2:00PM
On the eve of Sierra Leone's first presidential and parliamentary elections since the departure of United Nations peacekeepers two years ago, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to voters in the West African nation to ensure a peaceful ballot.

Saturday's vote will be the country's second since the end of the decade-long civil war in 2002, and the first since the withdrawal of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) in December 2005.

While pleased that the elections will take place tomorrow, as scheduled, Mr. Ban is "deeply concerned about recent and ongoing incidents of violence involving supporters of main Sierra Leonean political parties," according to a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2701">statement issued by his spokesperson.

"The Secretary-General emphasizes that free, fair and credible elections, which reflect the wishes of the people of Sierra Leone, are crucial to securing the peace that has been built in Sierra Leone and to paving the way for development and prosperity in the future."

The UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and other international partners have provided technical assistance to the country's National Electoral Commission to ensure that the preparations for the election meet international standards.

Mr. Ban paid tribute to the international partners that have provided logistical, financial and technical support to the National Electoral Commission, and commended the Commission for making the necessary arrangements on schedule.

Preparations for tomorrow's polls included the training of 37,000 polling staff to ensure a credible election day.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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ASIAN STATES ADOPT UN-BACKED PLAN TO CUT MILLIONS OF DEATHS DUE TO MAN-MADE DISASTERS

ASIAN STATES ADOPT UN-BACKED PLAN TO CUT MILLIONS OF DEATHS DUE TO MAN-MADE DISASTERS
New York, Aug 10 2007 1:00PM
Top environmental and health officials from South-East and East Asian countries have launched a United Nations-backed effort to reduce the estimated 6.6 million deaths in the continent each year that are attributable to ecological factors such as air pollution, solid and hazardous wastes and numerous man-made disasters.

"The region's high death toll from environmental degradation can be avoided if we are determined to reverse the current trend," said Shigeru Omi, Western Pacific Director of the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en">WHO), which jointly organized the First Ministerial Regional Forum on Environment and Health in Bangkok together with the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=516&ArticleID=5652&l=en">UNEP).

"Solving environmental health problems requires collaboration between health and environmental sectors. We need to strengthen our collective commitment to priority environmental health challenges in the region," he added.

At the two-day meeting ending yesterday, ministers and senior officials adopted the Bangkok Declaration on Environment and Health, with a regional Charter setting the following priorities over the next three years: air quality; water supply, hygiene and sanitation; solid and hazardous waste; toxic chemicals and hazardous substances; climate change, ozone depletion and ecosystem change; and contingency planning, preparedness and response to environmental health emergencies.

"The Bangkok Declaration takes us a firm step forward from monitoring and assessment of sectoral issues towards the prevention of health impacts," UNEP Regional Director Surendra Shrestha said.

The Declaration provides a mechanism for sharing knowledge and experiences, improve policy and regulatory frameworks at the national and regional level, and promote the implementation of integrated environmental health strategies and regulations.

Over the last 50 years, environmental pollution has intensified due to rapid industrialization, urbanization and motorization, resulting in urban air pollution, the generation of solid and hazardous wastes, and numerous man-made disasters and emergencies, together accounting for some 25 per cent of all deaths in the region.

A Second Ministerial Regional Forum is planned in 2010 to review the progress in implementing the regional Charter.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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IN BID TO HALT POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN TIMOR-LESTE, UN CONVENES PARTY LEADERS

IN BID TO HALT POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN TIMOR-LESTE, UN CONVENES PARTY LEADERS
New York, Aug 10 2007 1:00PM
In an effort to end political violence in Timor-Leste, the top United Nations envoy in the small South-East Asian country today brought all political parties together at a meeting where he underscored their earlier agreement to ensure a meaningful role for the opposition and for the opposition to make constructive contributions to parliament.

The 16 party leaders strongly condemned the violence, which has included the burning of houses and government buildings, the vandalizing of schools and the stoning of cars.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Atul Khare voiced satisfaction that the former governing party FRETILIN clearly reiterated that it would not abandon the parliament.

Mr. Khare has said the violence, which erupted after the announcement of a new Government on Monday, was "regrettably" being committed by people who claim an allegiance to FRETILIN.

He pledged UN support for government efforts to ensure that the security situation improves and that humanitarian aid is provided to mitigate the effects of the violence in the eastern districts of the country, which the world body helped shepherd to independence from Indonesia in 2002.

UN police officers and their international and national counterparts have been fully deployed to try to end the violence following the announcement of the new Government led by former president Xanana Gusmão.

Today's meeting was the seventh convened by the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (<"http://www.unmit.org">UNMIT) with the aim of providing a space for frank and honest exchanges of information between all the parties that contested the 30 June parliamentary elections, failed to produce a single outright winner. The party leaders stated that violence should not be used as a mechanism to voice discontent about the formation of the new Government, Mr. Khare noted.

UN police reported that the security situation remained volatile, particularly in Viqueque and Baucau districts to the east of Dili, the capital. They confirmed that 142 houses had been burnt in the two districts since the unrest began. Yesterday in Viqueque there were numerous cases of arson, fighting, stone throwing, and illegal road blocks. In Baucau, there were also several cases of arson and stone throwing. Police made four arrests.

In Dili yesterday, there were several reports of rock throwing and fighting, most of which occurred at night. Police arrested 17 people over the course of the day.

The UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF) today voiced strong condemnation of the vandalization of schools, learning spaces, and play areas in recent days. "UNICEF is absolutely concerned that children are once again the ones who suffer," the agency's country representative Shui-Meng Ng said.

"We urge the adults to consider the future of all their children before they continue their destruction of public properties and create further unrest. Without a safe environment, and without proper classrooms or learning spaces, all your children will be adversely impacted."

The UN enhanced its peacekeeping and policing roles in Timor-Leste after violence attributed to differences between eastern and western regions broke out in April and May last year, killing at least 37 people and forcing 155,000 others, 15 per cent of the population, to flee their homes.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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UN EXPERTS TO PROBE KILLING OF HIGHLY ENDANGERED MOUNTAIN GORILLAS IN DR CONGO

UN EXPERTS TO PROBE KILLING OF HIGHLY ENDANGERED MOUNTAIN GORILLAS IN DR CONGO
New York, Aug 10 2007 12:00PM
A United Nations-supported expert mission leaves for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) tomorrow to investigate the apparently senseless slaughter of mountain gorillas, a highly endangered species living only in national parks on the country's north-eastern border with Uganda and Rwanda.

"There is grave concern for the mountain gorillas as the latest killings are inexplicable," said the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=39046&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO), which is organizing the 10-day mission with the World Conservation Union (IUCN), a union of governments, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations.

"They do not correspond to traditional poaching where animals are killed for commercial purposes. Furthermore the killings have taken place despite the increased guard patrols and the presence of military forces in the area," it added in a statement.

Seven mountain gorillas have been shot and killed this year, four of them last month, in the DRC's Virunga National Park, more than during the conflict that wracked Africa's Great Lakes region in the late 1990s. Some 700 of the large animals, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage in Danger list, are estimated to still survive in the tri-border areas, about 370 of them in Virunga.

"These killings are a blow for the preservation of mountain gorillas and a setback for conservation efforts at the World Heritage site," the agency said.

The mission has been invited by the DRC authorities and the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN). Working with local authorities and partners in the field, the mission will investigate the reasons for targeting the animals and propose measures for their protection and for improving the conservation of the site's outstanding universal value.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative in the country, William Lacy Swing, has promised the mission the full support of the UN Mission in the DRC (<"http://www.monuc.org/Home.aspx?lang=en">MONUC).

The mission will meet with government officials in Kinshasa, the capital, collect data including testimony from guards and administrators of Virunga, confer with political and military leaders and local communities of the province, and examine the state of conservation of the park, the threats on the site and its actual management.

They will also examine the economic impact of the situation on the local economy, notably in relation to tourism. Virunga is the oldest national park in Africa, established in 1925.

UNESCO is planning a high-level meeting in the autumn to examine ways to improve the situation, bringing together the DRC authorities, the agency's natural heritage specialists, representatives of the African Union, sub-regional organizations and the IUCN.

UNESCO and observers are particularly concerned to note that political and military improvements on the ground in recent years have failed to contribute to the conservation of World Heritage properties in the DRC, properties whose integrity has been preserved during the years of the Great Lake Conflict in the late 1990s and early 2000s thanks to funding by Belgium, Italy and the UN Foundation. Virunga and other sites in the east of the DRC are particularly vulnerable.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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IN FACE OF DEVASTATING ASIAN FLOODS DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IS URGENT PRIORITY - UN

IN FACE OF DEVASTATING ASIAN FLOODS DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IS URGENT PRIORITY - UN
New York, Aug 10 2007 11:00AM
With hundreds of people already dead and 30 million others affected by floods from this season's monsoon rains in South Asia, the United Nations body that seeks to mitigate the impact of natural disasters today called on all governments to speed up preventive measures, from setting up early warning networks to enforcing stricter building codes.

"Disaster risk reduction is not an option, it is an urgent priority," the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) <" http://www.unisdr.org/eng/media-room/press-release/2007/pr-2007-10-hfa.pdf">warned.

"The problem today is that around the world vulnerability to disasters continues to increase, a situation that will worsen with climate change," <"http://www.unisdr.org/eng/media-room/media-room.htm">ISDR Director Sálvano Briceño said. "So we need to take action now to reduce the risks of devastating impacts on people and their livelihoods."

He noted that recent reports by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<"http://www.ipcc.ch">IPCC) were clear and unequivocal that global warming was occurring, almost certainly due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, and equally unequivocal about what the future holds if action is not taken now.

ISDR stressed that while the focus today was on cutting green house gas emissions, which is very important, this would take hundreds of years, and in the meantime the world had to face up to the risk of increasing hazard events that would affect people, particularly poor people around the globe.

"Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential for cutting future disaster risks. But an immediate task is also to prepare for more extreme weather conditions - through disaster risk reduction programmes that include strengthening public risk awareness, early warning systems and community-based disaster preparedness," Mr. Briceño said.

He called on governments to quickly implement the Hyogo Framework for Action endorsed in Kobe, Japan, by 168 governments shortly after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which offers a number of concrete measures to make communities and nations more resilient to any type of disaster, including storms, floods, droughts, heat and cold waves.

The Framework calls for establishing laws and policies for flood and water management including zoning regulations to avoid building houses on low-lying areas and to protect forests and wetlands that absorb and purify water; building hospitals, schools, water and electricity facilities in safe places; and strengthening preparedness plans for when disaster strikes.

As a result of climate change, many millions more people are likely to be flooded every year by the 2080s. The number affected will be largest in the mega-deltas of Asia and Africa and the Small Islands States, struck by the double threat of sea level rise and river flooding.

The situation could not be clearer, Mr Briceño said. Floods accounted for 84 per cent of all disaster deaths between 2000 and 2005 and caused $466 billion in losses over the decade 1992-2001, 65 per cent of the total of all disasters. Flooding in the United Kingdom alone this year is estimated to cost about $12 billion.

"Modest investment would go a long way to not only avoid heavy losses and protect livelihoods, but also to give citizens peace of mind when it begins to rain," he added.

Meanwhile the UN Children's Fund (<" http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF) said the floods in South Asia would affect the return to school of millions of children. In Bangladesh, more than 8,000 primary schools had been affected and 7,780 were currently closed because they were either damaged or hosting displaced families. In India schools serving several million children have been flooded out or are being used as shelters.

And the World Health Organization (<" http://www.who.int/en">WHO) warned that hundreds of thousands of people were at risk of diseases in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, including diarrhoea, conjunctivitis and skin and respiratory infections. It stressed the importance of monitoring for the possible spread of epidemics.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE SEEKS ADDITIONAL FUNDS AS AFGHAN RETURNS FROM PAKISTAN SURPASS EXPECTATIONS

UN REFUGEE SEEKS ADDITIONAL FUNDS AS AFGHAN RETURNS FROM PAKISTAN SURPASS EXPECTATIONS
New York, Aug 10 2007 10:00AM
Afghan refugees are returning to their home country from Pakistan at a pace exceeding the expectations and resources of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the agency is appealing for additional funds to assist the returnees.

UNHCR has been able to help 300,000 refugees so far this year thanks to donor support, but "funds will soon be exhausted," agency spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46bc3f824.html">told reporters in Geneva.

Returnees receive a transport and reintegration grant and medical check-ups, with children being vaccinated for polio and measles. A transit centre near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, also provides mine awareness training.

An additional $10 million, on top of the $15 million requested this April, will allow UNHCR to support the return and reintegration of 400,000 Afghans this year, Ms. Pagonis added, bringing the new budged for the entire Afghanistan operation to nearly $110 million.

More than five million Afghans – 3.2 million from Afghanistan and 1.8 million from Iran – have returned to their country since the launch of UNHCR's repatriation programme in 2002 following the fall of the Taliban.

Last year marked the lowest levels of returns – nearly 140,000 – since the start of the scheme due to the "deteriorating security situation and economic and social conditions inside Afghanistan," Ms. Pagonis noted.

The current upsurge in returns are a result of the "conditions in the host countries and the policies of host governments," she said.

UNHCR is monitoring activities in both host countries and the country of origin to ensure that repatriation is voluntary and gradual, a principle that has been agreed upon a tripartite commission comprising Afghanistan, Pakistan and UNHCR.

"In the longer term, the key to continued and successful return to Afghanistan will lie in improving security, raising living standards, and enlarging employment opportunities through reconstruction and development programmes in Afghanistan," Ms. Pagonis said.

Last week, Afghanistan, Pakistan and UNHCR agreed to extend by another three years the programme of voluntary repatriation of Afghans to their homeland.
2007-08-10 00:00:00.000

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HAITI: UN SUPPORTS NATIONWIDE POLICE EFFORT TO RECRUIT MORE FEMALE OFFICERS

HAITI: UN SUPPORTS NATIONWIDE POLICE EFFORT TO RECRUIT MORE FEMALE OFFICERS
New York, Aug 9 2007 7:00PM
Thousands of Haitian women this week registered to join their country's police academy in a campaign led by the national police service and backed by the United Nations to encourage the recruitment of more female officers.

The massive registration effort, which took place on Monday and Tuesday, was aimed at recruiting around 150 women for the 20th graduating class at the academy, which begins next month, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH) said in a press release.

"[The ongoing recruitment process is] an initiative by the leadership of the Haitian National Police (HNP) tasked with rectifying the lack of women in their institution," said HNP spokesman Frantz Lerebours.

The Haitian police currently have 411 women out of a total of 8,032 officers, or around 5 percent of the total force, according to the press release. Mr. Lerebours pointed out that of the 400 candidates retained for the coming class, there were only five women.

But the response to the recruitment drive was very good and this was helped by an information campaign led by the HNP and supported by MINUSTAH, the release added. The UN is also offering support in terms of vetting the applications and assisting with the overall supervision of the operation.

"This effort to engage more women in the Haitian National Police (HNP) is very important not only for the way in which the police will function and be seen by the population, but also because the feminization of the national police will highlight the involvement of women in non-traditional roles as actors and agents of change in Haiti," said Nadine Puechguirbal, MINUSTAH's Senior Gender Advisor.

Such was the response to the recruitment drive by prospective female candidates that in the West Region of the impoverished country, almost 2,000 women applied in one centre alone.

"The Haitian National Police is scoring points. The popular perception of the force has changed in our favour. If women were hesitant to join the police force before because of its negative reputation, now much like the men they wish to be part of a winning team," said HNP Inspector General Jean Miguelite Maxime.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED SCHEME POISED TO BOLSTER MIDDLE EAST NUCLEAR COOPERATION

UN-BACKED SCHEME POISED TO BOLSTER MIDDLE EAST NUCLEAR COOPERATION
New York, Aug 9 2007 6:00PM
A project backed by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/sesame.html">IAEA) has the potential to bolster nuclear cooperation in the Middle East.

The scheme, known as SESAME, entails the building of a giant machine generating intense light beams for advanced scientific and technological research, and a research facility is being built near Jordan's capital, Amman.

"SESAME has a promising future, said Ana Maria Cetto, the IAEA's Deputy Director General and Head of Technical Cooperation.

The agency is providing technical assistance worth $1 million over the next few years for the facility, which is slated to be completed in 2010.

Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey are members of the project, and earlier this month at a meeting at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, the SESAME Council accepted nominations from Iran and Iraq to join.

"We've finally passed the point of no return," said Herwig Schopper, the project's departing president, who sees the initiative as being able to both benefit the region and serve to attract and keep top scientists.

SESAME – which stands for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications for the Middle East – operates under the auspices of the UN Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Synchronton facilities house huge particle accelerators which generate x-ray and ultraviolet light beams, and research could lead to advances in medicine, physics and other fields.

The IAEA has begun training future SESAME users and operators on safely and securely running the facility, and the agency's representatives help to select recipients of scientific fellowships.

SESAME Council members will hold their next meeting in Cyprus later this year.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCIES UNVEIL INITIATIVE TO REDUCE FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

UN AGENCIES UNVEIL INITIATIVE TO REDUCE FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
New York, Aug 9 2007 6:00PM
Two United Nations agencies have launched a $44 million programme to reduce female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) by 40 per cent by 2015 and to end the harmful traditional practice within a generation.

Launched by the UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=1014">UNFPA) and the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF), the initiative will encourage communities in 16 African countries with high prevalence to abandon the practice, which has serious physical and psychological effects. Partnering with the agencies will be Governments, religious leaders, reproductive health providers, media and civil society.

UNFPA says that annually, between two and three million women and girls are subjected to FGM/C, the partial or total removal of external female genital organs for cultural or other non-medical reasons. More than 100 million women and girls worldwide have undergone the practice.

Purnima Mane, UNFPA's Deputy Executive Director (Programme), urged the international community to "do a better job to protect the millions of women and girls who are at risk every year."

Ending the practice will contribute to achieving international development targets, and will enhance the human rights of women and girls, contribute to their empowerment, improve maternal health and reduce child mortality, she added.

In addition to many African nations, various forms of FGM/C have also been reported in parts of some Middle Eastern and Asian countries. It is also practiced in immigrant communities around the world.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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UN, SOUTHERN SUDAN SET TO BEGIN TALKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF PEACE DEAL

UN, SOUTHERN SUDAN SET TO BEGIN TALKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF PEACE DEAL
New York, Aug 9 2007 5:00PM
Senior United Nations officials will tomorrow hold their first round of high-level consultations with the Government of Southern Sudan to see how to better implement the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement that ended the country's protracted north-south war.

A delegation from the UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS), headed by the Secretary-General's Acting Special Representative Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, will travel to Juba in Southern Sudan for the talks, the Mission said in a news bulletin released today.

The meeting is being staged after the parties to the peace pact agreed in June to hold periodic consultations with UNMIS to review the agreement's implementation.

Under that accord, which ended a 21-year civil war, the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) was brought into a new Government of National Unity, and a Government of Southern Sudan was also established.

UNMIS said the consultations will take place regularly so that all sides can assess common objectives and concerns. Talks with the Sudanese Government leadership are scheduled for later this month in the capital, Khartoum.

Earlier this year, in a report to the Security Council on the situation, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the comprehensive peace agreement had reached a delicate stage, "at which either the point of departure or the destination could easily be lost."

Mr. Ban said the full and verified redeployment this year of the forces of both sides was critical to the deal's chances of long-term success, and he called on the Sudanese Government and the SPLM/A to do everything within their power to redeploy forces as required and to work towards the holding of free and fair mid-term elections in 2009.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES PROGRESS AT UN-CHAIRED TALKS WITH DARFUR REBELS

SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES PROGRESS AT UN-CHAIRED TALKS WITH DARFUR REBELS
New York, Aug 9 2007 5:00PM
The Security Council today welcomed the progress made during "pre-negotiation" talks last weekend with some of Darfur's rebel groups and called on all sides to the conflict to now show their commitment to the peace process by ending their hostilities.

In a statement to the press, Ambassador Pascal Gayama of the Republic of Congo, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month, said the 15-member panel noted "the substantial progress" made at the talks, which were held in Arusha, Tanzania.

The talks, chaired by the UN and African Union envoys charged with energizing the peace process in Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, concluded with agreement from the rebels who attended that they would work together to try to devise a solution to the deadly conflict that has devastated the Sudanese region since 2003.

The rebels reaffirmed their commitment to the so-called Road Map outlined by Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim, and agreed to present a common platform on the sharing of power and wealth, security arrangements, land and humanitarian issues. They also recommended that final talks towards a political solution to the Darfur conflict be held in two or three months' time.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and two million others forced to flee their homes because of fighting between rebel groups, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias.

Today's press statement noted that the progress achieved at the Arusha talks built on the momentum generated by talks in Tripoli, Libya, last month and on last week's Security Council resolution authorizing the deployment of a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID) to Darfur to quell the violence there.

Council members stressed the importance of pursuing the political and peacekeeping tracks simultaneously, the statement added.

They also "call on all parties to move from pre-negotiations to negotiations as soon as possible and to demonstrate their commitment to the political process through concrete actions, in particular cessation of hostilities."

Mr. Eliasson continued his latest visit to Darfur today, meeting with Arab and nomadic tribal leaders in Nyala, South Darfur, before heading to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the planned headquarters of UNAMID.

After his meeting with the tribal leaders, Mr. Eliasson said that the political process had reached a serious stage and it was vital that the process continued to enjoy the support of the people.

"We have to reach out to all the people of Darfur," he said. "There has been an enormous tragedy, enormous violence exerted here in this area. But looking at the future we have to build a premise that people have to live together. And therefore it is important that we have to reach out to all groups in Darfurian society."
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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VETERAN AUSTRALIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL CHOSEN AS NEW UN POLICE CHIEF

VETERAN AUSTRALIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL CHOSEN AS NEW UN POLICE CHIEF
New York, Aug 9 2007 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sga1084.doc.htm">announced his intention to appoint Andrew Hughes, an Australian with over 30 years of experience in national law enforcement and United Nations peacekeeping, as the world body's top police official.

Mr. Hughes has served in the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for over three decades, most recently as the Interim Chief Police Officer of the Australian Capital Territory. Prior to that, he was posted to Fiji where he was responsible for overseeing an over 4,200-strong force and successfully led a major reform and modernization programme of the Fijian national police.

Mr. Hughes has also been at the forefront of Australia's contribution to recent UN peacekeeping operations in East Timor and Cyprus.

When he takes up his duties as Police Advisor in the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in early September, Mr. Hughes will oversee almost 9,500 UN police officers worldwide.

He replaces Mark Kroeker of the United States, who left the post in April.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED TALKS ON WESTERN SAHARA TO RESUME TOMORROW

UN-BACKED TALKS ON WESTERN SAHARA TO RESUME TOMORROW
New York, Aug 9 2007 5:00PM
A second round of United Nations-backed talks on Western Sahara will begin on Friday outside of New York, a spokesman for the world body announced today.

As with the first meeting in June, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Peter van Walsum, will lead the two-day discussions between the parties – Morocco and the Frente Polisario – and neighbouring countries Algeria and Mauritania.

The meetings are private and will be closed to the press.

The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has been in place since September 1991 to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, which contest the territory.

In an April resolution, the Security Council called on the parties to enter into negotiations "without preconditions in good faith."
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF AND UNITED STATES SUPPLY TEMPORARY SHELTER TO FLOOD-HIT SUDANESE

UNICEF AND UNITED STATES SUPPLY TEMPORARY SHELTER TO FLOOD-HIT SUDANESE
New York, Aug 9 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40540.html">UNICEF) and the United States have teamed up to provide temporary shelter for almost 80,000 households hit by recent flooding in northern Sudan.

An in-kind donation of 1,300 rolls of plastic sheeting was airlifted into the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, yesterday, according to a press release issued by UNICEF.

These materials will be used as part of the Common Pipeline System, a quick-response relief distribution network set up in northern Sudan in 2004 and managed by UNICEF, the UN Joint Logistics Centre and the non-governmental organization (NGO) CARE International.

The pipeline has already allowed UN agencies and NGOs to deliver urgent supplies, including health kits, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans and soap, to an estimated 200,000 people affected by the floods across nine states in northern Sudan.

As many as 365,000 people are thought to be affected by the floods, which may worsen as river levels rise and meteorologists forecast more heavy rain in coming weeks. Floods are an annual problem in Sudan during the rainy season.

Three states in southern Sudan have also been affected, and UNICEF has provided supplies, including cooking sets, blankets and mosquito nets, to about 150,000 people there.

UNICEF representative Ted Chaiban, who was joined by United States and Sudanese officials to take delivery of the plastic sheeting on its arrival in Khartoum, welcomed the collaborative response of the UN, NGOs, the Sudanese Government and the international community.

"The people you see around me this morning are invaluable partners," he said. "Each actor works like a cog in the machine, complementing and adding value to one another."
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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LONG-TERM EFFORTS NEEDED FOR SOUTH ASIAN FLOOD RECOVERY, SAYS UN AGENCY

LONG-TERM EFFORTS NEEDED FOR SOUTH ASIAN FLOOD RECOVERY, SAYS UN AGENCY
New York, Aug 9 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2594">WFP) warned today that long-term relief and recovery efforts will be needed for the millions people that have been affected by severe flooding across South Asia.

Severe weather during this year's monsoon season has wreaked havoc across the region in recent weeks. In addition to the over 20 million people suffering in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, some two million were affected by devastating flooding in Pakistan when Cyclone Yemyin struck the country in late June.

"After the floodwaters subside, millions of poor families will remain devastated from the loss of their crops, livestock and in some cases, family members," said Josette Sheeran, WFP's Executive Director.

WFP has emphasised its readiness to provide emergency food assistance, if and when requested by the governments of the affected countries. In Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the agency has provided immediate assistance from existing food stocks.

"WFP stands ready to assist with food and logistical support, and we urge donors to step forward with funding for early recovery programmes which are crucial in the wake of a crisis."

UN agencies have been working with national governments to respond to the crisis, which has been described as the "worst flooding in living memory."

However, South Asia is not alone in its distress, a senior UN relief official said today. Other parts of the world, including the Sudan, East Africa and South America, have also seen very serious flooding this year, resulting in the disruption of economies, impacts on people's health and the loss of livelihoods, especially in rural areas.

"In Asia, the annual monsoon is something people depend on for their agriculture. They need the water," UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Margareta Wahlström told reporters in New York. "It's water in excess that's disruptive and costly."

She noted that every year some 500 million people are regularly affected by floods, and that flooding and weather-related disasters make up about 55 to 60 per cent of all global disasters every year. There have been 70 floods so far this year.

The challenge to countries, organizations and individuals is "can we change our behaviour so that we reduce the impact of these events, knowing that over the next 20 years we will have more serious weather-related events," Ms. Wahlström stated.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN RELIEF OFFICIAL DISCUSSES HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS WITH SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT

TOP UN RELIEF OFFICIAL DISCUSSES HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS WITH SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT
New York, Aug 9 2007 2:00PM
Assistance for returnees and ensuring the safety of civilians and aid workers were on the agenda today as United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes met with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss humanitarian matters in the South Asian island nation.

"Discussions on how to solve many humanitarian concerns were held in a positive spirit," Mr. Holmes said after the meeting, which took place on the last day of a three-day visit to Sri Lanka. "There is now an opportunity to move forward constructively on many issues related to humanitarian assistance."

The meeting focused on relief operations in the north and east of the country. Mr. Holmes spoke with the President regarding his visit to Batticaloa and Vaharai in eastern Sri Lanka, where UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have helped over 100,000 people return to their homes in areas taken by the Government after clashes with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Both Mr. Holmes and President Rajapaksa agreed that rehabilitating livelihoods and agriculture, as well as rebuilding civil administration and the police force, take precedence in assisting returnees to rebuild their lives.

Mr. Holmes, who also serves as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, welcomed the President's assurance regarding the planned disarmament of paramilitary groups in the country's east, which could bolster protection of returning internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other groups affected by the conflict.

More than 160,000 civilians became displaced in eastern Sri Lanka between October last year and May, according to UN humanitarian officials, including some people who were also displaced when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck the country in December 2004. Additionally, at least 3,500 people have been killed in the past year because of the renewed fighting in the decades-long conflict.

Mr. Holmes also underscored the importance of humanitarian agencies having continued and unimpeded access, as well as of improved safety for civilians.

"It is vital to develop a strong partnership between the Government and humanitarian actors to better assist those most affected by the conflict," he said. "If humanitarian workers are better able to do their job, international support for recovery and normalization in eastern Sri Lanka will become much more likely."

The two also agreed that the investigations into the killings of humanitarian workers – especially the 17 staff of the French NGO, Action against Hunger, who were killed last August – should be resolved quickly.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCY URGES SOUTH-EAST ASIA TO TAKE PROMPT ACTION AGAINST DENGUE FEVER

UN AGENCY URGES SOUTH-EAST ASIA TO TAKE PROMPT ACTION AGAINST DENGUE FEVER
New York, Aug 9 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations health agency today called on South-East Asian countries to take prompt action to prevent and contain mounting outbreaks of dengue fever, a potentially fatal flu-like viral illness spread by mosquitoes breeding in artificial containers and improperly managed garbage.

"Vector control, such as the control of mosquito breeding in domestic and peri-domestic areas, is imperative for prevention of dengue," said Jai P. Narain, Director of Communicable Diseases at the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section316/Section503/Section2358_13463.htm">WHO) Regional Office for South-East Asia. "This requires the full participation and mobilization of the community at the individual and household level."

The number of reported cases has increased in Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand. Indonesia has had twice the number, compared to 45,777 during the same period in 2005. Myanmar and Thailand are seeing increases of 29 per cent and 17 per cent respectively.
Many other Asian and Pacific countries are already facing an unprecedented increase.

Experience from previous years shows that in countries such as India, including the capital, New Delhi, dengue outbreaks begin to increase from August onwards soon after the monsoons.

"Dengue is a man-made problem related to human behaviour," which is affected by "globalization, rapid unplanned and unregulated urban development, poor water storage and unsatisfactory sanitary conditions," according to WHO Regional Director Samlee Plianbangchang. "These factors provide an increase in the breeding habitats of the mosquito."

The virus spreads through the bite of the infectious female Aedes mosquito, primarily Aedes aegypti. Since dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever are ecological diseases, prevention is the key to effective control. Surveillance of vectors and the disease are both very critical because outbreaks are generally preceded by increased vector populations.

Individuals, families, community support groups, self-help groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local authorities and health departments need to work together to address the current situation because dengue is everyone's concern, WHO said.

Individuals can take simple steps such as emptying all water containers at least once a week and ridding their surroundings of containers that collect rain water, which will help to prevent the laying of eggs by the mosquitoes that are the dengue vector.

Aedes mosquitoes bite only in the daytime, unlike malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Often persons infected with dengue suffer from mild flu-like symptoms, and may not realize they have the disease. Aside from joint pain, dengue victims experience rashes, nausea and headaches.

But some also suffer a potentially fatal form called dengue haemorrhagic fever, which causes internal bleeding and circulatory failure. Aspirin should be avoided in cases of dengue fever as it is known to increase the tendency to bleed. No vaccine has yet been found for any of the four strains of the virus, and none of the four confer immunity from the others.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' CONCERNS MUST BE TACKLED WITH URGENCY - BAN KI-MOON

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' CONCERNS MUST BE TACKLED WITH URGENCY – BAN KI-MOON
New York, Aug 9 2007 1:00PM
The world's 370 million indigenous people continue to suffer discrimination, marginalization, extreme poverty and conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for urgent action to deal with their pressing concerns.

In a <"http://www.un.org/events/indigenous/2007/sgstatement.shtml">message marking the <"http://www.un.org/events/indigenous/2007/">International Day of the World's Indigenous People, observed each year on 9 August, Mr. Ban pointed out that while the occasion is a time to "celebrate the contributions that indigenous peoples make to humanity through their rich civilizations," it is also important to remember the critical issues they grapple with daily.

Aside from discrimination, marginalization and poverty, Mr. Ban said indigenous peoples also face dispossession of their traditional lands and livelihoods, displacement, destruction of their belief systems, culture, language and way of life.

"Our fast-paced world requires us to act with urgency in addressing these issues," he said, stressing that in doing so indigenous peoples' full and effective participation must be ensured at every step along the way.

Mr. Ban noted that recently, the world has grown "increasingly aware of the need to support indigenous people," and has done so by establishing and promoting international standards, and by vigilantly upholding respect for their human rights. Recognition of, and respect for, indigenous knowledge on issues related to the environment and climate change has also been reinforced.

The Secretary-General also highlighted the three-decade-long partnership between indigenous peoples and the United Nations, which culminated in 2000 with the establishment of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues – an expert body that discusses indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. "Today, indigenous peoples have a home at the United Nations," he stated.

Echoing Mr. Ban's comments, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour emphasized that while the Day is a "celebration of humankind's diversity and richness, it needs also to serve as a reminder of the continuing exclusion indigenous peoples face."

In a <"http://www.un.org/events/indigenous/2007/jointstatement.shtml">joint statement issued with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, Ms. Arbour urged Member States to adopt the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which is due to be taken up by the General Assembly in the coming weeks.

The Declaration, adopted by the Human Rights Council in June 2006, sets out global human rights standards for the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. It is drawn from the experiences of "thousands of indigenous representatives who have shared their anguish and their hopes."

"As we stand at the brink of this historic decision by the General Assembly, it is the time to call upon Member States of the United Nations to join as one and adopt the Declaration and thereby establish a universal framework for indigenous peoples' rights, social justice and reconciliation," she said.

The Declaration also recognizes that respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contributes to sustainable development, including proper management of the environment. At its 2008 session, the UN Permanent Forum will focus on the particular vulnerability of indigenous communities to climate change and their important role in responding to it.

"The Saami community in Scandinavia is well-known for having brought the issue of climate change and its impact on their future livelihoods to the fora of the international community," stated Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=516&ArticleID=5651&l=en">UNEP).

Also today, Mr. Ban's Special Representative in Nepal Ian Martin welcomed a recent agreement between the Government and the Janajatis to ensure the latter's inclusion in the electoral process and the Constituent Assembly elections scheduled for November, calling it a "major step for Nepal's indigenous peoples."

Mr. Martin said the agreement also highlights the need for continuing dialogue to ensure electoral rights for other traditionally marginalized groups. "This will contribute to achieving the ultimate goal of the election: to produce a Constituent Assembly that is truly representative and able to frame a constitution which responds to the aspirations of all Nepalese people," he said.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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TIMOR-LESTE REMAINS TENSE FOLLOWING POST-ELECTION UNREST, UN REPORTS

TIMOR-LESTE REMAINS TENSE FOLLOWING POST-ELECTION UNREST, UN REPORTS
New York, Aug 9 2007 11:00AM
The security situation in Timor-Leste remained tense today, with United Nations police officers and their international and national colleagues fully deployed to end post-election violence in the small South-East Asian country that the world body helped shepherd to independence from Indonesia in 2002.

There were no reports of serious security incidents in Dili, the capital, but police conducted an operation against people who had been throwing stones at passing vehicles, arresting and charging 14 people.

Yesterday in Dili district police continued to receive reports of rock throwing and public disturbances, mostly at night, with 11 UN cars damaged and 19 people arrested throughout the day.

At a news conference today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Atul Khare again strongly condemned the violence which he said was regrettably being committed by people who claim an allegiance to the former ruling party FRETILIN.

The worst affected areas yesterday were Watulari and Viqueque subdistricts, east of Dili, where 110 houses were burnt in violence stemming from longstanding ethnic tensions, according to initial indications. In Oecussi, the subdistrict administration building was burnt down.

The <"http://www.unmiset.org">UN enhanced its peacekeeping and policing roles in Timor-Leste after violence attributed to differences between eastern and western regions broke out in April and May last year, killing at least 37 people and forcing 155,000 others, 15 per cent of the population, to flee their homes.

Tensions have risen again after the 30 June legislative elections failed to produce a single outright winner. A new Government led by former president Xanana Gusmão was sworn in yesterday.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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FAILURE TO OPEN ISRAEL-GAZA CROSSING WILL HAVE 'DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES' - UN OFFICIAL

FAILURE TO OPEN ISRAEL-GAZA CROSSING WILL HAVE 'DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES' - UN OFFICIAL
New York, Aug 9 2007 10:00AM
A senior United Nations official today appealed to the Palestinian authorities, Israel and all other parties to take immediate steps to re-open a major crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip to reverse a rapidly worsening economic, humanitarian and political situation.

"Failure to do this will lead to disastrous consequences: an atmosphere of hopelessness and despair in which extremism is likely to take hold," Filippo Grandi, Deputy Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which cares for millions of Palestinian refugees, <"http://www.un.org/unrwa/news/releases/pr-2007/Gaza9Aug07.pdf">told news briefing in Gaza City.

"This is not in the interests of anyone who sincerely seeks a lasting peace, in which the Palestinian people can live in dignity," he said.

In appealing for the major Karni crossing to be reopened, he was reiterating recent calls from other senior UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, since Israel imposed the closures after Hamas, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, took control of the Strip in June.

Mr. Grandi stressed that because of the closures UNRWA had been forced to halt all its construction projects worth $93 million, as it had been unable to import building supplies in sufficient quantities. "We urgently need to get these into Gaza if we are to avoid a significant worsening of the living conditions of those who have waited months, and even years to have their own homes," he said.

According to the latest figures from the Palestinian Association of Businessmen, the total accumulative loss to industry in Gaza has reached $23 million dollars since June and if the closures continue at least 120,000 workers in Gaza will lose their jobs, he noted. In the construction sector alone, about $160 million worth of projects have been halted.

Farmers, meanwhile, face a terrible uncertainty with no guarantees that they will be able to export their goods or import such essential materials as fertilizer. "If the agricultural sector is allowed to fail, Gaza will pay a high price," Mr. Grandi said.

"Let me take this opportunity to issue a grave warning: Gaza risks becoming a virtually 100 per cent aid dependent, closed down and isolated community within a matter of months, or even weeks, if the present regime of closures continues. The window of opportunity in which we can address this most urgent situation is small and fast closing," he added.

"The fragility and unpredictability of aid, in this highly complex and volatile political situation, is dangerous: particularly in view of the vulnerability of those we serve. And so I issue an appeal but also a warning to all actors involved in the conflict: both political and humanitarian.

"I appeal to the Palestinian authorities, to Israel and all other parties to take immediate steps to open up the Karni Crossing, to imports and exports, as well as humanitarian goods, in compliance with the demands of the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon and of the Quartet. Only this will allow the little that remains of Gaza's economy to survive."

The Quartet, comprising the UN, European Union, Russia and United States, has called on Hamas to commit to non-violence, recognize Israel and accept agreements already signed between Israel and the Palestinians. It is sponsoring the so-called Road Map plan aimed at securing a two-State solution to the Middle East conflict, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace, originally slated for completion by the end of 2005.
2007-08-09 00:00:00.000

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UN ENVOY DISCUSSES SECURITY IN LIBERIA WITH BENIN'S PRESIDENT

UN ENVOY DISCUSSES SECURITY IN LIBERIA WITH BENIN'S PRESIDENT
New York, Aug 8 2007 5:00PM
Security in Liberia topped the agenda of talks today in Monrovia between the senior United Nations envoy to the West African country and the President of Benin, who pledged support in restoring stability there.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative, Alan Doss, and President Yayi Boni also discussed the issue of jobs creation during their meeting at the headquarters of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

Mr. Boni commended <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmil/index.html">UNMIL for helping to establish peace in Liberia and urged the mission to maintain this momentum, pledging Benin's support for efforts to stabilize Liberia and the wider region.

"We are prepared to send military engineers to Liberia and eager to set up partnerships with the private sector in this country," he said.

A key concern is promoting employment opportunities, especially for youth, who during Liberia's long-running civil war often found themselves conscripted into military service.

Reviewing progress, Mr. Doss noted that presently Liberia's Government is stable and the country's security forces are in the process of being restructured.

"UNMIL will not leave before the national security services are ready to take over the job," he said, stressing that Liberia faces serious challenges ahead.
2007-08-08 00:00:00.000

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UN RELIEF CHIEF TOURS CONFLICT-WRACKED AREAS OF EASTERN SRI LANKA

UN RELIEF CHIEF TOURS CONFLICT-WRACKED AREAS OF EASTERN SRI LANKA
New York, Aug 8 2007 5:00PM
The top United Nations humanitarian official toured eastern Sri Lanka today, meeting with some of the tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the region and holding talks with local authorities to try to improve the relief effort there.

John Holmes, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, visited an IDP settlement near the town of Batticaloa, close to the scene of recent fighting between Government forces and Tamil separatists.

More than 160,000 civilians became displaced in eastern Sri Lanka between October last year and May, according to UN humanitarian officials, including some people who were also displaced when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck the country in December 2004.

Mr. Holmes, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said it was tragic that those people affected by the tsunami had had to flee again.

During talks with local authorities, he stressed the need for improved cooperation between UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the Government to improve aid provision across the country, where at least 3,500 people have been killed in the past year because of the renewed fighting in the decades-long conflict.

Mr. Holmes called on local authorities to open all areas to humanitarian operations and to restore public services as well.

Tomorrow he is expected to wrap up his visit to Sri Lanka by meeting the country's President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
2007-08-08 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS BARBADIAN LEADER, MIDDLE EAST ENVOY

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS BARBADIAN LEADER, MIDDLE EAST ENVOY
New York, Aug 8 2007 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is holding talks today with the Prime Minister of Barbados, where last night he met with Tony Blair, the new envoy of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East, a United Nations spokesperson announced.

The meeting with Prime Minister Owen Arthur will also focus on the work of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the regional economic grouping, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

Later today Mr. Ban is expected to meet Barbados' Attorney-General, Dale Arthur, before heading back to UN Headquarters in New York tomorrow.

The Secretary-General's visit to Barbados follows a two-day trip last week to Haiti, where he told journalists that he was encouraged by progress on a number of fronts thanks to the efforts of the UN Stabilization Mission (<" http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/minustah">MINUSTAH) and UN agencies.

Last night, while in Bridgetown, the Barbadian capital, Mr. Ban held a working dinner with Tony Blair, the recently appointed envoy of the <" http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=70&Body=Palestin&Body1=">Middle East Quartet, the international diplomatic grouping that includes the UN.

Mr. Ban and Mr. Blair, a former British prime minister, discussed recent developments in the region and the ongoing efforts of the Quartet to bring about a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Quartet is comprised of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States.
2007-08-08 00:00:00.000

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UN WORKING NOT ONLY TO END VIOLENCE BUT ALSO TO PROMOTE 'CULTURE OF PEACE' - MIGIRO

UN WORKING NOT ONLY TO END VIOLENCE BUT ALSO TO PROMOTE 'CULTURE OF PEACE' – MIGIRO
New York, Aug 8 2007 2:00PM
Peace must be viewed through the lens of security, development and human rights, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said in New York today, advocating an active approach to not only resolve conflicts but also to foster tolerance and understanding.

"When the United Nations was first created, our founders were preoccupied with the security of States," Ms. Migiro said in an <" http://www.un.org/apps/dsg/dsgstats.asp?nid=36 ">address at the start of a three-day conference celebrating the 25th anniversary of the International Institute on Peace Education.

However, today, "peace and security are no longer viewed only in terms of military conflict, but just as much in terms of poverty, hunger, environmental degradation and human rights violations," she said.

As a result of this deepened understanding of peace, education for peace has also progressed, she noted.

"What was once a mission to eliminate the risk of global extinction through nuclear war is today a broader quest to build a Culture of Peace," the Deputy Secretary-General said.

The UN itself has bolstered its ties with non-governmental institutes (NGOs), educational institutions and citizens' networks, based on the shared awareness that "our work to end war must reach well beyond the mere absence of conflict," necessitating the "spread of values, attitudes and behaviours that reject violence and embrace tolerance, justice and respect for human rights," she said.

Ms. Migiro cited the Peace and Disarmament Education Projects, which wrapped up in 2005, as an example of an initiative aimed to "disarm the minds" of children, generating broad support for non-proliferation.

She also stressed the UN's reliance on its partners in its efforts to further peace education, ranging from conflict prevention to disarmament and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals">MDGs), a series of targets to slash a host of social ills by 2015.
2007-08-08 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR: UN ENVOY BEGINS VISIT TO REGION FOR FRESH TALKS

DARFUR: UN ENVOY BEGINS VISIT TO REGION FOR FRESH TALKS
New York, Aug 8 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations envoy tasked with re-energizing the peace process in Darfur heads to the violence-wracked Sudanese region today for talks with local authorities, tribal leaders, civil society groups, Arab nomads and internally displaced persons (<" http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs).

Jan Eliasson, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Darfur, <" http://www.unmis.org/english/2007Docs/PIO-UNMISbulletin-aug08.pdf">travels first to El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, before heading later today to Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, where he is expected to stay overnight.

Later tomorrow Mr. Eliasson is scheduled to visit El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state and the planned headquarters of UNAMID, the newly established hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur.

UNAMID has an initial mandate of 12 months and will incorporate the existing AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), which has been deployed across Darfur since 2004. It will become the world's largest peacekeeping force, with almost 26,000 troops and police officers when it reaches full deployment, as well as nearly 5,000 civilian staff.

By October, UNAMID is scheduled to have its management, command and control structures in place, and then by the end of the year it is expected to be ready to take over operations from AMIS.

Yesterday in Khartoum, Mr. Eliasson met the Sudanese presidential adviser Nafie Ali Nafie and the Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mutrif Siddiq, to brief them on the weekend "pre-negotiation" talks in Arusha, Tanzania, with some of Darfur's rebels.

Those talks ended with a pledge from the rebels reaffirming their commitment to the so-called Road-Map outlined by Mr. Eliasson and his AU counterpart, Salim Ahmed Salim, to end the Darfur conflict.

The representatives of the rebel movements attending the Arusha meeting agreed to present a common platform on the sharing of power and wealth, security arrangements, land and humanitarian issues, and they also recommended that final talks towards a political solution to the conflict be held in two or three months' time.

The last stop on Mr. Eliasson's current trip will be N'Djamena, the capital of neighbouring Chad, where he is set to meet with that country's President Idriss Deby on Friday.

Fighting has engulfed Darfur, an arid and impoverished region on Sudan's western flank, since 2003, when local rebels took up arms against the Government, which then responded with the support of notorious militia known as the Janjaweed. More than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2 million others have been displaced.
2007-08-08 00:00:00.000

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SOUTH LEBANESE TO RECEIVE UN AID TO RESUME FARMING INTERRUPTED BY WAR WITH ISRAEL

SOUTH LEBANESE TO RECEIVE UN AID TO RESUME FARMING INTERRUPTED BY WAR WITH ISRAEL
New York, Aug 8 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (<" http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000647/index.html">FAO) will launch a $3.3-million programme next month to help smallholders in South Lebanon resume farming after months of interruption caused by last year's war between Israel and Hizbollah and the resulting unexploded ordnance.

Many farmers have been unable to go back to their fields given the presence of an estimated more than 1 million live Israeli cluster bombs left over from the hostilities. Over 200 people have been injured or killed by the devices since the conflict ended.

According to the UN Mine Action Coordination <"http://www.maccsl.org">Centre in Southern Lebanon, about 10 percent of the cluster bombs have now been cleared, allowing a resumption of farming activities in a number of districts.

FAO's early recovery and rehabilitation programme will focus on the horticulture and livestock sectors and is funded under the UN Lebanon Recovery Fund.

Fruit and vegetable farmers, most of whom are heavily indebted after losing their harvests and being forced to remain idle for months, will be provided with "aid-in kind," – fertilizer, seeds and seedlings and with help to rehabilitate their greenhouses.

Livestock keepers who lost their animals will be helped to re-stock, while measures will be taken to improve productivity in affected areas.

According to an initial assessment made by FAO after the war, damage and losses to the agricultural sector amounted to some $280 million.

Half of the working population in South Lebanon relies wholly on agriculture for a living, with the sector providing nearly 70 per cent of total household incomes. Some 50,000 families have been financially damaged by the war.
2007-08-08 00:00:00.000

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ELECTORAL UNREST CONTINUES IN TIMOR-LESTE AS UN POLICE, PARTNERS DEPLOY

ELECTORAL UNREST CONTINUES IN TIMOR-LESTE AS UN POLICE, PARTNERS DEPLOY
New York, Aug 8 2007 11:00AM
United Nations police officers in <" http://www.unmiset.org">Timor-Leste, together with their international and national colleagues, have been fully deployed to put a stop to the violence that has erupted in the small South-East Asian country following the appointment of a new government.

In the past 24 hours, at least seven buildings in Baucau, east of the capital Dili, including three government facilities, three non-government organization offices and one court, were set on fire, as were seven private houses in nearby Viqueque. Two UNPol officers were injured, one seriously, and 45 people have been arrested.

Other violence has included widespread stoning damaging buildings and vehicles, at least 25 of them belong to the UN.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Atul Khare today again strongly condemned the violence, noting that it "is regrettably being committed" by people claiming allegiance to the former ruling party, Fretilin.

"It is essential that the message of non-violence be communicated strongly and repeatedly until it is respected by all," Mr. Khare said, recalling that Fretilin leader Mari Alkatiri had strongly condemned all acts of violence and assured him in a meeting yesterday that the party would take all possible steps to calm the situation.

With UN police officers (UNPol), national police and the International Security Forces (ISF) fully deployed, about 225 tear gas shells along with rubber bullets were fired to disperse the groups involved. An additional formed police platoon is being sent to Baucau today as reinforcement.

Mr. Khare will travel to Baucau and Viqueque on Saturday with President José Ramos-Horta to assure the population that the State is acting to quickly re-establish peace. Elsewhere in Timor-Leste the situation remains volatile but under control, with isolated and sporadic incidents of violence being reported.

The UN enhanced its peacekeeping and policing roles in the country, which it helped to shepherd to independence from Indonesia in 2002, after violence attributed to differences between eastern and western regions broke out in April and May last year, killing at least 37 people and forcing 155,000 others, 15 per cent of the population, to flee their homes.

The new Government led by former president Xanana Gusmão was sworn in today after the 30 June legislative elections failed to produce a single outright winner.
2007-08-08 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES FORTHCOMING INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT

BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES FORTHCOMING INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT
New York, Aug 8 2007 10:00AM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the forthcoming summit meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas as way to advance progress already made in international negotiations to rid the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) of all its nuclear weapon facilities and materials in return for energy and other aid.

"The Secretary-General believes that such a meeting offers a significant opportunity for the promotion of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean reconciliation," said a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2698">statement issued last night by Mr. Ban's spokesperson following the announcement that DPRK leader Kim Jong-Il and Republic of Korea (ROK) President Roh Moo-Hyun would meet in Pyongyang, the DPRK capital, on 28 August.

"He wishes to commend the two leaders for their initiative and hopes that this positive development will give further impetus to the progress made recently within the framework of the Six-Party Talks," the statement added.

Those talks in Beijing between the DPRK, ROK, Japan, Russia and the United States, led to an agreement in February on dismantling the DPRK's nuclear weapons facilities and the return to the country of UN International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/index.html">IAEA) inspectors over four years after they were ordered out after the DPRK withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
2007-08-08 00:00:00.000

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CLIMATE CHANGE COULD INTENSIFY HUNGER RISK IN DEVELOPING WORLD, UN OFFICIAL SAYS

CLIMATE CHANGE COULD INTENSIFY HUNGER RISK IN DEVELOPING WORLD, UN OFFICIAL SAYS
New York, Aug 7 2007 6:00PM
Climate change could lead to potential food shortages and increase the risk of hunger in developing countries, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said today.

However, industrialized countries could see an increase in their crop yields, <"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000646/index.html">FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said in a speech in Chennai, India.

"Crop yield potential is likely to increase at higher latitudes for global average temperature increases of up to 1 to 3°C depending on the crop, and then decrease beyond that," he said.

"On the contrary, at lower latitudes, especially in the seasonally dry tropics, crop yield potential is likely to decline for even small global temperature rises, which would increase the risk of hunger," Mr. Diouf noted in his address to the M.S. Swaminathan Foundation Conference.

Also at low latitudes, more frequent droughts and floods would decrease local production. "Rain-fed agriculture in marginal areas in semi-arid and sub-humid regions is mostly at risk."

For example, he noted that India stands to lose 125 million tons of its rain-fed cereal production, close to 20 per cent of its total production.

He stressed that advances in science and technology will be paramount in the field of agricultural production in the next three decades.

"I cannot sufficiently underline the need to also address the needs of resource poor farmers in rain-fed areas and on marginal lands," Dr. Diouf said. "Ensuring that new biotechnologies help achieve this goal, in full awareness of biosafety, socio-economic and ethical concerns associated with the use of some of these technologies remains a challenge for the entire scientific community."
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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UN 'HITTING THE TARGET' TOWARDS DEPLOYMENT OF HYBRID PEACE FORCE IN DARFUR

UN 'HITTING THE TARGET' TOWARDS DEPLOYMENT OF HYBRID PEACE FORCE IN DARFUR
New York, Aug 7 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations is on target to deploy a mainly African hybrid peace force in the war-wracked Sudanese region of Darfur on schedule, but needs more offers from countries on critical capacities such as aviation and ground transport, a senior UN peacekeeping official said today.

Jane Holl Lute, acting head of the new Department of Field Support, <"http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2007/070807_Lute.doc.htm">told reporters that "we are hitting the target of a predominantly African force," outlined in last week's Security Council resolution authorizing the creation of the hybrid operation, to be known as UNAMID.

The hybrid operation with the African Union, the first of its kind, will become the largest peacekeeping force in the world, with almost 26,000 troops and police officers and nearly 5,000 civilian staff when it reaches full deployment. It will have an initial mandate of 12 months and will incorporate of the existing AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS).

Ms. Holl Lute said the UN has already received enough offers from Member States to meet the required numbers of troops and police officers, but "we still are missing some pledges for key enabling capacities in the area of movement, for example, and in the area of aviation."

Troops or police officers have already been pledged by Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Thailand and Uganda. Those offers, however, are not final.

Ms. Holl Lute said UNAMID's headquarters will be established in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, with a series of sector headquarters and other deployment locations spread across the three states of Darfur, an arid and impoverished region nearly as large as France.

She warned that the mission faces daunting logistical challenges because of Darfur's climate, terrain and remoteness. There are few water sources and little transport infrastructure, and the nearest port through which supplies can be sent is 2,200 kilometres away.

Despite its aridity, Darfur can face intense floods during the annual rainy season, which can run from April to October, while sand storms are also a regular threat.

Water will have to be rationed carefully by the mission, Ms. Holl Lute said, adding that the UN was working with experts to see whether an apparent underground "mega-lake" in North Darfur exists and can be utilized.

In response to a reporter's question, Ms. Holl Lute said early estimates indicate UNAMID will cost more than $2 billion a year to operate, on top of the initial start-up cost.
She stressed that the UN was working towards meeting the benchmarks set out in last week's Security Council resolution, especially that by October UNAMID is scheduled to have its management, command and control structures in place. As of the end of the year, the new mission should be ready to take over operations from AMIS.

Since fighting erupted between rebel groups, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias in 2003, UN officials have repeatedly described Darfur as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and the scene of widespread human rights abuses. More than 200,000 people have been killed and the conflict has spilled into neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCIES WARN OF POTENTIAL HEALTH CRISIS FOLLOWING SOUTH ASIA FLOODS

UN AGENCIES WARN OF POTENTIAL HEALTH CRISIS FOLLOWING SOUTH ASIA FLOODS
New York, Aug 7 2007 5:00PM
United Nations agencies are warning of a possible health emergency in South Asia, after severe flooding in recent weeks has left some 30 million people in India, Bangladesh and Nepal in urgent need of fresh water, food and shelter.

The UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40529.html">UNICEF) and the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) are concerned about the spread of water-borne diseases, viral fever and skin infections, and are providing emergency medical kits and other supplies in the affected areas.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UNICEF's Veronique Taveau warned that the needs would be long-term and that many thousands could remain homeless for weeks.

Many of the affected areas in India were home to impoverished communities who suffered from poor sanitation and hygiene year round. Now, entire villages were days away from a health crisis, she said.

While water levels in Nepal have receded in many areas, Ms. Taveau said the delivery of vital aid was being hampered by security concerns and damage to access routes and infrastructure.

She warned that the situation in Bangladesh, where nearly 8 million people are affected, could worsen rapidly over the coming days.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) is concerned that monsoon rains could worsen flooding in areas already affected by the June cyclone and floods.

OCHA notes that its flash appeal for $38 million for Pakistan, launched three weeks ago, remains less than one third funded. The UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan is appealing to the donor community to urgently meet the funding shortfall.
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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UN EXPERT REPORTS GROSS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY ALL SIDES IN DARFUR

UN EXPERT REPORTS GROSS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY ALL SIDES IN DARFUR
New York, Aug 7 2007 5:00PM
All parties to the Darfur conflict continue to carry out "gross violations" of human rights, including killings, disappearances, torture and sexual violence, an independent United Nations rights expert has reported after wrapping up her latest visit to Sudan.

Sima Samar, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Sudan, yesterday <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/FE394DB53CF3140FC125732F00499F83?opendocument">called for greater action to protect civilians in violence-wracked Darfur from breaches of international law.

"While the [Sudanese] Government has the primary responsibility in this regard, I welcome the recent approval of the [African Union] AU-UN peacekeeping force for the region," she said in a statement issued in Geneva after her visit to Sudan, which took place from 25 July to 2 August.

Ms. Samar said she had received allegations of serious violations in areas under the control of the wing of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) controlled by Minni Minawi, a faction that was a signatory to the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) last year. Those allegations include torture, sexual violence, harassment and extortion.

In South Darfur, Ms. Samar said she had also been told of forced disappearances and killings in the town of Gerida. "These cases should be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice."

The Special Rapporteur, who reports to the UN Human Rights Council, noted that both the Council and the Sudanese Government have undertaken or pledged to carry out steps and measures to ameliorate the conditions inside Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed since 2003 and another 2 million people forced to flee their homes.

"I welcome the Government's acknowledgement of the seriousness of the situation," she said, urging Khartoum to quickly carry out the recommendations of a group of UN rapporteurs and other experts – which she presides over – on the situation in Darfur.

Fighting began in Darfur, an impoverished and arid region of western Sudan that is almost as large as France, when local rebels took up arms against the Government, which then responded with the support of notorious militia known as the Janjaweed.

In her statement Ms. Samar also said that civil and political rights are breached in other regions of Sudan, despite the Government's efforts to introduce legislative bills to ensure that its armed forces, police and national security apparatus comply with international legal obligations.

The situation is also tough in the "transitional areas" in the wake of the comprehensive peace agreement in January 2005 ending the north-south civil war, according to Ms. Samar. Those regions are officially administered by the north but its populations are linguistically and ethnically closer to the south, causing "particular problems," especially given that two parallel judicial systems are in place.
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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SOMALIA: TOP UN ENVOY CALLS FOR OPPOSITION GROUPS TO JOIN RECONCILIATION DEBATE

SOMALIA: TOP UN ENVOY CALLS FOR OPPOSITION GROUPS TO JOIN RECONCILIATION DEBATE
New York, Aug 7 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Somalia François Lonsény Fall today called on the war-ravaged East African nation's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to invite opposition groups to join the reconciliation meeting currently under way in the capital Mogadishu.

"We would like to see the stakeholders who renounce violence inside and outside the country take part in this process," Mr. Fall said in an address to the National Reconciliation Congress.

The international community firmly supports the reconciliation process and will contribute much-needed technical assistance to allow delegates to reach decisions to promote peace, he added.

The Special Envoy also appealed to participants to discuss all outstanding issues, including power-sharing and disarmament.

Before the meeting, Mr. Fall met with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and the reconciliation committee's chairman Ali Mahdi Mohamed, at Mogadishu's Presidential Palace.

The opening of the reconciliation congress on 14 July was followed by a series of deadly attacks targeting locations where the conference, which was suspended for several days, is taking place. The attacks have wounded and killed innocent bystanders, including children, and prompted scores of others to flee.

Hostilities in the country – which has had no functioning government for 16 years – flared up last year, culminating in the expulsion from Mogadishu in December of Islamist groups by the TFG, backed by Ethiopian troops.

According to UN figures, 340,000 people, or roughly one-third of Mogadishu's population, have fled the city because of ongoing hostilities since February.
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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STRONG SECURITY COUNCIL CONSENSUS FOR UN TO HAVE EXPANDED ROLE IN IRAQ - TOP OFFICIAL

STRONG SECURITY COUNCIL CONSENSUS FOR UN TO HAVE EXPANDED ROLE IN IRAQ – TOP OFFICIAL
New York, Aug 7 2007 2:00PM
There is strong consensus within the Security Council on an expanded United Nations role in Iraq, the world organization's top political officer said today, although he acknowledged the restraints imposed by the continuing conflict in the country.

"There was really quite a unanimous agreement in the Council itself on what the role of the UN should be," Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe said after briefing the 15-member body, which was discussing a new resolution for the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (<"http://www.uniraq.org/aboutus/aboutus.asp">UNAMI).

"Everyone seemed to feel quite comfortable with the role as laid out in this resolution," he added. "So I think that there's a very strong consensus among all the members of the Security Council about what the UN should be doing and I think this resolution is right in the middle of that."

Mr. Pascoe noted that UNAMI's current mandate is almost three years old, and that much has now been accomplished. "The effort now is to update that mandate to get it much closer to the kinds of things we are working on, the kinds of things we're doing and to make it clear that the Council strongly supports that effort," he said.

"We're talking in terms of reconciliation, in terms of some of the other issues that we had been working on," he added, noting that the Iraqi Government had asked the UN to do more in certain areas.

He stressed that physical security is a concern after the Secretary-General's Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others were killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad four years ago. Since then, international UN staff in Iraq have been reduced to 65, although many more UN personnel work from Amman in neighbouring Jordan.

"We are doing what we can to make sure that our people are safe," he said. "We are trying to do what we can to make sure that they also have the conditions that they can work and be very productive. So we're trying to thread through that difficult problem."

He cited recent mortar and other attacks in the Green Zone in Baghdad but said the number of UN staff in the city should reach 95. "It's not a huge increase, it's a small increase, but again what we're looking for here are not numbers, not the number of people we throw at things, but how much we're really working on the major issues," he added. "We will be constantly looking at the security situation everywhere to decide what level is appropriate."
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF-BACKED PROGRAMME PROVIDES EGYPTIANS WITH CLEANER WATER

UNICEF-BACKED PROGRAMME PROVIDES EGYPTIANS WITH CLEANER WATER
New York, Aug 7 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) and the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation have joined forces to bolster access to improved water services for Egyptians in rural and urban areas.

Only a handful of 4,500 villages in Egypt have adequate waste water disposal systems or municipal solid waste management.

In many areas, the quality of water is undermined due to the dumping of inadequately treated domestic, agricultural and industrial wastes in waterways. As a result, water availability is reduced, Egyptians' health is negatively impacted and ultimately the country's economy suffers.

"The contamination of water supplies from improper disposal of liquid and solid wastes to canals and drains is a serious problem in Egypt that is being aggravated by the rapid growth of the nation's population as well as the fixed and limited water resources," said UNICEF's Deputy Representative for Egypt Hannan Sulieman. "This new alliance focuses on the role of local rural communities in water management and encouraging greater civic responsibility."

UNICEF – which is providing $90,000 – will initiate community awareness campaigns and training programmes to both educate Egyptians about healthy water resource management and encourage community members to preserve and improve their water facilities.

The project will focus on two of Egypt's governorates to improve water quality, reduce water health hazards and increase water productivity.

The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation is contributing $250,000 towards the project, while the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Resources Group (IRG) will provide an additional $250,000.

These organizations collectively are working together as the newly-formed Global Development Alliance.
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCIES TO PROVIDE RELIEF FOR REFUGEES FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

UN AGENCIES TO PROVIDE RELIEF FOR REFUGEES FROM CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
New York, Aug 7 2007 12:00PM
Some 26,000 refugees who have fled insecurity in the Central African Republic and are now living in Cameroon will soon receive much-needed help from several United Nations agencies joining forces to alleviate their plight.

On Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), along with other UN agencies, will launch a relief operation to aid the refugees who are scattered along the eastern border of Cameroon and living in very precarious conditions.

"The refugees, particularly women and children, are in a vulnerable condition with some 15 to 18 per cent of infants malnourished and suffering a rate of infant mortality six to seven times higher than the emergency threshold in some areas," UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46b855b54.html">said at a press briefing in Geneva.

Mainly Mbororo nomadic cattle herders, the refugees have arrived in Cameroon in several waves since 2005 after fleeing their villages, where they had been targeted by rebel groups and bandits who steal cattle and kidnap women and children for ransom. The last recorded arrivals were in February this year.

Ms. Pagonis warned that there are a number of logistical challenges in getting aid to the refugees, who are living in more than 50 sites spread over thousands of miles. "The imminent start of the rainy season may hamper the delivery of the relief supplies, and security conditions caused by banditry also need to be taken into account."

The relief operation, which involves the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english">WFP), the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org">UNFPA), will provide 200 tons of basic supplies such as blankets, plastic sheeting, mosquito nets, hygiene supplies and medicines to the refugees.

In addition, WFP is positioning nearly 3,000 tons of food in its warehouses to supply the basic food needs of the refugees for six months, while UNICEF is supplying nutritional needs for children suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition. In addition, UNFPA will be helping women and young girls with problems related to reproductive health and maternal mortality.
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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GLOBAL LAND TEMPERATURES FOR JANUARY AND APRIL LIKELY WARMEST EVER RECORDED - UN

GLOBAL LAND TEMPERATURES FOR JANUARY AND APRIL LIKELY WARMEST EVER RECORDED - UN
New York, Aug 7 2007 11:00AM
Global land surface temperatures for January and April will likely be ranked as the warmest since records began in 1880, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) <" http://www.wmo.ch/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_791_e.html">reported today, adding that it is working with its partners to set up a multi-hazard early warning system to tackle the extremes brought on by climate change, such as violence storms, floods and heatwaves.

"Weather and climate are marked by record extremes in many regions across the world since January 2007," WMO said in its update, noting that global temperatures were 1.89°C warmer than average for January and 1.37°C warmer than average for April.

It noted that the most recent assessment report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<" http://www.ipcc.ch">IPCC) found that the warming of the climate system was unequivocal and most likely due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.

Among the latest extremes WMO cited four monsoon depressions, double the normal, which caused heavy floods in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, killing more than 500 people, displacing over 10 million others and destroying vast areas of croplands, livestock and property; the first documented cyclone in the Arabian Sea hitting Oman and Iran; and the wettest May to July period in England and Wales (406 milimetres) since records began in 1766.

Others included a powerful storm system in much of northern Europe in January; abnormally heavy and early rainfall in Sudan since the end of June; a series of large swell waves (estimated at 3-4.5 metres) that swamped 68 islands in the Maldives in May; two extreme record-breaking heat waves in south-eastern Europe in June and July; and a heat wave that swept across western and central Russia in May, breaking several records.

"Recognizing the severe health impacts of heat waves, the WMO and the [UN] World Health Organization (<" http://www.who.int/en">WHO), are at an advanced stage of preparing Guidance on the implementation of Heat Health early Warning Systems," the agency said.

Nor was the southern hemisphere spared extremes. An unusual cold southern winter brought winds, blizzards and rare snowfall to various parts of South America with temperatures reaching as low as -22°C in Argentina and -18°C in Chile in July. In June South Africa experienced its first significant snowfall since 1981 with 25 centimetres registered in parts of the country.

By contrast, in the northern hemisphere winter many European countries had their warmest January on record, with The Netherlands reporting the highest since measurements were first taken in 1706, averaging about 7.1°C (2.8°C above 1961-1990 average) while in Germany the temperatures were 4.6°C above the 1961-1990 average.

An increase in intense tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic since about 1970 has also been observed.

"WMO and the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of its 188 Members are working with other UN agencies and partners towards the establishment of a multi-hazard early warning system," the agency declared.

"Furthermore, they are putting in place sustainable observation systems needed for monitoring and assessing the impacts of climate change and determining the adaptation priorities for the most vulnerable countries."
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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AS SPORADIC VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN TIMOR-LESTE, UN WARNS OF CRACKDOWN ON CRIMINAL ACTS

AS SPORADIC VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN TIMOR-LESTE, UN WARNS OF CRACKDOWN ON CRIMINAL ACTS
New York, Aug 7 2007 10:00AM
With sporadic fighting, rock throwing and tyre burning breaking out in Timor-Leste after the announcement of a new government, the top United Nations envoy in the small South-East Asian country warned today that any political party supporters engaging in acts of violence would be treated as criminals and swiftly dealt with.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Atul Khare met with the Secretary-General of the former ruling party Fretilin, Mari Alkatiri and, as in his meetings with other political leaders throughout the entire electoral process, requested his support in keeping the situation calm.

"Mr. Alkatiri told me he had received delegations of people over the past day and had reminded those people that burning buildings and throwing rocks is unacceptable," Mr. Khare said.

The UN enhanced its peacekeeping and policing roles in the country, which it helped to shepherd to independence from Indonesia in 2002, after violence attributed to differences between eastern and western regions broke out in April and May last year, killing at least 37 people and forcing 155,000 others, 15 per cent of the population, to flee their homes.

UN police officers (<"http://www.unmiset.org">UNPol) along with the National Police of Timor-Leste and the International Security Forces have been working to contain the latest violence, which is mostly comprised of rock throwing, road blocks and some arson.

UNPol said that over the past 24 hours the situation in Dili, the capital, and eastwards to Baucau and Viqueque remained tense, with 32 incidents reported, mostly involving rock throwing, the burning of tyres, and fighting between different groups. At least 15 UN vehicles have been damaged by rock throwing.

UNPol and its partners used tear gas and other non-lethal force to contain the incidents. At least six people were arrested. The customs house at Seaport was set on fire but firefighters brought the blaze under control.

Yesterday Mr. Khare welcomed the announcement of the new Government led by former president Xanana Gusmão after the 30 June legislative elections failed to produce a single outright winner.
2007-08-07 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN ENVOY ON MYANMAR VISITS SINGAPORE

TOP UN ENVOY ON MYANMAR VISITS SINGAPORE
New York, Aug 6 2007 6:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, today arrived in Singapore on the first leg of an Asian trip that will also take him to Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Mr. Gambari is scheduled to meet with senior government officials at each stop on his itinerary, a UN spokesperson told reporters in New York.

All of the Special Adviser's consultations are taking place within the context of the Secretary-General's good offices mandate for Myanmar.

In June, Mr. Gambari visited European and Asian capitals for talks with government authorities.

When he was appointed Special Adviser in May, the Secretary-General's spokesperson said in a statement that Mr. Ban "looks forward to the cooperation of the Government of Myanmar and all relevant parties to the national reconciliation process, with a view to making tangible progress towards the restoration of democracy and the protection of human rights."
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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MARKING HIROSHIMA ANNIVERSARY, BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

MARKING HIROSHIMA ANNIVERSARY, BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
New York, Aug 6 2007 6:00PM
On the 62nd anniversary of the world's first-ever atomic bomb attack, which devastated the Japanese city of Hiroshima, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the occasion serves as a "powerful reminder" of the efforts necessary to halt nuclear proliferation.

"Today, our challenge – as it was for the founders of the United Nations – is to make the world safer for succeeding generations," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11116.doc.htm">message, delivered by Sergio de Queiroz Duarte, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, to the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Japan. "This requires us to continue to work towards a world free of nuclear dangers, and ultimately, of nuclear weapons."

Mr. Ban stressed the pressing nature of nuclear proliferation, and noted that the nuclear threat has been compounded by terrorists' attempts to acquire weapons and materials.

He paid special tribute to the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who, along with their predecessors, have promoted the "Mayors for Peace" initiative – which now has support from over 1,600 mayors in 120 countries – for the last quarter century.

"It has not only helped inform millions of people around the world of the catastrophic effects of the nuclear attacks of 1945," the Secretary-General said of the programme, which "has also drawn attention to the dangers that cities would face with any future use of such weapons."

He paid tribute to the memory of Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when Hiroshima was attacked by the bomb and died a decade later from the "atom bomb disease." Before her death, she folded one thousand origami peace cranes and her words – "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world." – is inscribed under her statue in the Hiroshima Peace Park.

"We must do all we can to turn back the tide of nuclear proliferation, and ensure that Sadako's experience is never repeated," Mr. Ban said.
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS IN SOUTH ASIA 'UNPRECEDENTED' TEST FOR AID AGENCIES - UN

FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS IN SOUTH ASIA 'UNPRECEDENTED' TEST FOR AID AGENCIES – UN
New York, Aug 6 2007 6:00PM
As monsoon rains continue to pound South Asia, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that the sheer size and scale of the resulting floods, as well as the massive numbers of people affected, poses an "unprecedented challenge" for governments and aid agencies in their relief efforts.

The UN estimates that some 20 million people are believed to be affected in India, Nepal and Bangladesh in what is being described as the "worst flooding in living memory."

According to <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40495.html">UNICEF, hundreds of thousands have lost their homes, possessions, livestock and fields and will have to begin their lives from scratch when flood waters recede.

Among the most urgent needs are shelter and access to fresh water, food, emergency medical supplies and basic household items.

Last Friday, the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP) said it is sending up to three months worth of emergency rations to some 60,000 flood victims in Nepal.

However, given the number of families affected and the remoteness of the impacted areas, the agency estimates that it will need some $1.5 million to meet the basic food requirements of the flood victims in the Himalayan country.

Severe weather during this year's monsoon season has wreaked havoc across South Asia in recent weeks. In addition to those suffering in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, some two million people were affected by devastating flooding in Pakistan when Cyclone Yemyin struck the country in late June.
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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UN LAW OF THE SEA TRIBUNAL ORDERS RELEASE OF JAPANESE FISHING VESSEL

UN LAW OF THE SEA TRIBUNAL ORDERS RELEASE OF JAPANESE FISHING VESSEL
New York, Aug 6 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) today ordered Russian authorities to release a Japanese fishing vessel it had detained for alleged illegal fishing in Russian waters but turned down Japan's application to release a second vessel.

In one of two judgements handed down in Hamburg, Germany, where the Tribunal is based, Judge Rüdiger Wolfrum said the Hoshinmaru – which was boarded and detained in June – and its catch on board should be released promptly upon the payment of a bond of 10 million roubles, or about $392,000.

The Hoshinmaru's master and crew "shall be free to leave without any conditions," Judge Wolfrum also said, having noted earlier that Russia and Japan disputed whether the master and crew are still being detained, along with the vessel, in the port city of Petropavlosk-Kamchatskii.

Japan took action at the Tribunal last month, arguing that Russia had breached its obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which states that arrested vessels and their crews should be released promptly once a bond or reasonable security has been posted.

The judges upheld that argument and found that the Tribunal did have jurisdiction over the case.

But in the case of a second vessel, the Tomimaru, whose crew was released after it was detained in October last year, the Tribunal ruled that Japan's application was "too vague and general" to be admissible and that a Russian court had already confiscated the vessel in question.

Russia said it had detained the two vessels because they had violated the country's national fisheries laws within its exclusive economic zone.
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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UN ENVOY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST KILLING OF AFGHAN DEMINERS

UN ENVOY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST KILLING OF AFGHAN DEMINERS
New York, Aug 6 2007 4:00PM
The murder of three men working to rid Afghanistan of the scourge of landmines has sparked outrage from the top United Nations official in the country.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Tom Koenigs said he was "appalled and saddened" to learn of the murder of the deminers, who all worked for the Mine Detection and Dog Centre in Panjwai district of Kandahar province.

Abdul Hasib, Meva Gul and Mirwais had been working to clear contaminated land when they were abducted on Saturday.

"Deminers put their own lives at risk every day to ensure the safety of Afghanistan's communities and it is abhorrent that anyone would target such selfless individuals working tirelessly to free the people of Afghanistan from the risk of death and injury caused by landmines," Mr. Koenigs said in a statement issued in Kabul.

He paid tribute to the three brave men, saying their sacrifice will never be forgotten by the Afghan people.
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR'S REBELS VOW TO WORK TOGETHER TOWARDS PEACE DURING UN-CHAIRED TALKS

DARFUR'S REBELS VOW TO WORK TOGETHER TOWARDS PEACE DURING UN-CHAIRED TALKS
New York, Aug 6 2007 4:00PM
Darfurian rebel groups attending United Nations-sponsored "pre-negotiation" talks over the weekend have agreed to work together to try to devise a solution to the deadly conflict that has devastated the Sudanese region since 2003.

Four days of talks in Arusha in Tanzania ended today with a pledge from the rebels reaffirming their commitment to the so-called Road-Map outlined by the UN and African Union Special Envoys for re-energizing the political process, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim.

The representatives of the rebel movements agreed to present a common platform on the sharing of power and wealth, security arrangements, land and humanitarian issues, and they also recommended that final talks towards a political solution to the Darfur conflict be held in two or three months' time.

Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim chaired the Arusha talks, which were also attended by representatives of Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and Libya, to chart the progress being made towards the staging of final negotiations on the Darfur crisis, which has killed more than 200,000 people and forced two million others to flee their homes.

The talks were also supposed to "create an enabling environment for the non-signatories [to last year's Darfur Peace Agreement] to meet and consult among themselves, with other participants and the Special Envoys in order to facilitate the preparations for the negotiations," according to the statement of conclusions issued by Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim today.

Not all of the non-signatories attended the Arusha talks. In the statement of conclusions, the rebel groups that did take part "decided to keep open the possibility for those who were invited but did not participate in the Arusha Consultations, to join their common platform."

Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim also said they would continue to pursue the case of Suleiman Jamous, a Darfurian elder who has been detained by the Sudanese Government, "in view of the role Mr. Jamous can play in the political process."

Mr. Eliasson has now travelled to Khartoum for two days of meetings with Government officials in the Sudanese capital, before he heads to the three states of Darfur and then on to neighbouring Chad on Saturday.

The Arusha talks were held just days after the Security Council authorized the deployment of a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force – the first of its kind – to try to quell the violence and suffering wracking Darfur.

The hybrid operation – to be known as UNAMID – has an initial mandate of 12 months and will incorporate the existing AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), which has been deployed across Darfur since 2004. It will become the largest peacekeeping force in the world, with almost 26,000 troops and police officers when it reaches full deployment.

By October, UNAMID is scheduled to have its management, command and control structures in place, and then by the end of the year it is expected to be ready to take over operations from AMIS.

Since fighting erupted between rebel groups, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias in 2003, UN officials have repeatedly described Darfur as the scene of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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UN MOBILIZES PROVINCIAL TOWN TO SUPPORT PEACE ACCORD IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE

UN MOBILIZES PROVINCIAL TOWN TO SUPPORT PEACE ACCORD IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE
New York, Aug 6 2007 2:00PM
Continuing its provincial forums in Côte d'Ivoire, the United Nations this weekend mobilized the inhabitants of Touba, the Bafing regional capital, to support the peace accord to reunite the West African country that has been split between the Government-controlled south and the Forces Nouvelles-held north since 2002.

As with their compatriots elsewhere, the future of the country resides in their own hands, UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unoci/index.html">UNOCI) spokesman Hamadoun Touré told an overflow crowd at the meeting, the first such event since last week's "flame of peace" ceremony at which President Laurent Gbagbo and Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, the Forces Nouvelles leader, set fire to stockpiled weapons to officially launch the disarmament process.

Mr. Touré, representing UNOCI Officer-in-Charge Abou Moussa, stressed the importance of forums for a direct exchange of views with the local population, such as townspeople of in Touba, some 700 kilometres from Abidjan, the country's commercial capital.

The representative of the local council, Diomandé Laciné, urged ONUCI to support the full application of the peace accord reached in Ouagadougou, in neighbouring Burkina Faso, in March.

The pact calls 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 "zone of confidence" separating north and south with a green line to be monitored by UNOCI.

For his part Forces Nouvelles delegate Fofana Soualio called on the UN to focus more on preventing crises than in using all the resources at its disposal to put them out once they had ignited.

Underlining the significance of the event, a wading bird mask from the village of Koudoufouma, brought out only for great occasions, was displayed in public for the first time in many years, UNOCI said.
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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UNVEILING OF NEW TIMORESE GOVERNMENT WELCOMED BY UN ENVOY

UNVEILING OF NEW TIMORESE GOVERNMENT WELCOMED BY UN ENVOY
New York, Aug 6 2007 2:00PM
The top United Nations envoy in Timor-Leste today welcomed the announcement of a new Government to be led by Xanana Gusmão in the small Asian nation, which the world body helped shepherd to independence in 2002.

Mr. Gusmão – the country's former President – was selected as the new Prime Minister after the 30 June legislative elections failed to produce a single outright winner. In the recent polls, five parties and two coalitions won parliamentary seats in proportion to their share of the vote.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Atul Khare welcomed today's decision, which was announced in the capital, Dili, by President José Ramos-Horta.

Mr. Khare, who is also Head of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmit/index.html">UNMIT), paid tribute to Mr. Ramos-Horta for having consulted widely on the matter and devoting great effort to finding a solution "which serves the best interests of the country," and praised the Timorese people for their "exemplary commitment to the democratic process."

Noting that the former ruling party, Fretilin, has stated that it will only use legal means to oppose this decision, Mr. Khare stressed that "a criminal act in the name of a political cause is still a criminal act, and will be dealt with firmly."

He also noted with appreciation the statements of Mr. Ramos-Horta and the President of the National Parliament Fernando de Araujo Lasama, envisaging concrete steps to ensure a meaningful role for the opposition.

"UNMIT looks forward to working with the authorities of Timor-Leste and its people on the urgent issues facing the country, such as security sector reform, strengthening of the justice sector, the promotion of democratic governance and social and economic development," Mr. Khare said.
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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PAKISTAN: UN EXPERTS WELCOME REINSTATEMENT OF CHIEF JUSTICE

PAKISTAN: UN EXPERTS WELCOME REINSTATEMENT OF CHIEF JUSTICE
New York, Aug 6 2007 2:00PM
Two United Nations experts today welcomed the reinstatement of Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry by the Supreme Court after being suspended this March by President Pervez Musharraf over unspecified allegations of "misuse of office."

The Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Leandro Despouy, and the Secretary-General's Special Representative on the situation of human rights defenders, Hina Jilani, said in a <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/FA9770E8E0584315C125732F00560FE0?opendocument">statement that they see the 20 July majority decision of the Supreme Court as "a significant step towards restoring the rule of law, but still wish to stress the importance of keeping the independence of the judiciary."

According to the experts, Mr. Chaudry's suspension, which was widely seen as an attack on the independence of the judiciary, sparked demonstrations at which police used excessive force.

They noted in a March statement that several judges resigned and lawyers in various parts of the country boycotted court proceedings in sign of protest against the suspension and against police abuses against demonstrators.

The two experts reminded the Government of provisions enshrined in the country's Constitution that establish a specific procedure as a safeguard to guarantee the independence of the judiciary and to protect judges from undue interference by the executive branch. "In the present case, it is widely believed that the Chief Justice was suspended without respect for these procedures," they said.

"The circumvention of the Constitution constitutes a serious interference of the executive with the independence of the judiciary. This threatens the proper functioning of the country's judicial system."

They also expressed concern about the "excessive force used against peaceful demonstrators" which they said runs contrary to international standards guaranteeing the right to peaceful assembly for the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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SRI LANKA: UN RELIEF CHIEF CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO PROBE AID WORKERS' MURDERS

SRI LANKA: UN RELIEF CHIEF CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO PROBE AID WORKERS' MURDERS
New York, Aug 6 2007 2:00PM
Terming the killings a year ago today of 17 Sri Lankan aid workers "probably the single worst crime committed against humanitarian workers in recent history," the top United Nations humanitarian official called on the Government to investigate "with the full weight and force of the justice system" the crime that has seemingly become a cold case.

"A full year has passed since this crime. No one has been apprehended or charged, and in many ways we seem little nearer to the truth," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the execution-style killings of the workers from the French organization Action against Hunger in northeastern Sri Lanka, where Tamil separatists and the Government have waged a decades-long war.

"What we need to know is who did this and why if we are to have any chance of preventing a repeat in the future. Revealing the truth about this crime is not only important for its own sake, but because the massacre was a terrible assault on the key principles of humanitarian action throughout the world," he told those gathered at UN headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital.

He stressed that humanitarian assistance is neutral and impartial. "We help people regardless of ethnicity and religious background, and try to help them solely on the basis of their needs in their hour of distress," he said. "I cannot think of another incident where so many members of a single humanitarian agency were murdered at the same time in such a dreadfully deliberate and calculating way," he added.

The aid workers, who were providing assistance to survivors from the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, were in the town of Mattur when they were forced to lie on the ground and shot in cold blood.

"The killers should remember what these humanitarian agencies did for Sri Lanka in one of its darkest hours – in the hours, weeks and months after the tsunami struck. Humanitarian organizations, staffed overwhelmingly by Sri Lankans, provided food and shelter, rebuilt homes, helped people restart their livelihoods. Political beliefs did not matter, nor did race or religion," Mr. Holmes declared.

"We must together say 'enough.' Enough of the murder of humanitarian workers, wherever they take place. Enough of the idea that they should ever be a legitimate target for any side in a conflict. Enough of denying them the protection and support that every side should provide, no matter how intense the conflict."

Noting that the deaths of the 17 had not, sadly, been the last, Mr. Holmes voiced the hope that that the anniversary would finally serve as a wake-up call to all those who take too lightly the unique role of humanitarian workers.

"Their sacrifice must not be in vain," he concluded. "So we owe it to them and to their memory to continue this work, to keep helping those in need in Sri Lanka. We must go on upholding the principles to which they dedicated their lives. Sri Lankans, with the international community, must continue to strive to help and heal, rather than divide and destroy. The devotion of these 17 humanitarians, and the price they paid for it, demand no less."
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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SOME 500,000 SUDANESE FLOOD VICTIMS RECEIVE EMERGENCY AID FROM UN, PARTNERS

SOME 500,000 SUDANESE FLOOD VICTIMS RECEIVE EMERGENCY AID FROM UN, PARTNERS
New York, Aug 6 2007 11:00AM
Up to half a million Sudanese flood victims have received emergency aid from United Nations agencies and their partners, including water purification products to avert the huge risk of epidemics, in the wake of four weeks after torrential rains that have devastated many parts of the vast country.

"Although the floods came earlier than expected, the response has been swift and successful," acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator David Gressly said today. "We had contingency measures in place, and were able to prevent further distress to the population."

But he warned that if current flooding patterns continued unabated, the situation would deteriorate considerably. The rains are expected to continue until at least mid-September.

The <"http://ochaonline2.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline2.un.org/sudan">UN and its partners have so far supplied essential supplies to some 200,000 people, whose indispensable household goods were lost in the destruction. Families received badly needed commodities, such as blankets, plastic sheeting for shelter, jerry cans for carrying and storing clean water, cooking sets, and sleeping mats. But it is estimated that many more people will need similar relief over the coming months.

Amidst the risk of waterborne epidemics, the lack of clean water has been a primary concern. In cooperation with the Government, the UN and partners have so far provided purification products and hygiene education to some 500,000 people without access to clean water, with over 1,400 kilograms of chlorine powder and 878,000 chlorine tablets already supplied.

In Kassala near the Eritrean border, tankers are delivering clean water to the worst affected, covering at least 10,000 people. Over the rest of the rainy season clean water – a potential life-saver – will continue to be a priority need for hundreds of thousands.

Despite these measures, 637 cases of suspected acute watery diarrhoea were reported in the states of Gedaref and Kassala in the country's east, leading to 39 known deaths. Emergency epidemic surveillance measures have been put in place, along with pre-positioning of preventive and curative health supplies. Over 34,000 people in the affected areas have received cholera awareness education.

In order to respond to the increased risk of potential diseases transmittable by insects, the UN and partners will endeavour to procure sufficient medicines, mosquito nets, insecticides and other supplies to cover all those in need until the emergency is over.

So far, 40,000 flood victims have received food, but the UN estimates that many more could soon be in need of emergency food rations.

"We are working closely with the Government, to reach accurate estimates of the needs of those affected, and of the funding requirements," said John Clarke, the UN official at the forefront in coordinating the response to the floods. "This will ensure that, together, we maximize the efficiency of our efforts to bring relief to those in need."

The worst affected areas are the states of Kassala, Khartoum, Northern Kordofan, Unity, and Upper Nile. Well over 30,000 houses were fully destroyed there and at least 365,000 people have already been directly affected, including a reported 64 dead and 335 injured.

On a second front, some 4.9 million children across the north of Sudan are being targeted in a special three-day round of polio immunization starting today, led by the Health Ministry and backed by the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF), the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en">WHO) and other partners in response to reports of polio being discovered in neighbouring Chad.

Sudan has not reported any cases of polio itself since 2005. "In the last few years, incredible efforts in the face of many challenges have led us to a point where polio could soon be stamped out in Sudan," UNICEF Representative Ted Chaiban said. "But because polio respects no borders, we have to ensure that when cases are found close to home, we redouble our efforts to protect children."
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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AFGHANISTAN: UN AGENCIES HELP IN NATIONWIDE POLIO VACCINATION CAMPAIGN

AFGHANISTAN: UN AGENCIES HELP IN NATIONWIDE POLIO VACCINATION CAMPAIGN
New York, Aug 6 2007 10:00AM
United Nations agencies are helping Afghanistan's Health Ministry carry out a new nationwide polio vaccination this week, which aims eventually to protect over 7 million children under the age of five from the highly infectious, often paralyzing and sometimes fatal disease.

"As you know we are on the verge of eliminating polio from Afghanistan, but we need the cooperation of local communities to ensure we achieve this," UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (<"http://www.unama-afg.org/Index.htm">UNAMA) Outreach Officer Nazifullah Salarzai told a news briefing in Kabul, the capital, today.

"UNAMA calls on all parents and communities to cooperate with this vital initiative as we all work hard to prevent polio blighting the lives of Afghanistan's children," he added.

The UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/index.php">UNICEF) and the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en">WHO) have been working with the Health Ministry on the campaign, which includes a social mobilization plan to help with the distribution of the vaccinations at provincial and district levels. The campaign will continue across the country, every month, until all children receive the necessary immunization.

In another development, cereal production has more than doubled in the six years since United States-led forces ousted the Taliban regime in 2001, pushing the strife-torn country close to self-sufficiency, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/index_en.htm">FAO) reported today.

This year's crop is forecast to reach 4.6 million tons, an increase of 700,000 tons over last year, but 700,000 tons less than the 1005 harvest of 5.3 million tons. Afghanistan will still need to import 700,000 tons of cereal for the 2007/2008 season, but this contrasts with 1.7 million tons imported at the start of the decade, FAO said.
2007-08-06 00:00:00.000

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