SPIRALLING VIOLENCE IN FAR EASTERN DR CONGO LEADS UN MISSION TO SEND TROOPS

SPIRALLING VIOLENCE IN FAR EASTERN DR CONGO LEADS UN MISSION TO SEND TROOPS
New York, Aug 31 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has sent in reinforcement troops and stepped up the diplomatic pressure on both sides of the opposing factions of the armed forces in the volatile far east of the country in a bid to stop the fighting there that has forced thousands of Congolese to flee their homes.

The mission, known as <"http://www.monuc.org/Home.aspx?lang=en">MONUC, reported today that it has dispatched 200 reinforcement troops to the area around the town of Katale in the Masisi district of North Kivu province, where the worst clashes have been taking place.

These troops have been transferred from elsewhere in the two Kivu provinces, which have remained unstable since the official end of the country's civil war and last year's historic national presidential and parliamentary elections.

MONUC said it has also increased the number of helicopter overflights so it can both obtain a better picture of the situation on the ground and deter further fighting.

It is also exerting pressure on both sides of the national armed forces, known as FARDC, which are supposed to have integrated with soldiers from former rebel groups after the conflict.

But elements supportive of renegade Gen. Nkunda have been clashing with regular FARDC forces in recent days, and MONUC is trying to urge the two groups to settle their differences through dialogue.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, is due to arrive in the DRC on Monday for a week-long visit that is expected to include a trip to the Kivu provinces.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46d7f4e72.html">UNHCR) reported today that at least 9,000 people have had to flee Masisi and neighbouring Rutshuru districts in the past month because of the spiralling tensions.

UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis warned reporters in Geneva that "with heightened tensions and the build-up of military forces, the situation risks turning into a humanitarian and human rights disaster."

More than 20 makeshift camps for internally displaced persons (<"http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs) have emerged in North Kivu since last December as the capacity of local host families to absorb the new arrivals has been overwhelmed.

In one camp, at Mugunga, some 15 kilometres west of the regional centre of Goma, some 9,000 people have arrived in the past three weeks, swelling the overall number of residents to 18,000. UNHCR staff in the region report that more IDPs are arriving at other sites each day.

More than 650,000 people are now internally displaced within North Kivu, including at least 180,000 since last December. Tens of thousands of others have fled over the border to neighbouring Uganda.

The deteriorating security situation means humanitarian agencies have limited access to the IDPs, but UNHCR said it was organizing camp management training for IDP leaders and local authorities in Mugunga.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN DARFUR DETERIORATING, SENIOR UN OFFICIAL SAYS

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN DARFUR DETERIORATING, SENIOR UN OFFICIAL SAYS
New York, Aug 31 2007 7:00PM
A United Nations official today warned that the humanitarian situation is worsening in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region, with more people being displaced, increased security risks to aid workers and potentially rising malnutrition rates.

"We believe it's important to keep reminding ourselves that a credible ceasefire and controlling the lawlessness in Darfur are really the two bottom lines that need to be sustained and this is, of course, the intent of the international community," UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Margareta Wahlström told reporters at the world body's Headquarters in New York.

In the period from June until 21 August, 55,000 people have been newly displaced, which bring the total of those fleeing their homes since January to a quarter million. Out of a total population in Darfur of 6.4 million, 2.2 million are displaced while four million are dependent on humanitarian assistance, she noted.

"Also, the trend for aid workers is not positive," she said, with a 150 per cent surge in incidents – including car hijackings, attacks on convoys and other acts of violence – against humanitarian staff. She also reminded reporters that attacks on relief providers are having an impact on Darfurians as well.

Ms. Wahlström expressed concern regarding the recent expulsion by Sudanese officials of the country director of the non-governmental organization (NGO) CARE International. "We obviously think that this sends a very wrong signal to the international community and we would like to hope that the Sudanese authorities will reverse this decision," she said.

Recent spot surveys indicate that malnutrition is on the rise in the region, where at least 200,000 people have died since 2003 because of fighting between rebel groups, Sudanese Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias.

The results show current malnutrition rates are "well over 17 per cent" in some areas, Ms. Wahlström said.

"With the huge effort of the international humanitarian community from 2004, the situation stabilized from a health and nutritional perspective, so this is the first time we see the potential of a deterioration for which we are very worried and we put this in the context of the very unstable situation in the area," she said.

Ms. Wahlström voiced hope that the deployment of the hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force in <"http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=88&Body=Sudan&Body1=">Darfur (UNAMID) from the start of next year will have a positive impact and contribute to improving the humanitarian situation.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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PAKISTANI PEACEKEEPERS IN LIBERIA REBUILD KEY BRIDGE DAMAGED BY HEAVY RAINS

PAKISTANI PEACEKEEPERS IN LIBERIA REBUILD KEY BRIDGE DAMAGED BY HEAVY RAINS
New York, Aug 31 2007 7:00PM
Peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (<"http://www.unmil.org">UNMIL) have rebuilt a key bridge linking the capital, Monrovia, with the western part of the country and neighbouring Sierra Leone that collapsed just days ago, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The Kiakpu River Bridge, which is about 15 kilometres west of Monrovia, is a vital route used for travel and commerce by both Liberians and Sierra Leoneans.

Opening the new bridge today, UNMIL Force Commander Lt.-Gen. Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor commended the Pakistani engineers – who completed the bridge in 14 hours – for their expeditious work, saying it was a clear manifestation of UNMIL's desire and commitment to help Liberians move forward with rebuilding their country.

"We are here to deliver," he stated. "We are here to make sure that Liberians are empowered to go about their normal lives and enjoy peace."

Yesterday, Lt.-Gen. Obiakor encouraged a group of young Liberians to pursue a different type of rebuilding as he presented certificates to 40 men and women who completed a community development programme organized by UNMIL's Bangladeshi contingent in the port city of Buchanan.

Participants underwent a seven-week course that included basic computer skills and training relating to air conditioner and generator repair, and pump maintenance and repair techniques.

Presenting the certificates, Lt.-Gen. Obiakor urged the young people to apply the knowledge they acquired to improve their environments and their lives.

The Force Commander also commissioned a children's park in Buchanan built by the Bangladeshi contingent.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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ISRAELI INFRASTRUCTURE DIVIDES WEST BANK INTO ENCLAVES, HURTS PALESTINIANS - UN

ISRAELI INFRASTRUCTURE DIVIDES WEST BANK INTO ENCLAVES, HURTS PALESTINIANS – UN
New York, Aug 31 2007 6:00PM
Almost 40 per cent of the West Bank is now taken up by Israeli infrastructure, which limits Palestinians' ability to move freely and fragments their communities from each other, according to a new <"http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/TheHumanitarianImpactOfIsraeliInfrastructureTheWestBank_full.pdf">report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<" http://www.ochaopt.org">OCHA) on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The analysis, covering the month of July, finds that more than 38 per cent of the West Bank consists of Israeli settlements, outposts, military bases, closed military areas, Israeli-declared nature reserves and related infrastructure that is either closed to Palestinians or tightly restricted.

The settlements on the West Bank are linked to each other and to Israel by an extensive road network, which Palestinians are largely banned from using or have limited access to.

The West Bank is now dissected into dozens of enclaves by the settlements and the related infrastructure, separating Palestinians from each other and negatively affecting the social and economic life of most Palestinians.

OCHA, which said the findings are based on detailed fieldwork and spatial analysis derived from satellite imagery, warned that the socio-economic conditions inside the West Bank are likely to worsen if current trends continue.

"Freedom of movement for Palestinians is crucial to improving humanitarian conditions and reviving socio-economic life," the introduction to the analysis stated, adding that Palestinians have to compete with the settlers for often scarce resources such as land and water.

It also noted that the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank keeps growing steadily – by about 5.5 per cent each year – despite the transfer of Israeli civilians into the occupied Palestinian territory being illegal under international law. This rate of increase is three times greater than that of Israel itself.

As of this year, some 450,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and 2.4 million Palestinians. If current trends continue, the number of settlers will double in 12 years, while the number of Palestinians, increasing at an annual rate of 2.5 per cent, will double within less than 30 years.

"The problem is obvious: the West Bank's resources are finite," the analysis concluded. "As both settler and Palestinian populations expand, it is inevitable that the pressure on natural resources – namely land and water – will increase. It is equally inevitable, based on trends of the last 40 years, that the growth of settlements, roads and other infrastructure will come at the expense of Palestinian development and freedom of movement around the West Bank."
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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MYSTERY DEADLY ILLNESS IN CENTRAL DR CONGO PROMPTS UN TO SEND IN HEALTH EXPERTS

MYSTERY DEADLY ILLNESS IN CENTRAL DR CONGO PROMPTS UN TO SEND IN HEALTH EXPERTS
New York, Aug 31 2007 6:00PM
United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) experts have arrived in the centre of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where there has been an outbreak of an unknown but highly deadly illness that is proving to be particularly harmful for young children.

<"http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_08_31a/en/index.html">WHO said in a statement today that the exact number of cases and deaths is unknown, but the illness – which so far has no known cause – has a high mortality rate. Most sufferers experience fever, headaches, diarrhoea, vomiting and colicky abdominal pain, and more than 50 per cent of cases involve children under the age of 10.

A joint investigation team from WHO, the DRC's provincial and national health ministries and the National Institute of Biological Research (known by its French acronym INRB) has reached the source of the outbreak, in Kasai Occidental province, and taken clinical samples for laboratory testing.

WHO said it was also mobilizing support to mount an epidemiological investigation and to provide logistics, such as water, sanitation and other supplies, should they be required in any emergency response.

National health authorities in the DRC have already begun implementing measures to improve hygiene, strengthen infection controls, ensure the safety of the water supply and promote safe burial practices to try to limit the outbreak.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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PAKISTANI FLOOD VICTIMS NOT OUT OF DANGER, WARNS UN AS IT CALLS FOR MORE DONATIONS

PAKISTANI FLOOD VICTIMS NOT OUT OF DANGER, WARNS UN AS IT CALLS FOR MORE DONATIONS
New York, Aug 31 2007 5:00PM
An estimated 250,000 Pakistanis still face a critical humanitarian situation, more than two months after a cyclone and torrential rains brought floods to the South Asian country, United Nations aid agencies warned today as they urged donors to contribute more to their emergency appeal.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) spokesperson Elizabeth Byrs <"http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/186DFA3D1B38EFEDC12573480041DFB8?OpenDocument">told reporters in Geneva that donors have provided only 20 per cent of the $38 million which UN aid agencies requested on 18 July in their flash appeal for Pakistan.

"A lot of aid has been distributed to the affected people, but it is not enough," Ms. Byrs said, referring to the 2.5 million people in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces of southern Pakistan who were estimated to need assistance in the wake of the floods.

She said about 250,000 people face a critical situation because floodwaters have not yet receded in many areas and extensive tracts of farmland remain under water. Many displaced people are living in makeshift roadside settlements and public buildings such as schools.

The crisis began when Cyclone Yemyin struck Pakistan in late June, causing at least 300 deaths and hundreds of injuries and disrupting commercial activity in many areas, including the major city of Karachi, for days.

Pakistan is not the only South Asian nation to have suffered from the effects of floods this year, with Nepal also hard hit. The UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en">WHO) reported in its latest bulletin that floods and landslides have killed more than 146 people, displaced over 22,000 families and affected some 467,000 people in 47 districts. WHO is one of several UN aid agencies providing relief to the Nepalese.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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COUNTRIES AGREE ON NEED OF GLOBAL RESPONSE AT UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

COUNTRIES AGREE ON NEED OF GLOBAL RESPONSE AT UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
New York, Aug 31 2007 5:00PM
A United Nations climate change conference, preparing the way for a major December summit in Bali, wrapped up in Vienna today, with countries reaching agreement that a global approach is crucial in tackling the issue.

"Countries have been able to reassess the big picture of what is needed by identifying the key building blocks for an effective response to climate change," said Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<" http://unfccc.int/files/press/news_room/press_releases_and_advisories/application/pdf/20070831_vienna_closing_press_release.pdf">UNFCCC) said at the five-day conference. "There is a consensus that the response needs to be global, with the involvement of all countries and that it needs to give equal importance to adaptation and mitigation."

The upcoming Bali summit, scheduled to take place from 3 to 14 December in Bali, Indonesia, seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.

"This is the first step that has laid the groundwork for the Bali Conference," Mr. de Boer noted. "It shows that Parties have the necessary level of ambition to move this work forward."

The "Vienna Climate Change Talks 2007" were attended by nearly 1,000 representatives from over 150 governments, business and industry, environmental organizations, journalists and research institutions.

Country delegates also discussed a recent UNFCCC report which underscores the major changes to patterns of investment and financial flows required to tackle climate change in the next quarter century.

"The report clearly shows that energy efficiency can achieve real emission reductions at low cost," the Executive Secretary said. "It also shows that many cost-effective opportunities for reducing emissions are in developing countries, but also that industrialized countries need aggressive emission reduction strategies."
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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DEATH PENALTY GIVEN IN JOURNALIST MURDER CASE ALARMS UN MISSION IN DR CONGO

DEATH PENALTY GIVEN IN JOURNALIST MURDER CASE ALARMS UN MISSION IN DR CONGO
New York, Aug 31 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today expressed serious <" http://www.monuc.org/News.aspx?newsID=15295">concern at the death penalty verdict given to four men convicted of murdering a journalist working for a UN-sponsored radio station with the largest Francophone audience in sub-Saharan Africa.

Two men were sentenced as the assassins by a military tribunal and the other two were convicted of sponsoring and organizing the killing of Serge Maheshe, which took place on 13 June in Bukavu in the far east of the DRC, as Mr. Maheshe and two friends were about to enter a UN-marked vehicle. His friends were not injured in the attack.

In a statement to the press today in Kinshasa, the DRC capital, the mission (MONUC) said that while it respected judicial independence in the vast African country, it considered that the tribunal did not base its verdict on the results of the autopsy or on any ballistic expert testimony.

"In fact, the tribunal noted that the confessions of the two principal accused contained contradictions and that certain allegations made by them cannot be corroborated," the press statement said. "The tribunal itself underlined that doubts remained."

MONUC stressed the UN principle, enshrined in a 1984 resolution of the Economic and Social Council (<" http://www.un.org/ecosoc">ECOSOC), that a verdict of capital punishment must be based on "clear and convincing evidence that does not leave room for any other interpretation of the facts." The judicial proceeding must also offer all possible guarantees of a fair trial.

Noting that an appeal had been launched by the convicted men, the mission said all guarantees of a just and equitable trial must be respected and all the pieces of evidence considered, and it pledged to provide legal authorities in DR Congo with any technical or logistical help they required.

Mr. Maheshe had been a senior journalist with Radio Okapi, a partnership between MONUC and the Hirondelle Foundation, a Swiss non-governmental organization (NGO), since 2003. Aged 31 at the time of his death, he left behind a wife and two children.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON NAMES AUSTRALIAN AS SENIOR UN COUNTER-TERRORISM OFFICIAL

BAN KI-MOON NAMES AUSTRALIAN AS SENIOR UN COUNTER-TERRORISM OFFICIAL
New York, Aug 31 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has informed the Security Council that he intends to appoint Australian Mike Smith as the new head of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee's Executive Directorate.

Mr. Smith would replace Javier Ruperez of Spain, who stepped down as Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate in June.

The position was established by the Security Council in a <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1535(2004)">resolution in 2004 to bolster the 15-member body's ability to monitor the implementation of a landmark <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1373(2001)">resolution adopted in the wake of the September 2001 attacks on the United States, which calls on countries to adopt a number of measures to enhance their ability to counter terrorist activities nationally, regionally and globally.

The Council also intended the Executive Director post – which is at the Assistant Secretary-General level – to improve Member States' counter-terrorism capacities by facilitating the provision of technical assistance as well as promoting cooperation and coordination with international, regional and sub-regional organizations.

Currently, Mr. Smith serves as Australia's Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism, and he previously held senior diplomatic postings in such countries as Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and the United States.

From 2002 to 2006, he was his country's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, and from 1998 to 2002, he served as Chief of Staff to Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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KOSOVARS WILL GO TO POLLS IN NOVEMBER, UN ENVOY SAYS

KOSOVARS WILL GO TO POLLS IN NOVEMBER, UN ENVOY SAYS
New York, Aug 31 2007 4:00PM
The senior United Nations envoy to Kosovo <" http://www.unmikonline.org/dpi/pressrelease.nsf/0/2494F176CFDFB541C1257348005BAD33/$FILE/pr1692.pdf">announced today that municipal, assembly and mayoral elections will be held on 17 November in the Serbian province administered by the United Nations since 1999.

However, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative in Kosovo Joachim Rücker stressed that the future status of Kosovo takes precedence.

"It is crucial that democracy runs its course, notwithstanding the paramount importance of concluding the status problem," he said, following his meeting with the Team of Unity, a group of representatives of Kosovo Albanian institutions and all major political parties.

"I wish to make it clear that the Team of Unity and I are in complete agreement that the status process has absolutely priority," he said. "I reserve the right to postpone the elections date should there be a conflict – in particular, should the holding of the elections be used as an excuse to delay status."

The <" http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/index.html">Security Council has been deadlocked over a proposal by Mr. Ban's Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari for a phased process of independence for the province. Earlier this month, the Secretary-General <" http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2692">welcomed an agreement to have a troika comprising the European Union, Russian Federation and United States lead further negotiations on Kosovo's future status.

Kosovars will cast ballots in November for Assembly Members and Municipal Assembly Members and, for the first time, will also directly elect a mayor for each of the 30 municipalities of Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and others by nine to one.

The electoral system has been changed, with the upcoming polls introducing an open list for seats, according to an <"http://www.unmikonline.org/index.html">UNMIK press release issued in Pristina. Voters will elect both a political entity and up to 10 individuals within the same entity's candidate list.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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MEMBER STATES AND UN TO ENHANCE POLICE PEACEKEEPING TRAINING FOR DARFUR

MEMBER STATES AND UN TO ENHANCE POLICE PEACEKEEPING TRAINING FOR DARFUR
New York, Aug 31 2007 3:00PM
Top United Nations and Member States' police and human security officials today pledged to enhance training for UN Police (UNPOL) officers preparing to serve as peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region in what will be the largest single UN Police contingent ever with more than 6,400 officers.

This outcome came at the end of two days of meetings by the International Policing Advisory Council (IPAC) in the Australian capital Canberra. It followed a call yesterday by new UN Police Adviser Andrew Hughes for the global policing community to cooperate ever more closely with the world body.

The new hybrid UN-African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in <"http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=88&Body=Sudan&Body1=">Darfur, to be known as UNAMID, will be made up of over 30,000 personnel, including more than 19,500 military. Among its final outcomes, IPAC also recognized military and police relations as critical to the success of international policing in peacekeeping operations.

As well as facing the challenges of policing in Darfur, IPAC further recommended that the UN and Member States need to work together to enhance pre-deployment training for police officers serving in other global peacekeeping missions. The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations' (DPKO) <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/police/division.shtml">Police Division also pledged to develop more manuals and handbooks for police on the ground.

In addition, IPAC agreed on the need for the Police Division to look into ways of cooperating more closely with regional organizations such as the AU, European Union, the Pacific Island Chiefs of Police and ASEANAPOL, which groups the Chiefs of Police from the Association of South-East Asian Nations region.

The 24 academics, senior level police and UN representatives who met also identified a number of new challenges facing the world body, in particular the need for enhanced efforts to fight corruption in post-conflict environments.

The meeting was run in cooperation with the Australian Federal Police and, along with Mr. Hughes, was also chaired by his predecessor as UNPOL chief, Mark Kroeker. Key participants included high-level academics and police chiefs from Australia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Interpol.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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MYANMAR: UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERTS CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF PROTESTERS

MYANMAR: UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERTS CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF PROTESTERS
New York, Aug 31 2007 3:00PM
Deploring the arrests of more than 100 peaceful protesters following demonstrations in Myanmar over the recent surge in fuel prices, a United Nations independent human rights expert today appealed for the immediate release of the detainees.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/748D3479B48B5BD8C12573480054C339?opendocument">said in a statement that he "believes that the future of the political transition process in the country must be directed by the people and the Government of Myanmar."

Mr. Pinheiro expressed his "serious concern" about yesterday's start of a hunger strike by a group of detainees at the Kyaikkasan Detention Centre after authorities denied medical treatment to a detainee who was severely beaten at the protest. He also noted that he has heard allegations of the detainees also being beaten and tortured.

The Rapporteur deplored what he described as the severe treatment of citizens peacefully expressing their views, and called on the South-East Asian nation's authorities to participate in a dialogue and in consultations with demonstrators regarding their concerns.

He recalled the statement of 26 August by Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/97F59E2DFC0F51D0C12573440020C571?opendocument">stressed that freedoms of expression and association are "touchstones of human rights" and said that allowing greater space for citizens to express their views and discontent will be essential in fostering the way towards a democratic transition and reconciliation in Myanmar.

Last week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2711">called on authorities to utilize restraint in responding to any demonstrations and urged all parties to avoid any provocative action.

He also appealed for "constructive dialogue towards national reconciliation at this important time in Myanmar's history."
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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HELPING PERUVIAN CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER DEADLY QUAKE IS TOP PRIORITY - UN

HELPING PERUVIAN CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER DEADLY QUAKE IS TOP PRIORITY – UN
New York, Aug 31 2007 3:00PM
United Nations agencies are working with the Peruvian Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help more than 220,000 children in southern Peru return to school after this month's devastating earthquake.

"Getting back to school is one of the most effective ways for children to resume a sense of normalcy in their lives after a traumatic event," the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) <"http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EDIS-76KPVR?OpenDocument">said in a report from Pisco, the town worst hit by the quake which killed over 500 people, injured more than 1,000 others and destroyed at least 37,000 houses and four hospitals.

<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40766.html">UNICEF is joining forces with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO), the Ministry of Education, NGOs specializing in education, and local and regional government officials to help the children get back to school as quickly as possible.

According to the Ministry, children in nearly 1,000 affected schools will most likely continue their studies in prefabricated classrooms erected near the damaged buildings. More than 300 temporary classrooms are being installed in Pisco as well as in three urban areas hit hardest by the earthquake.

The task of reopening schools will be a major challenge on many fronts. Engineers and civil defence officials must inspect all schools in the quake-affected areas to ensure that they are safe. According to reports, hundreds more prefabricated classrooms will be required.

Children and parents will require psychological counselling after living through this traumatic period. Many are still hungry and homeless and are afraid to be separated from their families. Students who have lost all of their belongings will also need UNICEF-supplied back-to-school kits to begin studying again.

Some 1,500 teachers fled the region after the disaster. Prior to classes starting, the returning teachers will receive psychological counselling to help them cope with the tragedy as well.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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DR CONGO POLICE OFFICERS MAKE THEIR DEBUT ON UN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS

DR CONGO POLICE OFFICERS MAKE THEIR DEBUT ON UN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS
New York, Aug 31 2007 2:00PM
Twelve officers from the Congolese national police force (PNC) are starting year-long tours of duty with the United Nations peacekeeping missions in Haiti and Côte d'Ivoire, the first time that police officers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will <" http://www.monuc.org/News.aspx?newsID=15292">serve under the flag of the world body.

Two of the 12 have already begun work with <" http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/minustah">MINUSTAH, the UN mission in Haiti, while eight men and two women – who participated in a handover ceremony in the DRC yesterday – are expected to head early next month for <" http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/unoci">UNOCI, the UN operation in Côte d'Ivoire.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative to the DRC, William Lacy Swing, hailed the PNC for the initiative and voiced pride at taking part in yesterday's "historic event."

Mr. Swing said "it is a strong signal to the world that Congo is in the process of regaining its proper place of leadership for the African continent, and in international affairs."

One of the officers departing for UNOCI, Col. Henrietta Kitoko, said it was a great joy to see her country "joining other countries in assisting the countries that have a need, that have problems and conflicts, like it was in my country. I'm very proud to represent my country as a police officer."
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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MAURITANIA: UN REFUGEE AGENCY APPEALS FOR FUNDS TO AID REFUGEE RETURN

MAURITANIA: UN REFUGEE AGENCY APPEALS FOR FUNDS TO AID REFUGEE RETURN
New York, Aug 31 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today launched a $7 million appeal to help 24,000 refugees voluntarily return to Mauritania from Senegal and Mali.

This return "will help resolve one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world," the agency's spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46d7f3042.html">told reporters in Geneva.

The newly-elected Government in the West African nation, which has prioritized the return and reintegration of refugees, announced that it would invite refugees to return home on World Refugee Day, on 20 June this year.

A long-standing border dispute between Mauritania and Senegal escalated into ethnic violence in April 1989, with 60,000 Mauritanians fleeing to Mali and Senegal.

The programme, under which UNHCR will organize safe transport and provide initial reintegration assistance to refugees, which is expected to last 17 months, will kick off in October, but faces some major logistical challenges, such as the lack of adequate roads in Mauritania along repatriation routes.

Most refugees returning from Senegal, a majority of whom live in rural areas where they have been granted access to land and public services, will travel across the 600-kilometer Senegal River to Mauritania. They will then require transportation on off-road vehicles to return to their places of origin which are far from the main roads. To minimize travel difficulties, the operation has been carefully timed to avoid the rainy season.

"Due to limited absorption capacity and poor infrastructure in return areas we plan to repatriate up to 7,000 refugees before the end of this year," Ms. Pagonis said, adding that other refugees will return next year.

The initiative also seeks to bolster the welfare of impoverished communities which will absorb the refugees. "We plan to strengthen the existing education and health services and help to increase income from agriculture and animal husbandry," she noted.

According to early results of a UNHCR survey conducted in concert with Senegal, 24,000 Mauritanians residing in more than 250 different locations in Senegal have expressed their desire to return to 50 communities in four regions of Mauritania. Additionally, several hundred refugees in Mali have also said they wish to repatriate.

The agency provided assistance to refugees in northern Senegal until 1995 and helped 35,000 returnees who repatriated voluntarily reintegrate.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCY FEARS RESUMPTION OF DEADLY EXODUS FROM AFRICA ACROSS GULF OF ADEN

UN AGENCY FEARS RESUMPTION OF DEADLY EXODUS FROM AFRICA ACROSS GULF OF ADEN
New York, Aug 31 2007 1:00PM
Thousands of Ethiopians and Somalis have already gathered in a northern Somalia port preparing to brave the perilous trip across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen when good weather returns, prompting fears among United Nations refugee officials that the new people-smuggling season will be as bad as the last, when nearly 400 died.

The bad weather that kept smugglers' boats ashore in July and August is coming to an end and the people traffic is expected to begin in earnest in the next few days. Some 3,000 Ethiopians have poured into the dusty port of Bossaso, joining Somalis already there preparing for the exodus.

"With insecurity on the rise in Mogadishu [the Somali capital] and tensions increasing in the Ethiopian Ogaden [region in neighbouring Somalia], many more people might arrive in Bossaso," <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46d816664.html">UNHCR Somalia representative Guillermo Bettocchi said during a recent visit to the port.

"Some humanitarian workers even report having seen a few Kenyans, Eritreans, Ugandans and Tanzanians in Bossaso, which means the town might become a hub for East Africans wishing to cross towards the Gulf countries," he warned, calling the mixed migration of Ethiopians and Somalis a "deep human tragedy."

Those who risk the journey face the hazards of rough seas, brutal smugglers who sometimes murder the migrants and throw their bodies overboard or steal their meagre belongings, and the possible capsizing of their flimsy vessels in attempts to flee Yemeni coastguard patrols.

In February at least 107 bodies were found along a remote stretch of the Yemen coastline after a people-smuggling boat capsized in one of the deadliest single incidents of the exodus route that brought over some 30,000 people since January 2006.

A month later, at least 28 people died from asphyxiation, beating or drowning and many were badly injured by the smugglers who boat threw dozens of Somalis into the water while forcing hundreds of others to disembark, many with their hands bound by ropes, closer to the shore.

Mr. Bettochi was in Bossaso to help launch a multi-agency action plan aimed at saving lives, providing basic services to vulnerable migrants and identifying those who have protection needs, including asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors and victims of human trafficking.

An advocacy campaign is also being launched here to warn people about the risks of crossing the Gulf of Aden and to stress that migrants have rights and should not be deported or returned to other areas of Somalia indiscriminately. It will also explain asylum procedures and who is eligible to pursue them.

"I reckon that about 10 per cent of the Ethiopians in Bossaso fled their country for refugee-related reasons," Mr. Bettocchi said. "The advocacy campaign will make sure they know that they don't need to cross the sea because they can claim asylum in Somalia and receive assistance from UNHCR in Puntland [northern Somalia] once they have been recognized as refugees."

Somalis account for half of the migrant flow and most have fled conflict in southern and central parts of the country, including Mogadishu. There are nearly 90,000 registered refugees in Yemen, almost all of them
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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TWO SWEDES MOTORBIKE ROUND WORLD TO HIGHLIGHT UN WORK FOR REFUGEES, CHILDREN

TWO SWEDES MOTORBIKE ROUND WORLD TO HIGHLIGHT UN WORK FOR REFUGEES, CHILDREN
New York, Aug 31 2007 1:00PM
Two Swedes, one a student and the other a stockbroker, set off from Stockholm this week on a round-the-world motorbike trip during which they plan to raise awareness about United Nations work on behalf of refugees and children.

Highlighting the mission of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46d700c74.html">UNHCR) and the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF), student Marcus Berneström, 29, and stockbroker Gustav Röken, 25, plan to ride up neighbouring Norway to northern Scandinavia before heading down through Eastern Europe, across the Middle East and Asia to Japan, where they will fly to Alaska.

They will then ride down the west coast of the Americas to the southernmost city of Ushuaia and then up to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The final leg will take them up through Africa from Cape Town and back across Europe to Sweden – overall covering about 80 countries, where they will visit UNHCR and UNICEF projects.

"Please help us support their work," the two say of the two agencies on their special <"http://www.dustytravellers.com">website.

"We chose these two organizations because they work with two very vulnerable groups of people," Mr. Röken said at the start of their odyssey on Wednesday.

"We thank them for their interest in the situation of refugees worldwide and in particular for their planned efforts to draw attention to the plight of refugees," UNHCR regional representative Hans ten Feld said.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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COLOMBIANS WHO FLED TO ECUADOR START RETURNING HOME, UN REFUGEE AGENCY REPORTS

COLOMBIANS WHO FLED TO ECUADOR START RETURNING HOME, UN REFUGEE AGENCY REPORTS
New York, Aug 31 2007 12:00PM
Nearly 1,600 Colombians who fled to Ecuador over the past week after an outbreak of violence have started returning home although the situation remains tense throughout the area, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

So far, only 27 asylum requests have been received by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46d7f5c32.html">UNHCR) and the Ecuadorian Government's Office for Refugees.

"The rest of the group opted to return to Colombia," UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told a news briefing in Geneva today. "The group's leaders negotiated their return with Colombian authorities, and UNHCR monitored the voluntariness of the process."

Meanwhile, the situation remains volatile throughout the southern Colombian department of Nariño, Ms. Pagonis said. More than 250 persons were displaced in the town of Samaniego late Wednesday due to clashes between irregular armed groups. "These groups are also using landmines, posing a high risk for civilians," she added.

More than 40 years of fighting throughout Colombia between the Government, leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and criminal gangs have uprooted some 3 million people.

UNHCR coordinated the distribution of humanitarian aid to the latest group while they were in the Ecuadorian towns of San Lorenzo and Ibarra.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON ORDERS INQUIRY INTO HAZARDOUS MATERIAL FROM IRAQ FOUND IN UN BUILDING

BAN KI-MOON ORDERS INQUIRY INTO HAZARDOUS MATERIAL FROM IRAQ FOUND IN UN BUILDING
New York, Aug 31 2007 11:00AM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has launched an immediate internal investigation backed by outside expertise to determine how potentially hazardous material removed by United Nations arms inspectors from Iraq in 1996 ended up in a UN office instead of a properly equipped laboratory and remained there undetected for the past 11 years.

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro and Mr. Ban's Chef de Cabinet Vijay Nambiar both cancelled their participation in a senior leadership meeting in Turin, Italy, to stay behind at UN Headquarters in New York and closely monitor the situation on Mr. Ban's behalf, a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2716">statement issued by his spokesperson said today.

Mr. Ban also asked Under Secretary-General for safety and security services David Veness and Under Secretary-General for Management Alicia Barcena in charge of the safety and security of staff and Secretariat premises to immediately return to headquarters.

The statement stressed that the materials posed no risk to the staff or the general population. "All necessary safety measures continue to be taken," it added of the two small plastic packages with metal and glass containers, ranging in size from small vials to tubes the length of a pen holding liquid substances. These have since been handed over to United States authorities.

According to an inventory one of them may contain phosgene suspended in oil – an old-generation chemical warfare agent used widely in World War I, which in both its gaseous and liquid forms can be life-threatening, causing the lungs to collapse and damaging the eyes, nose, throat and skin. The other contains nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) reference standards in sealed glass tubes, used to calibrate chemical analytical equipment.

The materials came to light a week ago when UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) staff discovered the packages while they were archiving their offices a few blocks from UN Headquarters as the Commission winds down after the Security Council terminated its mandate in June.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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UN USES TEXT MESSAGING TO ALERT IRAQI REFUGEES ON NEW FOOD AID

UN USES TEXT MESSAGING TO ALERT IRAQI REFUGEES ON NEW FOOD AID
New York, Aug 31 2007 10:00AM
The United Nations is using text messaging on mobile phones to alert more than 33,000 vulnerable Iraqi refugees in the Syrian capital, Damascus, of the launch of the first food distribution programme for them tomorrow.

"We have found text messages to mobile phones are one of the most effective ways of communicating with the refugees who often do not have a stable address but either they or someone close to them in their immediate community has a mobile phone," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46d7f5762.html">UNHCR) spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told a news briefing in Geneva today.

The first ration will cover two months in anticipation of the needs of many families during the upcoming fasting month of Ramadan. Some 10,000 text messages have already been sent by UNHCR and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the two agencies together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) will start the distribution tomorrow, mainly to women, children and the most vulnerable refugees.

More than 200 volunteers will hand out the food at the SARC warehouses in the old Damascus fairground and UNHCR trucks will also transport food packages to neighbourhoods where Iraqi refugees concentrate.

The packages consist of dry food items from WFP such as oil, rice and lentils as well as additional items provided by UNHCR such as sugar, cheese, canned meat, pasta, beans, cracked wheat, tea, jam, tomato paste and canned fish.

Rations will be distributed on a monthly basis and are expected to benefit 50,000 refugees by the end of the year. UNHCR is providing $2.2 million for the additional food items, covering four months of rations for 50,000 refugees. The agency plans to build facilities in the SARC warehouse compound and to purchase four trucks to help distribute food to Iraqi refugees outside Damascus.

Syria estimates that 1.4 million Iraqis have taken refuge there in the last three years, fleeing the ongoing violence following the United States-led invasion that ousted the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.

Overall, some 2.2 million Iraqis have fled abroad and 2 million more are currently displaced within their country. An estimated 60,000 Iraqis are fleeing their homes monthly.

Assistant UN High Commissioner for Refugees for Protection Erika Feller leaves tomorrow on a week-long mission to Syria and Lebanon to assess the protection needs of Iraqis in both countries.
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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TALIBAN SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF ITSELF FOR SEIZING CIVILIANS, SAYS UN ENVOY IN AFGHANISTAN

TALIBAN SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF ITSELF FOR SEIZING CIVILIANS, SAYS UN ENVOY IN AFGHANISTAN
New York, Aug 31 2007 10:00AM
While welcoming last night's final release of South Korean hostages in Afghanistan, the top United Nations envoy in the country said the Taliban rebels who took them captive and killed two of them should be ashamed of themselves for attacking civilians.

"This campaign of abductions and murders must stop," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Tom Koenigs said in a <"http://www.unama-afg.org/_latestnews/2007/English/07Aug31SRSG_statement_hostage_release.pdf">statement. "To those Taliban who were responsible for this crime I say shame on you. What gain can there be from bringing harm upon innocent civilians? What honour is there in kidnapping and mistreating women, and so many of them?"

Mr. Koenigs called for the immediate release of other people still being held, including Afghans and a German citizen.

"The Taliban, as one of the parties to the current conflict, must recognize its responsibility to protect civilians from harm," he said.

The 23 civilians from the Republic of Korea (ROK) were seized in southern Afghanistan more than a month ago. Two hostages were subsequently killed and two others were freed before all the rest were released in two batches this week.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2715">statement issued by his spokesperson last night, Mr. Ban commended the efforts of the Afghan authorities and of all those who assisted with the negotiations to obtain their release.

"Despite the tragic death of two of the hostages in July, he is happy that those released are now on their way to being safely reunited with their loved ones," the statement said.

"The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned for the safety and welfare of the other nationals who are being held against their will in Afghanistan," it added. "The Secretary-General deplores the ongoing abductions and senseless murders of innocent civilians in Afghanistan."
2007-08-31 00:00:00.000

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BANGLADESH: UN SEEKS CONFIRMATION ON CONVICTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT

BANGLADESH: UN SEEKS CONFIRMATION ON CONVICTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT
New York, Aug 30 2007 6:00PM
A United Nations expert on the independence of judges and lawyers today <" http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/5C8435ADBF62B292C12573470058151A?opendocument">voiced concern regarding the trial proceedings of Sigma Huda, a fellow Special Rapporteur who was sentenced to three years in prison by a Bangladeshi court.

Leandro Despouy said that the sentence was handed down by the Special Anti Corruption Court of Bangladesh for aiding and abetting extortion found to have been committed by the husband of Ms. Huda, the UN independent expert on trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

However, Mr. Despouy has "received information indicating that the right to legal representation and the independence of the court were severely affected during her trial."

He added that Ms. Huda's attorneys – who had no opportunity to confer with their client in prison – felt pressured, having only met with her at the end of hearings. The lawyers also had difficulties accessing case files and other important information, "thus compromising their ability to ensure an adequate defence," he said.

"The atmosphere during the trial was reportedly intimidating, with military and police presence both outside and inside the courtroom, and access of the public and the media to the courtroom was considerably restricted."

Mr. Despouy said that these alleged irregularities violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (<" http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm">ICCPR), which Bangladesh has ratified, and also called on the country's authorities to respect Ms. Huda's right to a fair and public trial during any appeals process.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today said that her Office is seeking clarification about the situation surrounding Ms. Huda's conviction and possible appeal.

OHCHR is requesting it receive confirmation directly from the South-East Asian nation's Government, the UN presence in the capital Dhaka and Ms. Huda's relatives.

The High Commissioner noted that in a <" http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2674">statement last month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, after requesting and receiving information from Bangladesh on the nature of the charges brought against Ms. Huda and their linkages to her functions as Special Rapporteur, concluded that she is not being tried on charges related to her work as a UN independent expert.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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PAPUA NEW GUINEA: UN AGENCIES ALARMED BY REPORTS THAT HIV SUFFERERS ARE BURIED ALIVE

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: UN AGENCIES ALARMED BY REPORTS THAT HIV SUFFERERS ARE BURIED ALIVE
New York, Aug 30 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations human rights chief and the world body's HIV/AIDS agency today issued a joint statement voicing alarm at reports that people living with HIV have been buried alive in the Southern Highlands region of Papua New Guinea.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/media.htm">OHCHR) and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (<"http://www.unaids.org/en">UNAIDS) backed the announcement that the Government of Papua New Guinea will investigate the reported crimes, and called on authorities to take "appropriate legal action" against any perpetrators.

"Worldwide, UNAIDS and OHCHR condemn acts of violence, stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and are fully committed to supporting governments to protect their people from such human rights violations," according to the statement, issued in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.

The two agencies said they also welcomed the Government's efforts to widen access to HIV services in rural areas, such as around Tari in the province of Southern Highlands.

"Widespread ignorance about HIV in isolated rural communities increases the risk of HIV infection and can fuel acts of violence, stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV," the agencies added.

The latest update on the disease by UNAIDS and the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/hiv/en">WHO), released last December, described the AIDS epidemic as "serious and growing" in Papua New Guinea.

About 57,000 people over the age of 15 are estimated to be living with HIV, which gives the country an adult national prevalence rate of 1.8 per cent, and at least 2,000 new infections have been reported every year since 2002, by far the worst figures in all of Oceania.

The report said the data could worsen soon as Papua New Guinea has many risk factors, including high rates of concurrent sexual partnerships, sexually transmitted infections, 'transactional sex' and acts of sexual and physical violence against women, comparatively early sexual initiation and low rates of condom use.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE RECEIVE UN FOOD RATIONS IN WAKE OF HURRICANE DEAN

MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE RECEIVE UN FOOD RATIONS IN WAKE OF HURRICANE DEAN
New York, Aug 30 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations World Food Programme (<" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2618">WFP) is providing emergency daily rations to more than 10,000 people in Jamaica and Belize as they try to rebuild their lives in the wake of Hurricane Dean's deadly and destructive sweep through the region earlier this month.

For the next two weeks, some 5,500 Jamaicans will receive a 450-kilocalorie ration each day of high-energy biscuits, while another 5,000 people in Belize will receive a daily ration for the next two months consisting of pulses, vegetable oil and the biscuits.

WFP said it is paying for the rations, which are expected to cost about $256,000, from its Immediate Response Account, a special revolving fund it can draw on in the immediate aftermath of emergencies when contributions from donors have not yet arrived.

Carlo Scaramella, who is managing WFP's response to the hurricane in Belize, said the rations represent "a key first step" for people whose livelihoods have been destroyed or drastically reduced by the hurricane damage.

"While Hurricane Dean may have vanished from the front pages of the newspapers, the reality of its destructive power remains for thousands of very poor people who must begin to put their lives back together," Mr. Scaramella said.

Media reports estimate that at least 40 people were killed across the Caribbean and Central America as Hurricane Dean crossed the region earlier this month, leaving a trail of damage to key infrastructure.

WFP said in a press release issued today from Panama City that it was able to respond quickly to the disaster because of preparations it took before the storm ensure that supplies could flow swiftly from its storage centres in El Salvador and Barbados to those affected.

The Programme's Deputy Regional Director Gordana Jerger said the speed of the response will prove even more critical in the years ahead, "given that the region faces a future of weather-related disasters whose intensity and number may well increase."
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG CHIEF CIRCULATES LATEST REPORT ON IRAN

UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG CHIEF CIRCULATES LATEST REPORT ON IRAN
New York, Aug 30 2007 5:00PM
The head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (<" http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/IaeaIran/index.shtml">IAEA) has circulated his latest report on the nuclear programme of Iran to the agency's Board of Governors.

The report covers the developments since the last report of IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei, which was issued in May, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters.

The 35-member Board will now consider the report at its next meeting, scheduled to begin at IAEA headquarters in Vienna on 10 September.

In his last report, Mr. ElBaradei voiced concern over the situation with Iran, which he said needed to do more to dispel the fears of the international community regarding the country's nuclear programme.
Last December, the Security Council adopted a <" http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1737(2006)">resolution banning trade with Iran in all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to the country's enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. It tightened the measures in March, banning arms sales and expanding the freeze on assets.
Earlier this week, however, the IAEA published on its website, at the request of Iran, the text of a joint work plan which states that Iran has addressed the agency's questions about its past plutonium programme and both parties now consider that matter resolved.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN ENVOY CONGRATULATES SOMALIS ON CONCLUSION OF RECONCILIATION DEBATE

TOP UN ENVOY CONGRATULATES SOMALIS ON CONCLUSION OF RECONCILIATION DEBATE
New York, Aug 30 2007 4:00PM
The top United Nations <"http://www.un-somalia.org/UN_Special_Representative/index.asp
">envoy to Somalia today lauded the success of the national reconciliation summit, which ended today, but cautioned that much work remains to foster better internal relations in the war-ravaged country.

"For me, today's ceremony is of particular significance," the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Somalia François Lonsény Fall told participants at the National Reconciliation Congress in the capital Mogadishu. "It heralds the successful conclusion of a Somali-driven and owned reconciliation process within the country."

He warned that while the end of the Congress "marks yet another milestone in the quest for peace and reconciliation process in Somalia, it does not however signify the end of the reconciliation process" as the East African nation must overcome many hurdles, including engaging all opposition groups in a dialogue.

"Dealing with these challenges will require political will, commitment and perseverance by all parties concerned, as well as concerted international assistance and support by Somalia's friends and development partners," he said.

The envoy, who led a delegation of the International Advisory Committee (IAC), recommended that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) receive support to extend its authority and bolster respect for human rights throughout Somalia, which has had no functioning government since Muhammad Siad Barre's regime was toppled in 1991.

He called for the strengthening of AMISOM, the African Union-led mission in Somalia, which he said is a "prerequisite for improving stability and for providing the space for the political process, including the dialogue between the TFG and the opposition groups, to move forward."

Regarding terrorism, Mr. Fall said it is crucial to decouple the issue from that of settling the Somali political crisis to allow the reconciliation process to move forward. "The best way to fight terrorism in this country is to pursue open dialogue and genuine reconciliation among all parties in Somalia," he said.

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

Hostilities in the country 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.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON 'ENCOURAGED' BY RECENT PROGRESS IN MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT

BAN KI-MOON 'ENCOURAGED' BY RECENT PROGRESS IN MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT
New York, Aug 30 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he was encouraged by recent international efforts to return Palestinians and Israelis to the path of negotiations, but warned the leaders of both sides still face internal obstacles that may prevent any serious momentum towards peace.

In a message to the opening of the two-day <" http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/gapal1059.doc.htm">UN International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace taking place in Brussels, Mr. Ban said several recent initiatives "all have the potential to result in a significant breakthrough" in the long-running conflict.

He cited the Arab Peace Initiative, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's recent appointment of the Representatives of the Middle East diplomatic Quartet and United States President George W. Bush's decision to convene a major meeting on the issue in November.

"Amidst this activity, I particularly welcome the decision by [Israeli] Prime Minister [Ehud] Olmert and [Palestinian] President [Mahmoud] Abbas to meet regularly to discuss a range of issues," Mr. Ban said in his <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2714">message, which was delivered by Angela Kane, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs.

"I hope that the internal challenges each faces will not deter them from moving forward with discussions on the political horizon."

Mr. Ban stressed that a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains "one of the foremost priorities of the United Nations. The continued occupation of the Palestinian territory prolongs hardship and injustice for millions of Palestinians, yet it has also failed to ensure the security of Israeli civilians."

Both sides need to demonstrate renewed commitment to a two-State solution, he said, calling on Israel to stop settlement activity and construction of the barrier and to ease restrictions of Palestinian movements, and urging Palestinians to make every effort to end the violence of militants and to make more progress on building robust institutions.

The Secretary-General said the UN's efforts to bring peace "would prove close to impossible without the active participation and support of innumerable civil society groups and individuals in Israel, in the occupied Palestinian territory, and around the world" who provide humanitarian relief and help to build bridges between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

But he also warned that any political progress "cannot obscure the dire humanitarian situation on the ground," with the conditions in the Gaza Strip particularly acute because of the closure of border crossings.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN WEAPONS INSPECTORS IN IRAQ SAY DISCOVERED VIALS POSE NO IMMEDIATE THREAT

UN WEAPONS INSPECTORS IN IRAQ SAY DISCOVERED VIALS POSE NO IMMEDIATE THREAT
New York, Aug 30 2007 3:00PM
United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq archiving their headquarters in New York have discovered vials that may contain a potentially deadly chemical removed from an Iraqi facility 11 years ago, but they said today that the containers are properly secured and pose no immediate threat to the public.

The UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (<"http://www.unmovic.org">UNMOVIC) said the relevant packages were being handed over to United States authorities for removal and destruction, and a spokesperson for the UN said an investigation would soon begin into how the hazardous materials came to be in the Commission's headquarters.

Last Friday, UNMOVIC staff discovered two small plastic packages with metal and glass containers – ranging in size from small vials to tubes the length of a pen – holding unknown liquid substances, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters.

The find was made during the process of archiving UNMOVIC's offices in New York, near the UN Headquarters building, as the Commission winds down after the Security Council terminated its mandate in June.

Ms. Okabe said an initial probe revealed that the packages were recovered in 1996 from Al Muthanna, a former Iraqi chemical weapons facility, by inspectors with the UN Special Commission (<" http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom">UNSCOM), the predecessor of UNMOVIC.

Yesterday, however, the relevant inspection report was found, and it contained an inventory of items recovered that shows one of the items may contain phosgene suspended in oil – an old-generation chemical warfare agent.

Phosgene is a chemical weapon that was used widely in World War I, and in both its gaseous and liquid forms can be potentially life-threatening, causing the lungs to collapse and damaging the eyes, nose, throat and skin. It is also an industrial chemical that can be used in the production of plastics.

The inventory also indicated that the other package contains nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) reference standards in sealed glass tubes. These standards are used to calibrate chemical analytical equipment.

Such items would normally be transported directly to laboratories for analysis and not to UNMOVIC or UNSCOM headquarters, and the Commission said it is unaware of how the materials came to be in New York.

UNMOVIC chemical weapons experts sealed the packages and placed them in a safe that was then isolated in a secured room at the headquarters. They also tested the environment surrounding the packages and found no concentration of toxic vapours in the air.

The Commission has stated that it believes the packages are properly secured and the materials pose no immediate risk or danger to the public, while a subsequent sweep of the entire office revealed no further potentially dangerous materials.

UNMOVIC was established by the Security Council in December 1999 to replace UNSCOM and continue the work – begun in 1991 in the aftermath of the war that followed the invasion of Kuwait – of verifying Iraq's compliance with its obligations to be rid of weapons of mass destruction, whether chemical, biological or long-range missiles. It was also tasked with ensuring that Iraq did not reacquire these weapons.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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NEPAL: UN ENVOY APPEALS FOR END TO VIOLENCE AHEAD OF NOVEMBER POLLS

NEPAL: UN ENVOY APPEALS FOR END TO VIOLENCE AHEAD OF NOVEMBER POLLS
New York, Aug 30 2007 3:00PM
The top United Nations envoy to Nepal today called for a halt to violence and threats of communal attacks to ensure a "good climate" for the Constituent Assembly elections scheduled for later this year in the Himalayan nation.

"It is very clear that in some districts at the moment the security climate is not conducive for a Constituent Assembly election unless action is taken soon," the Secretary-General's Special Representative Ian Martin said at a press briefing in Biratnagar, the eastern regional headquarters of the UN Mission in Nepal (<"http://www.un.org.np/unmin.php">UNMIN).

Mr. Martin, who is the head of UNMIN and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for Nepal, was on a tour of the region to assess the situation ahead of the polls, which were to have been held in mid-June but were postponed to 22 November due to technical problems and then the onset of the monsoon season. During the course of the visit, he was briefed on preparations for the elections, including security arrangements.

He said it is a "crucial time in the history of Nepal," where a decade-long armed conflict that killed some 13,000 people came to a formal end when the Government and the Maoists signed a peace accord late last year.

To create a conducive climate for the elections, Mr. Martin stressed the need for a successful outcome to dialogue with marginalized groups, stating that "it is not going to be possible in the future for groups that have been marginalized in the past to continue to be marginalized."

"Whether they be Madhesis, or women, or Janajatis, Tharus, Dalits, Limbu – marginalisation will change through the restructuring of the State," he stated, adding "but that requires a Constituent Assembly election in a good climate."

Creating a conducive atmosphere for the elections will also require the beginning of election activity at the local level by political parties; dialogue among civil society and political parties to create a context of public security; and then appropriate action by the security forces, Mr. Martin said.

Asked if insecurity would lead to the holding of the election in two stages, Mr. Martin said it was the intention of the Election Commission to hold the election simultaneously in all districts. "I think it would be very undesirable that the election be held in two stages unless that became absolutely essential."
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN GROUP SOUNDS ALARM ON RISING NUMBER OF DISAPPEARANCES ON INTERNATIONAL DAY

UN GROUP SOUNDS ALARM ON RISING NUMBER OF DISAPPEARANCES ON INTERNATIONAL DAY
New York, Aug 30 2007 2:00PM
Marking the International Day of the Disappeared, a United Nations working group voiced concern over the increasing number of enforced disappearances worldwide and reaffirmed its solidarity with victims and human rights defenders working on their behalf.

The Geneva-based <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/disappear/index.htm">UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances noted in a <" http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/E3131D0B4E6346E6C12573460056D0C8?opendocument">statement that "in view of the continuous nature of this offense, victims of enforced disappearances whose fate or whereabouts remain unknown should not only be commemorated once a year. Rather, every day is a day of the disappeared."

Reminding States of their obligations under the Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance which was adopted in 1992, the Group called for effective investigations to be conducted for all disappearance cases.

The Group, comprising five independent experts, said it was particularly troubled by amnesty laws or other measures which result in impunity and are contrary to the Declaration.

"States should refrain from making or enacting amnesty laws that would exempt the perpetrators of enforced disappearance from criminal proceedings and sanctions," it said.

Underreporting of cases in some areas is also problematic, the Group pointed out, as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are not present, organized or have the resources needed to deal with disappearances.

The Group called on the international community to provide ongoing support for the creation of associations of families and NGOs tackling the issue.

Established in 1980, the Working Group is mandated to assist the relatives of disappeared persons by ascertaining their fate and whereabouts, as well as to act as a conduit between the families and Governments concerned.

In the statement, it reiterated its commitment to promptly take up allegations received from family members or NGOs regarding difficulties encountered in implementing the Declaration.

The Group also welcomed the adoption of the International Convention to Protect all Persons from Enforced Disappearances, calling it a "significant step forward." It urged all States to ratify the new instrument, which will help to prevent future disappearances.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF RUSHING EMERGENCY AID TO CHOLERA VICTIMS IN NORTHERN IRAQ

UNICEF RUSHING EMERGENCY AID TO CHOLERA VICTIMS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
New York, Aug 30 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (<" http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40758.html">UNICEF) is providing life-saving assistance to thousands of victims of a cholera outbreak in northern Iraq, as local authorities and their partners try to limit the spread of the infectious and often fatal water-borne disease.

Yesterday the World Health Organization (<" http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs107/en">WHO), which is leading the UN response to the outbreak, reported that Sulemaniyah governorate experienced close to 5,000 cases since 10 August, with 10 deaths reported and 51 confirmed cases in Kirkuk. Two hospitals in the stricken governorate also reported treating 2,000 diarrhoea cases.

To help area hospitals treat the overwhelming number of victims, UNICEF has delivered medical supplies including 15,000 sachets of oral rehydration salts, which are critical to prevent death from the dehydration caused by severe diarrhoea.

In addition, 4,000 safe water kits are being delivered today to families in Sulemaniyah, where significant numbers of displaced people are also at risk.

UNICEF's team is also helping to run a comprehensive monitoring and community awareness programme to better detect cases and help families stay away from contaminated water, the likely source of the outbreak.

The agency is appealing to families in the affected areas to ensure that children are kept away from areas contaminated with raw sewage, always wash their hands with soap and only drink water that has been purified or boiled.

Serious problems with water quality and sewage treatment are being blamed for the outbreak. Local reports indicate that only 30 per cent of the population in Sulemaniyah has an adequate water supply.

If the epidemic spreads, there will be an urgent need for additional support including delivery of additional oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets, short-term water tankering and hygiene promotion campaigns.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE AGENCY HELPS NEW WAVE OF COLOMBIANS FLEEING TO ECUADOR

UN REFUGEE AGENCY HELPS NEW WAVE OF COLOMBIANS FLEEING TO ECUADOR
New York, Aug 30 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations refugee agency is working with its partners to help more than 1,500 Colombians who have fled an outbreak of violence in their home areas and sought safety in Ecuador over the past week – the latest influx in a years-long exodus that has sent some 250,000 Colombians fleeing to their southern neighbour.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has mobilized resources on both sides of the border to address the crisis, with a team visiting the Colombian coastal town of Tumaco over the weekend to try and learn more about the current flight.

They found a combination of factors pushing people to leave, including fear of violence erupting between the armed forces and irregular armed groups in a country which has seen some 3 million people uprooted by more than 40 years of fighting between the Government, leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and criminal gangs.

People also indicated they feared that a state campaign to eradicate illegal coca crops could affect them adversely.

The latest refugees have turned up in the coastal Ecuadorean town of San Lorenzo, where they are being registered and housed in eight schools, a church and a municipal centre. About 40 per cent of the new arrivals are children. They have been given food and medicine as well as non-food items such as mattresses and blankets. To ease pressure on the shelters in San Lorenzo, 170 of them were moved on Monday to the inland city of Ibarra.

The municipal authorities of San Lorenzo are providing all the resources available to them. Civil Defence forces are also involved, while extra medics have arrived in the town and have been providing free medical attention to the Colombians, including 14 people who were injured in a road accident on their way to the town.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN HIGHLIGHTS GROWING ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL POLICING AS GLOBAL MEETING OPENS IN AUSTRALIA

UN HIGHLIGHTS GROWING ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL POLICING AS GLOBAL MEETING OPENS IN AUSTRALIA
New York, Aug 30 2007 11:00AM
Highlighting the unprecedented global demand for United Nations peacekeepers in general and police officers in particular, the new UN Police (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/police/index.shtml">UNPOL) chief today stressed the importance of Member States and international policing organizations co-operating ever more closely with the world body to face the challenges of Darfur and other missions worldwide.

Police Adviser Andrew Hughes, the first Australian UNPOL chief, made his remarks at the start of a two-day meeting of the International Policing Advisory Council (IPAC) in Canberra, the Australian capital. The Council is an ad hoc advisory group of policing and law enforcement experts brought together by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations' (DPKO) Police Division to help improve global policing.

"The demand for UN Police officers is growing worldwide. This is especially true with the mission authorized for Darfur, which will require the largest single UN Police contingent ever with more than 6,400 police officers out of a total of over 30,000 personnel. Developing the national police capacity there will be a massive task and the UN needs full co-operation from all Member States for the mission to be successful," said Mr. Hughes at the opening press conference.

"This IPAC meeting brings together the world's top policing experts and we're looking to tap into this wealth of global expertise over the next two days to assist in further developing international policing strategy. But this is not just an academic exercise because we want to hammer out what works in practice in the field and how we move on in terms of international cooperation to build on past successes."

The meeting is being run in co-operation with the Australian Federal Police and along with Mr. Hughes, it will also be chaired by his predecessor as UNPOL chief Mark Kroeker. Key IPAC participants will also include high-level academics and police chiefs from Australia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Interpol.

"IPAC comes at a critical time because of the urgent need in particular for UN Police officers in Darfur and the necessity to ensure that these officers have sufficient pre-deployment training to deal with the very difficult conditions they'll face. We need Member States and all police services behind us for this," said Mr. Kroeker.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said the challenges faced in dealing with increasingly complex conflicts in the 21st century made stronger international policing co-operation essential.

"Australia has always supported UN peacekeeping missions worldwide and policing is an essential and growing part of these operations. We welcome all IPAC participants to Canberra and believe that the contribution of the senior police, law enforcement and human security experts at the meeting will provide valuable insight and direction to the discussions," Commissioner Keelty said.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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MICRO-CREDIT HELPS HARD-PRESSED PALESTINIANS SURVIVE, UN OFFICIAL SAYS

MICRO-CREDIT HELPS HARD-PRESSED PALESTINIANS SURVIVE, UN OFFICIAL SAYS
New York, Aug 30 2007 11:00AM
With Palestinians going through "one of the most dramatic and difficult periods of their troubled history," micro-credit can play a vital role for survival and recovery in the occupied territory, a senior United Nations official said today.

"Palestinian small businesses and micro-enterprises face formidable challenges as they operate in a state of economic and financial siege that is limiting their capacity for normal development and growth, with markets severed from customary trading partners," said Filippo Grandi, Deputy Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA), which cares for millions of Palestinian refugees.

"Much has been said -- and rightly so -- about restrictions imposed upon the movement of people and goods in and around the West Bank and Gaza," he noted at a signing ceremony in Vienna for a $4.5 million contribution by the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) to UNRWA, referring to Israel's closure of crossings.

"By continuing to support micro-enterprises in difficult political and economic times, UNRWA is making a commitment toward survival, recovery and transition," he added.

Mr. Grandi said the unique partnership between OFID and UNRWA through the PalFund had created a resource of hope that PalFund clients can draw on to secure their businesses, sustain their lives and invest in the education and health of their families.

OFID's earlier contribution of $2.5 million enabled UNRWA to finance over 2,600 loans to Palestinian micro-enterprises. As clients repaid these loans, UNRWA was able to finance a further 6,600 loans worth $7.5 million. Thus, over the past three years the PalFund financed over 9,200 micro-enterprise loans valued at just under $10 million, almost a quarter of which were to women micro-entrepreneurs.

The latest contribution will extend the PalFund to almost $7 million, making OFID the largest single sponsor o
activities -- activities that have financed a portfolio of 118,500 loans worth $126 million to Palestinian micro-enterprises over the past 15 years.

"In these difficult times, Palestinians -- and the Palestine refugees whom UNRWA continues to serve -- need above all concrete signs to rebuild hope and confidence. These signs are crucial for the much-threatened stability and prosperity of the Middle East," Mr. Grandi said.

The contribution will help "combat the dangerous symptoms of economic despair and loss of dignity, by providing crucial resources that Palestinian households and businesses can use to build a better future," he added.

2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UNESCO CHIEF DENOUNCES KILLING OF ANOTHER SOMALI JOURNALIST

UNESCO CHIEF DENOUNCES KILLING OF ANOTHER SOMALI JOURNALIST
New York, Aug 30 2007 11:00AM
Condemning the murder of a radio journalist in Somalia, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) today called for urgent measures to halt attacks on media professionals in the country.

Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura said that "Abdulkadir Mahad Moallim Kaskey and all too many of his colleagues in Somalia have become targets for those opposed to open democratic debate."

Calling for urgent action to bring an end to attacks on Somali media workers, he added that "guns must not be allowed to take the place of information, reasoning and persuasion."

According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Mr. Kaskey, the regional correspondent of Radio Banadir in the south-western province of Gedo, died after unknown gunmen opened fire on the minibus he was riding in the village of El Ilan.

His murder is the most recent in a spate of attacks against the media, bringing to seven the number of journalists killed this year in a country that has had no functioning central government since the regime of Muhammad Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.

Earlier this month, HornAfrik Radio journalist Mahad Ahmed Elmi was gunned down by four unknown men. Ali Iman Sharmarke, founder and chairman of HornAfrik, was killed in his car by a remotely detonated mine as he returned from his colleague's funeral. Reuters News Agency Reporter Sahal Abdulle was also injured in the blast.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED CARBON TRADING PLAN TO CUT GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS MOVES CLOSER TO FRUITION

UN-BACKED CARBON TRADING PLAN TO CUT GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS MOVES CLOSER TO FRUITION
New York, Aug 30 2007 10:00AM
Initial reviews indicate that countries will meet criteria to implement an essential tool in efforts to reduce global warming gases with a trading mechanism that allows States which cut emissions below treaty targets to sell their surplus allowances to others who overshoot the mark, the United Nations body overseeing the project <"http://unfccc.int/files/press/news_room/press_releases_and_advisories/application/pdf/070830_press_rel_itl.pdf">reported today.

International teams coordinated by the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/">UNFCCC) have finished reviews of reports from Austria, Japan and Switzerland on their preparations to work under the Kyoto Protocol, confirming that the Governments have put in place systems for calculating their emissions and tracking the results of their emissions trading. The trading system is set to begin in 2008.

"Kyoto requires that countries prove that they can track progress towards their emission targets and these reviews show that Governments are passing the test," UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer said. "Austria, Japan and Switzerland are just the first reviews to be finished and we are expecting another 30 or so before the end of the year."

The 1997 Protocol requires 36 industrialized countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions below country-specific levels, amounting overall to reductions of at least 5 per cent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. It allows industrialized countries to meet their targets by trading emission allowances on a newly-created carbon market.

Some 175 countries have ratified the treaty, which entered into force in February 2005, but the United States, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, has not.

International review teams have now visited 32 countries and examined their initial reports in detail, a process involving more than 200 Government-nominated experts. UNFCCC has set up the International Transaction Log (ITL), allowing industrialized countries that have signed up to the Kyoto Protocol to link their national registries to the central hub of a settlement system delivering traded allowances from sellers to buyers.

"The ITL is the international community's safeguard that registries accurately track their allowances and work within the rules agreed for the Kyoto Protocol," Mr. de Boer said. "Not a single allowance may ever be lost and none may be conjured out of thin air."

Today's announcement comes as Governments meet in Austria for the "Vienna Climate
Change Talks" to discuss more ambitious targets for the period after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. The review process has so far confirmed around 6.5 billion emission allowances under Kyoto, out of the approximately 56 billion tons expected for all industrialized countries together.

"With such quantities of emission allowances in the Kyoto system, recording their whereabouts at all times is crucial to the integrity of the Protocol," Mr. de Boer said.
2007-08-30 00:00:00.000

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UN MIDDLE EAST ENVOY 'GUARDEDLY OPTIMISTIC' ABOUT ROAD AHEAD

UN MIDDLE EAST ENVOY 'GUARDEDLY OPTIMISTIC' ABOUT ROAD AHEAD
New York, Aug 29 2007 7:00PM
The substantive dialogue developing between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as well as recent intensive efforts at international diplomacy, means the United Nations envoy to the Middle East is "guardedly optimistic" about the prospects for the region, he told the Security Council today.

But Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, who has just returned from a visit to the region, warned that unless the diplomatic process is carefully monitored and backed by "urgent and meaningful steps on the ground," then it could easily falter.

"There is a hope now which has been absent for almost seven years," he told a Council <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9108.doc.htm">meeting on the Middle East situation. "A setback at this stage could have serious consequences."

Mr. Williams said he welcomed the recent dialogue between Mr. Abbas and Mr. Olmert, who have held face-to-face talks several times this month.

"Both sides have reported substantive discussions and exchanges of ideas on permanent status issues, as well as on confidence-building steps. There also appears to be a welcome common desire to reach an agreement or understanding that could be presented" to the November meeting called by United States President George W. Bush.

Mr. Williams said that to meet the growing expectations, the current talks need to "shift gear" to achieve more concrete agreements on disputed issues and how to then implement those agreements.

But he welcomed the recent efforts of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to implement reforms – including the removal of redundant employees from the Palestinian Authority – and a serious security programme.

He also said that the anticipated engagement of former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair as the Representative of the Quartet, the diplomatic grouping that comprises the UN, the European Union, Russia and the US, was having a positive effect.

In addition, a series of upcoming high-profile international meetings on the Middle East, particularly the November meeting, was reinforcing the reform efforts of Mr. Fayyad and the dialogue between Mr. Abbas and Mr. Olmert.

Mr. Williams, who is about to step down from his post, also warned in his address about the political, economic and institutional consequences of the internal Palestinian divide, especially the deteriorating conditions inside the Gaza Strip. He also voiced concern about continuing Israeli-Palestinian violence over the past month, ongoing Israeli settlement activity and the political deadlock that still plagues neighbouring Lebanon.

Representatives of more than 30 countries addressed the Council after Mr. Williams, emphasizing that although there have recent signs of hope, much more needed to be done on the ground to genuinely reignite the peace process.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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UN ENVOY TO LIBERIA STRESSES NEED TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

UN ENVOY TO LIBERIA STRESSES NEED TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
New York, Aug 29 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations envoy to Liberia has called for an end to violence against women, while stressing that security is paramount for everyone throughout the West African nation as it works to rebuild after a brutal 14-year civil war.

Special Representative of the Secretary-General Alan Doss made his remarks yesterday as he handed over a new UN-built police station to the people of Kronowroken, Webbo District, in River Gee County, along Liberia's border with Côte d'Ivoire.

"It does not matter where you are in Liberia, your security is important. River Gee County may be a long way from Monrovia but you are not forgotten," said Mr. Doss, referring to the capital. The building was constructed under the UN Mission in Liberia's (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmil/index.html">UNMIL's) quick impact project initiative.

Noting that the opening of the new station in such a remote area was a demonstration of UNMIL's resolve to cater for the security of Liberians everywhere, Mr. Doss also called on citizens to "stamp out violence against women." In particular, he urged the people of Webbo to report any such incidents to the women and children's unit at the new police station.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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DR CONGO: UN MISSION URGES END TO FIGHTING IN TROUBLED EASTERN REGION

DR CONGO: UN MISSION URGES END TO FIGHTING IN TROUBLED EASTERN REGION
New York, Aug 29 2007 6:00PM
Deploring clashes among opposing factions of the armed forces in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the vast country today said that it is fully committed to helping find a peaceful solution to protect civilians from further violence.

The mission, known as <"http://www.monuc.org/News.aspx?newsID=15277">MONUC, reported that in North Kivu province, the vehicle of the Commander of the mixed Charlie Brigade was ambushed on Monday, killing at least three people and injuring at least three more soldiers from the DRC armed forces, or FARDC.

"MONUC immediately sent troops on the scene of the incident," said the mission's military spokesperson Major Gabriel de Brosses. "The three wounded were transported by blue helmets to the MONUC level 3 hospital in Goma."

Yesterday in Rubare, a FARDC position of the Charlie Brigade was also attacked by armed men loyal to General Laurent Nkunda.

MONUC serves an informal role of mediator between troops loyal to renegade General Nkunda and Government soldiers in the country's northeast, the Secretary-General's spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

"The Mission is engaging both sides in dialogue to diffuse the tensions," she added, and earlier this week MONUC facilitated mediation talks.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA), some 170,000 people have fled their homes in North Kivu since this January.

Meanwhile, MONUC reported that as of yesterday, all national staff who participated in a recent work stoppage have fully resumed their work. Discussions between mission leadership and representatives of national staff are now ongoing.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for the DRC William Lacy Swing reaffirmed his commitment to finding a comprehensive solution, adding that the national staff represent one of MONUC's key assets. He appealed to them to continue their work as the negotiations proceed.

MONUC has overseen the DRC's transition from a six-year civil war that cost 4 million lives in fighting and attendant hunger and disease, widely considered the most lethal conflict in the world since World War II, to gradual stabilization, culminating in the first democratic elections in over four decades last year.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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UN SEEKS EMERGENCY FUNDS FOR VITAL HEALTH SERVICES FOLLOWING PERU EARTHQUAKE

UN SEEKS EMERGENCY FUNDS FOR VITAL HEALTH SERVICES FOLLOWING PERU EARTHQUAKE
New York, Aug 29 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations Population Fund (< "http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=1027">UNFPA) is appealing for $850,000 in emergency funding to ensure that up to 250,000 victims of the recent earthquake in Peru receive critical health services.

With these funds – which form part of a $37 million UN system-wide Flash Appeal launched yesterday – UNFPA will help restore and strengthen local primary health services following the 15 August earthquake, which struck 161 kilometres south of the capital, Lima.

The powerful quake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, has resulted in the death of over 500 people and injured more than 1,000 others, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<" http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA). In addition, preliminary assessments indicate that over 37,000 houses and four hospitals were destroyed, while 16 hospitals were damaged.

UNFPA will help improve emergency reproductive health care and assess local health services, particularly in isolated, rural mountain villages, as well as provide affected communities with reproductive health supplies and emergency birth kits. A total of 50,000 women and girls of childbearing age, including 15,000 pregnant women, stand to benefit from these activities.

The emergency funds will also help establish 15 community centres for those that lost their homes. The centres will provide hygiene kits and offer protection to vulnerable groups, such as women, girls, the elderly and disabled people from gender-based and other violence, and provide legal, medical, psychosocial and vocational services. A mobile team of professionals to assist victims of sexual violence will also be set up.

In addition, UNFPA will help carry out a census of the affected population, in cooperation with Peru's National Institute for Statistics and Information and local authorities, to register individuals and determine losses, damage and access to basic services.

The agency has already allocated $90,000 which is being used to provide 6,000 emergency hygiene kits and to fund the initiation of the census.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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NEPAL: UN OFFICIAL APPEALS FOR UNIMPEDED ACCESS FOR DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN AID

NEPAL: UN OFFICIAL APPEALS FOR UNIMPEDED ACCESS FOR DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN AID
New York, Aug 29 2007 5:00PM
A United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) official today repeated his call for his agency's staff, trucks carrying food aid and its partners to have unhindered access to deliver urgently-needed humanitarian assistance to flood-impacted people in the Terai region of Nepal.

Although the WFP has received assurances from several parties that they will ensure that the agency's staff and food aid delivery will not be impeded, they "are not being permitted to move along highways in the Terai during strike periods," Richard Ragan, <"http://www.wfp.org/country_brief/indexcountry.asp?country=524">WFP Country Representative in Nepal, said in a statement.

In the last week, commercial trucks transporting humanitarian food supplies those affected by floods in Kailali, Banke and Bardiya have been blocked in several sections of the East-West Highway, he said.

Mr. Ragan also warned that should WFP staff and trucks carrying supplies continue to be hindered in their efforts to deliver aid, "we will be forced to suspend operations to provide humanitarian food assistance to flood victims."

Earlier this month, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org">FAO) noted that the affected agro-ecological zone of the Terai is the Himalayan nation's grain basket, accounting for over 70 per cent of the total production of rice, the basic staple. Though water levels have receded from the second week of August, thousands of hectares of agricultural land have been destroyed at the peak of the planting season, FAO said.
While a detailed assessment of crop losses is not yet available, the overall outlook for this year's production has deteriorated. At sub-national level, food shortages in the Terai, affected by drought and floods in 2006, are likely to worsen.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON BEGINS FOREIGN TRIP WITH SENIOR UN STAFF RETREAT IN ITALY

BAN KI-MOON BEGINS FOREIGN TRIP WITH SENIOR UN STAFF RETREAT IN ITALY
New York, Aug 29 2007 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leaves United Nations Headquarters tonight for a working trip that will begin in Turin, Italy, with a three-day retreat of senior UN staff and then follow with a visit to Sudan, Chad and Libya to observe first-hand the crises in Darfur and eastern Chad and the post-conflict situation in southern Sudan.

Mr. Ban will chair the retreat, taking place at the <" http://www.unssc.org/web/index.asp">UN Staff College, with Under-Secretaries-General and Assistant Secretaries-General in attendance, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

Participants will discuss UN global issues and reforms, focusing on delivering results, during a series of intensive meetings, she said. The meetings will also consider the UN's readiness and capacity to perform its duties, particularly in promoting peace and security.

Ms. Montas said the retreat "provides an opportunity for the UN's senior managers to explore and propose ways of better managing the Organization, and improving its effectiveness. Apart from these concrete objectives, it is expected that the retreat would promote unity of purpose and common understanding of the UN and its priorities."

After Turin, Mr. Ban heads to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for talks with President Omar al-Bashir and other Government officials, before heading to Juba in the south of the country, where the UN Mission in Sudan (<" http://www.unmis.org/english/en-main.htm">UNMIS) is trying to help implement the 2005 comprehensive peace agreement ending the north-south civil war.

Then the Secretary-General is scheduled to travel to El Fasher, capital of North Darfur province and the slated headquarters of the new hybrid UN-African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in Darfur, to be known as UNAMID.

At a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11133.doc.htm">press conference yesterday Mr. Ban said his trip to Sudan and neighbouring countries was designed to "lock in" the progress made so far towards a political solution for the Darfur conflict and to see first-hand the difficult conditions that UNAMID faces.

More than 200,000 people have been killed across Darfur since 2003 because of fighting between rebel groups, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias, while another 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes.

Mr. Ban then heads to N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, where the Security Council has indicated it is willing to authorize a multidimensional UN presence to quell the fighting and suffering in the east of the country. The last stop on the trip will be Tripoli, Libya, for a meeting with that country's leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN RELIEF OFFICIAL SEEKS SWIFT RESOLUTION TO DEPARTURE OF NGO HEAD

TOP UN RELIEF OFFICIAL SEEKS SWIFT RESOLUTION TO DEPARTURE OF NGO HEAD
New York, Aug 29 2007 5:00PM
United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes has <" http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SHES-76JMFN?OpenDocument">voiced his concern over the expulsion from Sudan of CARE's Paul Barker, and urged that the matter be resolved quickly so that the Country Director of one of the world's largest international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can resume vital humanitarian work.

"I am disappointed that Mr. Barker had to leave the country in this way. The reasons given by some Government officials to Mr. Barker for his departure appear to be specious," said Mr. Holmes, who is also Under-Secretary-General for <"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">Humanitarian Affairs. "I very much hope that this is actually a misunderstanding that can be resolved as soon as possible so that Mr. Barker may resume his vitally important humanitarian activities."

CARE, which has operated in Sudan for more than a quarter of a century, is a significant provider of humanitarian assistance to some four million people across Sudan, and is a vital partner for the UN humanitarian community.

Mr. Holmes stressed that the manner of Mr. Barker's departure has clearly undermined both the spirit and letter of the Joint Communiqué on the Facilitation of Humanitarian Activities in Darfur, signed earlier this year by the UN and the Government of Sudan.

The communiqué has relieved many bureaucratic impediments to humanitarian work in Sudan, including by helping to secure visas and work permits for aid workers and by making it easier for relief goods to clear customs.

Mr. Holmes noted, however, that issues such as those now faced by CARE are "a disturbing example of how far we still have to go," adding that enabling Mr. Barker to resume his important work "would send a positive signal to the international community that the Government of Sudan wishes to further strengthen its partnership with humanitarian actors."

There are currently about 12,300 aid workers in the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur, including almost 900 international staff. They provide assistance to an estimated 4.2 million people, including 2.1 million internally displaced persons (<"http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs), suffering since 2003 from the deadly conflict between rebel groups, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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SIERRA LEONE: BAN KI-MOON VOICES CONCERN OVER POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE

SIERRA LEONE: BAN KI-MOON VOICES CONCERN OVER POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE
New York, Aug 29 2007 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed concern about the rising tensions and violence over the past week in Sierra Leone, which earlier this month held its first presidential and parliamentary polls since United Nations peacekeepers departed in 2005.

"He calls on all parties and their leaders to do everything necessary to prevent the situation from escalating," his spokesperson said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2713">statement.

Mr. Ban once again commended the people of the West African nation for the "peaceful and orderly manner in which the first round of the electoral process was held."

The 11 August presidential and parliamentary elections were Sierra Leone'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 (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unamsil">UNAMSIL) in December 2005.

On Monday, the Security Council issued a press <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9104.doc.htm">statement praising the "exemplary conduct" of Sierra Leoneans during the first round of the polls.

The 15-member body also urged the public "to maintain the same sense of purpose, discipline and patience as the electoral process enters its final and decisive phase," the run-off in the presidential election on 8 September between Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) and incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The two men are vying to succeed Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2701">statement earlier this month, the Secretary-General welcomed the peaceful atmosphere of the first round of voting but cautioned that the same atmosphere must prevail during the remainder of the election process.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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UN AMBASSADOR ANGELINA JOLIE HEARS OF SUFFERING, COURAGE FROM IRAQI REFUGEES

UN AMBASSADOR ANGELINA JOLIE HEARS OF SUFFERING, COURAGE FROM IRAQI REFUGEES
New York, Aug 29 2007 1:00PM
Angelina Jolie, actress and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador, today wrapped up her first visit to Iraq and Syria, where she spoke with Iraqi refugees who have fled the violence in their home country.

After witnessing the suffering and resilience of Iraqi refugees first-hand, she voiced her continued support for <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46d544c16.html">UNHCR and "their tireless work for the people of Iraq."

On Monday, she arrived in Damascus, the Syrian capital, where she visited the UNHCR centre where some 2,500 Iraqi refugees are registered every week. Proving their refugees status gives them access to UNHCR-subsidized medical and food assistance.

At the centre, Ms. Jolie played with Iraqi youngsters in a children's play room, and met a young refugee girl named Zahara, who shares the same name as the Academy Award winner's own adopted daughter from Ethiopia.

She sat in on a registration clerk's interview with a man and his family who fled Baghdad after one member narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt. They depend on the meagre income earned by their 17-year-old son who irons clothes in a laundry.

Afterwards, Ms. Jolie visited the family in their small rented room shared by 13 people between the ages of eight months and 67 years. One of the women remarked to the Ambassador that her extended family lived under the roof of a spacious house in Baghdad, but now cannot afford to purchase diapers for her children.

"I can't imagine how I could manage to take care of my children in these circumstances," Ms. Jolie, the mother of four, told the refugee woman.

UNHCR estimates that over 4.2 million Iraqis have been uprooted, with two million fleeing to neighbouring countries and 2.2 million displaced within their home country.

Yesterday, Ms. Jolie visited Al Waleed camp, which houses 1,300 refugees, in Iraq, where there is no running water or electricity. She met with sick children and refugees, and also toured a site where UNHCR plans to build a school for the camp's children.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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UN HEALTH AGENCY AIDS IRAQI GOVERNMENT IN CHOLERA RESPONSE

UN HEALTH AGENCY AIDS IRAQI GOVERNMENT IN CHOLERA RESPONSE
New York, Aug 29 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is assisting the Iraqi Government in responding to a recent outbreak of cholera in the northern governorate of Sulemaniyah which has already claimed 10 lives and left thousands ill.

Following a request from Government officials for UN technical support, WHO's representative in Iraq, Naeema Al-Gasser, supported by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (<"http://www.uniraq.org">UNAMI), led a mission to Sulemaniyah to investigate the outbreak and provide technical advice.

"To date, it is estimated that Sulemaniyah governorate experienced close to 5,000 cases since 10 August, with 10 deaths reported and 51 confirmed cases in Kirkuk," WHO said in a statement issued in Baghdad. Two hospitals in the stricken governorate also reported treating 2,000 diarrhoea cases.

The agency has already established monitoring systems and will make available an international team to provide support as requested. It also plans to set up a surveillance system for water quality control, food inspection, and case findings and management while the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) will provide oral re-hydration therapy.

The central government has shipped tons of medicine and medical supplies to Sulemaniyah, as have <"http://www.who.int/en">WHO, <"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

WHO emphasized the importance of basic hygienic measures to limit the spread of the infectious and often fatal water-borne disease as well as increased public awareness. The main source of cholera derives from the poor sewage networks and water quality in Iraq.
2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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LACK OF BIRTH CERTIFICATES DENY MILLIONS OF LATIN AMERICAN CHILDREN SERVICES -- UN

LACK OF BIRTH CERTIFICATES DENY MILLIONS OF LATIN AMERICAN CHILDREN SERVICES -- UN
New York, Aug 29 2007 12:00PM
With millions of Latin American children excluded from health and education services because they lack birth certificates and do not therefore legally exist, the United Nations is participating in the first ever region-wide meeting convened to address the problem under the slogan "Write me down, make me visible."

The three-day meeting in Asuncion, Paraguay, brings together the UN, Governments and civil society organizations from 18 Latin American countries and aims to form the basis for regional and national plans to guarantee free, universal and timely birth registration for all children by 2015. It will be replicated for the Caribbean region next year.

"A staggering two million of the 11 million births in Latin America are not registered," the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40731.html">news release. "Without a birth certificate millions of children are excluded from basic services such as health and education and face daily exploitation and risk."

UNICEF regional director Nils Kastberg painted the issue in stark terms. "Marcos Alexandro is 10 years old, lives in the State of Chiapas in Mexico, and was accepted into school at 10 years of age after registering in the registry," he said.

"In Paraguay, it is estimated that only 35 per cent of boys and girls are registered during the first year of their life; for the remainder they simply don't exist as citizens. When we do not register our boys and girls, we deny them the basics like going to school, to hospital, getting a passport or being part of a family, and we are not protecting them against serious crimes such as child trafficking."

The 1st Latin American Regional Conference on Birth Registration and the Right to Identity has been organized in conjunction with the Government of Paraguay by three of the region's main international agencies - UNICEF, the Organization of American States and the leading
non-governmental organization, Plan International.

Delegations include high-level political and government authorities, technical experts responsible for the civil registers, and civil society organizations.

Countries represented are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.

2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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UN TO SEND HUMANITARIAN ASSESSMENT MISSION TO ETHIOPIA'S SOMALI REGIONAL STATE

UN TO SEND HUMANITARIAN ASSESSMENT MISSION TO ETHIOPIA'S SOMALI REGIONAL STATE
New York, Aug 29 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations is sending a humanitarian mission tomorrow to Ethiopia's Somali Region, which has been affected by security operations, to assess relief needs, in particular access to food, water, health and nutrition services, and to monitor the dispatch and distribution of emergency food aid.

The Government of Ethiopia has agreed to facilitate the inter-agency mission at the UN's request.

"It is my hope that the findings of this assessment mission will construct a clearer picture of the humanitarian situation in the Region," UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Fidele Sarassoro said today of the mission, which he will launch in Jijiga, the regional capital.

"Equally important to us is that the findings of this mission also support the delivery of assistance to the people of Somali Region," he added.

The mission includes staff from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Department of Safety and Security, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The UN and other humanitarian actors have been supporting pastoral and agro-pastoral populations in the Somali Region with humanitarian and development assistance, particularly since 2000.

2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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FIRST PERSON CHARGED BY UN-BACKED CAMBODIA COURT APPEALS AGAINST DETENTION

FIRST PERSON CHARGED BY UN-BACKED CAMBODIA COURT APPEALS AGAINST DETENTION
New York, Aug 29 2007 10:00AM
The first person to be charged by the United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia trying Khmer Rouge leaders accused of mass killings and other crimes three decades ago has appealed an order for his provisional detention.

Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, was charged last month of crimes against humanity over his role as chief at the S21 prison in the capital, Phnom Penh, during the Khmer Rouge's rule in the 1970s, when hundreds of thousands of people were killed or died from starvation, forced labour and ill treatment.

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (<"http://www.eccc.gov.kh/english/default.aspx">ECCC) said in a statement that Mr. Kaing's lawyers had lodged notice of appeal against the provisional detention order and the case file had been sent to the Pre-Trial Chamber to "deal with the matter expeditiously."

Mr. Kaing was placed in provisional detention on 31 July after the charges were issued.

Under an agreement signed by the UN and Cambodia, the trial court and a Supreme Court within the Cambodian legal system will investigate those most responsible for crimes and serious violations of Cambodian and international law under Khmer Rouge rule between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979.

2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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CHILDREN IN BELIZE FACE LIFE-THREATENING DISEASES AFTER HURRICANE DEAN, UN WARNS

CHILDREN IN BELIZE FACE LIFE-THREATENING DISEASES AFTER HURRICANE DEAN, UN WARNS
New York, Aug 29 2007 10:00AM
Potentially life-threatening cases of diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and fever have increased in Belize following Hurricane Dean's destructive sweep through the small Central American country, posing a particular danger to young children and other vulnerable people, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned.

"The scarcity of drinking water and water for sanitation has led many people to use poor quality water from previously abandoned wells and being exposed to an increased risk of water-borne diseases," UNICEF country representative Rana Flowers said in an <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40735.html">update yesterday. "We must take great care to ensure that particularly children do not drink or use bad water."

UNICEF has sought additional financing to address the ongoing lack of food and water, a shortage of medicines and a need for generators and supplies to repair damaged homes and schools, as well as for psycho-social support, particularly to children.

Although Dean's impact on northern districts of Belize could have been much worse, it is estimated that about 30,000 people - over 10 per cent of the total population - in both urban and rural areas were directly affected.

The hurricane's force caused wide-spread power failure, affecting the water supply to villages that are dependent on electric water-pumps. Close to 275 houses were destroyed and at least 900 more have varying degrees of structural damage and loss of essential household items. Some 2,000 people were displaced, many of whom remain in shelters.

Despite relief efforts, some communities have yet to receive needed food and water, while unemployment threatens the livelihoods of an estimated 20,000 farm labourers due to crop destruction.

Since the hurricane made landfall on 21 August, UNICEF has supported the Government in conducting detailed assessments, providing vehicles and technical assistance for further assessments
supplies, securing generators to power water pumps, and delivering safe water to the most affected communities.

Water purification tablets and oral re-hydration salts have also been essential components in the UNICEF response. The agency has also agreed to work with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to feed 1,000 families for two months.

2007-08-29 00:00:00.000

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TRANSPORT COSTS, DELAYS AND RED TAPE HARMING POOR LANDLOCKED NATIONS - UN ENVOY

TRANSPORT COSTS, DELAYS AND RED TAPE HARMING POOR LANDLOCKED NATIONS – UN ENVOY
New York, Aug 28 2007 7:00PM
High transport costs, regulatory constraints and other delays and obstacles at customs and border crossings pose the greatest threat to the world's poorest landlocked countries becoming competitive in international trade, the recently installed United Nations envoy for those States said today.

Cheikh Sidi Diarra, who was appointed in July as the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (<" http://www.un.org/ohrlls">UN-OHRLLS), told a ministerial meeting in Mongolia that the combination of fees, delays and obstacles limited poor nations' access to global markets.

The four-day meeting, held in the capital Ulaanbaatar, started today and brings together trade ministers and high-level officials from landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and transit developing countries.

Since the early 1990s, the share of LLDCs in world trade has remained stuck at less than one per cent, Mr. Diarra noted at the conference, and nine of the 10 worst countries in terms of the number of days needed to complete export procedures are LLDCs.

He said the way to overcome the impact of long intercontinental distances is to encourage LLDCs to work more closely with their transit neighbours – and the international community more generally – to improve the efficiency of their transport systems.

The so-called Almaty Programme of Action, launched in 2003 in the city of that name in Kazakhstan, is designed to help LLDCs improve their transit transport systems and cooperate more with their neighbours that have coastlines.

Mr. Diarra stressed to the meeting that the Almaty Programme also identifies the importance of LLDCs taking active steps to halt and reverse the deterioration of their physical transport infrastructure.

The Ulaanbaatar meeting is expected to be the last of two such meetings this year to generate material for the General Assembly mid-term review next year of the implementation of the Almaty Programme.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR BOOSTING UN'S ROLE IN PREVENTING, RESOLVING CONFLICTS

SECURITY COUNCIL CALLS FOR BOOSTING UN'S ROLE IN PREVENTING, RESOLVING CONFLICTS
New York, Aug 28 2007 7:00PM
Conflicts between and within nations have grown so complex in recent years that the United Nations' capacity to deal with the world's most difficult crises needs to be enhanced, the Security Council <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9105.doc.htm">stressed today.

In a statement read out by Ambassador Pascal Gayama of the Republic of Congo, which holds the rotating <"http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/index.html">Council presidency this month, the 15-member body "notes the varied nature of conflicts, which involve not only conflicts between States and within States, but also new emerging threats, and thus reiterates its determination to strengthen its role in preventing and resolving conflict in all its forms."

The statement, which came at the end of a meeting featuring over 35 speakers on the topic of conflict prevention and resolution, particularly in Africa, also highlighted the importance of settling disputes peacefully and promoting preventive action in response to threats to international peace and security.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2712">called for devoting more resources to conflict prevention and strengthening the UN's capacity for mediation, stating that "it is only through political settlements that conflicts can be resolved."

Mr. Ban stressed that the resolution of Africa's most difficult conflicts is a top priority of his administration. "At the same time, a greater investment in prevention could save us considerable pain and expense – in Darfur, in Somalia, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in northern Uganda, in Western Sahara and elsewhere," he noted.

There has been an estimated 40 per cent decline in armed conflict around the world since the 1990s, with recent research crediting expanded UN peacemaking, peacekeeping and conflict prevention activities as a major factor behind the decline.

While this is encouraging, Mr. Ban said it was "not good enough," noting that violent conflicts continue to inflict immense suffering on countless people, mostly civilians. "For these victims, and for the sake of future generations, we have an obligation to take more seriously the challenge of prevention."

Mr. Ban highlighted the important role played by regional organizations, pointing to Sudan, where the UN is working with the African Union (AU) to address the crisis in the strife-torn Darfur region and where the world body will soon deploy a 26,000-strong joint UN-AU force (to be known as UNAMID) to suppress ongoing violence.

"The tragedy of Darfur reminds us how much more needs to be done before we complete our transformation from a culture of 'reaction' to one of effective prevention," he said.

Given the increasingly complex nature of today's disputes, he called for developing new approaches and addressing the underlying causes of conflicts. "If we do not deal with the root causes of conflict – and offer sustainable solutions – we will be left with peacekeeping missions without end."

Equally crucial, he added, is the need to build peace in countries emerging from conflict, such as Burundi, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Liberia. "In these and other fragile post-conflict countries, peacebuilding is in fact prevention, since it is designed to prevent a relapse into war."

"Indeed, peacebuilding is an integral part of improving the UN's capacity for conflict prevention and resolution," said Leslie Kojo Christian, acting Chairman of the Organizational Committee of the <" http://www.un.org/peace/peacebuilding/index.html">UN Peacebuilding Commission, set up in 2005 to help countries emerging from conflict to avoid relapsing into violence.

He noted the Commission has a crucial role to play in contributing to the development of UN conflict prevention and resolution strategies by ensuring that they take into account priorities for peacebuilding. "As such, conflict prevention and resolution efforts can help to foresee and forestall the potential for relapsing into conflict."

One of the key achievements of the Commission during its first year of operation has been maintaining international attention on peacebuilding efforts in Burundi and Sierra Leone. "This has in turn instilled a greater sense of accountability and responsibility among the national and local actors on the ground to ensure long-term peace," Mr. Christian stated.

By establishing the Commission – whose efforts are essential to solidifying peace and preventing relapse into conflict - the <" http://www.un.org/ga/61">General Assembly took an important step forward in the field of conflict prevention, Ambassador Léo Mérorès of Haiti told the Council.

"But this is not enough," he said, in a statement delivered on behalf of the Assembly's President, urging that the mediation and good offices' capabilities of the UN be reinforced and that it be given the necessary tools to play that crucial role.

The Secretary-General is expected to submit shortly to the Assembly a follow-up to the 1998 report issued by his predecessor, Kofi Annan, on the causes of conflict in Africa and the promotion of durable peace and development. In addition, he will be presenting proposals for strengthening the mediation capabilities of the UN's <" http://www.un.org/depts/dpa/index.html">Department of Political Affairs.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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SUDAN NOT COOPERATING ON ARRESTS OF WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS, SAYS PROSECUTOR

SUDAN NOT COOPERATING ON ARRESTS OF WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS, SAYS PROSECUTOR
New York, Aug 28 2007 7:00PM
The Sudanese Government has not moved to arrest two suspects wanted to stand trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's war-wracked Darfur region, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (<" http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html&l=en">ICC) said today, calling on Khartoum to cooperate immediately with the court.

In an interview with the UN News Centre, Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that it is "totally unacceptable" that one of the two suspects, Ahmad Muhammad Harun, is currently Sudan's Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs.

"He was coordinating actions to remove people from their own villages and push them into IDP [internally displaced person] camps, and now he… basically controls them," Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said. "Harun is still in charge, effectively, of the same people. He is like the fox being in charge of the chickens."

Unless the Government takes steps to arrest Mr. Harun and the other suspect, Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (also known as Ali Kushayb), Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said he would inform the Security Council in his next progress report.

He said there had been no progress from Khartoum since it was informed of the arrests and its responsibilities.

"They have to remember, Sudan, that this issue is a part of their duties now that we have these global legal standards" enshrined in the ICC, said the Prosecutor. "The responsibility to execute the warrant is for the Government of Sudan," and not for him or the ICC or the Security Council.

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said his staff were trying to monitor the movements of the two suspects to determine their whereabouts, particularly now that an Interpol red notice – which allows the warrant to be circulated around the world with the request that the wanted person is arrested with a view to extradition – has been issued for Mr. Harun.

Mr. Harun and Mr. Kushayb are accused of targeting civilians in attacks on four villages in West Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004, according to their warrants, which outlines multiple counts of personal responsibility for murder, rape and pillaging for each man.

The ICC Prosecutor has been investigating war crimes committed in Darfur amid increasing international efforts to stop the bloodshed in the impoverished region and provide justice to victims of the violence and human rights violations.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and at least two million others forced to leave their homes in Darfur since 2003 because of fighting between rebel groups, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias.

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo, who is in New York this week, held talks today on Darfur and other issues, including the progress of cases in northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR), with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

He also spoke on the same issues, and the need for greater cooperation between the UN and the ICC, with Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Affairs Jean-Marie Guéhenno, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide Francis Deng and the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Margareta Wahlström.

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo is also taking part this week in a conference for current and past prosecutors of international criminal tribunals being held in Chautauqua, New York.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED AFRICAN GREEN REVOLUTION MEETING TO KICK OFF

UN-BACKED AFRICAN GREEN REVOLUTION MEETING TO KICK OFF
New York, Aug 28 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations-backed conference on the <" http://www.africangreenrevolutionconference.com/index.php">African Green Revolution – which supports African farming communities as they evolve from subsistence farming to sustainable modern agriculture – kicks off tomorrow in Oslo, Norway.

The first such gathering took place last year, spurred by a July 2004 <" http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sgsm9389.doc.htm">call by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan to bolster agricultural productivity and food security through a "Green Revolution" in Africa, which he said is the only continent bypassed by the transformation.

This year's conference – themed "Partnership for Productivity" – emphasizes public-private partnerships, and will draw a wide range of participants, including policymakers, Government officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), farmers, entrepreneurs and business leaders.

"The rural world is at a crossroads, facing ever-increasing pressure to produce more food to feed growing populations amid a number of rapidly evolving global challenges such as climate change, rural-urban migration and emerging biofuel markets," said Kanayo Nwanze, Vice-President of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (<" http://www.ifad.org/governance/index.htm">IFAD).

The Green Revolution "will move forward with support from the outside because the challenges facing African agricultural development require comprehensive solutions only possible through strategic alliances," he stressed.

Mr. Nwanze is one of scores of speakers to address the four-day conference, expected to be attended by around 200 people.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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ANTARCTIC OZONE HOLE OPENS EARLY THIS YEAR BUT MAY NOT BE AS LARGE - UN AGENCY

ANTARCTIC OZONE HOLE OPENS EARLY THIS YEAR BUT MAY NOT BE AS LARGE – UN AGENCY
New York, Aug 28 2007 5:00PM
The hole in the Antarctic ozone layer has emerged earlier than usual this year, but it is not yet clear whether the eventual annual depletion of the naturally occurring gas that filters out cancer-causing ultraviolet (UV) radiation will be as bad as recent years, the United Nations meteorological agency announced today.

In its first <"http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gawozobull07_en.html">Antarctic Ozone Bulletin of 2007, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said initial readings indicate that the size and the depth of the ozone hole are similar to recent years at the same stage.

"It is still too early to give a definitive statement about the development of this year's ozone hole and the degree of ozone loss that will occur," the bulletin stated, adding that it will depend on the meteorological conditions between now and early October, when depletion usually ends.

But the area observed so far "could indicate that the 2007 ozone hole will be relatively small," the report added.

The Antarctic ozone hole appears every year at the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere as the sun returns to the continent after the long polar night. WMO and other scientists use observations obtained from satellites, weather balloons and other data to measure the rate of depletion.

WMO expects the ozone hole to recur annually so long as the Earth's stratosphere contains an excess of ozone-depleting substances. The Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention are designed to phase out chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), but scientists have warned that it may be two decades before there is a clear decline in the size and depth of the annual holes.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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IRAN ANSWERS UN AGENCY QUESTIONS ON PLUTONIUM PROGRAMME, SAYS DOCUMENT

IRAN ANSWERS UN AGENCY QUESTIONS ON PLUTONIUM PROGRAMME, SAYS DOCUMENT
New York, Aug 28 2007 5:00PM
Iran has addressed the questions of the United Nations nuclear watchdog about its past plutonium programme and both parties now consider that matter resolved, according to a statement posted on the UN agency's website.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) yesterday published on its website the <" http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Infcircs/2007/infcirc711.pdf">text of a joint work plan on how to resolve outstanding issues between the agency and Iran after a request to do so from Tehran.

That text states that Iran provided clarifications to the IAEA to help explain all remaining questions it had about its plutonium programme, and that the agency agreed on 20 August that the matter has been resolved.

The text added that the two parties had also been cooperating in preparing the safeguards approach for the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz, with draft texts on the approach circulated and further talks scheduled next month.

Last week IAEA experts <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/PressReleases/2007/prn200711.html">were in Iran for two days of talks with Government officials about the country's past nuclear programme and to clarify safeguards implementation issues. This followed negotiations in both Vienna and Tehran in July.

Iran's nuclear programme has been a matter of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that it had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (<"http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Treaties/npt.html">NPT).

Last December, the Security Council adopted a <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1737(2006)">resolution banning trade with Iran in all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to the country's enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. It tightened the measures in March, banning arms sales and expanding the freeze on assets.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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UN AMBASSADOR ANGELINA JOLIE SPOTLIGHTS PLIGHT OF IRAQI REFUGEES

UN AMBASSADOR ANGELINA JOLIE SPOTLIGHTS PLIGHT OF IRAQI REFUGEES
New York, Aug 28 2007 4:00PM
Actress and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie is <" http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46d446a42.html">visiting Iraq and Syria to raise awareness of the plight of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi families who have fled the violence in their home country.

According to UNHCR estimates, over 4.2 million Iraqis have been displaced, with 2.2 million within the war-torn nation and two million in neighbouring countries.

"I have come to Syria and Iraq to help draw attention to this humanitarian crisis and to urge Governments to increase their support for UNHCR and its partners," Ms. Jolie said. "My sole purpose in both countries is to highlight the humanitarian plight of those uprooted by the war in Iraq."

Today, the Academy Award-winning actress crossed into Iraq from Damascus, the Syrian capital, arriving at the makeshift Al Waleed border camp housing 1,200 stranded Iraqi refugees who are unable to flee their country. She also observed dozens of Iraqis making their way into Syria at a border checkpoint.

"It is absolutely essential that the ongoing debate about Iraq's future include plans for addressing the enormous humanitarian consequences these people face," she said, adding that in her role as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, she will concentrate on humanitarian issues and leave politics to others.

In Iraq, she also paid a private visit to United States troops and other multinational forces based in the area.

Yesterday, Ms. Jolie arrived in Syria, and visited a UNHCR centre in Damascus where she met some of the thousands of Iraqi refugees – almost one-quarter of them being victims of violence and torture – registering with the UN agency.

Spending hours talking to Iraqi refugees in their homes, she recognized Syria for opening its borders and for its generosity to Iraqis.

Tens of thousands of the refugees are unemployed, and many young people are missing out on an education and their futures.

Late last month, UNHCR and the UN Children's Fund UNICEF) jointly <" http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40417.html">launched a $129 million education appeal to send 155,000 Iraqi refugee children to school throughout the Middle East. Today, the United States announced it will contribute $30 million to the fund.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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UN HONOURS ENVIRONMENTAL PIONEERS FROM BRAZIL, SOUTH AFRICA AND ZIMBABWE

UN HONOURS ENVIRONMENTAL PIONEERS FROM BRAZIL, SOUTH AFRICA AND ZIMBABWE
New York, Aug 28 2007 4:00PM
Ground-breaking research on measuring the environmental impacts of sugar production in South Africa and newsprint paper production in Zimbabwe, as well as assessing impacts on biodiversity in Brazil, were among those recognized today by a new award from the United Nations Environment Programme (<" http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=516&ArticleID=5655&l=en">UNEP).

Initiated with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the "UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Award" recognizes work from academics and private companies in developing and emerging economies that have begun visionary and innovative projects based on the "life-cycle approach," which concerns the impacts on the environment of a product's production, use and disposal.

"The growing attention to life-cycle issues is a natural outcome of decades of UNEP work on cleaner production and eco-efficient industrial systems," said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

This year's winners include Kevin Harding and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town for their assessment of sugar production in South Africa; Charles Mbohwa and his team from the Mechanical Engineering Department in the University of Zimbabwe for their earlier research on the life cycle of newsprint paper; and Danielle Maia de Souza and the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina for their work on adapting life-cycle approaches to measure the impacts of unsustainable practices on Brazil's biodiversity.

Three other projects on waste in Taiwan, chocolate production in Ghana and the creation of a "Brazilian Centre of Excellence on Life-Cycle Thinking" were recognized as runner-ups.

"As pressure on the environment grows through mostly unsustainable production and consumption patterns worldwide, there is an urgent need to encourage life-cycle thinking in developing and emerging economies," said Arab Hoballah, Chief of the Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch in UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, speaking at the awards ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland.

During the ceremony, a new publication entitled "Life-Cycle Management: A Business Guide to Sustainability" was also launched by UNEP. In it, companies such as Airbus, Nokia and Ford explain how it is possible to expand their business while minimising the environmental and social burdens along their entire product life cycles.

Today's ceremony was held back-to-back with this year's UNEP/SETAC Life-Cycle Management Conference.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON TO VISIT SUDAN NEXT WEEK TO 'LOCK IN' PROGRESS TOWARDS DARFUR PEACE

BAN KI-MOON TO VISIT SUDAN NEXT WEEK TO 'LOCK IN' PROGRESS TOWARDS DARFUR PEACE
New York, Aug 28 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today that he will travel next week to Sudan, Chad and Libya, as he outlined a three-part strategy to deal with the Darfur crisis by ensuring that peacekeepers are deployed quickly and effectively, humanitarian aid and development is more easily available and the peace process pushes forward.

Mr. Ban told a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1060">press conference at UN Headquarters that he is visiting Sudan and some of its neighbours "to go and see for myself the very difficult conditions" under which the hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force will operate in Darfur from the start of next year.

That force, which will have some 26,000 peacekeepers at full deployment, was authorized last month by the Security Council after what Mr. Ban described as "many months of difficult diplomacy. Now we have an historic opportunity. We must seize it."

At least 200,000 people have died and more than two million others forced to flee their homes since 2003 because of fighting between rebel groups, Sudanese Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias.

Mr. Ban stressed today that he wanted to know first-hand the plight that Darfurians are experiencing and to also try to strengthen momentum towards a lasting political resolution so that the violence and suffering can end.

"My goal is to lock in the progress we have made so far," he said. "To build on it so that this terrible trauma may one day cease."

He voiced deep concern about the apparent recent escalation of violence in Darfur, citing several attacks and bombardments in the past few weeks that have led to the deaths of hundreds of people, and he called on the Government and all parties to refrain from military action and to choose "the path of peace and political dialogue."

Detailing his three-part strategy for Darfur, the Secretary-General said that the deployment of the new hybrid force – to be known as UNAMID – will require a massive logistical effort, especially in providing adequate communications, water, food, supplies and infrastructure for the mission.

"This is one of the largest and most complex field operations the United Nations has ever undertaken, together with the African Union, and the work is well under way. But it cannot succeed without the cooperation of the Government of Sudan," Mr. Ban said, adding he would seek its full support when he meets with President Omar al-Bashir in the capital, Khartoum, during the trip.

In response to questions, Mr. Ban said he was concerned about Sudan's reported expulsion of the Country Director of CARE, a large non-governmental organization (NGO) operating in Darfur, and two foreign diplomatic envoys and would raise this issue during his visit.

He emphasized that peacekeeping must be accompanied by a political solution to the crisis, and said his aim during the trip was to maintain the recent momentum among the parties for talks "with a view toward issuing invitations to a full-fledged peace conference by the end of summer."

Mr. Ban said he hopes to announce a replacement to Jan Pronk as his Special Representative for Sudan before he leaves New York on this trip. In addition, when he returns he will co-chair – along with AU Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konaré – an Enlarged Contact Group meeting on Darfur on 21 September.

But he added that no political solution would work in the long run unless the region on Sudan's western flank enjoys sustained economic development.

"There must be money for new roads and communications, as well as health, education, sanitation and social reconstruction programmes," Mr. Ban said, issuing the call to the international community to help the Sudanese Government to organize these efforts.

Aside from Sudan, Mr. Ban is visiting Libya, where he said its leader Muammar Gaddafi has been a key regional player in trying to bring some of the Darfur parties to the negotiations table.

He will also travel to Chad, where the Security Council indicated yesterday it was willing to authorize a multidimensional UN presence to support a European Union force in the east of the country and in the Central African Republic (CAR), which have both been plagued by clashes between rebels and Government forces and by the spillover from the Darfur conflict.

During his tour of the region, Mr. Ban will also travel to Juba in southern Sudan to evaluate progress towards implementing the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement that was designed to end the long-running separate civil conflict between the north and south of the country.

"Beyond Darfur, this remains an essential – and fragile – cornerstone of peace in Sudan," he said, stating that a "more equitable sharing of power and resources among the central government and the country's regions" is required so that fully representative national elections can proceed on schedule in 2009.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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UN RIGHTS EXPERT URGES SUSPENSION TO DAM PROJECTS IN NORTHERN SUDAN

UN RIGHTS EXPERT URGES SUSPENSION TO DAM PROJECTS IN NORTHERN SUDAN
New York, Aug 28 2007 3:00PM
A United Nations human rights expert has called for a halt to work on two hydroelectric dams in northern Sudan after receiving reports that local communities are about to face large-scale evictions from the area to make way for the projects.

Miloon Kothari, the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, issued a <"http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/A059914F7082EB1FC1257345002C6D02?OpenDocument">statement yesterday saying he had also received "numerous reports of violations of civil and political rights" – including the shooting of unarmed demonstrators, arbitrary arrests and repressive measures against the media – by the Sudanese Government as it responded to local protests about the projects.

Mr. Kothari said work on the dams in the Merowe and Kajbar areas of the northern Nile Valley should be suspended until an independent assessment can be carried out on the projects' impact on the local population, estimated at more than 60,000.

He said he has received reports that the Merowe reservoir's water levels have already risen, destroying dozens of homes in the area and putting many more at risk.

"The affected people have claimed that they received no warning that water levels would be raised and that no assistance from Government authorities has been forthcoming since their houses were destroyed," Mr. Kothari said.

The Special Rapporteur noted that thousands of people in the same area were relocated in similar circumstances that left many temporarily without food or shelter, and that some of those people remain homeless today.

Given the local opposition, moving forward with the projects "would lead to large-scale forced evictions and further violence," he said. He urged the Government to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and adequate housing of locals.

Mr. Kothari stressed that the Sudanese authorities must fully comply with international principles and guidelines on how to handle evictions and displacement that follow development projects.

He called on the Government to allow UN human rights monitors into the region to conduct an independent evaluation of the situation.

The Special Rapporteur, who is independent and reports to the UN Human Rights Council, also urged the companies involved in the dams and the countries that have funded the projects to put a halt to the work until the impartial evaluation can be made.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES REPORTS OF RELEASE OF SOUTH KOREAN HOSTAGES

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES REPORTS OF RELEASE OF SOUTH KOREAN HOSTAGES
New York, Aug 28 2007 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed media reports that the Taliban has agreed to free 19 hostages from the Republic of Korea (ROK) that it has held captive in Afghanistan for more than a month.

Responding to questions during a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban said he was pleased and now hoped the hostages could be released as soon as possible.

The Secretary-General commended the efforts of the Afghan and ROK Governments and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (<"http://www.unama-afg.org/Index.htm">UNAMA) to obtain the release of the Koreans.

He also voiced concern over the difficult conditions faced by the hostages, who were captured on 19 July while in Ghazni province in south-eastern Afghanistan. Two hostages were subsequently killed and two others were freed.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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UN FOUNDATION SENDS 40,000 ANTI-MALARIA NETS TO REFUGEE CAMPS IN CHAD

UN FOUNDATION SENDS 40,000 ANTI-MALARIA NETS TO REFUGEE CAMPS IN CHAD
New York, Aug 28 2007 2:00PM
Tens of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons (<"http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs) in eastern Chad fleeing the ongoing crisis in Sudan's Darfur region will be saved from potentially fatal bouts of malaria thanks to 40,000 long-lasting insecticide-treated nets being sent by the United Nations Foundation.

Without the nets dispatched by the Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign (www.NothingButNets.net), it has been estimated that 25 per cent of he 200,000 refugees and IDPs living in the camps along the Chad-Sudan and Chad-Central African Republic borders could die from malaria.

"We asked the tens of thousands of Nothing But Nets supporters to help us purchase and deliver nets to Chad – and they responded overwhelmingly in just three weeks," Foundation Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Kathy Bushkin Calvin said.

Last month, the UN High Commission on Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF), and the MENTOR Initiative, a non-governmental organization (NGO) working on the ground in the region recognized an emergency need and sought assistance from the Foundation to purchase and deliver nets before the height of the rainy season.

"Many lives will be saved through this emergency campaign," said Richard Allan, CEO of the MENTOR Initiative. "With so many Chadians forced into temporary camps and living under poor conditions, the delivery of these nets is vital to protecting Chadian families from the spread of malaria."

Through a growing network of more than 60,000 people, Nothing But Nets, a grassroots effort to prevent malaria by delivering long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, raised more than $400,000 for the initiative. The National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls, a local partner in the campaign, provided the first $10,000 for the emergency appeal.

"I want to thank my team and all those who answered this urgent appeal," said Chicago Bulls forward and Sudan native Luol Deng, a spokesperson for Nothing But Nets. "With your donations, you have prevented the unnecessary suffering of thousands."

A US$10 donation to Nothing But Nets covers the cost to purchase and distribute a net and educate a community health worker on its proper use.

Malaria kills more than 1 million people each year, most of them children. Bed nets are one of the most cost-effective and simple methods of preventing its spread.

The <" http://www.unfoundation.org/about/index.asp ">UN Foundation was created in 1998 with the aim of promoting a more peaceful, prosperous, and just world through the support of the UN. Through grant-making and building new and innovative public-private partnerships, it acts to meet the most pressing health, humanitarian, socio-economic and environmental challenges of the 21st century.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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UN ISSUES $14 MILLION APPEAL TO ASSIST FLOOD-RAVAGED DPR KOREA

UN ISSUES $14 MILLION APPEAL TO ASSIST FLOOD-RAVAGED DPR KOREA
New York, Aug 28 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations launched a $14 million flash <" http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-76H2KG?OpenDocument">appeal today to aid the nearly one million victims of severe flooding in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over the past two weeks.

Over 450 people have been killed and 170,000 made homeless by the widespread flooding, landslides and mudslides which have affected approximately 960,000 people.

"United Nations agencies and European Union (EU) Programme Support Units are working closely with the Government of DPRK to bring urgent assistance to those affected by this disaster," said UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Margareta Wahlström at the appeal's launch in New York.

Thousands are taking refuge in temporary shelters, and ensuring potable water supplies and preventing more cases of water-borne diseases have been identified as key priorities.

"I urge the international community to respond swiftly and generously to this appeal, to prevent further suffering," Ms. Wahlström said.

The appeal seeks to supplement the DPRK's response to meet the most urgent needs of those affected over the next three months, and will focus on providing essential medicines, clean water and food.

"Support must be provided now to provide the most vulnerable with basic food items, ensure access to essential medicines, and prevent malnutrition," said Jean-Pierre de Margerie, UN Acting Resident Coordinator for DPRK. "The humanitarian community is relying on international donors to fund this flash appeal to ensure that the most vulnerable communities urgently receive the assistance they need."

According to joint assessments by the Government and international organizations, 240,000 homes, as well as basic medical services and key infrastructure, have suffered major damage. Exacerbating concerns about food insecurity, significant damage to crops has also been reported.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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PERU: UN SEEKS $37 MILLION TO ASSIST EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

PERU: UN SEEKS $37 MILLION TO ASSIST EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
New York, Aug 28 2007 12:00PM
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners today appealed for $37 million to provide more than 200,000 people with food, water, medical assistance, tents and blankets for a period of six months following the deadly earthquake that struck Peru nearly two weeks ago.

The powerful quake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and struck 161 kilometres south of the capital, Lima, has resulted in the death of over 500 people and injured more than 1,000 others, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/News/tabid/1080/Default.aspx">OCHA). In addition, preliminary assessments indicate that over 37,000 houses and four hospitals were destroyed, while 16 hospitals were damaged.

An allocation of $9.6 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) had already been approved for immediate assistance in shelter and camp management, food supply, water and sanitation, health, education, and emergency employment.

The flash appeal launched today is based on the latest assessments from UN inter-agency missions deployed to the affected areas and reports from official sources, which indicated that more than 200,000 people required life-saving assistance and 56,000 families were homeless.

The UN agencies that have been providing assistance in the wake of the tragedy include the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), which estimates that 150,000 children have been directly affected by the quake. Of the over 500 reported dead so far, 96 had been under 18, the agency said.

Among UNICEF's concerns were damage to the water and sanitation facilities and the resulting lack of latrines and hygiene. It has already distributed 50,000 oral rehydration salts sachets and 26,000 flyers with information on safe hygiene practices.

While the Ministry of Education reported that some 166 schools had been damaged or completely destroyed, UNICEF believes the final number will be closer to 450.

Other concerns include the vulnerability of homeless children living in camps and shelters to sexual exploitation, and the fact that, as reported by UNICEF's representative in Peru, many children are already showing signs of psychological stress and emotional trauma, exhibited in sleeplessness, aggressiveness and other behaviours.

Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it will be providing assistance to 80,000 people, including by helping to repair agricultural infrastructure. WFP assistance will focus on the rural communities touched by the quake. The agency began distributing food to some 25,000 victims within just 15 hours of the quake.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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DRAWDOWN OF FORCES IN LIBERIA WILL NOT ENDANGER PEACE, UN ENVOY PLEDGES

DRAWDOWN OF FORCES IN LIBERIA WILL NOT ENDANGER PEACE, UN ENVOY PLEDGES
New York, Aug 28 2007 12:00PM
The top United Nations official in Liberia has again reassured the once war-shattered West African nation that the world body will not jeopardize the country's hard-won stability with its planned reduction of peacekeeping forces.

The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) will not "put at risk the peace we have all worked so hard to achieve," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Alan Doss said yesterday at a medal parade for outgoing Namibian peacekeepers in Sinje, Grand Cape Mount County, about 100 kilometres from Monrovia, the capital, and close to the western border with Sierra Leone.

"Let me take this opportunity to reassure the people of Grand Cape Mount County and beyond that the adjustments to UN forces foreseen for the months ahead will be carefully planned and monitored," he added.

It was Mr. Doss' latest reassurance over the planned reduction of UN peacekeepers, who have overseen the country's transition to democracy after 14 years of civil war. Last week he briefed civil society leaders on the drawdown, which will take place in multiple stages from the current level of 15,200 to 9,750 by the end of 2010.

He said then that it would be based on regular security assessments and measurable benchmarks, one of which is the creation of a 500-person Liberian quick reaction force in the country's National Police, set to be established by July 2009.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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MALAYSIAN 'TIGER GIRL' WINS UN-LETTER WRITING COMPETITION TO SAVE THE PLANET

MALAYSIAN 'TIGER GIRL' WINS UN-LETTER WRITING COMPETITION TO SAVE THE PLANET
New York, Aug 28 2007 12:00PM
Assuming the mind of a tiger cub, a young Malaysian girl has won a United Nations letter-writing competition, beating out over 3 million other youngsters from around the world who were asked to put themselves in the position of a wild animal whose habitat is threatened by environmental or climate change.

"I want to congratulate you all. Many of you have good education and live in your so-called world of modernization. Does this mean that humans are civilized?" 14-year-old Sze Ee Lee wrote, taking on the role of the cub living in the endangered rainforest.

"Yet, why do humans still need to invade our jungle besides hunting us like in those primitive days? Dear people of the World, don't burn our homes and occupy the area, our natural habitat. We have no other place to go."

It is the first time that Malaysia has won the international competition sponsored by the UN Universal Postal Union (UPU) since it began in 1972.

"We are helpless. We depend on you – the People of the World to save us," the letter concludes, winning unanimous praise from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) jury.

"With her sensitivity and imagination, the young Malaysian successfully conveyed the urgency of the situation and sent us a message: we must unite to save our planet," the jury said.

For next year's 37th competition, the UPU is inviting youngsters to write a letter explaining why the world needs more tolerance, a particularly relevant theme in an age of globalization, migration and other trends bringing ever more people from different cultures into contact with each other.

"Creating a world in which all people live in harmony is a noble goal to which each of us can aspire," the UPU said.

Predating the UN by seven decades, the UPU was founded in 1874, the second-oldest international organization after the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is the primary forum for cooperation between postal services, setting the rules for international mail exchanges among its 190 members.
2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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WITH 1.2 MILLION SOMALIS IN NEED OF FOOD, UN AGENCY APPEALS FOR $22 MILLION

WITH 1.2 MILLION SOMALIS IN NEED OF FOOD, UN AGENCY APPEALS FOR $22 MILLION
New York, Aug 28 2007 11:00AM
With below-normal rains, an influx of displaced people, insecurity and worsening health conditions sparking a "dramatic deterioration" in Somalia's Shabelle region, long viewed as the strife-torn country's breadbasket, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today <"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2615"> appealed for $22.4 million to feed 1.2 million people and avoid a looming break in food supplies.

The number of people in need represents an increase of 200,000 over previous estimates. Without new contributions, food will start running out in the faction-riven East African country in October.

"The Shabelle regions usually export food to other regions, but this year they cannot feed themselves so the most vulnerable require our help," WFP Country Director Peter Goossens said. Also, families driven from the capital, Mogadishu, by fighting need food for the coming months.

"Donors were extremely generous toward the people of Somalia in this tough year, and I appeal for that spirit to continue to help end the suffering of the growing number of weakest Somalis, mainly women and children. We cannot desert them in their time of need," he added.

<"http://www.wfp.org/english/"> WFP revised its requirements from its previous target of 1 million people in light of an assessment report this month by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Food Security Analysis Unit Somalia, which found that a sudden humanitarian emergency had hit more than 600,000 people in Lower and Middle Shabelle in southern Somalia and in Mogadishu.

The 1.2 million to be fed by WFP include people who fled their homes in Mogadishu since April, recent returnees to Mogadishu and large sections of the population in need of food in the troubled south. The capital has been torn by violence since the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government drove out the Islamist Courts Union at the end of last year.

"Cash contributio
regionally and help bridge the gaps," Mr. Goossens said, noting that it takes up to four months for food aid in kind to reach people in Somalia.

2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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HALF A MILLION ZIMBABWEAN CHILDREN TO BENEFIT FROM UN-BACKED AIDS PROJECT

HALF A MILLION ZIMBABWEAN CHILDREN TO BENEFIT FROM UN-BACKED AIDS PROJECT
New York, Aug 28 2007 11:00AM
Almost 500,000 school children in Zimbabwe are expected to benefit from a United Nations-backed initiative to train 1,500 primary and secondary school teachers in new and practical ways to help stall the spread of HIV and AIDS.

The week-long <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40715.html"> training<a/> that began yesterday is supported by a $500,000 grant from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and will focus on teaching life skills for HIV prevention, addressing the gender dimensions of HIV, combating sexual gender-based violence, and providing psychosocial counselling.

Teachers will then be able to share vital information with the children so they can protect themselves against infection and continue Zimbabwe's successes in reducing the national HIV rate. In 2005 Zimbabwe became the first country in southern Africa to record a decline in HIV, with the adult rate falling to approximately 20 per cent today.

According to the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the drop can be attributed to delayed sexual debut for young people, faithfulness between sexual partners, and increased condom use.

"This is a remarkable achievement," UNICEF country representative Festo Kavishe said. "However, the country still has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world and we must continue to reach young Zimbabweans with clear and relevant information. That's what this training will do."

The training is being conducted by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and VVOB-ZimPATH, an HIV/AIDS project of the Flemish Office for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance.

It will also help teachers in understanding and dealing with their own vulnerability to HIV and looks at issues of prevention, care and support, and anti-retroviral drugs.

The training follows successful efforts in 2006, where 1,200 teachers from 18 districts were trained. Thi
seven teachers training colleges in Harare, Masvingo, Mutare, Mutoko and Bulawayo.

2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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UN AND AID PARTNERS CALL FOR $20 MILLION TO HELP IN SUDANESE FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS

UN AND AID PARTNERS CALL FOR $20 MILLION TO HELP IN SUDANESE FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS
New York, Aug 28 2007 10:00AM
The United Nations and its partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs) today launched a flash appeal for more than $20 million so they can help millions of Sudanese recover from what many consider to be the country's worst floods in living memory.

Dozens of people have died and more than 200,000 others have become homeless since torrential rains starting early last month led to flash floods across large parts of eastern Sudan, damaging infrastructure such as schools and inundating vital cropland.

The Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan said at least 410,000 people are directly affected by the floods, with over three million others at risk from epidemic outbreaks and polluted water. So far, 57 people are reported to have died from acute watery diarrhoea (AWD).

Launching the appeal, Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said "these funds will enable us to save lives, to assist families who lost everything in gradually restoring their livelihoods, to prevent deadly epidemics, and to help children get back to school."

Earlier this month Mr. Holmes approved a grant of $8.7 million from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), while almost $5 million more has been allocated from the local Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF).

But UN officials estimate that some $34.7 million is needed to help implement 48 flood-relief projects, run by either UN aid agencies, NGOs or the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

This leaves $20.2 million to be provided by donors under the flash appeal announced today, with most of the funds going to water and sanitation projects, food relief, health care, shelter and infrastructure repair.

Oluseyi Bajulaiye, the acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, said that while the amount requested "is substantial? we are optimistic that the international community will continue to respond generously."

Using the funds co
provide clean water to more than one million people and to establish temporary shelter for 200,000 Sudanese.

But more money is needed in part because relief workers fear that an additional 265,000 people may be affected by new flooding as the annual rainy season continues in the African nation.

So far the worst affected Sudanese states are Blue Nile, Gedaref, Gezira, Jonglei, Kassala, Khartoum, North Kordofan, Red Sea, Unity, Upper Nile and White Nile.

2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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DISPLACEMENTS IN IRAQ SOAR AS HUMANITARIAN SITUATION WORSENS, UN AGENCY REPORTS

DISPLACEMENTS IN IRAQ SOAR AS HUMANITARIAN SITUATION WORSENS, UN AGENCY REPORTS
New York, Aug 28 2007 10:00AM
The number of Iraqis uprooted from their homes by the deteriorating humanitarian situation, both inside and outside the country, is rising, with the monthly rate climbing to over 60,000 people, compared to 50,000 previously, for an overall total of 4.2 million people, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

"We continue to appeal for more support and also encourage donors to provide direct bilateral support to the refugee hosting countries whose schools, hospitals, public services and infrastructure are seriously overstretched because of the presence of millions of Iraqis they have so generously welcomed," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis told a news briefing in Geneva.

"Displacement is rising as Iraqis are finding it harder to get access to social services inside Iraq and many Iraqis are choosing to leave ethnically mixed areas before they are forced to do so. Some Iraqis who stayed in the country until the end of the school year recently started leaving the country with their families," she said.

More than 2 million Iraqis are displaced inside Iraq, with over 1 million uprooted since the February 2006 bombings of a Shiite mosque in Samarra. While most security incidents happen in the centre and south, those displaced are not confined there.

In the north, there are more than 780,000 displaced Iraqis, over 650,000 in the centre and 790,000 in the south. Many are barely surviving in makeshift camps, inaccessible to aid workers for security reasons.

Syria, which has generously kept its borders open to fleeing Iraqis, estimates that more than 1.4 million Iraqis are now in the country. A further 500,000 to 750,000 Iraqis are estimated to be in Jordan. The number of Iraqi asylum seekers in Europe in the first half of 2007 rose to nearly 20,000 -- the same number received during all of 2006.

With over 300 staff working on the Iraq operation, UNHCR has now
cent of whom need special assistance including many very traumatized people and torture victims.

"Since the start of this year, we have referred over 13,200 of the most vulnerable Iraqi cases to resettlement countries," Ms. Pagonis said. These include 9,888 cases to the United States, and 3,344 cases to Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Brazil.

"So far only several hundred cases have left for life in a third country," she added. "We urge the resettlement countries to make rapid decisions and facilitate the departure of those most in need, many of whom are urgent medical cases, single female-headed households, torture victims and others."

UNHCR is doing all it can to support Jordan and Syria which are facing additional pressure on their education systems, by building and rehabilitating schools, providing transport, school material and salaries for additional teachers and setting up double shift systems in the schools.

Inside Iraq, UNHCR and its partners are trying to do as much as possible to help the displaced, even though security conditions make this difficult. "We are providing emergency assistance to the most needy, visiting the accessible displacement sites or makeshift camps, providing non-food items and emergency shelter," Ms. Pagonis said.

UNHCR has appealed for $223 million for the Iraq humanitarian crisis. The first appeal of $123 million has been funded by 75 per cent. But the second $129 million joint education appeal with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) aimed at getting an additional 150,000 Iraqi refugee children back to schools in neighbouring countries, has still not been funded, although there are good indications funds will be coming.

2007-08-28 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL READY TO SET UP UN PRESENCE IN CHAD, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

SECURITY COUNCIL READY TO SET UP UN PRESENCE IN CHAD, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
New York, Aug 27 2007 7:00PM
The <"http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/index.html">Security Council said today it is ready to establish a United Nations-mandated, multidimensional presence in eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR) to help protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian aid to thousands of people uprooted due to insecurity in the two countries and neighbouring Sudan.

"The Security Council reiterates its concern about the prevailing insecurity along the borders between the Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic and about the threat which this poses to the civilian population and the conduct of humanitarian operations," according to a statement read out by Ambassador Pascal Gayama of the Republic of Congo, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month.

The 15-member body expressed its readiness to authorize the force for a period of 12 months, taking into account a revised plan submitted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the position of the Governments of Chad and the CAR, which have both been beset by widespread population displacement because of clashes between rebels and Government forces.

Mr. Ban has proposed that the European Union (EU) field a military force and the UN focus on training police and civilian areas such as human rights and the rule of law.

The Council welcomed the readiness of the EU to consider the establishment of an operation in support of the UN presence, and requested the Secretary-General to keep it informed of preparations, including further details on its structure, modalities and force levels.

According to the Secretary-General's latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/488">report on the situation in Chad and the CAR, the humanitarian situation "has shown no signs of improving" since February, with more than 400,000 refugees and <"http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs as a result of the fighting and an estimated 700,000 others in host communities also affected.

The Council has already <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1769(2007)">authorized deployment of a 26,000-strong joint UN-African Union force (to be known as UNAMID) to suppress ongoing violence in Sudan's volatile Darfur region, which has had a spillover effect on the region.
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN ENVOY FOR NORTHERN UGANDA CONTINUES VISIT IN REGION

TOP UN ENVOY FOR NORTHERN UGANDA CONTINUES VISIT IN REGION
New York, Aug 27 2007 6:00PM
As part of a tour of the region, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Envoy for the areas affected by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) Joaquim Chissano stopped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this weekend.

In the capital Kinshasa, Mr. Chissano met with President Joseph Kabila and was briefed by the senior leadership of the UN Mission in the DRC, known as <"http://www.monuc.org/Home.aspx?lang=en">MONUC, on the situation in the vast nation, according to Mr. Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas.

Last week, the Envoy traveled to Uganda's capital Kampala, where he met with President François Bozizé of the Central African Republic. He also visited Juba, in southern Sudan, the site of previous talks between the LRA and the Ugandan Government, for consultations with southern Sudanese and UN officials.

<"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2006/930">Appointed in December 2006, Mr. Chissano – a former Mozambican president – has been tasked with addressing the regional ramifications of the Ugandan conflict, particularly its impact on neighbours such as Sudan and the DRC, as well as its root causes.

Thousands of civilians have been killed or abducted since the LRA began its rebellion in 1986, and more than 1.5 million people have become refugees or internally displaced persons (<"http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs). During the conflict the rebel group became notorious for abducting children and then using them as soldiers or porters, while subjecting some to torture and allocating many girls to senior officers in a form of institutional rape.

This time last year, the Ugandan Government and the LRA signed a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, but a comprehensive agreement has not yet been struck and some senior LRA figures face International Criminal Court (<"http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html&l=en">ICC) indictments.

In a related development, the UN Children's Fund (<" http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40689.html">UNICEF) has urged all sides working to peacefully resolve the conflict between the Ugandan Government and the LRA to ensure the immediate and safe return home of roughly 1,500 women and children still associated with the LRA.

The agency noted that progress has been made since last year's accord, including the 29 June 2007 Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation, which contained provisions to address the special needs of children, as well as protect the dignity, privacy and security of women and girls.

UNICEF called for efforts to return women and children in a timely manner to be reinforced.

"We are ready for the children and women to come home. It is time that they come home," said Keith McKenzie, UNICEF Representative in Uganda. "We will help them go back home and back to school. They have been away for too long."

The agency said that it will provide assistance and protection – in concert with the Amnesty Commission, local governments, traditional and religious leaders and humanitarian organizations – to all returning women and children, the majority of whom are expected to go back to their original homesteads in Uganda.

"Placing the centre of support squarely on the shoulders of the community is essential to providing stability for those returning, and to giving back childhood to those children," Mr. McKenzie said. "Without positive community support, we may easily squander the opportunity for children and young persons, our most precious resource, to grow up in a climate of peace and tolerance."

UNICEF and its partners have assisted over 2,000 children returning from the LRA this year through community-based income generation, peer support and other reintegration programmes.

Local government figures show that up to 25,000 children – with approximately 7,500 of them girls – have been associated with the LRA during the conflict.
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL APPLAUDS SUCCESSFUL FIRST ROUND OF SIERRA LEONEAN POLLS

SECURITY COUNCIL APPLAUDS SUCCESSFUL FIRST ROUND OF SIERRA LEONEAN POLLS
New York, Aug 27 2007 6:00PM
The Security Council today welcomed the recent peaceful staging of the first round of Sierra Leone's presidential and parliamentary elections and called on the country's people to maintain their respect for independent national institutions and processes during the upcoming presidential run-off process.

In a statement to the press read out by Ambassador Pascal Gayama of the Republic of Congo, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month, the 15-member panel praised the "exemplary conduct" of Sierra Leoneans during the first round of the polls, held on 11 August.

Council members urged the public "to maintain the same sense of purpose, discipline and patience as the electoral process enters its final and decisive phase," the run-off in the presidential election on 8 September between Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) and incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The two men are vying to succeed Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.

The statement called on the West African country's political parties to continue to campaign within the code of conduct they have signed, to fully respect the independence of the National Election Commission and to resolve any dispute over the results only through legal and peaceful channels.

Mr. Gayama also commended the work of the National Election Commission and the security arrangements provided by Sierra Leonean authorities, including the national police, during the first-round of balloting, as well as the efforts of the international community, particularly those who served as election observers.

The press statement follows a similar <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2701">statement earlier this month by a spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who also welcomed the peaceful atmosphere of the first round of voting but cautioned that the same atmosphere must prevail during the remainder of the election process.

The vote on 11 August was Sierra Leone'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 (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unamsil">UNAMSIL) in December 2005.
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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UN RELIEF CHIEF CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE DEPARTURE OF AID OFFICIAL FROM SUDAN

UN RELIEF CHIEF CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE DEPARTURE OF AID OFFICIAL FROM SUDAN
New York, Aug 27 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations humanitarian arm voiced serious concern today at reports that the Sudanese Government has ordered the Country Director of CARE, a large non-governmental organization (NGO), to leave the country within 72 hours.

Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said in a statement that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/News/OCHANewsCentre/PressReleases2007/tabid/1120/Default.aspx">OCHA) is in touch with all sides to try to resolve "any misunderstandings or miscommunication" about the activities of NGO workers in Sudan, especially the case of CARE's John Barker.

There are currently about 12,300 aid workers in the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur, including almost 900 international staff. They provide assistance to an estimated 4.2 million people, including 2.1 million internally displaced persons (<"http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs), suffering since 2003 from the deadly conflict between rebel groups, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias.

Mr. Holmes, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said CARE has operated in Sudan for 27 years and has provided food, health care and other relief items to some four million people in the last three years alone.

"Given that CARE is a significant provider of humanitarian assistance to a large number of people in Sudan, the ambiguity of Mr. Barker's current status is all the more distressing," he said.

In May, the UN and Khartoum signed a joint communiqué to improve the administration of the humanitarian effort in Sudan, including by helping to secure visas and work permits for aid workers and by making it easier for relief goods to clear customs.

"We hope to build on the positive steps undertaken in recent months to advance the spirit of the Joint Communiqué," Mr. Holmes said. "However, much more needs to be done in letter as well as spirit to ensure the Communiqué is implemented fully to the benefit of all civilians throughout Sudan."
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE MEETING KICKS OFF

UN-BACKED GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE MEETING KICKS OFF
New York, Aug 27 2007 4:00PM
United Nations-backed climate change talks drawing 1,000 representatives from over 150 Governments, business and industry, environmental organizations and research institutions kicked off in Vienna today, preparing the way for a global summit set for later this year in Bali.

The summit, scheduled to take place from 3 to 14 December in Bali, Indonesia, aims to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.

"All in all, the Vienna Climate Change Talks present an opportunity to measure the temperature of the climate change process: whether or not the political community is willing to advance a comprehensive agenda on a future climate change regime post-2012 in Bali," said UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer.

Last month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that countries must agree to a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol to be ready for ratification three years before it expires to allow them to make it law in time.

This week's meeting will take place in two segments. The first, running from 27 to 29 August, will focus on the theme "Dialogue on long-term cooperative action to address climate change," while the second, taking place from 30 to 31 August, will concentrate on negotiations under the Kyoto Protocol.

At the start of today's session, Austria's Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Josef Pröll, characterized climate change as a "huge challenge" that must be addressed at the global level and through an integrated approach.

"Each year without mitigation measures is a year which drives the human and financial cost of adaptation steeply upwards," Mr. Pröll said.

Also addressing the meeting today, Maria Madalena Brito Neves, Minister of Agriculture and Environment of Cape Verde, warned that climate change could undo economic progress.

"Climate change can potentially offset all the gains made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals," she said, referring to a series of targets to slash a host of social ills by 2015. "Small island developing States are particularly affected."

Tomorrow, UNFCCC will present a new report that underscores the major changes to patterns of investment and financial flows required to tackle climate change in the next quarter century.

The study analyzed both existing and potential investment and financial flows relevant to developing an international response to climate change, and found that the additional amount of investment and financial flows in 2030 will amount to between 1.1 and 1.7 per cent of global investment. Another key finding of the study is that $200 to $210 billion worth of additional investment and financial flows will be necessary to return greenhouse gas emissions to current levels.
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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CHINESE SELECTED TO LEAD UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN WESTERN SAHARA

CHINESE SELECTED TO LEAD UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN WESTERN SAHARA
New York, Aug 27 2007 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Major-General Zhao Jingmin as the new Force Commander for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the first time that the world body has had a Chinese national head one of its missions.

Maj.-Gen. Zhao succeeds Gen. Kurt Mosgaard of Denmark, who will complete his tour of duty as Force Commander today, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

Born in 1954, Maj.-Gen. Zhaohas held senior posts in the Office of Peacekeeping Affairs in China's National Defence Ministry since October 2003, and he has previously served in MINURSO as a military observer from September 1991 to June 1992. In 1996-97 he also served as a liaison officer with the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (<" http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/unikom">UNIKOM).

<" http://www.minurso.unlb.org/index.html">MINURSO has been in place since September 1991 to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, which contest Western Sahara. In an April resolution, the Security Council called on the parties to enter into negotiations "without preconditions in good faith."
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN OFFICIAL LAUDS SOUTH AFRICA'S 'PROGRESSIVE' REFUGEE POLICY

TOP UN OFFICIAL LAUDS SOUTH AFRICA'S 'PROGRESSIVE' REFUGEE POLICY
New York, Aug 27 2007 11:00AM
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46cf10634.html">UNHCR) António Guterres has commended the South African Government for its progressive policy on refugees and asylum seekers, including a commitment to ensure their access to basic services.

"If you look at the policy and legal statutes of South Africa, refugees enjoy one of the most advanced and progressive systems of protection in the world today," Mr. Guterres stated during a visit to the country – the last leg of a trip that also took him to Zambia and Mozambique.

Speaking at a meeting with refugees in Johannesburg, co-hosted by Minister of Home Affairs Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula, Mr. Guterres said there was no denying the South African Government's commitment to opening up services such as health and education to refugees, although authorities did face challenges in that regard.

The High Commissioner's visit comes at a critical period for the Ministry of Home Affairs as it strives to cope with an inflow of migrants and refugees. A refugee-producing country a decade ago, South Africa now has to deal with the challenges of a refugee-receiving country.

Refugees told Mr. Guterres they were concerned about obstacles to their integration in society, despite documentation that entitles them to virtually all the rights of citizens in the country – including the right to work and access to primary education and basic health services.

Mr. Guterres said he was humbled by Minister Mapisa-Nqakula's recognition of the existing problems, "because the responsibility of a government is not to protect itself but to acknowledge its problems and commit to work for change."

"UNHCR is working with a government that recognizes its challenges and is determined to work on rectifying them. Our role in South Africa is to try to help the government in order to facilitate the improvement of protection and assistance given to refugees," he added.

With UNHCR's help, the Ministry launched a major effort last year to clear the backlog of asylum applications – some going back several years. South Africa received 53,000 asylum applications last year – more than any other country in the world.

During his visit, the High Commissioner also met President Thabo Mbeki and other senior officials for talks on the humanitarian and protection needs of refugees. He also toured offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg that deal with the backlog of asylum applications.
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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UN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES RELEASE OF MYANMAR DEMONSTRATORS

UN RIGHTS CHIEF URGES RELEASE OF MYANMAR DEMONSTRATORS
New York, Aug 27 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for the immediate release of student leaders and other protesters arrested by the Myanmar authorities following a series of peaceful demonstrations against the sharp increase in fuel prices.

In a weekend <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/97F59E2DFC0F51D0C12573440020C571?opendocument">statement, Louise Arbour also urged the authorities to "engage in consultation and dialogue with the demonstrators on their concerns."

Stressing that freedoms of expression and association are "touchstones of human rights," Ms. Arbour said that allowing greater space for citizens to express their views and discontent will be essential in fostering the way towards a democratic transition and reconciliation in the South-East Asian nation.

The High Commissioner's appeal came just days after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for "constructive dialogue towards national reconciliation at this important time in Myanmar's history."

Mr. Ban also urged the authorities to exercise maximum restraint in responding to any demonstrations and encourages all parties to avoid any provocative action.
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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CONDITIONS DETERIORATING FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF IRAQI CHILDREN, UN REPORTS

CONDITIONS DETERIORATING FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF IRAQI CHILDREN, UN REPORTS
New York, Aug 27 2007 11:00AM
As United Nations agencies continued to aid victims of the massive bombings that killed hundreds of people and wounded many more in northern Iraq earlier this month, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) today reported growing risks to tens of thousands of displaced children in other areas of the country due to pervasive heat, poor hygiene and lack of water.

"Conditions facing many children are worsening, particularly amongst IDPs (internally displaced persons), whose numbers have now topped 1 million," UNICEF said in an update on the situation.

"With little electricity available to power fans and air conditioners, children in central and southern Iraq are in increasing danger from heat-related conditions. Moreover, everywhere adequate water remains a significant unmet need. Of growing concern is that an increasing number of IDPs are being forced to stay in temporary camps longer."

The agency noted that living conditions for IDPs and their host communities in Baghdad and Najaf are worst. There are currently at least 50,000 IDPs in Najaf alone, with many living in mud homes and/or camps outside the city and diarrhoea rates near outbreak levels.

Adequate nutrition remains a major issue for many Iraqi families, UNICEF stressed, adding that it is continuing to respond as best as it can despite serious funding limitations. In the last month, the agency's water tankering operations provided 128,000 people with safe drinking water in poor communities, schools, hospitals and IDP camps across Baghdad and in parts of Anbar province.

It also delivered health and hygiene kits to 12,000 IDPs and provided recreation kits for children and support transport for local health authorities to conduct mobile health visits in collaboration with the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization. It expects to expand on this and increase the number of operating partners in the very near future.

Meanwhile, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) reported that it was working with non-governmental organisations and federal and regional authorities to strengthen the delivery of aid to the victims of the "heinous" bombings that killed over 430 people, wounded more than 500 others and destroyed an estimated 500 homes in the Sinjar region of Northern Iraq on 14 August.

Durable shelter, potable water and sanitation, medical supplies and health care, food, fuel are all urgently needed, with income generation and rehabilitation for the longer term.
Road access to the area is often considered insecure due to sectarian violence, which has impeded aid delivery, prevented ambulances from transporting the wounded, and continues to block other needed public services such as the distribution of food and medical supplies.

Under these circumstances, UN agencies and many humanitarian actors have had to rely on local implementing partners. UNAMI also sought the support of the local authorities for escorts and access to affected communities. These authorities have also assisted in local coordination and provided some of their own supplies to supplement aid.
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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AFGHAN OPIUM TRADE SOARS TO 'FRIGHTENING' RECORD LEVELS, UN REPORTS

AFGHAN OPIUM TRADE SOARS TO 'FRIGHTENING' RECORD LEVELS, UN REPORTS
New York, Aug 27 2007 10:00AM
Opium production in Afghanistan, a $3-billion-a-year trade accounting for more than 90 per cent of the world's illegal output, soared to frightening record levels this year, concentrated mainly in the strife-torn south where the ousted Taliban, which once banned poppy cultivation, now profits from the drugs trade, the United Nations reported today.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) <"http://www.unodc.org/pdf/research/AFG07_ExSum_web.pdf"> 2007 Annual Opium Survey showed that the area under opium cultivation rose to 193,000 hectares from 165,000 in 2006, while the total opium harvest will soar by more than a third to 8,200 tonnes from 6,100 tonnes last year.

The amount of Afghan land used for growing opium is now larger than the combined total under coca cultivation in Latin America - Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. No other country has produced narcotics on such a deadly scale since China in the 19th century, the report said.

But the number of opium-free provinces in the centre and north of the country more than doubled from six to 13 compared to 2006, revealing an intensification of markedly divergent trends between the north and south.

"The Afghan opium situation looks grim, but it is not yet hopeless," UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said, calling for a more determined effort by the Afghan Government and the international community to combat the twin threats of drugs and insurgency by building upon promising developments in the north and reacting to the dismal failures in the south.

In the centre and north, where the Government has increased its authority and presence, cultivation is dropping. In Balkh province cultivation collapsed from 7,200 hectares last year to zero. By contrast, 80 per cent of opium poppies were grown in a handful of southern provinces on the border with Pakistan, where instability is greatest. In volatile Helmand, where the Taliban insurgency is concentrated, culti

With a population of just 2.5 million, Helmand has single-handedly become the world's biggest source of illicit drugs, surpassing the output of entire countries - like Colombia (coca), Morocco (cannabis) and Myanmar (opium) - which have populations up to 20 times larger.

Poverty could not be used as an excuse for growing poppy, Mr. Costa said. Some of the most fertile regions in the south have become the opium-producing heartland while poorer provinces in the centre and north, where per capita income is half that of the south, are opium-free.

Rather poppy growing is closely linked to insecurity. "Opium cultivation is inversely related to the degree of Government control. Where anti-Government forces reign, poppies flourish," he added, noting that the Taliban had reversed its religious edict of 2000 banning cultivation. "What used to be considered a sin is now being encouraged."

But UNODC village surveys indicate that the main reason farmers choose not to grow poppies is that they consider it against Islam. "It would be an historic error to let Afghanistan collapse under the blows of drugs and insurgency," Mr. Costa said. "Only 14 per cent of the population is involved in opium cultivation. The vast majority of Afghans want to turn their country away from drugs and crime. They deserve our support."

He called for higher rewards for non-opium farmers to demonstrate that there are viable alternatives to illicit crops. "Assistance is plentiful but not being disbursed fast enough. I see a risk of some provinces sliding back to poppy cultivation," he noted.

He also underlined the need for greater deterrents to dissuade farmers from planting opium, and an end to collusion that enables rich landlords from evading eradication. A no-opium pledge should be embedded in all development aid programmes. He urged the Government to get tough on corruption -- the lubricant that oils the wheels of the drugs trade. "Short-term greed is undermining the long-term needs of Afghanistan," he warned.

Building on experience in t
of the country's 34 provinces opium-free in 2008 as a plausible target.

Mr. Costa called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is seeking to restore stability in the country through the International Security Assistance Force, to more actively support counter-narcotics operations.

"Since drugs are funding insurgency, Afghanistan's military and its allies have a vested interest in destroying heroin labs, closing opium markets and bringing traffickers to justice. Tacit acceptance of opium trafficking is undermining stabilization efforts," he said.
2007-08-27 00:00:00.000

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