SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS HEAD OF PROBE INTO ILLEGAL ARMED GROUPS IN GUATEMALA

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS HEAD OF PROBE INTO ILLEGAL ARMED GROUPS IN GUATEMALA
New York, Sep 14 2007 8:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appointed a Spanish prosecutor and judge who is currently helping the United Nations in its fight against illicit drugs to head the independent body being set up to investigate the presence and activities of illegal armed groups in Guatemala.

Carlos Castresana Fernández will take up his duties immediately as head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), starting with a week-long preparatory mission to the Central American country on Monday, according to a statement released by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.

During that mission the Commissioner will meet with officials from the Government, the judiciary and the security forces, as well as representatives of political parties, civil society and the diplomatic corps.

Mr. Castresana is currently working for the Mexico and Central America regional bureau of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), where he has coordinated a project on crime prevention and the use of illegal drugs in the Mexican state of Nuevo León.

Announcing the appointment, Mr. Ban noted Mr. Castresana's extensive experience in Spain from the early 1990s to 2005 as a criminal prosecutor and as a judge in areas directly relevant to the mandate of CICIG, such as combating corruption, drug trafficking and money laundering.

CICIG was established under an agreement between the UN and the Guatemalan Government that came into effect on 4 September. An independent, non-UN body, the Commission will be able to conduct its own investigations and also help local institutions, particularly the Office of the Public Prosecutor.

One of CICIG's tasks is to recommend public policies and any legal or institutional measures for eradicating the illegal armed groups and preventing their re-emergence. The costs are expected to be borne by voluntary contributions from the international community.

Over three decades of conflict in Guatemala ended with the signing of peace accords in December of 1996, but concern has been mounting in recent years that illegal security groups and clandestine security organizations have continued to operate with impunity, conducting criminal activities and violating human rights.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR SOLUTION 'CANNOT BE PIECEMEAL' - SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN

DARFUR SOLUTION 'CANNOT BE PIECEMEAL' – SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN
New York, Sep 14 2007 7:00PM
Only a comprehensive approach that deals with all the issues – from politics and security to economic development and the environment – will solve the Darfur conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he detailed his observations from his recent visit to the war-torn Sudanese region.

In an <"http://www.un.org/sg/press_article_darfur_sudan.shtml">opinion column for <i>The Washington Post</i>, published in today's edition, Mr. Ban said that his week-long trip to Sudan, Chad and Libya confirmed to him that the reality about Darfur is far more complicated than widely understood.

"I came away with a clear understanding," he wrote, referring to the "candid views" he heard from Sudanese officials, villagers displaced by fighters, aid workers and the leaders of neighbouring countries. "There can be no single solution to this crisis. Darfur is a case study in complexity. If peace is to come, it must take into account all the elements that gave rise to the conflict."

The Secretary-General stressed that "solutions cannot be piecemeal. The crisis grew from many causes." He cited security, inter-tribal politics, battles over scarce resources such as water, desertification and economic development as critical examples.

Mr. Ban also emphasized the importance of listening to as broad a range of society, from tribal leaders to women's groups to refugees to national officials, as possible if the solution is going to work.

"Any peace must have deep roots if it is to endure… We need a social contract for peace."

Despite the suffering that Mr. Ban witnessed on the trip, he said he believed it was still possible to succeed in ending the conflict and bringing about lasting peace.

He noted the logistical preparations already being made to deploy the historic hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID), which will have some 26,000 peacekeepers and civilian police officers to try to quell the violence in a region where at least 200,000 people have been killed and 2.2 million others made homeless since 2003.

Mr. Ban announced last week that peace negotiations between the Sudanese Government and the Darfur rebels will begin in Libya on 27 October under the auspices of the UN and AU envoys to Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim.

But he added that it was important to not neglect the fragile situation in southern Sudan, where the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is trying to help implement the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement that ended the separate and long-running civil war between the country's northern and southern regions.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION FOSTERS POLICY EXCHANGE

UN-BACKED WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION FOSTERS POLICY EXCHANGE
New York, Sep 14 2007 7:00PM
A three-day United Nations-sponsored workshop has concluded after participants exchanged information and policy recommendations on climate change adaptation measures.

Some 150 experts from developed and developing nations, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) gathered in Rome from 10-12 September to share their experiences in adaptation planning in the fields of agriculture and food security, water resources, coastal zones and health.

"The impacts of climate change – such as changes in temperature and rainfall, increasing sea level and more frequent extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods – already have the potential to affect most of the world's countries and can lead to tremendous losses in human lives and economic productivity," said Roberto Acosta, Coordinator of the Adaptation, Technology and Science Programme of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC).

The fourth report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<"http://www.ipcc.ch/">IPCC) noted that negative climate change impacts will be on the rise in the future, making planning for adapting to these changes necessary.

During the workshop, participants identified gaps and needs in current adaptation planning, and made suggestions to allow countries and communities to better strategize in the years ahead.

The UNFCCC held a conference in Cairo in June, focusing on current and future climate-related risks and extreme events. Workshops are planned for next year concentrating on methods and tools, data and observations and climate modelling and socio-economic information.

A high-level informal dialogue on climate change is scheduled for 24 September in New York to set the stage for the upcoming major December summit in Bali, Indonesia.

That meeting 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.

In a related development, a top UN official stressed the need for least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) to prepare for upcoming future climate change-related events so their views will be appropriately reflected in those meetings.

Cheikh Sidi Diarra, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS noted that even though these countries – especially small island countries and African nations – are least responsible for global warming, they are hardest hit by climate change.

Speaking at a special meeting, organized by his Office and the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), on climate change issues pertaining to these countries, the High Representative said that the issue of sea-level rise is the most urgent one facing SIDS, and its impact is already being felt. He urged that effective adaptation measures be implemented.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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NEW UN ORCHESTRA TO STRIKE A CHORD FOR WORLD PEACE

NEW UN ORCHESTRA TO STRIKE A CHORD FOR WORLD PEACE
New York, Sep 14 2007 7:00PM
Dozens of young musicians representing many of the world's regions and cultures will harmonize to form a new Orchestra for the United Nations, it was announced today.

"The Orchestra is a unique project which will galvanize support for the UN through music and multimedia projects focused on the UN's ideals, values and priorities," Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyotaka Akasaka said.

UN Volunteers (UNV) Executive Director Ad De Raad, the Director of the United in Music Foundation Geert Boogaard and Mr. Akasaka signed an agreement to launch the new orchestra, officially named "United in Music: The Orchestra for the United Nations."

When performing abroad, guest musicians from the countries being visited will perform with the Orchestra, which will not be a classical ensemble.

"We often need a thousand words to get a simple message across and sometimes we only need one language: music," said Mr. Boogaard, who conceived of the Orchestra and with the backing of the Dutch Government approached the UN. "I view music as a way to inspire people to embrace the ideals of the United Nations and to feel the need for voluntary action."

He has managed the 40-member Ricciotti Ensemble, and produced hundreds of their concerts in numerous unusual locations, ranging from the cathedral tower in Utrecht, the Netherlands, to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa to war-torn Bosnia.

Under today's agreement, the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) will provide guidance on the UN's goals, priorities, themes, observances and international events, while UNV will recruit professionally trained musicians of various nationalities.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN APPEALS FOR ALMOST $40 MILLION TO ASSIST FLOOD VICTIMS IN NICARAGUA

UN APPEALS FOR ALMOST $40 MILLION TO ASSIST FLOOD VICTIMS IN NICARAGUA
New York, Sep 14 2007 7:00PM
United Nations humanitarian agencies today appealed for more than $39 million to help Nicaraguans deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Felix, which left a deadly trail of destruction when it struck the Central American country earlier this month.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) said $22.8 million is needed to provide emergency life-saving relief for an estimated 162,000 people affected by the hurricane, while an extra $16.3 million is required for early recovery programmes over the next six months.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said he hoped international donors would respond generously to the appeal.

"As the longer-term economic impact is also bound to be grave, their assistance will prove crucial in the recovery effort that follows," said Mr. Holmes, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

The world body is drawing from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to kick-start the appeal, which is focused on helping the people of Nicaragua's North Autonomous Region on the Atlantic Coast, the region hit hardest by Felix.

Almost 8,000 houses, 6,000 latrines and 5,000 wells were damaged or completely destroyed as the winds of the category-five hurricane, which made landfall on 4 September, reached 270 kilometres per hour. So far the death toll is 67, with another 110 people recorded as missing.

OCHA said the appeal calls for help with food aid, nutrition, shelter, health, water and sanitation, education, telecommunications, security, logistics and protection. Medicines and emergency health kits are seen as priorities, as well as ensuring water quality and maintaining disease control.

For the next three months, UN agencies expect to carry out general food distribution within the affected communities in the North Autonomous Region on the Atlantic Coast, which is a predominantly poor and relatively inaccessible region, and at the evacuation centres. The UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP) is also likely to help affected communities and households rebuild their infrastructure.

This is the 11th "flash appeal" to be issued by OCHA this year, which eclipses the previous record of 10 set in 2005. Aside from last month's appeal to help earthquake survivors in Peru, the appeals have followed climate-related disasters, such as hurricanes, drought and floods.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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NEPAL: BRIEF DEPARTURE OF MAOISTS FROM CANTONMENT SITES SPARKS UN CONCERN

NEPAL: BRIEF DEPARTURE OF MAOISTS FROM CANTONMENT SITES SPARKS UN CONCERN
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has voiced concern that large numbers of Maoist soldiers today briefly left one of the cantonment sites where they had agreed to stay as part of last year's peace accord ending the conflict in the Himalayan country.

Maoist army personnel were observed this morning outside the main cantonment site in Nawalparasi and its satellite sites in the western region of Nepal, UNMIN said in a press release, adding that it had deployed three mobile teams to monitor the situation.

"This is a serious violation of commitments made in the agreement of arms and armed personnel reached between the Maoists and their partners in the Interim Government," UNMIN stated.

The mission said it had conveyed its concerns to the political and military leadership of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which advised that it had ordered the immediate return of personnel to the cantonment sites.

Under last year's agreement ending the civil war, the Maoists agreed that their combatants would be confined at the cantonment sites, where they and their weapons can be registered and verified, in the lead-up to Constituent Assembly elections scheduled for November.

UNMIN said in its press release that "while the verification process of Maoist army personnel is proceeding well, implementing the commitments in relation to the management of arms and armed personnel, without exception, is essential to the overall peace process and in particular to preparing a free and fair atmosphere for the Constituent Assembly election."
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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SECOND ROUND OF BANGLADESHI FLOODS PROMPTS UNICEF TO SEND AID

SECOND ROUND OF BANGLADESHI FLOODS PROMPTS UNICEF TO SEND AID
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is distributing life-saving drugs, high protein biscuits and shelter equipment in Bangladesh, which is bracing itself for a potentially devastating second round of floods in the monsoon season this year.

More than one million Bangladeshis have been evacuated or are stranded as major rivers in the country and the neighbouring north-eastern region of India have again risen to alarming levels and begun to inundate swathes of nearby countryside, <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40869.html">UNICEF said in a press statement issued today.

The Brahmaputra River, which flows from Tibet through India to Bangladesh and into the Bay of Bengal, is above the danger level in 17 places, according to officials from Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting Centre.

UNICEF said it has been providing drugs, bags of intravenous saline, high-protein biscuits, shelter equipment and 10,000 family kits, which contain blankets, cooking utensils, medicines, bandages and a water container.

Since the first round of floods, which started in June and lasted in some parts of Bangladesh until August, Government figures indicate more than 800 people have died, mostly from drowning or the effect of snake bites.

The second round of floods is expected to be extremely serious, UNICEF reported, noting that the embankments that have been rebuilt and the seedlings that have been planted since the first round of flooding could be washed away.

More than a million hectares of cropland – including newly-sown rice paddies and vegetable fields – are now in jeopardy unless the rising waters start to recede soon.

Bangladesh's delta landscape, shaped partly by the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers, leaves the country extremely prone to flooding, especially during the annual monsoon season.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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TENS OF THOUSANDS UPROOTED BY VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

TENS OF THOUSANDS UPROOTED BY VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
Increased violence has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes in the north of the Central African Republic (CAR) near the border with Chad, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) said today.

Some 12,000 people – the entire population of the area between the towns of Markounda and Silambi – have been uprooted, according to UN Humanitarian Coordinator for CAR Toby Lanzer.

Civilians have been caught in fighting between various armed groups, including both State and non-State factions from CAR and neighbouring Chad, in recent months. Late last month, it was reported that the population had escaped the violence into the bush.

The UN expressed concern for the 12,000 living along the Markounda-Silambi axis, approximately 500 kilometres north of the capital Bangui. In July, less than half of that number of people was displaced in the area, but now the entire population of the axis has been forced to flee their homes.

"Conditions are abominable – marked by constant driving rain and night-time temperatures dipping to 15 degrees Celsius," said Mr. Lanzer, who led a UN mission to the area from 7 to 10 September. "All this comes at the height of the lean season, when people are at the end of their ropes."

These internally displaced persons (IDPs) have no shelter, safe water, health care or basic necessities such as cooking utensils and soap, and a marked increase in acute respiratory infections has been reported among the displaced.

"We are approaching the harvest in the coming weeks, and people need to get to their fields. If not, hunger will inevitably follow," said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, who called for all parties in the country's north to create an atmosphere conducive to the IDPs returning home.

The UN and its partners' $83 million appeal to assist those in need is only half funded, and Mr. Holmes, who also serves as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is considering allocating Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) resources to the CAR.

Appealing for increased assistance, the UN highlighted the limited capacity of local authorities to protect and help those impacted.

In the past 18 months, nearly 300,000 people have been uprooted from their homes because of conflict within the CAR's borders, and problems in both Chad and the Darfur region of Sudan threaten to further destabilize the situation in northern CAR.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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DIFFICULT SECURITY CONDITIONS IMPEDE MUCH-NEEDED AID DELIVERY TO AFGHANS - UN

DIFFICULT SECURITY CONDITIONS IMPEDE MUCH-NEEDED AID DELIVERY TO AFGHANS – UN
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
Challenging security conditions are impeding relief workers' efforts to assess and meet humanitarian needs in remote areas in Afghanistan's south, south-east and east, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The UN mission in the Asian nation, known as UNAMA, is facing difficulties in reaching areas to verify casualties or carry out humanitarian activities, with all 53 districts in the south – except the urban areas of four of the five provincial capitals – being virtually unreachable.

OCHA also noted that both sides to the conflict are contributing to the problem. In addition, it said that continuing military operations against anti-Government groups could lead to more attacks on "softer" targets, such as the UN, and national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and there has already been a surge in kidnappings of aid workers.

Meanwhile, at a UN-backed workshop in the capital Kabul, a three-year plan to promote girls' education was developed.

"To improve the situation of girls' education in Afghanistan, it is imperative that the country develops focused interventions and addresses the barriers that prevent girls from attending schools," said Catherine Mbengue, Representative in Afghanistan for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

More than 50 representatives from Government ministries, UN agencies, NGOs and research organizations attended the workshop, which was set up by UNICEF and the Education Ministry in collaboration with the Girls' Education Initiative Working Group.

The education plan tries to accelerate girls' enrolment by promoting girl-friendly schools, providing nutrition services, training female teachers and teaching girls currently not attending school.

During the time of the Taliban, girls were not allowed to officially register in schools, and Government figures show that no girls were enrolled in 2001 in Afghanistan, which is now rebuilding after three decades of conflict.

Girls' enrolment in schools has surged in the past five years. But boys still outnumber them two to one at the primary school level, while there are three times as many boys as girls at the lower secondary level and four times at the higher secondary level.

In a related development, best-selling author and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Envoy Khaled Hosseini, wrapped up a 10-day tour of northern Afghanistan with a warning that the international community must maintain its efforts to help the country.

"Afghanistan is at a crossroads," he said. "There are some signs of disillusionment both in Afghanistan and within the international community. But a long-term engagement is absolutely critical if the country is to continue moving in the right direction."

The author and his family left Afghanistan in 1976, seeking asylum four years later in the United States, and his new novel, <i>A Thousand Splendid Suns</i>, is an account of two women over the span of three decades in the war-torn country.

During this trip, the author, who is also a qualified medical doctor, visited UNHCR project sites and met with returnees in the northern provinces of Kunduz, Baghlan, Balkh, Parwan and Kabul.

"We are rebuilding our lives but we need help," a village elder told Mr. Hosseini in Dharkhat in Baghlan province. "We get our drinking water from a village across the river. This often makes us sick. And when we get sick we cannot see doctors or get medicine."

The Goodwill Ambassador noted that in spite of improvements, the refugees faced much many more hurdles than he had anticipated. "There are of course signs of progress but many are frustrated at the slow pace of change and difficult living conditions," he said. "Homelessness, landlessness and lack of jobs continue to be major problems."

Despite the hardships faced by many Afghans, Mr. Hosseini said that he was buoyed by their hopeful attitudes.

"Afghan people are by their nature optimistic and resourceful and they continue to believe that the future holds better things for them," he said.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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DARFURIAN REBEL LEADER TRAVELS TO KENYA FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT, SAYS UN MISSION

DARFURIAN REBEL LEADER TRAVELS TO KENYA FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT, SAYS UN MISSION
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS) announced today that one of its aircraft has flown the key Darfurian elder and rebel figure Suleiman Jamous to Kenya for medical treatment, in line with an agreement reached last week by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

Mr. Jamous left the UN hospital at Kadugli, the capital of Southern Kordofan state, for the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, for further treatment today.

Last week, during his visit to Sudan, Mr. Ban said Mr. Bashir's decision to allow Mr. Jamous to leave the country will "create conditions conducive to peace negotiations." Mr. Jamous is a leading member of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).

Earlier this month, UN and African Union (AU) envoys Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim had vowed to pursue the case of Mr. Jamous, who had been detained by Sudanese authorities, "in view of the role Mr. Jamous can play in the political process."

The political negotiations between the Government and Darfur's many rebel groups are slated to take place in Libya on 27 October under the lead of Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim.

The talks are designed to try to resolve the underlying issues – including a lack of economic development and scarce resources such as water – driving the conflict that since 2003 has led to the deaths of more than 200,000 people.

Another 2.2 million Sudanese have had to flee their homes because of the fighting between the rebels, Government forces and allied militias known as the Janjaweed. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued warrants for the arrest of two suspects over alleged war crimes in Darfur, and the UN and AU are setting up a hybrid peacekeeping force (UNAMID) to quell the violence.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN SENDS DISASTER ASSESSMENT TEAM TO GHANA TO RESPOND TO FLOODING

UN SENDS DISASTER ASSESSMENT TEAM TO GHANA TO RESPOND TO FLOODING
New York, Sep 14 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations has deployed a six-member disaster assessment and coordination (UNDAC) team to north-eastern Ghana, which has been hit hardest by the floods that have followed a week of torrential rains across West Africa late last month.

Thousands of homes in Ghana's Upper East Region were destroyed after the rains struck, several major bridges have collapsed and large areas of cropland have been destroyed, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) reported today.

More than 260,000 Ghanaians have been affected, according to Government figures, and the UNDAC team is expected to meet the country's own disaster officials today to coordinate the response.

Already the Government and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have begun distributing aid, including food, within the Upper East Region, and helping people displaced by the floods. A particular concern is the potential for an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

Torrential rains struck at least 11 countries in West Africa in the last week of August, OCHA reported, and in total over 500,000 people have been affected. The other countries involved are Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON LAUNCHES 'UNPRECEDENTED' GROUP TO BOOST AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT

BAN KI-MOON LAUNCHES 'UNPRECEDENTED' GROUP TO BOOST AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT
New York, Sep 14 2007 3:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2734">convened international development leaders for the inaugural session of a new steering group to boost Africa's as yet failing efforts to meet the ambitious goals the world has set itself to slash poverty, hunger, maternal and infant mortality, and other social ills, all by 2015.

This was an "unprecedented gathering," Mr. Ban told reporters after chairing the meeting of the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs) Africa Steering Group, bringing together top officials from the African Union, European Union, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, International Monetary Fund (<"http://www.imf.org/">IMF) and <"http://www.worldbank.org/">World Bank.

"We are concerned that many African countries are off track, particularly for the countries in sub-Saharan regions. That is the only region in the world where not even a single country is on the track. We must help those countries so that they can join on the track," he added, noting that the Group had agreed to strengthen their collaboration to expedite the achievement of the MDGs adopted by the UN Millennium Summit of 2000.

The first of three challenges the Group resolved to address is to identify effective mechanisms for implementing the MDGs for health, education, agriculture and food security, infrastructure and statistical systems.

Five of the eight goals seek to cut by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day and suffering from hunger; ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling; cut the mortality rate among children under five by two thirds; reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters; and halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

"Our organizations will work together to review international implementation mechanisms and support Governments in making the investments needed to achieve the MDGs," the leaders said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sg2131.doc.htm">joint statement. "We will determine how these mechanisms can be strengthened where they are falling short, and where new ones need to be added."

The second challenge they set themselves is to improve aid predictability. "Our organizations will make our own aid more predictable," they said. "We will also work with other donors to help establish country-by-country schedules for official development assistance to rise to meet existing commitments, so that African Governments can plan effectively for the practical investments needed to achieve the MDGs."

Thirdly they pledged to strengthen joint efforts at the country level. "Starting in a sub-set of African countries, we will launch an intensive collaboration among our organizations to support Governments in preparing and implementing strategies that are ambitious enough to achieve the MDGs," they declared.

"Just past the midpoint to the target date of 2015, it is of paramount importance that we focus on practical steps to implement existing pledges," they added. "With the launch of the MDG Africa Steering Group, we reaffirm our commitment to spare no effort in reaching the MDGs in Africa."

The leaders pledged to mobilize their institutions in cooperation and partnership. "We know that rapid progress is possible, and will work with other world leaders to use all the tools, resources and commitments available to support African countries in halving extreme poverty by 2015, and in charting a path towards sustained economic growth."

A MDG Africa Working Group, led by the Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, who was also present during today's discussions, will meet on 20 September to launch operational work, brining together top leaders of the Group's organizations plus other bodies such as the 30-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of industrialized, market-economy countries.

All those attending praised Mr. Ban's move. "This is an excellent initiative," World Bank President Robert Zoellick told reporters afterwards. "It is certainly a timely one."

African Union Commissioner for Economic Affairs Maxwell Mkwezalamba noted that international support had not been forthcoming as promised. "This has been one of our major concerns. You look at the commitments made since Monterrey in 2002, the Gleneagles summit in 2005, we find that there is not much that has come to Africa," he said, referring to major international economic conferences.

"And this indeed is something that needs to be addressed if Africa will attain the MDGs by the target date of 2015."

European Union Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel stressed that not only would the donors have to fulfil their promised but the African countries also had to make every effort to reach the targets. Toward this end, he stressed the importance of trade.

"We have a special focus for aid for trade," he said. "There cannot be a sustainable development in the developing countries without very strong support on trade, because trade can of course bring prosperity and jobs and also can give to the states the means they need in order to bring the basic services to the people."
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS PROSECUTORS AT UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNALS

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS PROSECUTORS AT UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNALS
New York, Sep 14 2007 2:00PM
The Security Council today agreed to extend the mandates of the current chief prosecutors at the United Nations war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

By a resolution adopted with 14 votes in favour and only the Russian Federation abstaining, the Council agreed to <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9115.doc.htm">extend the mandate of Carla Del Ponte at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) until 31 December this year, in line with a request from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The resolution noted "the need to ensure a smooth transition between the departure of Ms. Carla Del Ponte and the assumption of office of her successor" and that Mr. Ban intends to submit the name of his nominee to succeed Ms. Del Ponte.

Ms. Del Ponte, whose mandate began in 1999, is the third chief prosecutor at the <"http://www.un.org/icty/">ICTY, which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands.

Explaining his abstention, the representative of the Russian Federation said his country had doubts about Ms. Del Ponte's understanding of her mandate.

"Instead of carrying out the profoundly professional duties of a jurist employed by the international community to support an impartial prosecution in the Tribunal, for the present Chief Prosecutor, the priority has become functions of being some kind of quasi-political player who has had the audacity to write a prescription in the area of international relations," he said.

In another action, Hassan Bubacar Jallow was <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9114.doc.htm">re-appointed to a four-year term at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (<"http://69.94.11.53/default.htm">ICTR), effective from tomorrow, after a resolution passed unanimously by Council members.

The resolution allows for Mr. Jallow's appointment to be terminated if the ICTR, which is based in Arusha, Tanzania, completes its work before September 2011.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN-BUILT PRISON TRAINING CENTRE OPENS IN SOUTHERN SUDAN

UN-BUILT PRISON TRAINING CENTRE OPENS IN SOUTHERN SUDAN
New York, Sep 14 2007 2:00PM
A prison staff training centre in southern Sudan has opened as part of efforts by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to rehabilitate the country's dilapidated prison service and to help reintegrate former combatants from the north-south civil war into civilian life.

The Lologo regional training centre, which opened yesterday, is expected to receive up to 1,500 ex-soldiers from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the former rebel group from the south, over the next six months, UNDP said in a press release.

The first 550 ex-soldiers have started on a three-month orientation course, while specialist courses will also be offered soon to train instructors, welfare officers, medical officers and management.

<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2007/september/sudan-prisons-20070913.en">UNDP is jointly funding the project with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the training will be undertaken by instructors from the Sudanese prison service and staff from the rule of law and corrections team with the UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS).

Jafet Enriquez, UNDP's Head of Office, said the agency "is committed to supporting the building of effective and accountable governance and rule of law institutions."

He announced that the agency is building its second prison centre in Rumbek, southern Sudan.

The prison service improvement programme is part of UNDP's efforts to implement the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement that ended the 21-year civil war between north and south in Sudan.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN FUND APPROVES NEARLY $200 MILLION IN GRANTS AND LOANS TO HELP RURAL POOR

UN FUND APPROVES NEARLY $200 MILLION IN GRANTS AND LOANS TO HELP RURAL POOR
New York, Sep 14 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) announced that it has approved almost $200 million in grants and loans to support initiatives to bolster the living conditions of the rural poor in more than a dozen countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Near East.

In West and Central Africa, <"http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2007/38.htm">IFAD will make $5.7 million in loans and $15 million in grants available.

Some 28,000 farmers in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon will receive funding to help diversify their incomes through the development and marketing of new products form such staple crops as bananas, cassava and peanuts.

In Guinea, a grant will help finance a project to bolster local governance in rural areas while in Guinea-Bissau, one of the world's poorest nations, another grant will assist 100,000 rural people build their communities through rehabilitating infrastructure and bolstering grassroots organizations.

Lesotho, Uganda, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Pakistan, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Armenia, Morocco and Yemen will also receive IFAD grants or loans.

Additionally, the fund approved six grants to international centres conducting agricultural research and development activities in rural areas in poor nations.

IFAD supports nearly 200 ongoing rural poverty eradication programmes and projects, worth $6 billion, to reach 82 million rural poor people worldwide.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN FOOD AID REACHES TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ETHIOPIAN FLOOD VICTIMS

UN FOOD AID REACHES TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ETHIOPIAN FLOOD VICTIMS
New York, Sep 14 2007 12:00PM
Distribution of food for more than 60,000 Ethiopian flood victims has started amid some overcrowding in temporary shelters and the threat of an outbreak of water-borne diseases, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) <" http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LSGZ-772E6F?OpenDocument&cc=eth">reported today.

More than180,000 people in Amhara, Afar and Tigray in northern Ethiopia, in Gambella in the west and in the Southern Nations region in the south were hit by the seasonal floods and 42,000 people have been displaced. Some are living in temporary shelters such as schools and mobile health clinics or under plastic sheeting, while others have been taken in by relatives or friends.

"Food distributions have started to the women, children and men hardest hit by the floods and WFP will work with the concerned authorities to do whatever needs to be done," <" http://www.wfp.org/country_brief/indexcountry.asp?country=231">WFP Ethiopia Country Director Mohamed Diab said.

WFP is part of a Government-led assessment team travelling to the three flood-affected regions to determine the extent of needs following the flooding and its longer-term impact.

"We are waiting for the return of the assessment mission to see what more needs to be done by the Government and humanitarian partners," Mr. Diab said. "The floods hit most parts of the country, but in some areas it appears that communities were better prepared and avoided widespread displacement and loss of life."

To date, the death toll has reached 17 people, while some 4,000 head of livestock have been drowned or washed away and 34,000 hectares of land have been damaged.

The number of displaced in Amhara Region is rising, leading to overcrowding in temporary shelters and the threat of outbreaks of serious communicable and water-borne diseases such as acute watery diarrhoea and malaria. Some estimates show that 100 to 200 people are displaced each day.

There are also fears that the increased water levels of the Omo and Wabelle Shabele rivers could lead to more flooding.

In 2006, Ethiopia experienced some of the heaviest and most intense flooding that it has ever seen. More than 600 people were killed and there was also extensive damage to infrastructure and property.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR OFFERS BOTH CHALLENGES AND EXPERIENCE TO POLICE, UN CHIEF IN SUDAN SAYS

DARFUR OFFERS BOTH CHALLENGES AND EXPERIENCE TO POLICE, UN CHIEF IN SUDAN SAYS
New York, Sep 14 2007 12:00PM
The challenges faced by peacekeepers in the upcoming joint United Nations-African Union mission to Darfur cannot be underestimated but the opportunity for police officers to gain invaluable mission experience in what will be the largest UN Police contingent ever are also clear, the UN's top police officer in Sudan has said, as he urged Member States to provide experienced personnel for the operation.

"There are two advantages of getting experienced international police officers for this mission. First of all, it's an advantage for achieving the mandate and so it's good for the people of Darfur who certainly deserve to have peace," UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.unmis.org/english/en-main.htm">UNMIS) Police Commissioner Kai Vittrup told the UN News Service. The Darfur mission will involve the largest UN Police contingent ever with over 6,400 officers.

"Second, it's good for officers to be involved in the biggest <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/police/index.shtml">UN Police mission. They will gain experience and develop capacity in dealing with implementing a very difficult operation. This will benefit the officers when they return to their national forces because they'll have experiences that no-one else will get or will take years to get."

"They'll have the experience of working together with police officers from all over the world, they'll develop good relations, good co-operation with other cultures and they'll have a broader view of national diversity when they return home after one or two years," added the experienced Danish officer who is involved in preparing for the UN's heavy support package to Darfur.

The lack of infrastructure in the western region is just one challenge to overcome, noted Mr. Vittrup, while also highlighting the need for all officers on the mission to be culturally sensitive and in particular to work with the local communities and get their involvement in solving problems.

"We have to remember that we are guests invited by the government of Sudan and as guests we have to set a good example. Another thing is that wearing the blue beret means you are representing the UN and if you fail in your behaviour and fail in what you're doing, the UN will be blamed."

Despite the myriad difficulties however, the key message for Member States' police officers who take part in the hybrid African Union-UN peacekeeping force in Darfur (to be known as UNAMID) is to remember why they are there in the first place, says Mr. Vittrup.

"We are going there to support in the final peace agreement, the political side of course will have to solve the problem. Going there I consider a calculated risk which I would have to take and that's it, because even in my country working as a police officer it's a calculated risk too."

"From the highest ranking officers to the lowest, when they return to their homes, they'll be very proud of what they have done in Darfur. They'll have been there in the service of peace and they'll have made a difference for the people and for the benefit of Sudan, I think that's very, very important and something to be proud of."
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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AS DROUGHTS INTENSIFY, WATER AND SOIL MANAGEMENT VITAL TO ENSURE FOOD - UN

AS DROUGHTS INTENSIFY, WATER AND SOIL MANAGEMENT VITAL TO ENSURE FOOD - UN
New York, Sep 14 2007 12:00PM
With more intense, longer droughts searing ever-larger areas since the 1970s, particularly in the tropics, one of the most important issues facing the world today is the need to ensure food security through the sustainable management of water and soil resources, according to the top United Nations meteorological official.

The year 2007 has already seen a high number of extreme events, such as droughts in parts of southern Africa leading to a reduction in maize production of about 40 to 60 per cent in Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, UN World Meteorological Organization (<"http://www.wmo.ch/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr794_e.html">WMO) Secretary-General Michel Jarraud told a conference of member countries of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (<"http://www.unccd.int">UNCCD), closing in Madrid today.

He noted that WMO contributed to the understanding of interactions between climate and land degradation through dedicated observations of the climate system, proper assessment and management of water resources, advances in climate science and prediction, and promotion of capacity-building in the application of meteorological and hydrological data to drought preparedness and management.

The Conference welcomed the WMO International <" http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/wcp/agm/meetings/wocald06/wocald06_en.html">Workshop on Climate and Land Degradation held in Arusha last year, which recommended various steps including use of historical climate data and change scenarios for strategic planning, targeted weather forecasts at all levels and at very local scales to help make appropriate decisions, and improved gathering of detailed rainfall intensity data to assess surface erosion.

In a message to the Conference earlier this week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the linked scourges of desertification and climate change are impeding the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals">MDGs), which seek to slash world poverty and hunger, infant andf maternal mortality and lack of access to education and health care, all by 2015.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN OFFICIAL URGES HUMAN RIGHTS BODY TO BEGIN COUNTRY REVIEWS

TOP UN OFFICIAL URGES HUMAN RIGHTS BODY TO BEGIN COUNTRY REVIEWS
New York, Sep 14 2007 12:00PM
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today urged the Human Rights Council to press forward with its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, which allows the human rights records of every country to be scrutinized.

"We are acutely aware that the credibility of the United Nations human rights system hinges upon satisfactory implementation of the review, since the UPR has the potential to greatly influence and address human rights situations on the ground," she told the Council which is currently meeting in its sixth session in Geneva.

Under this new mechanism, over the course of four years, all UN Member States – at the rate of 48 a year – will be reviewed to assess whether they have fulfilled their human rights obligations.

"Through the UPR all UN Member States will now be reviewed in the same comprehensive manner on the basis of universal and equal parameters and standards," she said. "At the same time, countries under review will be fully involved in what is envisaged as a participatory and inclusive review process."

In her address to the 47-member body, the High Commissioner also highlighted problems faced by countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Iran and Myanmar.

On the DRC, Ms. Arbour voiced concern over the lack of progress in the vast Central Africa nation which is seeking to rebuild after a brutal six year civil war that killed 4 million in fighting, attendant hunger and disease.

The High Commissioner pointed out that no perpetrators who committed serious crimes committed in the first half of this year have been arrested and brought to justice. "Interference by military and political authorities in the administration of justice is prevalent, particularly in high-profile cases," she noted. "Recent trials raise serious questions about the independence of the judiciary."

While visiting Teheran, Iran's capital, earlier this month, Ms. Arbour met with senior Government officials as well as with local women's rights defenders on how to improve respect for human rights. She expressed to them her particular concerns regarding the death penalty being applied to juveniles and the need to defend the right to peaceful public expression, she told the Council, which began its session on 10 September.

Ms. Arbour also said that she has been following the suppression of peaceful protests in Myanmar with mounting concern. "I urge the authorities to release detainees and political prisoners and ensure respect for fundamental rights," she told the Council, whose three-week session wraps up on 28 September.

In a related development, UN independent experts today jointly called on Myanmar to immediately release over 150 people brutally arrested last month after protesting the surge in fuel prices.

"It is shocking that peaceful demonstrators have received life sentences in trials without any basic guarantee of the due process of law and that local journalists were prevented from reporting on these measures," three Special Rapporteurs said in a joint statement.

Noting the "important and courageous role" that women, student leaders and monks played in the protests, the experts said that the "Myanmar authorities should be proud of its vibrant civil society and engage without hesitations in a constructive and transparent dialogue with all parties so as to lay down a roadmap for a healthy and empowered democratic society, for the benefit of the country and the region at large.

They also warned that Myanmar can push forward with political transition unless "ordinary people have the space to express their views and discontent, peacefully and in public."

The three experts who issued today's statement are Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar; Ambeyi Ligabo, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; and Leandro Despouy, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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NEW UN-BACKED GUIDELINES ISSUED TO TACKLE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN CONFLICTS, DISASTERS

NEW UN-BACKED GUIDELINES ISSUED TO TACKLE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN CONFLICTS, DISASTERS
New York, Sep 14 2007 11:00AM
United Nations and other international humanitarian agencies have agreed on a new set of <"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr46/en/index.html">guidelines to address the mental health and psychosocial needs of survivors in response to emergencies such as conflicts or disasters, identifying useful practices and flagging potentially harmful ones.

With a clear focus on social interventions and support, they emphasize the importance of building on local resources such as teachers, health workers, healers, and women's groups to promote psychosocial well-being, and include ways to protect and care for people with severe trauma-induced mental disorders and provide psychological first aid for those in acute distress.

"The new guidelines present a major step forward to much better protect the mental health and psychosocial well-being of displaced persons using an integrated approach in collaboration with all partners," UN High Commissioner of Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) Deputy Director for International Protection Services Ruvendrini Menikdiwela said of The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings.

"These new IASC guidelines are a significant step towards providing better care and support to people in disaster- and conflict-affected areas worldwide," UN World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director-General for Health Action in Crises Ala Alwan added.

Recent conflicts and natural disasters in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Sudan among many others involve substantial psychological and social suffering in the short term, which if not adequately addressed can lead to long-term mental health and psychosocial problems, threatening peace, people's human rights and development, WHO warned.

The guidelines, published by the IASC, a committee that is responsible for world-wide humanitarian policy and consists of heads of relevant UN and other intergovernmental agencies, Red Cross and Red Crescent agencies, and non-governmental organization consortia, were developed by staff from 27 agencies.

They stress that treating survivors with dignity and enabling them to participate in and organize emergency support is essential and highlight the difficulties of coordinating mental health and psychosocial support in large emergencies involving numerous agencies when affected populations can be overwhelmed by outsiders and local contributions to mental health and psychosocial support are easily marginalized or undermined.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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NUMBER OF CHOLERA CASES IN NORTHERN IRAQ DOUBLES, BUT DEATH TOLL REMAINS STATIC - UN

NUMBER OF CHOLERA CASES IN NORTHERN IRAQ DOUBLES, BUT DEATH TOLL REMAINS STATIC – UN
New York, Sep 14 2007 11:00AM
The number of people struck by a cholera outbreak in Northern Iraq has doubled to 16,000 people but the death toll remains the same at 10, the United Nations health agency reported today.

"The good news was that, although the disease has spread, the number of deaths has remained the same," UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Fadéla Chaib told a news <"http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/6789CFCC5031B504C125735600401C54?OpenDocument">briefing in Geneva.

That is an indication that the measures taken to deal with the outbreak are having an effect, she said.

WHO's representative for Iraq, who is normally based in Amman, has made a number of trips to the north of Iraq as well as to Baghdad to talk to the authorities and coordinate with them on this issue.

WHO has also pre-positioned 10 Interagency Diarrhoeal Disease kits, each with the capacity to treat 100 severe cases, in order to ensure adequate supplies of essential drugs and other medical and laboratory supplies.

Between 23 August and 10 September, at least 6,000 people have been reported with diarrhoeal diseases in Sulemaniya province and almost 7,000 in Kirkuk province. Since 6 September the outbreak has spread to Erbil province, causing at least 3,000 cases. On Monday WHO put the number of infected at over 7,000 and said the epidemic put over 2.8 million people at risk from exposure to the infectious and sometimes fatal disease.

It is unclear what caused the outbreak, but initial investigation show some evidence that, in Sulemaniya, polluted water that residents were forced to rely on due to a shortage of drinking water may have been to blame. In Kirkuk, cracked water pipes allowed contamination by sewage, and because of the close geographic proximity the outbreak spread to Erbil.

The continuous movement of people and cargo, bad sanitary conditions and high temperatures may increase the possibility of spreading the disease rapidly to other areas such as Baghdad and the central provinces, health officials have warned.

<"http://www.who.int/topics/cholera/en">Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It causes watery diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given. About 80 to 90 per cent of cases are mild or moderate and are difficult to distinguish clinically from other types of acute diarrhoea. Less than 20 per cent of ill people develop typical cholera with signs of moderate or severe dehydration.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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THOUSANDS OF DISPLACED CONGOLESE RECEIVE FOOD AID BUT FEARS PERSIST FOR OTHERS, UN WARNS

THOUSANDS OF DISPLACED CONGOLESE RECEIVE FOOD AID BUT FEARS PERSIST FOR OTHERS, UN WARNS
New York, Sep 14 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) <" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2637">warned today that although many of the tens of thousands of people displaced by fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent days have now received emergency rations, there are serious concerns for those who remain beyond its reach due to insecurity.

"We are dealing with a humanitarian emergency that could spiral out of control unless we get proper access to the worst-affected areas," said WFP Country Director Charles Vincent. "We are working round the clock to reach people who have fled with virtually nothing. Across the east, the situation is getting worse every day for innocent civilians caught up in this conflict. There are too many we are currently unable to reach."

WFP urgently requires an additional $12 million for immediate regional purchase of food and further borrowings from neighbouring WFP operations to provide full rations to the needy, mostly in the east, until the end of the year.

Fighting among the Congolese army, renegade troops and rebels in North Kivu Province has forced many thousands to flee in fear from their villages in search of safety. Over 50,000 have gathered around the village of Mugunga, 10 kilometres west of the provincial capital Goma, after escaping fighting in Masisi district.

By yesterday evening, WFP had distributed a 10-day ration of maize flour, peas, oil and salt to more than 35,000 people at Mugunga, but poor security has severely limited access beyond Mugunga to the worst-affected areas of Masisi, where at least 7,000 more people are believed to be living in the bush in urgent need of food and other aid.

An additional 30,000 people are believed to have fled Masisi into South Kivu, where WFP is working through its partners to reach them with urgent food aid but access to the vast majority of displaced there remains restricted by insecurity. In most cases, WFP requires armed escorts from the UN mission in DRC (<" http://www.monuc.org/Home.aspx?lang=en">MONUC) to reach them.

Preliminary reports from outlying areas of North Kivu, where large numbers of people are known to be displaced, indicate an alarming increase in rates of acute malnutrition, reaching close to 19 per cent in some cases, well past the emergency threshold. The situation in South Kivu is little better, with rates climbing to 17 per cent.

People's health and immune systems are being eroded by constant displacement and being forced to sleep out in the bush to avoid attacks, making children even more vulnerable to malnutrition. The agricultural economy that the vast majority depends on has been all but destroyed in many areas.

The crisis brings the total of people displaced in the Kivus to close to 1 million, two-thirds of them in North Kivu where 300,000 have fled their homes since November last year alone. The need for food in DRC, predominantly in the east, has tripled in the past year and these most recent displacements put an ever greater strain on WFP resources. Rations distributed to the longer-term displaced have been halved in order to eke out stocks.

Even after using recent contributions to organize food loans from neighbouring WFP offices in the region to cover the increased needs, the DRC operation still faces breaks in food supplies.

Meanwhile the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) reported today that most of the 35,000 Congolese who fled from the fighting to Uganda have now returned home, gradually crossing the border as fighting died down.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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AT LEAST 56 DIE AS PERILOUS PEOPLE SMUGGLING RESUMES ACROSS GULF OF ADEN, UN REPORTS

AT LEAST 56 DIE AS PERILOUS PEOPLE SMUGGLING RESUMES ACROSS GULF OF ADEN, UN REPORTS
New York, Sep 14 2007 10:00AM
At least 56 Africans have died violently, some reportedly beaten or doused with acid by smugglers, as the new season of people smuggling gathers steam across the Gulf of Aden in a perilous exodus that takes tens of thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians to Yemen every year, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

In the past 10 days the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recorded the arrival of 12 boats carrying 925 Somalis, Ethiopians and others. Another smuggler's boat apparently failed to reach Yemen after encountering problems about 100 kilometres west of Bosaso in Somalia's Puntland region. The trafficking regularly resumes in September after the summer's storms subside.

At least 100 Somalis aboard one vessel reportedly made it back to shore in Somalia after being adrift for six days. "Many of them had been beaten, and some were reportedly doused with acid by the smugglers," UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46ea55294.html">told a news briefing in Geneva. "The bodies of those who did not survive the six-day ordeal were reportedly thrown overboard. We do not have the numbers of those who died there."

The most recent arrivals in Yemen said they had been beaten by smugglers during the trip and 24 people on their boat died – three from beatings, 11 who had been crammed into the hold, and 10 who drowned in deep waters offshore. Once they reached shore, they came under fire from Yemeni military forces, they told UNHCR.

The migrants, mostly from volatile areas in strife-torn Somalia and the increasingly unstable Ogaden zone in Ethiopia, said they paid between $70 and $150 to make the crossing. Two Sudanese among the group said they wanted to seek asylum in Yemen.

"The deaths in the Gulf of Aden are a reminder of the risks taken every year by thousands of people resorting to smugglers in the Gulf of Aden, the Mediterranean and other waters," Mr. Redmond declared, noting that in recent months international agencies working in Somalia had set up a joint task force to better address the problem.

UNHCR has scaled up its presence to some 25 staff in Somalia's northern Puntland region and is preparing as a first step, along with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org">OCHA) and International Organization for Migration (IOM), an information campaign to warn people of the risks they face in using smugglers.

Leaflets are being prepared for distribution by outreach teams all over Puntland and Somaliland, also in the north. Radio spots are being developed and UNHCR is working on improving access to asylum and basic services inside Somalia for those in need of international protection. This could offer a safer alternative for refugees and internally displaced.

"While we are hoping that such measures will decrease the number of departures, they will be far from sufficient to bring the movement to a halt," Mr. Redmond stressed. "Root causes like war, human rights violations, persecution and poverty force people to leave their homes, and unless these are properly addressed, the tragedy will continue."

So far this year more than 10,000 people have reportedly arrived in Yemen in 103 boats. At least 282 people died and 159 remain missing and presumed dead. In 2006, nearly 29,000 people were recorded arriving in Yemen in 237 boats, at least 328 died and 310 others were recorded as missing.

Somalis registered at the UNHCR's reception centre in Yemen said they left due to conflict, arbitrary killings, the threat of detention, drought and lack of work. Somalis account for half the migrant flow and most have fled conflict in southern and central parts of the country, including Mogadishu, the capital. There are nearly 90,000 registered refugees in Yemen, almost all of them Somalis.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN OFFICIAL URGES INTENSIFIED ACTION AGAINST OZONE-DEPLETING SUBSTANCES

UN OFFICIAL URGES INTENSIFIED ACTION AGAINST OZONE-DEPLETING SUBSTANCES
New York, Sep 13 2007 6:00PM
As representatives from almost 200 Governments prepare to gather next week in Montreal, Canada on the 20th anniversary of the United Nations-backed treaty to protect the world's ozone layer, a senior UN official today called for intensified action to eliminate the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which damage it.

In September 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed upon, and up to 191 States who are party to the treaty will attend a five-day conference kicking off on 17 September.

"The Montreal Protocol is without doubt one of the most successful multilateral treaties ever and I look forward to celebrating, in mid-September, two decades of achievement in the Canadian city where it was born," said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=517&ArticleID=5665&l=en">UNEP).

Participants will discuss a recently-released UNEP report which details the benefits of accelerating the phase-out of HCFCs, chemicals used to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are more damaging to ozone.

Under the Montreal Protocol, HCFCs – which are widely used in refrigeration systems and air conditioners – are scheduled to be eliminated in developing countries in 2030 and in developing ones in 2040.

However, the new study points to the advantages of pushing the dates forward by a decade. Global greenhouse emissions could be slashed by more than 3.5 per cent, and the report notes that speeding up the transition to HCFC alternatives could stimulate technological advances as well as return ozone levels to health pre-1980 levels several years earlier.

The Montreal Protocol's "success story is far from over with new and wide-ranging chapters still to be written," Mr. Steiner said. "Indeed if governments adopt accelerated action on HCFCs, we can look forward to not only a faster recovery of the ozone layer, but a further important contribution to the climate change challenge."

Events celebrating the 20th anniversary of the treaty will include special seminars and award ceremonies t recognize the achievements in raising awareness about ozone and the Montreal Protocol.

The celebration comes in advance of a high-level meeting on climate change to be convened in New York by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 24 September.

It is hoped these meetings will set the stage for the upcoming major December summit in Bali, Indonesia, which seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON DONATES AWARD MONEY TO UN AGENCY HELPING SLUM DWELLERS IN KENYA

BAN KI-MOON DONATES AWARD MONEY TO UN AGENCY HELPING SLUM DWELLERS IN KENYA
New York, Sep 13 2007 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will donate $100,000 he was awarded today by the Pony Chung Scholarship Foundation to help a United Nations agency working to better conditions in a slum in Kenya, a spokesperson for the world body announced.

Mr. Ban was recognized by the Foundation, which was established by the Hyundai Corporation, with the Pony Chung Innovation Award given to individuals who bring about innovative and effective changes in the realm of politics, economics, society and culture.

"The award includes a monetary prize of $100,000, all of which the Secretary-General has had transferred to UN-HABITAT," the UN Human Settlements Programme, spokesperson Michele Montas told a press briefing.

"The money will be used for skills training for poor youth in Nairobi's Kibera slum, which the Secretary-General visited on his first trip after taking office," she noted.

During the January visit to that slum – one of the largest on the African continent – Mr. Ban urged residents not to lose hope and pledged to work harder than ever to eradicate global poverty and other social ills.

"I feel very much humbled by what I am seeing now. That makes me resolve again my firm commitment to work for the improvement of the living conditions, education, water, sanitation, housing – all these are the challenges which we must overcome," Mr. Ban said.

The Secretary-General was selected for the award in December 2006 for his accomplishments while he served in the Government of the Republic of Korea.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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SUDANESE CHILDREN STILL ENDURING GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS - UN REPORT

SUDANESE CHILDREN STILL ENDURING GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS – UN REPORT
New York, Sep 13 2007 5:00PM
Sudanese children continue to face grave violations of their human rights, from being recruited and used by armed forces and groups to suffering rape or sexual abuse at their hands, according to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/520">report on children and armed conflict in the African country.

Mr. Ban says the situation in general for Sudanese children "is showing small signs of improvement," but cases of killings, abductions and rapes are still being recorded and the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region means there is limited humanitarian access to children at risk.

The Secretary-General urges all the parties to the Darfur conflict – where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others made homeless – "to take concrete steps" to protect the rights of children in the war-torn and impoverished region on Sudan's western flank.

Given that, the report welcomes the action plan on child recruitment and reintegration that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reached with the Minawi wing of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), the faction of the rebel group that signed the Darfur Peace Agreement with the Sudanese Government last year.

But he calls on the signatories to the agreement to carry it out immediately so that child soldiers can be released and allowed to reintegrate with their families.

In the report Mr. Ban voices deep concern that "sexual violence against women and girls continues with impunity throughout the country," and especially in Darfur, where rebel groups have been fighting Government forces and allied Janjaweed militia since 2003.

He calls on Khartoum to step up its efforts to enforce the rule of law, including by establishing child and women protection units within the police force and by training social workers and judicial officials.

In the south, where a comprehensive peace agreement in January 2005 ended a 21-year civil war, Mr. Ban says rights violations are more of an inter-communal nature, resulting from years of conflict and the consequent breakdown of the rule of law.

He urges both the Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan, which were formed following the peace accord, to end the recruitment and use of children in their armed forces in line with the provisions of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict – which Sudan has ratified.

The two Governments should also undertake an independent verification exercise with the support of UNICEF and the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to assess and identify those children currently in the armed forces or their allied groups and to set up a regular monitoring system, Mr. Ban says.

He also reiterates previously expressed concerns that children continue to be systematically abducted or kidnapped in both the south and in Darfur, and urges the Government and armed groups to end that practice immediately.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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BOLSTERED EFFORTS CRUCIAL TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE AND STABILITY IN BURUNDI - UN

BOLSTERED EFFORTS CRUCIAL TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE AND STABILITY IN BURUNDI – UN
New York, Sep 13 2007 3:00PM
Intensified efforts are crucial to consolidate peace in Burundi and thwart a relapse into violence and chaos, the leader of a United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) fact-finding mission to the small Central African nation, which suffered decades of ethnic conflict pitting the Hutu majority against the Tutsi minority, said today.

Ambassador Johan L. Løvald, Permanent Representative of Norway, visited Burundi for the fourth time in less than a year from 5-7 September on behalf of the PBC, which was created to prevent countries emerging from civil war and other conflicts from sliding back into bloodshed.

He told reporters in New York that his latest mission had three objectives: to see first-hand the political and security situation, to identify how the PBC's work can aid both national and regional groups; and to meet with Government officials and others on a strategic framework devised by the Burundian Government in May to mobilize financial and political support to overcome the internal challenges threatening the country's long-term recovery.

Mr. Løvald voiced concern that there is a "general sense of uncertainty" on issues including the deadlock in the country's Parliament, a troubling budgetary situation and the suspension of the work of the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism of the 2006 ceasefire between the Government and the Palipehutu- FNL.

"However, I left Bujumbura with a sense that the Government and national partners are determined to deal with the issues that are causing the current political crisis, with the support of the international community," the Ambassador noted.

Established in 2005 by parallel General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, the PBC focuses on reconstruction, institution-building and the promotion of sustainable development in post-conflict countries.

The 31-member body, which operates in conjunction with several of the UN's principal organs – namely the GA, the Council and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) – also recognizes the importance of individual countries spearheading efforts to consolidate peace within their own borders.

Burundi, which has been the victim of violent coups and political instability since gaining independence in 1962, was the first country to receive financial support from the <"http://www.reformtheun.org/index.php/eupdate/2548">Peacebuilding Fund, established from voluntary contributions to aid countries which have recently emerged from war from slipping back into conflict.

Launched last year, it is a multi-year standing trust fund that has an initial funding target of $250 million and thus far has collected deposits worth $143.9 million from dozens of donor countries.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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UNITED NATIONS ADOPTS DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

UNITED NATIONS ADOPTS DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
New York, Sep 13 2007 3:00PM
The General Assembly today adopted a landmark declaration outlining the rights of the world's estimated 370 million indigenous people and outlawing discrimination against them – a move that followed more than two decades of debate.

The <"http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/declaration.html">United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been approved after 143 Member States voted in favour, 11 abstained and four – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States – voted against the text.

A non-binding text, the Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues.

The Declaration emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations.

It also prohibits discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them, and their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own visions of economic and social development.

General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour have all welcomed today's adoption.

Sheikha Haya said "the importance of this document for indigenous peoples and, more broadly, for the human rights agenda, cannot be underestimated. By adopting the Declaration, we are also taking another major step forward towards the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all."

But she warned that "even with this progress, indigenous peoples still face marginalization, extreme poverty and other human rights violations. They are often dragged into conflicts and land disputes that threaten their way of life and very survival; and, suffer from a lack of access to health care and education."

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban described the Declaration's adoption as "a historic moment when UN Member States and indigenous peoples have reconciled with their painful histories and are resolved to move forward together on the path of human rights, justice and development for all."

He called on governments and civil society to ensure that the Declaration's vision becomes a reality by working to integrate indigenous rights into their policies and programmes.

Ms. Arbour noted that the Declaration has been "a long time coming. But the hard work and perseverance of indigenous peoples and their friends and supporters in the international community has finally borne fruit in the most comprehensive statement to date of indigenous peoples' rights."

The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues estimates there are more than 370 million indigenous people in some 70 countries worldwide.

Members of the Forum said earlier this year that the Declaration creates no new rights and does not place indigenous peoples in a special category.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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UN TO LAUNCH $17-MILLION APPEAL TO FEED 100,000 NICARAGUAN HURRICANE VICTIMS

UN TO LAUNCH $17-MILLION APPEAL TO FEED 100,000 NICARAGUAN HURRICANE VICTIMS
New York, Sep 13 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (<" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2636">WFP) said today that it plans to launch a $17-million emergency appeal for 100,000 hurricane victims in Nicaragua, as rescue crews reported that they were stunned by the intensity of the destruction wrought along the impoverished country's northern coast.

"The victims of this catastrophe are among the poorest and most vulnerable people, not just in Nicaragua but in the whole Latin American region," WFP Country Director William Hart said of the last week's landfall of Hurricane Felix.

"As our staff arrive with supplies, it is clear they have been left with literally nothing. Everything is destroyed and their lives are in pieces. What we are discovering as we visit these remote areas is a desperate swathe of humanity that has been invisible to the outside world, and which now more than ever needs the help of outsiders," he said.

Initial reports indicate that of the almost 10,000 homes affected by the violent Category 5 hurricane, 80 per cent were completely destroyed. Almost 5,200 wells were contaminated and 6,000 latrines destroyed. Diarrhoea among children is increasing and heavy rainfall is creating unsanitary conditions that have raised fears of worsening health conditions.

"The numbers of people seriously affected continues to grow while at the same time, as more information comes in from this remote region, we realize just how violent and destructive Hurricane Felix really was," Mr. Hart said. "Not only have entire villages up and down the coast been pummelled and flattened into the ground, but extensive damage has also been reported among those living as much as 100 kilometres back from the coastline."

Hurricane Felix also ripped out large quantities of coconut, banana and mango trees, depriving inhabitants of basic foods. The upcoming harvest of rice and other vital crops has been lost, and due to salt water damage to fields it is expected that December's harvest may be lost or severely reduced.

Under the six-month WFP emergency operation, which is part of a consolidated appeal of UN agencies being announced today, WFP will provide a general distribution of emergency rations for the first three months, followed by food support for rehabilitation activities. These activities are likely to be extended for an additional period once a more detailed assessment of the region's needs is completed.

Meanwhile, WFP emergency feeding operations continue. Over the weekend, two ships carrying a combined total of 151 metric tons of food (enough for 15,000 people for 20 days) arrived in the battered coastal port of Bilwi (formerly Puerto Cabezas) after a two-day journey along the Escondido River. Bilwi has been cut off from overland transport after a key bridge was destroyed by Felix.

About 14 tons of the food (enough to feed 1,550 for 18 days) was then transported by two United States Air Force helicopters to the town of Raiti, one of more than 100 Miskito Indian communities along the coast. Without the helicopters, which have established an air bridge in the area, the journey would have taken over a week.

Yesterday the UN Children's Fund (<" http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF) said it was seeking over $2 million in relief aid over the next six months for the hurricane victims.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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UN FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER ON EARTH RECEIVES SPACE-AGE HELP IN RAISING AWARENESS

UN FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER ON EARTH RECEIVES SPACE-AGE HELP IN RAISING AWARENESS
New York, Sep 13 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations battle against hunger on Earth will receive reinforcements from space today when Intelsat, the world's leading satellite services provider, will use its global network to distribute two concerts in a campaign to help reduce the number of hungry people on the planet.

This is the ninth consecutive year that Intelsat is distributing UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000657/index.html">FAO)TeleFood concerts, awareness-raising events that have mobilized resources for hundreds of community-based, hunger-fighting projects. To date, TeleFood has generated close to $21 million in donations and funded 2,400 projects in 132 countries.

"Intelsat's generosity and years of support have helped FAO to maximize the impact of the TeleFood message, by enabling global awareness of these events," FAO Assistant Director-General for knowledge and communications Lorraine Williams said. "TeleFood has made it possible for FAO to share information in the more than 100 countries around the world which have benefited from roughly 2,400 hunger-fighting projects."

"Millions of people have, as a result of the reach of satellite technology, participated in the drive to eradicate hunger by donating generously to support TeleFood projects."

The two concerts, "Musica vs. Hambre" in Asunción, Paraguay and the "TeleFood Cuba" concert in Havana, Cuba, held respectively on 21 September and 11 November 2006, gathered an impressive line-up of world class performers in support of the <"http://www.fao.org/Food/english/index.html">TeleFood Campaign.

Entertainment stars and other celebrities included Ronan Keating, Paul Young, Noa (Paraguay), the late Compay Segundo, Chucho Valdés and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (Cuba).

TeleFood is FAO's annual campaign of broadcasts, concerts and other events around the world aimed at reaching out and raising awareness about hunger.

"Intelsat is pleased to support the UN in this and the UN's other communications requirements around the world," Intelsat Vice President for Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Dianne VanBeber said, noting that with 52 satellites serving over 200 countries and territories the company is ideally suited to distribute global programming such as the FAO TeleFood concerts.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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HARVEST PROSPECTS IMPROVE SIGNIFICANTLY IN PARTS OF WEST AFRICA AFTER AUGUST RAINS - UN

HARVEST PROSPECTS IMPROVE SIGNIFICANTLY IN PARTS OF WEST AFRICA AFTER AUGUST RAINS - UN
New York, Sep 13 2007 11:00AM
Harvest prospects have improved significantly in parts of Africa's Sahel region bordering the Sahara with good rains falling in August after below-normal levels in June and July, <" http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-76ZCK4?OpenDocument">according to an update issued today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (<" http://www.fao.org">FAO).

August rainfall over the main producing areas reconstituted soil water reserves, providing relief to stressed crops and improving crop prospects in most countries.

But heavy rains and floods caused considerable human casualties and damage to crops in several countries, notably Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.

In the areas affected by earlier dry conditions, yield potential will be reduced and late plantings or replanting will need rains late in the season to cover their entire growing cycle. Cape Verde is the only country where persistent dry conditions continued to be experienced in most producing areas through late August.

From West to East, crop prospects are unfavourable in Cape Verde due to delayed rains. In Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania satellite imagery indicates that increased precipitation in August benefited crops and pastures but good rains need to continue through October to allow them to reach full maturity.

In Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger harvest prospects improved significantly after the scant rains of June. Satellite imagery for early September indicates that good rains continued to fall over most of the Sahel region.

The food supply remains generally satisfactory in most parts of the sub-region, but thousands of people have been made homeless by the floods and are in urgent need of food and non-food aid.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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CHILD DEATHS WORLDWIDE FALL BELOW 10 MILLION A YEAR FOR FIRST TIME, NEW UN FIGURES SHOW

CHILD DEATHS WORLDWIDE FALL BELOW 10 MILLION A YEAR FOR FIRST TIME, NEW UN FIGURES SHOW
New York, Sep 13 2007 10:00AM
Child deaths worldwide have reached a record low, falling below 10 million per year for the first time to 9.7 million, down from almost 13 million in 1990, according to new figures released today by the United Nations Children's Fund (<" http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40855.html">UNICEF), thanks mainly to campaigns to combat measles and malaria and promote exclusive breast-feeding.

"This is an historic moment," UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said. "More children are surviving today than ever before. Now we must build on this public health success to push for the achievement of the <"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals">Millennium Development Goals," she added of the ambitious targets set by the UN Millennium Summit of 2000, which include slashing by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five by 2015.

Of the 9.7 million children who perish each year, 4.8 million are from Sub-Saharan Africa and 3.1 million from South Asia. In the developing world, child mortality is considerably higher among children living in rural areas and in the poorest households. In developed countries there are just six deaths for every 1,000 live births.

The Latin American and Caribbean region is on track to achieve the child mortality Millennium Development Goal, with 27 deaths on average for every 1,000 live births, compared to 55 per thousand in 1990.

There has been significant progress in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Under-five mortality has declined 29 per cent between 2000 and 2004 in Malawi. In Ethiopia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda and Tanzania child mortality rates have declined by more than 20 per cent.

The highest rates of child mortality are still found in West and Central Africa. In southern Africa hard-won gains in child survival have been undermined by the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Much of the progress is the result of the widespread adoption of basic health interventions, such as early and exclusive breast feeding, measles immunization, Vitamin A supplementation and the use of insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria.

"The new figures show that progress is possible if we act with renewed urgency to scale-up interventions that have proven successful," Ms. Veneman said. "There is a clear need for action on child survival in Africa and beyond."

In addition, there is unprecedented support for global health, with increased funding and expanding partnerships, including with Governments, the private sector, international foundations and civil society, UNICEF added.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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THOUSANDS OF SOMALI CHILDREN AT RISK OF DYING FROM MALNUTRITION, UNICEF WARNS

THOUSANDS OF SOMALI CHILDREN AT RISK OF DYING FROM MALNUTRITION, UNICEF WARNS
New York, Sep 13 2007 10:00AM
Some 13,500 children in central and southern Somalia are severely malnourished and at risk of dying, while nearly 70,000 others suffer from malnutrition, according to a new survey by the UN Children's Fund (<" http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40849.html">UNICEF) and its partners in the strife-torn and flood- and drought-hit Horn of Africa country.

"These children urgently require attention to ensure that they survive," UNICEF country representative Christian Balslev-Olesen said. "UNICEF is very concerned that their numbers might increase with continued civil strife, limited humanitarian access to these areas, food insecurity and a depressed economy."

Malnutrition is not new to Somalia, a country which has been riven by factional fighting and has had no functioning central government since Muhammad Siad Barre's regime was toppled in 1991.

But such critical levels in a region known as the country's breadbasket are alarming and point to a deteriorating humanitarian situation. In fact, an earlier comprehensive nutrition survey conducted in May in the Middle and Lower Shabelle region bordering Mogadishu, the capital, had already indicated that 17 per cent of children under five years suffer from global acute malnutrition, above the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en">WHO) emergency threshold levels of 15 per cent.

"Children and families in this region have recently gone from one shock to another, and with the next flood season around the corner, it is important that peace-building efforts are intensified to ensure that UNICEF and its partners can address the underlying causes of these problems as well as the immediate needs," Mr. Balslev-Olesen said.

UNICEF currently supports 60 selective feeding programmes in Central and Southern Somalia, treating about 15,000 malnourished children each month. But in order to scale up its activities and reach the thousands of additional children at risk, security issues must be tackled.

"We appeal to all parties involved to establish peace so that we can work with communities to meet the needs of these children," Mr. Balslev-Olesen said.

Overall, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Somalia has increased from 1 million to 1.5 million since January 2007. Most of those in need are children and women.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG CHIEF WELCOMES IRAN'S AGREEMENT TO ADDRESS OUTSTANDING ISSUES

UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG CHIEF WELCOMES IRAN'S AGREEMENT TO ADDRESS OUTSTANDING ISSUES
New York, Sep 12 2007 6:00PM
The head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today welcomed Iran's agreement on a timeline to address all outstanding issues relating to its nuclear programme.

<"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/bog121007.html">IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters in Vienna, where the agency's 35-member Board of Governors is meeting this week, that the August agreement, the first such work plan Iran has consented to, is "an important step in the right direction."

Repeating his call for a "double time-out" in both of all enrichment-related activities and of sanctions, he said that "the earlier we move from confrontation and distrust, to dialogue and confidence-building, the better for Iran and for the international community."

In his most recent report regarding Iran, Mr. ElBaradei said that while the IAEA is able to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in the country, the agency still cannot verify certain portions pertaining to the scope and nature of the Iranian nuclear programme.

Regarding the work plan, the report noted that "if Iran finally addresses the long outstanding verification issues, the Agency should be in a position to reconstruct the history of Iran's nuclear programme." It also called on the country to fully comply with the IAEA as well as provide access to all necessary documents and individuals.

"Contrary to the decisions of the Security Council, Iran has not suspended its enrichment related activities, having continued with the operation of PFEP [Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant], and with the construction and operation of FEP [Fuel Enrichment Plant]," Mr. ElBaradei noted. "Iran is also continuing with its construction of the IR-40 reactor and operation of the Heavy Water Production Plant."

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 (NPT).

Last December, the Security Council adopted a <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1737%282006%29">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.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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DESERTIFICATION, CLIMATE CHANGE COMBINE TO THREATEN DEVELOPMENT - BAN KI-MOON

DESERTIFICATION, CLIMATE CHANGE COMBINE TO THREATEN DEVELOPMENT – BAN KI-MOON
New York, Sep 12 2007 5:00PM
The linked scourges of desertification and climate change are impeding the achievement of key development targets, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

The "twin threats" of desertification and climate change "pose unrivalled challenges to humanity," he said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm11151.doc.htm">message to the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (<"http://www.unccd.int/">UNCCD) in running from 3-14 September in Madrid. "They demand an unprecedented response from all of us."

Desertification and climate change, which he characterized as "two major manifestations of the same problem," also are obstacles to reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the series of eight anti-poverty targets, by 2015.

Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have contributed to global warming, he noted, while shifting weather patterns could potentially aggravate desertification, drought and food security for people living in dry areas, especially in Africa.

The Secretary-General said that global warming can also lead to increased poverty, forced migration and vulnerability to conflict in regions impacted by extreme weather events.

"Conversely, concerted efforts to combat desertification – by reclaiming degraded land, combating soil loss and restoring vegetation – can help curb greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the resilience of affected countries and build their capacity to adapt to climate change," he said.

Mr. Ban voiced hope that both the Conference, which is meeting in its eighth session, and a high-level informal dialogue on climate change scheduled for 24 September in New York will set the stage for the upcoming major December summit in Bali, Indonesia.

That meeting 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.

Last week, the Secretary-General appointed Luc Gnacadja, a former environment minister from Benin, as the UNCCD's new Executive Secretary. He will succeed Hama Arba Diallo of Burkina Faso, who resigned on 19 June.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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UN ANNOUNCES AWARDS TELECAST FOR MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

UN ANNOUNCES AWARDS TELECAST FOR MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
New York, Sep 12 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations will organize a telecast next year to promote the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs), officials announced today as internationally renowned musician and producer Nile Rodgers presented General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa with a special award in recognition of her work in promoting the set of global anti-poverty targets.

The MDG Festival, planned for June 2008, will feature high-profile international celebrities and entertainers and will present awards for outstanding achievements by businesses, governments, civic organizations and members of the development community, organizers told reporters at a press briefing in New York.

Grammy Awards producer and lifetime achievement award winner Nile Rodgers, who will produce the event, said it would serve to highlight the importance and possibility of accomplishing the internationally agreed goals by 2015.

"It will create greater awareness and commitment to the MDGs by the general public, by schools and by the business community," he said.

Receiving the award in special recognition of her important work in promoting the MDGs, Sheikha Haya urged action to achieve reach the Goals. "The situation is serious, but there is hope. Our common purpose must be to build a global alliance – a global partnership – a truly lasting political consensus to achieve the MDGs on time. This is truly the greatest gift that we could give to humanity."

Also speaking at the press briefing, Ambassador Francis Lorenzo of the Dominican Republic emphasized the need for joint action. Bringing together civil society, the private sector and governments "is the only way we can achieve the Millennium Development Goals," he said.

A focal point of the campaign in the next several months will be a website for global networking where applicants and nominees for awards can post videos, photo galleries and achievements. A panel of judges from UN agencies, independent foundations and other experts will review applications and the general public will be able to vote and make donations to nominees online.

Stressing that the MDGs form "the basis of our economic and social planning for the coming years," Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy of Madagascar said the Festival "will be a great opportunity for all countries to show what they are doing."

"It will be entertaining and informative. It will be a project hat should give a lot of horsepower to this effort," said Mr. Rodgers, whose work ranges across the years, from 1978's "Le Freak," which hit No. 1 and became Warner Brothers' biggest selling single of all time, to collaborations with artists like David Bowie and Madonna in the 1980s, Mariah Carey in the 1990s, and Joss Stone during the current decade.

"I can promise you that there's something coming that's going to be wonderful and great, spiritually rewarding, very, very entertaining. It's going to be good stuff," he said.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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SERBIAN TENNIS ACES APPOINTED NATIONAL AMBASSADORS FOR UNICEF

SERBIAN TENNIS ACES APPOINTED NATIONAL AMBASSADORS FOR UNICEF
New York, Sep 12 2007 5:00PM
Two of the rising stars of women's tennis, Serbia's Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, have been appointed national ambassadors for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to help promote the rights of children and young people in their homeland.

The inauguration ceremonies for Ms. Jankovic and Ms. Ivanovic will take place in the Belgrade in the coming weeks, <"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF said in a press release issued on Monday.

As national ambassadors, Ms. Jankovic will take a special interest in adolescents and young people and the promotion of their rights, while Ms. Ivanovic will focus on the fields of education and child protection.

Ranked three in the world, Ms. Jankovic has won four titles this year and reached the semi-finals of the French Open and the quarter-finals of the US Open. Ms. Ivanovic, who is ranked sixth, has won two titles and reached the final of the French Open and the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

The tennis stars join the retired basketball player Aleksandar "Sasha" Djordjevic and the film director Emir Kusturica as UNICEF national ambassadors in Serbia.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL MOVES TO SET UP JUDGES' SELECTION PANEL FOR LEBANON TRIBUNAL

SECRETARY-GENERAL MOVES TO SET UP JUDGES' SELECTION PANEL FOR LEBANON TRIBUNAL
New York, Sep 12 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he has begun the process of establishing a selection panel to recommend to him the names of judges to serve on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is being set up to prosecute those responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.

In his latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/525">report on the progress of the Tribunal, Mr. Ban says the selection panel will be formed and take up its work by next month, and he expects to be able to appoint the judges – after receiving the panel's recommendations – by the end of the year.

The selection panel will comprise two judges, either sitting or retired from an international tribunal, and a representative of the Secretary-General.

The Lebanese Government has already forwarded a list of the 12 judges proposed by the country's Supreme Council of the Judiciary, and Mr. Ban says the list will remain sealed until the selection process of all judges starts.

UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel sent a letter to all Member States last month asking them to submit candidates for Tribunal judges by no later than 24 September.
According to the Tribunal's statute, the chambers will consist of one international pre-trial judge; three judges to serve in the trial chamber (one Lebanese and two international); five judges to serve in the appeals chamber (two Lebanese and three international); and two alternate judges (one Lebanese and one international).
The judges of the trial chamber and those of the appeals chamber will then each elect a presiding judge to conduct the proceedings in their chamber, with the presiding judge of the appeals chamber serving as president of the Tribunal.
Mr. Ban notes in the report that 51 per cent of the costs of the Tribunal will be met by voluntary contributions from UN Member States, with the remaining 49 per cent to be funded by the Lebanese Government. The UN Secretariat has created a trust fund to receive contributions from the world's countries.
Mr. Michel led a delegation to the Netherlands last month to visit possible sites for the Tribunal and to hold talks with Dutch authorities on the measures necessary to establish the court's seat, according to the report.
The Tribunal is being set up to deal with the assassination of Mr. Hariri, who was killed along with 22 others in a massive car bombing in downtown Beirut in February 2005.
Once it is formally established, it will be up to the court to determine whether other political killings in Lebanon since October 2004 were connected to Mr. Hariri's assassination and could therefore be dealt with by the Tribunal.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL ALARMED BY DEADLY AIR, GROUND ATTACK ON SOUTH DARFUR TOWN

SECRETARY-GENERAL ALARMED BY DEADLY AIR, GROUND ATTACK ON SOUTH DARFUR TOWN
New York, Sep 12 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2731">expressed deep concern at the Sudanese Government's "brutal aerial and ground attack" on a South Darfur town that has left at least 25 civilians dead and took place just days after the United Nations chief visited the war-torn region.

Mr. Ban told the Security Council that the attack indicated that "we must all renew our strong appeals to the parties to show restraint in the lead-up to political negotiations in October" that are being held to try to resolve the conflict that has engulfed Darfur since 2003.

The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) – which is operating in Darfur until the hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID) takes over next year – reported that fierce fighting took place yesterday afternoon after an aerial and ground attack on Haskanita in South Darfur State.

In a closed-door briefing on his visit to Sudan, Chad and Libya, which ended at the weekend, Mr. Ban said the attack was an apparent retaliation for an attack by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on the Wad Banda military base on 29 August. JEM is one of the rebel groups that did not sign last year's Darfur Peace Agreement with the Government.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others have had to leave their homes because of the Darfur conflict between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militia and the rebel groups. An estimated 4 million Darfurians depend on humanitarian aid.

Mr. Ban said that although his trip to the region had brought "good progress," particularly the announcement that political negotiations between the Government and rebels will take place in Libya on 27 October, "I will not say that we have had any successes yet."

The Secretary-General said the UN is moving quickly to establish a trust fund to support the peace process and other assistance measures, and he told Council members that he will soon appeal to Member States to contribute to that fund.

"Now is the time to redouble our efforts, to move with even more speed to make good on commitments and the positive momentum we have generated so that we can finally, with the Sudanese people, see an end to the suffering and insecurity in Darfur."
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON CONVENES 'UNPRECEDENTED' MEETING TO BOOST AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT

BAN KI-MOON CONVENES 'UNPRECEDENTED' MEETING TO BOOST AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT
New York, Sep 12 2007 3:00PM
With the whole of sub-Saharan Africa currently off track for meeting a single one of the ambitious goals the world has set itself for slashing poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy by 2015, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is convening an unprecedented meeting of development leaders on Friday to put the continent back on the rails to progress.

The MDG Africa Steering Group was set up by Mr. Ban after a report in June showed that despite faster growth and strengthened institutions, Africa at its present rate would fail to achieve any of the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/index.html">MDGs) adopted by the UN Millennium Summit in 2000.

"It is an unprecedented gathering bringing together the heads, the apex I would say, of the entire international development system," UN Development Programme (UNDP) official Guido Schmidt-Traub told a news briefing today.

The inaugural meeting will bring together leaders from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission, the African Union, the African Development Bank, the UN Development Group, which is chaired by UNDP, and the Islamic Development Bank.

The meeting will focus on three objectives: the international system's support for African governments in implementing practical programmes to achieve the MDGs in five areas – health, education, infrastructure, agriculture and food security; the need to ensure aid predictability so that African governments can plan years ahead for additional hospitals, schools and training doctors, teachers and nurses; and enhancing collaboration among the Group's members at the country level.

Mr. Schmidt-Traub noted that the June report highlighted some of the success stories coming out Africa. "There are actually quite a few," he said. "That is the good news and the challenge now is to scale up these success stories, and that can be done simply by implementing existing commitments.

"The key message today is that existing commitments if fully implemented are enough and sufficient to achieve the MDGs in the whole of Africa and so the focus now has to be squarely on implementation," he added.

In all cases, the concerted follow-through needs to be broader, more effective and scaled up, he stressed. "The meeting itself will focus on getting a fuller understanding of the objectives and then really deciding on how to follow through," he said.

The follow-through will be led by a second group called the MDG Africa Working Group, led by the Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, which will meet for the first time on 20 September, involving senior operational leaders of the Group's organizations plus other bodies such as the 30-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of industrialized, market-economy countries.

Successes cited by the June report included the expanded AIDS treatment, increased agricultural productivity, rising school enrolment and access to water and sanitation.

These "demonstrate that rapid progress is possible when sound national policies are met with full support, including increased development assistance, from the international system," the Group said in a media advisory.

Stressing the need for predictability in aid, it noted that although the G8 summit of industrial nations in 2005 promised to increase Official Development Assistance to Africa to $50 billion annually by 2010, African countries still do not know how this promise will translate into their country-level budgeting flows.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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INDONESIA: BAN KI-MOON VOICES CONCERN OVER EARTHQUAKE AND POSSIBLE TSUNAMI

INDONESIA: BAN KI-MOON VOICES CONCERN OVER EARTHQUAKE AND POSSIBLE TSUNAMI
New York, Sep 12 2007 3:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his deep concern over the potential consequences of today's earthquake – and the tsunami which may follow – off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island.

A team from Banda Aceh comprising members of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) and other UN staff will depart for an initial assessment in the next few hours, according to a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11152.doc.htm">statement released by Mr. Ban's spokesperson. The Asia-Pacific UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Coordination/FieldCoordinationSupportSection/UNDACSystem/tabid/1414/Default.aspx">UNDAC) team is also on alert to travel if necessary.

Dozens of people lost their lives in strong tremors this March in Sumatra. The island was also devastated by an earthquake and ensuing tsunami in December 2004, which killed more than 270,000 people in 12 countries across the Indian Ocean region.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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TENS OF THOUSANDS OF IRAQI REFUGEE CHILDREN KICK OFF SCHOOL YEAR IN SYRIA - UN

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF IRAQI REFUGEE CHILDREN KICK OFF SCHOOL YEAR IN SYRIA – UN
New York, Sep 12 2007 2:00PM
As the new school year kicked off this week in Syria, tens of thousands of Iraqi refugee children have started classes there with help from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Since early this year, Syria has been preparing to accommodate 100,000 Iraqi students in its schools during the 2007-2008 academic year, up from some 33,000 last year. UNHCR estimates that 1.4 million Iraqis – 250,000 of them of school age – who have fled the violence in their homeland are currently living in Syria.

Laurens Jolles, the agency's representative in Syria, said the Iraqi children there are the future of their country. "Many have already missed out on a considerable amount of their education, both in Iraq and as refugees in Syria. It is one of our top priorities to support the Ministry of Education to accommodate the tens of thousands of Iraqi children who want to enrol in schools."

UNHCR has several plans – such as transportation to other schools with space, temporary classrooms and providing extra funding to pay teachers' salaries for school with double-shift systems – in place to aid schools overwhelmed by applications from Iraqi children.

With the support of the Syrian Red Crescent, UNHCR has distributed school uniforms to more than 11,000 school children in the past two weeks, and aims to supply another 9,000 more in the coming months.

"My dream in life is to be a doctor," said 16-year-old Nada, who is attending school for the first time in two years. "I find it really hard to study in Syria – my whole life is disrupted. Although I wish I could return to my life in Iraq, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to study again."

She graduated as one of the top 10 students in the Baghdad region in June 2005, but her family fled to Syria after the murders of three of her uncles and the kidnapping of another.

In July, <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46e688804.html">UNHCR and the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) issued a joint appeal for $129 million to support the education of Iraqi refugees in the region, and they have also established an Emergency Education Taskforce to tackle the issues preventing Iraqi refugees from receiving schooling. By the end of this year, UNHCR expects to have given more than $20 million to the Syrian Ministry of Education, with that figure to increase in 2008.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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KEY ROLE OF POLICING IN PEACEKEEPING MUST BE RECOGNIZED: UN POLICE CHIEF IN SUDAN

KEY ROLE OF POLICING IN PEACEKEEPING MUST BE RECOGNIZED: UN POLICE CHIEF IN SUDAN
New York, Sep 12 2007 2:00PM
Member States need to recognize the key role played by United Nations police in peacekeeping operations and be willing to contribute experienced officers, particularly for senior positions in the upcoming mission to Darfur, said the UN's top police officer in Sudan, where the world body will field its largest UN Police contingent ever with over 6,400 officers.

"I would say to Member States that they have to realize that the police are an essential part of any peacekeeping operation. The big countries should contribute much, much more but because of national diversity it's very important that the small countries like my own participate because many small streams create in the end a river," UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS) Police Commissioner Kai Vittrup told the UN News Service.

"It's very important to get experienced officers for the higher positions. Officers who have operational or administrative experience and especially who have the will to lead, to be leaders," said the experienced Danish officer who travels frequently to Darfur and is involved in preparing for the UN's heavy support package to this western region.

"You can't go to a mission in Darfur or anywhere else in the world and sit down as a senior manager and do nothing and just hope that things will just solve themselves by doing nothing. You can't do that. You have to be engaged and dedicated, these are not just words."

The Security Council approved the creation of a hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur (to be known as UNAMID) in July and this will be composed of over 30,000 personnel, including over 19,500 military and more than 6,400 police officers. Mr. Vittrup is under no illusions however about the massive challenges this force will face, not least of which are the problems associated with the sheer size of Sudan.

"The big challenge is first of all the infrastructure. You are in a mission where the distance is unbelievable, Sudan is bigger than half of Europe and it takes many, many hours to go from point A to point B. Darfur is even more difficult because the infrastructure in terms of roads is almost non-existent, there are very, very few roads," he said.

"Another thing is that you're working in an international environment where those officers that you're dealing with come from all parts of the world, so you have to be very much aware of national diversity, gender issues and all those things. You have to implement the mandate you have but you must also have a political sense to make sure that the whole mission is represented in the way that they should be."

Mr. Vittrup also emphasized the importance of officers being culturally sensitive in their dealings with the local population and also to be aware of arriving in the mission with preconceived ideas.

"First of all, especially those officers who haven't been in a mission to Africa before they have to realize there is a cultural difference and they have to respect this culture. It's very often you see people, especially from Europe, making an assessment of people here based on their own culture, you can't do that."

"You have to respect this is the way they are living, this is the way they are acting and then be aware that every single child that you meet in the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps, everyone of them has exactly the same right to a decent life in peace and security that you have."

Conflict between rebels, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militia has engulfed the impoverished Darfur region since 2003, causing the deaths of more than 200,000 people and forcing at least 2.2 million others to flee their homes.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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IRAQ: UN VOICES CONCERN OVER SHELLING OF NORTHERN KURDISH AREAS

IRAQ: UN VOICES CONCERN OVER SHELLING OF NORTHERN KURDISH AREAS
New York, Sep 12 2007 1:00PM
The top United Nations official in Iraq voiced concern today over the intermittent shelling of areas in the northern region of Kurdistan.

"Such incidents continue to cause damage and consternation among the civilian populations in these areas, disrupting their daily lives," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Ashraf Qazi said in a statement issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (<"http://www.uniraq.org/aboutus/aboutus.asp">UNAMI).

Mr. Qazi recently discussed the issue with all relevant parties and urged them to use their good offices to ensure an immediate end to the shelling. He called on all concerned parties to refrain from activities that "can lead to further destabilization of the political and humanitarian situation in Iraq," the statement noted.

He stressed that "a stable, secure and peaceful Iraq is in the interests of Iraq, its neighbours and the wider region."

UN agencies have been in touch with the governorate and local authorities and have undertaken assessment missions to ascertain humanitarian needs, providing tents, blankets, cooking equipment and other emergency items to several hundred displaced families as well as emergency supplies to hospitals treating the wounded.

Work was going on to ensure adequate water supplies to those affected, UNAMI added.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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UNESCO HOSTS EXPERT MEETING ON IMPROVING WATER MANAGEMENT IN CITIES

UNESCO HOSTS EXPERT MEETING ON IMPROVING WATER MANAGEMENT IN CITIES
New York, Sep 12 2007 1:00PM
Government and academic experts from around the world will examine ways to improve urban water management at an international symposium starting today at the Paris headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=39382&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO).

The three-day symposium, organized by the agency's International Hydrological Programme, will look at new proposals and technologies for dealing with the growing pressure on freshwater supplies, the poor administration of existing water resources and the general degradation of the environment.

The symposium will hear contributions from the heads of nine projects that the Programme has coordinated since 2002, while urban water management officials from countries ranging from Iran and Oman to France, Serbia and Uganda will also brief the meeting.

The International Hydrological Programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme designed to help countries improve their knowledge of the water cycle so they can better manage and develop their water resources and protect the environment.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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MILLIONS OF HANDS SET TO JOIN IN THIS WEEKEND'S UN-BACKED CLEAN UP WORLD CAMPAIGN

MILLIONS OF HANDS SET TO JOIN IN THIS WEEKEND'S UN-BACKED CLEAN UP WORLD CAMPAIGN
New York, Sep 12 2007 12:00PM
From the palm-fringed shores of the Pacific islands of Tonga to the banks of the Vistula in Poland, some 35 million people are expected to take part in this year's United Nations-backed Clean Up the World Weekend starting on Friday, with activities ranging from litter removal to tree planting to water conservation to promote sustainable living.

"Millions of people simply conserving water, and recycling waste adds up to a huge environmental benefit for the planet," Australian founder and chairman of Clean Up the World Ian Kiernan said of this year's 15th annual celebration of the community-based campaign, which is supported by the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=517&ArticleID=5661&l=en">UNEP).

"Our aim is to encourage individuals to take responsibility for the environment through a range of affordable actions. What is inspiring is the variety of activities that participating organizations have initiated in their countries in response to this challenge," he added.

The 2007 theme, "Our Climate, Our Actions, Our Future," channels community action towards addressing the causes of climate change.

Among those undertaking activities this weekend are Our Earth Foundation in Poland and the Tonga Solid Waste Management Project, which are conducting nationwide clean-ups, and Programa TV Na Praia in Brazil, which is coordinating a day of activities to launch their anti-litter campaign.

"Climate change and other environmental challenges impact every corner and community on the planet," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said. "Our generation is witnessing the early stirrings of extreme weather events, melting ice and other climatic manifestations, and it is truly impressive to see so many communities responding to the challenge with grassroots enthusiasm and commitment.

"In this context, <"http://www.cleanuptheworld.org/en">Clean Up the World is playing a leadership role by providing practical action and this is exactly how the world will start making a difference," he added.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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NEW UN POCKET-CHARTS WILL SAVE LIVES BY PREDICTING HEART ATTACK AND STROKE

NEW UN POCKET-CHARTS WILL SAVE LIVES BY PREDICTING HEART ATTACK AND STROKE
New York, Sep 12 2007 11:00AM
Health workers around the world will be able to more easily identify those at risk of heart attacks and strokes and save some of the estimated 20 million lives lost to these diseases annually by prescribing the most appropriate treatment, thanks to a new book of pocket-charts <" http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr47/en/index.html">launched by the United Nations health agency today.

"This is a real breakthrough," UN World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan said. "Now, health care workers everywhere – whether they are in a high-tech medical centre in a big city or riding a bicycle to visit patients in the countryside – can use a simple assessment and treatment tool to prevent heart attacks and strokes."

"Primary health care workers now have a new tool to assess and manage people at risk of heart attacks and strokes. This brings cardiovascular care to the places and people who need it most," she added of the book, which contains charts on such risk factors as age, sex, tobacco use, blood pressure, diabetes and blood cholesterol.

It incorporates management recommendations in such areas as smoking cessation, dietary changes, physical activity, weight control, alcohol consumption, anti-hypertensive drugs, lipid lowering drugs, anti-platelet drugs, anti-coagulant treatment and vascular surgery.

The "Pocket Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Cardiovascular Risk," available in six languages, contains easy-to-use charts and is the first cardiovascular disease risk-prediction system that can be used worldwide, including in low-resource settings. It is an important innovation that will help health workers to target limited health care resources at people who are at higher risk of developing heart attacks and strokes.

"We are never prepared for the sudden death of a family member or a friend from a heart attack or stroke," WHO Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Catherine Le Galès-Camus said.

"Cardiovascular diseases are increasing towards epidemic proportions in developing countries – they already account for one-third of global deaths, and almost 10 per cent of the global burden of disease, and are likely to become the developing world's leading cause of death in 2010," she added.

"There is reason for hope, however, given that huge potential exists to control this emerging epidemic. These risk charts are a major new tool for providing the best health care to all the world's people."

WHO will be collaborating with national Health Ministries and nongovernmental organizations in setting up "training of trainers" workshops and distribution of the guide.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death globally, causing one third of all deaths. In 2005, 11.8 million people died of heart attacks and other heart diseases, and 5.7 million died of stroke. Around 80 per cent of these deaths were in low- and middle-income countries. By 2015, an estimated 20 million people will die from CVD annually, mainly from heart attacks and strokes.

Until now, individuals have often been assessed and treated based on a single risk factor such as high blood pressure, high blood lipids or diabetes. This approach can result in committing a patient who has only a small risk to many years of drug therapy or, conversely, neglecting to treat those with an overall higher risk.

Most importantly, the single risk factor approach is not cost effective and is not affordable for many low-income and middle-income countries.

The guides are available in hard copy and on the WHO <" http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/guidelines/Pocket_GL_information/en/index.html">website.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF SEEKS OVER $2 MILLION TO AID THOUSANDS OF NICARAGUAN HURRICANE VICTIMS

UNICEF SEEKS OVER $2 MILLION TO AID THOUSANDS OF NICARAGUAN HURRICANE VICTIMS
New York, Sep 12 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is <"http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-76XH5A?OpenDocument">seeking over $2 million in relief aid over the next six months for victims of Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua, where up to 100,000 people are estimated to have been affected by the disaster and thousands of homes destroyed or damaged.

"Serious damage to the road, communication and public services infrastructure, and loss of crops and food supplies has been reported," UNICEF said in its latest update. While it is too early to provide precise information, the agency said "it is clear that there will be a serious water and sanitation problem."

Over 13,000 people are currently living in temporary shelters set up on higher ground and in schools located in stable buildings.

<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF, along with governmental and UN partners, mainly the UN World Food Programme (<" http://www.wfp.org/english">WFP) and the UN World Health Organization (<" http://www.who.int/en">WHO), are making urgent preparations to meet the demand for emergency supplies and services that is expected in the coming days.

UNICEF has begun providing blankets and water purification equipment for the population in the shelters. During the next few days, humanitarian aid will start reaching more dispersed communities, including nutrition for children aged 6 to 24 months, prevention of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases, and rapidly re-opening schools.

Over the January to March period, UNICEF will focus on supporting mobile medical teams to reach isolated communities as well as the rehabilitation and improvement of sanitation conditions to reduce the population's vulnerability in future emergencies, including the rehabilitation of water systems and wells.

The agency will also improve affected school buildings to reduce the danger for children and support the Ministry of Education in establishing continuity in the school curriculum and teacher training to ensure the quality of learning between both school years.

Most of the communities affected are very isolated and can only be reached by small boats along the river or by helicopter. The logistics of all emergency and rehabilitation activities are therefore very complex, which increases costs for both transport of supplies and personnel.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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ILLICIT TRAFFICKING, THEFT OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS 'A PERSISTENT PROBLEM,' UN AGENCY REPORTS

ILLICIT TRAFFICKING, THEFT OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS 'A PERSISTENT PROBLEM,' UN AGENCY REPORTS
New York, Sep 12 2007 11:00AM
Illicit trafficking, theft and loss of nuclear and other radioactive materials remain "a persistent problem," according to the United Nations agency entrusted with pre-empting nuclear and radiological terrorism and preventing proliferation.

More than 250 incidents involving unauthorized possession and related criminal activities, theft or loss of nuclear or other radioactive materials, and other activities such as unauthorized disposal of radioactive materials were <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2007/itdb.html">reported to the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Illicit Trafficking Database (ITDB) last year, of which 150 occurred in 2006 and the rest mainly in 2005.

"Information reported to the ITDB shows a persistent problem with the illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials, thefts, losses, and other unauthorized activities," the latest ITDB report said.

Of the 150 incidents that occurred in 2006, 14 involved unauthorized possession and related criminal activities and can be described as illicit trafficking, containing such factors as illegal possession, movement, or attempts to illegally trade in the materials.
The majority of these incidents involved sealed radioactive sources and the materials included natural uranium, depleted uranium, and thorium.

In January 2007, Georgia reported to the ITDB an incident that occurred in
February 2006 and involved the seizure of 79.5 grammes of 89 per cent-enriched uranium.

Another 85 incidents in 2006 involved thefts, losses or misrouting of nuclear or other radioactive materials. Thefts of such materials are of particular concern since they can be upstream evidence of illicit trafficking and are indicators of vulnerabilities in control and security systems. In about 73 per cent of cases, the lost or stolen materials have not been reportedly recovered.

Eight of these incidents involved high-risk "dangerous" radioactive sources that are classified as Category 2 and 3. Another 51 reported incidents involved various types of material recovery showing no direct evidence of criminal behaviour, such as detection of materials disposed of in an unauthorized way.

"Uncontrolled nuclear and other radioactive materials also are evidence of weaknesses in control and security measures. These could be exploited by those with a malicious intent," the report noted.

As of 31 December2006, the ITDB contained 1,080 confirmed incidents reported by participating States since 1993, of which 275 involved unauthorized possession and related criminal activity, 332 involved theft or loss and 398 other unauthorized activities.

Past incidents of illicit trafficking involved seizures of kilogramme quantities of weapons-usable nuclear material, but most have involved very small quantities, the report said. "In some of these cases, there is a possibility that seized material was a sample of larger quantities available for illegal purchase or at risk of theft. If so, these materials pose a continuous potential security threat," it added.

"Where information on motives is available, it indicates that profit seeking is the principal motive behind such events. Some cases, however, showed an indication of malicious intent."

Currently, 96 States participate in the ITDB Programme. In some cases, non-participating Member States have provided information.
2007-09-12 00:00:00.000

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UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF CALLS FOR BOLSTERED PEACE EFFORTS IN EASTERN DR CONGO

UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF CALLS FOR BOLSTERED PEACE EFFORTS IN EASTERN DR CONGO
New York, Sep 11 2007 7:00PM
Increased dialogue and negotiation, and not a military solution, are crucial in protecting civilians from the violent clashes wracking the troubled eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes told the Security Council today.

"We need strong, urgent and concerted political and diplomatic action, by the DRC Government, by the concerned governments of the region and by the international community as a whole," he said in an address to the 15-member body.

Mr. Holmes, who also serves as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, briefed the Council on his recent five-day mission to the vast Central African nation.

In Kinshasa, he expressed his concern to President Joseph Kabila and Government officials over the "potentially catastrophic humanitarian consequences of further fighting" among DRC forces, renegade troops and armed groups in the east, particularly North and South Kivu.

Nearly 1 million people have been internally displaced because of the fighting in the Kivus, and in North Kivu alone, roughly 300,000 people have been force to leave their homes since last November, he said.

In North Kivu, Mr. Holmes visited a camp in Mugunga, which he characterized as "a grim sight." The capacities of UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the Red Cross to distribute relief supplies are being stretched to the limit, and "we have recently noticed trends both of longer-lasting displacement than in the past and self-segregation along ethnic lines among the displaced," he said.

At the Panzi Clinic near Bukavu in South Kivu, the Emergency Relief Coordinator heard first-hand from women who are victims of brutal sexual violence, which he said is a "particularly horrific feature of the DRC."

He noted that the statistics are also shocking, with 15,000 women being treated since Pranzi opened its doors in 1999, nearly a third of them children. Almost 30,000 cases of sexual violence were registered in South Kivu last year, but "who can say what the true figure is? For many victims, registering a case and speaking out means almost certain ostracism by their own family and community," he said.

The climate of "virtually total impunity" for such horrendous crimes must be reversed, Mr. Holmes told the Council. The Government must stamp out disorderliness in the military, and the justice system must be improved to bring perpetrators of sexual violence to justice.

"Everything in the DRC is huge, including its problems," said Mr. Holmes. Emphasizing that the country's crisis needs to receive the same level of attention as that in Darfur, he appealed to donors for increased funding, given the urgent humanitarian needs in the Kivus.

A brutal six-year civil war in DRC cost 4 million lives in fighting and attendant hunger and disease, widely considered the most lethal conflict in the world since World War II. Last year, the country held its first democratic elections in over four decades, the largest and most complex polls the UN has ever helped to organize.

"The point is that if we allow these issues to fester further they may put at risk all we have achieved in the DRC in the last few years, at such difficulty and cost," he said. "That would be the biggest tragedy of all."
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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EBOLA VIRUS OUTBREAK IN CENTRAL DR CONGO CLAIMS 160 LIVES - UN HEALTH AGENCY

EBOLA VIRUS OUTBREAK IN CENTRAL DR CONGO CLAIMS 160 LIVES – UN HEALTH AGENCY
New York, Sep 11 2007 7:00PM
At least 160 people have died in an outbreak of the highly lethal haemorrhagic Ebola virus in the centre of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) reported today, announcing that it is rushing medical and supplies to the region to try to contain the disease.

Laboratory analysis conducted in Gabon and the United States on samples taken from cases in the outbreak have confirmed the presence of the Ebola virus, which causes death in 50 to 90 per cent of cases.

WHO said some of the samples also show the presence of a type of dysentery, which is complicating the treatment of victims, who are concentrated in the Mweka and Lwebo areas of DRC's Kasai Occidental province.

So far there have been 372 confirmed cases and 166 deaths, according to WHO, while Radio Okapi – which is part-operated by the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC) – reported today that there have been 168 deaths.

DRC health ministry officials are leading the response to the outbreak, but WHO said it was providing staff, supplies and equipment to the areas affected and it was also mobilizing a team of national and international experts to implement strategies to try to limit the size of the outbreak.

The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons or animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys and antelopes, and it has an incubation period of two to 21 days.

Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating sufferers because of the lack of adequate infection control precautions in affected countries in Central Africa. Burial ceremonies also can play a role in transmitting the virus when mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person.

Sufferers can experience fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches and sore throats, as well as vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and impaired kidney and liver function. In the most severe cases, the virus can lead to both external and internal bleeding.

WHO said there is no indication yet of any need to impose trade or travel restrictions with the DRC as a result of the outbreak.
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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FIERCE CLASHES IN SOUTH DARFUR TOWN ALARM UN MISSION IN SUDAN

FIERCE CLASHES IN SOUTH DARFUR TOWN ALARM UN MISSION IN SUDAN
New York, Sep 11 2007 6:00PM
Grave reports have emerged of fresh fighting between Sudanese Government armed forces and Darfur rebel groups in the south of the war-torn region, the United Nations Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.unmis.org/english/en-main.htm">UNMIS) reported today, raising alarm about the timing of attacks, which came on the heels of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's visit to the country.

UNMIS said the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) – which is operating in Darfur until the hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID) takes over next year – reported that fierce fighting took place yesterday afternoon in the town of Haskanita in South Darfur state.

The reports indicate that the violence between Government forces and rebels occurred close to the AMIS military group site in Haskanita, forcing mission personnel there to take cover and local civilians to seek refuge around the camp.

A statement from AMIS noted that while the details of the clashes have not yet been properly investigated, there is clear evidence of heavy fighting – including the use of helicopter gunships.

"Given the critical stage of the peace process, the forthcoming negotiations in Libya and the commitments made by all parties to uphold the ceasefire, the nature, scale and timing of these attacks is astonishing," according to the statement.

"It is particularly alarming that these developments should take place so soon after the visit of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the positive atmosphere which it created."

AMIS is mandated to monitor the ceasefire between the Government and the rebels in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others forced to flee their homes since 2003.

UNMIS also reported that four armed men shot and wounded an internally displaced persons (IDP) in the Kalma camp in South Darfur yesterday, while a boy from the Fur tribe was reportedly beaten by several armed men in the same camp.

On Sunday, a group of 20 women from an IDP camp in Zalingei in West Darfur were briefly detained by an Arab militia while fetching fire wood, but they were later released.
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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RECENT ECONOMIC GROWTH IN AFRICA SHOULD BE MORE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED - UN ENVOY

RECENT ECONOMIC GROWTH IN AFRICA SHOULD BE MORE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED – UN ENVOY
New York, Sep 11 2007 6:00PM
The recent economic growth among Africa's poorest countries has been confined mainly to those nations with rich mineral resources and has not yet translated to a substantial reduction in poverty, the United Nations envoy for those nations said today as he pledged to spearhead efforts to better distribute the emerging wealth.

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, told his first press conference at UN Headquarters in New York that extreme poverty remains stubbornly high in the world's most vulnerable nations.

Nearly half of the estimated 760 million people in the 50 States classed as least developing countries (LDCs) live in extreme poverty, or on less than $1 per day, he said.

Mr. Diarra said the situation was harshest in sub-Saharan Africa, home to 34 of the 50 LDCs and the only region in the world where the percentage of people living in extreme poverty rose in the two decades until 2001.

Although many countries in that region are enjoying solid economic growth and receiving greater amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI), they are still concentrated in the countries with high amounts of mineral resources.

Mr. Diarra said the growth needs to be more evenly spread and he called on developed nations to play their part by helping poor countries improve their infrastructure and expand their export trade.

The envoy also promised to focus on efforts to encourage good governance in LDCs, which he stressed was a critical factor in ensuring they make economic and social progress.
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT INAUGURATES BAHRAINI EXHIBITION AT UN HEADQUARTERS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT INAUGURATES BAHRAINI EXHIBITION AT UN HEADQUARTERS
New York, Sep 11 2007 3:00PM
The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, has inaugurated a week-long exhibition at UN Headquarters in New York on development in Bahrain, to mark the award the UN-Habitat award the country's prime minister, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa.

The exhibition, organized by the Mission of Bahrain to the UN and dubbed "Bahrain: Making policy a reality, meeting the millennium challenges," features the Middle Eastern country's efforts to preserve the environment through responsible urban planning.

"Development is indispensable for advancement, prosperity and safeguarding the future. It is a fundamental human right that we must all strive to protect and promote," Sheikha Haya said.

In implementing initiatives in the pursuit of development, "the needs of the poor must be paramount, for poverty, just like unemployment and illiteracy, reinforces the foundation upon which tension, fanaticism and violence thrive," she added.
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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FORMER HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER TO LEAD PANEL ON UNDP WORK IN DPR KOREA

FORMER HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER TO LEAD PANEL ON UNDP WORK IN DPR KOREA
New York, Sep 11 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations Development Programme (<"http://www.undp.org/">UNDP) today <"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2007/september/dprk-statement-external-review.en">announced the members of a panel, to be led by the former Prime Minister of Hungary, that will look into the agency's activities in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The new panel will complement the work of the UN Board of Auditors, which since January, at the request of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has been examining UN activities in DPRK following media allegations that funds used by UN agencies to help in humanitarian efforts in the country were being channelled improperly to the Government in Pyongyang, including to its nuclear programme.

That inquiry into the operations of UNDP, <"http://www.unfpa.org/">UNFPA, the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) and the UN Office for Project Services (<"http://www.unops.org/unops/">UNOPS) is now preparing to enter its second phase after the first phase found there had been no large-scale or systematic diversion of UN funds.

But the Board of Auditors has also noted that the second phase will not cover the full range of allegations and issues raised specifically about UNDP's work in the DPRK.

In response, the agency announced last month that it would set up an independent inquiry to examine allegations not being investigated by the Board of Auditors, and today named the members: Miklos Németh, the former Prime Minister of Hungary and a current member to the Advisory Council of Transparency International; Chander Mohan Vasudev, formerly Permanent Secretary of Public Expenditure in the Indian Ministry of Finance, and Mary Ann Wyrsch, former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees who is also currently the Chair of UNDP's Audit Advisory Committee.

"UNDP is determined to leave no stone unturned in getting answers to all of the allegations that have been raised about its operations in DPRK, and is confident that the combination of the UNBOA process and the external review will do so," the agency said in a statement.

The aim is to complete a report by the end of this year, the agency said. Speaking to reporters in New York, UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis voiced hope that this deadline would be met. "We expect that that will be feasible" depending on how the work goes, he said.

Asked why UNDP maintains that the UN Ethics Office does not have jurisdiction over the agency's staff members and whether the review would cover the complaints of three who have come forward seeking whistleblower protection, Mr. Dervis said the terms of reference will focus on the DPRK issue. "We cannot have an open-ended process that any issue that comes up will be covered by this review."

Mr. Dervis said all staff should have measures to seek protection against retaliation and pointed out that UNDP has a hotline for this purpose, as well as an ombudsman. He added that UNDP wants to harmonize procedures across the UN system.

Another correspondent said "numerous staff" have voiced dissatisfaction with the justice system and asked why UNDP did not simply allow the Ethics Office to handle the cases "I'm not precluding anything," Mr. Dervis replied, while stressing that further discussion is required.

"We want to be agile, we want to be efficient, we want to be focused on results and so whatever we do in terms of the overall procedures – yes to harmonization, yes to working together, yes to economy of resources but no to simply adopting Secretariat rules or to simply merging the funds and programmes into the Secretariat."
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF ENVOY ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO SPOTLIGHTS RIGHTS OF CHILDREN IN BENIN

UNICEF ENVOY ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO SPOTLIGHTS RIGHTS OF CHILDREN IN BENIN
New York, Sep 11 2007 2:00PM
The singer and United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/index.php">UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo is touring her home country of Benin this week to raise awareness about the rights of children, spotlighting the importance of education and protection from exploitation and trafficking.

During her four-day trip, which began yesterday, Ms. Kidjo will take part in the launch of Benin's girls' education campaign, visit schools and meet with both women's groups and child victims of human trafficking.

UNICEF said Ms. Kidjo's trip is designed to help raise the awareness of decision-makers in Benin about the rights of children, particularly that girls need to attend school and complete their primary education. The visit should also highlight the importance of rehabilitating children who have been trafficked or exploited.

Ms. Kidjo, an internationally renowned singer and songwriter, became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in July 2002. Other ambassadors include the British soccer player David Beckham, the Brazilian photojournalist Sebastião Salgado, the American actress Jessica Lange, the Greek singer Nana Mouskouri and the Chinese pianist Lang Lang.
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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IRAQIS PREVENTED FROM ENTERING SYRIA BY NEW VISA RULES, UN REFUGEE AGENCY SAYS

IRAQIS PREVENTED FROM ENTERING SYRIA BY NEW VISA RULES, UN REFUGEE AGENCY SAYS
New York, Sep 11 2007 2:00PM
Many Iraqis fleeing violence in their home country have found their entry into Syria cut off because of new visa restrictions which went into effect yesterday, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

With the exception of certain professional categories – for commerce, science, transport and education – Iraqi refugees must apply for visas at the Syrian Embassy in Baghdad's Al Mansour district, the scene of frequent sectarian violence. <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46e6a8b04.html">UNHCR has been told by Iraqis that travelling to the district to apply for visa poses great danger to them.

"The regulations effectively mean there is no longer a safe place outside for Iraqis fleeing persecutions and violence," the agency's spokesperson Ron Redmond <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46e66ea24.html">told reporters in Geneva. "An estimated 2,000 Iraqis flee their homes daily inside the country, so we are increasingly concerned about their fate as their options for safety are reduced."

The Government has not released the exact details of the new visa rules. Although UNHCR is appealing for Iraqi refugees to be granted a visa on humanitarian grounds, Mr. Redmond noted that it is too early to ascertain whether Syria is making exceptions to the new policy for people escaping violence and persecution.

The spokesman acknowledged that Syria "of course has been extremely generous in accepting some 1.4 million Iraqis with only limited international support," adding that UNHCR has received assurances from Government sources that the country will not deport Iraqi refugees residing in Syria.

According to the agency, over 4.2 Iraqis have fled their homes, with 2 million in neighbouring countries and 2.2 million displaced within Iraq.

Meanwhile, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and Egyptian film star Adel Imam arrived today for a two-day mission in Syria to see first-hand the difficulties faced by the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi families uprooted by conflict.

He is scheduled to hold meetings today with the Syrian First Lady, Government officials and the head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Mr. Imam will also meet with Iraqi refugees at the UNHCR registration in Douma and at health clinics.

The Goodwill Ambassador's visit is taking place just as the school year is kicking off in Syria, where the Government recently announced that it will allow Iraqi children to enrol in public schools.

In another development, UNHCR today welcomed Chile's decision to receive 100 Palestinian refugees living in destitute conditions on Iraq's border with Syria and Jordan for several years.

The agency has repeatedly called for a human solution for Palestinian refugees – some received preferential treatment under Saddam Hussein and have become targets for attack since his overthrow in 2003 – who fled to Iraq after the creation of Israel in 1948. Nearly 20,000 of them have already fled but an estimated 15,000 still remain in the country, mostly in Baghdad.

In July, Brazil announced it would resettle 117 Palestinian refugees, and this process will begin shortly. Nearly two dozen Latin American nations signed an agreement to resettle refugees, and the Palestinians are the first from outside the region to benefit from the programme.
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CONGOLESE REFUGEES STILL ON UGANDAN SIDE OF BORDER, UN REPORTS

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CONGOLESE REFUGEES STILL ON UGANDAN SIDE OF BORDER, UN REPORTS
New York, Sep 11 2007 12:00PM
Some 25,000 to 30,000 Congolese refugees remain on the Ugandan side of the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after fleeing last week's escalation in fighting among the Congolese army, renegade troops and rebels, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

"They are staying close to the border, keen to go back as soon as the situation improves," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46e66ea412.html"> told a news briefing in Geneva, noting that the situation in the DRC's strife-torn North Kivu province has somewhat calmed since last Friday.

UN agencies reported then that the upsurge in fighting was hampering efforts to deliver food aid to tens of thousands of people driven from their homes, but Mr. Redmond said the calm had allowed UNHCR to improve support for some of the estimated 35,000 internally displaced people (<"http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs) stranded in the Mugunga area, 15 kilometres west of Goma, the capital of North Kivu.

Fearing an outbreak of cholera because of congestion and a lack of adequate sanitation, water and health facilities, Ugandan authorities have asked the Congolese to either move to the UNHCR-supported Nyakabanda reception centre some 20 kilometres inside Uganda or return to the DRC, Mr. Redmond said.

Inside North Kivu, some IDPs from the Sake area are reported to have returned during daylight, mainly to check their houses, amid deployment of UN Mission in the DRC (<"http://www.monuc.org/Home.aspx?lang=en">MONUC) peacekeepers. But most IDPs from Sake and Masisi district continue to put up makeshift huts in the Mugunga area, awaiting more information on security conditions.

On Friday, UNHCR set up the new Bulengo camp for IDPs together with the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF) and non-governmental organization partners and hundreds of displaced have moved from makeshift, overcrowded sites and a nearby school complex to the new camp. The new site can accommodate some 25,000 people under minimum humanitarian standards. Hundreds of families have already started constructing shelters.

"We are planning to transfer pregnant women and children by truck from makeshift camps to the new site," Mr. Redmond said. "We remain concerned with limited access to other areas in Masisi and Rutshuru districts due to the tense security situation. We fear only a small part of the recent displacement in the North Kivu may be known and that there are other sites where humanitarian assistance has not reached."

Since December new IDPs in North Kivu are estimated to have surpassed 220,000 and the number continues to grow. In total, there are more than 640,000 IDPs in this eastern DRC province. The eastern DRC remains the most violent area of the vast country, where MONUC has overseen the transition from a six-year civil war to gradual stabilization elsewhere.

On the other side of Uganda, the first two of 40 IDP camps are to be closed today in the northern Lango region as a result of the improved security situation, ongoing peace talks between the Government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and generally improved freedom of movement, Mr. Redmond reported.

Estimates are that some 92 per cent of some 466,000 IDPs in the region at the height of the displacement in 2005 have returned. The camps were established between 2002 and 2004. But the situation is different in the Acholi region where 63 per cent of some 1.1 million IDPs remain in the camps.

"With the continuation of peace talks and continually improving security we expect to see more IDPs return to their homes," Mr. Redmond said.

At the peak of displacement in 2005, there were 242 camps hosting 1.85 million IDPs. As of the end of June, 539,550 IDPs had returned home and some 916,000 remain in the camps. Another 381,000 moved to the new sites closer to their homes.
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN ENVOY IN AFGHANISTAN CALLS FOR TOTAL CESSATION OF VIOLENCE TO MARK PEACE DAY

TOP UN ENVOY IN AFGHANISTAN CALLS FOR TOTAL CESSATION OF VIOLENCE TO MARK PEACE DAY
New York, Sep 11 2007 11:00AM
The top United Nations envoy in Afghanistan today <"http://www.unama-afg.org/news/_pr/_english/UN/2007/07sep11.pdf">appealed for a total cessation of violence across the country on 21 September, marked around the world as International Day of Peace, and for days of tranquillity ahead of that date to allow for vital humanitarian initiatives to be carried out.

"In Afghanistan, we all know about conflict and insecurity," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Tom Koenigs told a news briefing in Kabul, the capital, where he was joined by representatives of almost every UN agency working in the country. "But what we have seen in these past weeks is that Afghanistan wants peace."

He called on all groups, all individuals, and institutions to support the peace effort in a country that has suffered nearly 30 years of war, and in the past 18 months has seen a rise in a Taliban-led insurgency. Although 21 September is marked worldwide, this year in Afghanistan, a special effort has been underway for nearly two months to promote support for an actual day of peace and non-violence.

Adding their support to the appeal, several agencies stressed the need for a week of tranquility to precede the actual Peace Day, to allow for essential humanitarian activities,
including polio vaccination drives and food deliveries to people in insecure areas of the
country.

Scores of groups have pledged support and action for the campaign, including business, civil society groups, media organizations, government ministries and regional authorities. The campaign has grown to encompass every region of the country, and numerous activities are planned over the remaining 10 days.

These include special prayers in mosques around Afghanistan, and cultural events such
as poetry readings, painting and writing competitions. Radio and television stations are
programming round-table discussions and phone-ins to discuss peace.

There are also arms handover ceremonies, immunization campaigns, town and district clean ups, and a ceremony to hand over a large tract of land that has been cleared of mines. The major wireless networks have committed over the next 10 days to sending text messages of peace to all Afghan mobile phone subscribers.

"The response has been vast and it continues to grow," Mr. Koenigs said. "Help us make Peace in Afghanistan real."
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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ATROCITIES MARK START OF NEW PEOPLE-SMUGGLING SEASON ACROSS GULF OF ADEN, UN REPORTS

ATROCITIES MARK START OF NEW PEOPLE-SMUGGLING SEASON ACROSS GULF OF ADEN, UN REPORTS
New York, Sep 11 2007 11:00AM
People-smuggling boats from Somalia have once again taken to the Gulf of Aden in the perilous annual exodus to Yemen, despite bad weather conditions, amid reports of new deadly atrocities committed by smugglers against the migrants, the United Nations refugee agency said today.

"Twelve died on the high seas under horrific circumstances. At least five of them were beaten and stabbed by smugglers and thrown overboard, while another six died of asphyxiation and dehydration in the hold of a boat. One person drowned after disembarking in deep waters," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46e66ea520.html">told a news briefing in Geneva.

In the past week, 324 Somalis and Ethiopians have landed in Yemen as the new people-smuggling season gets underway with the anticipated arrival of better weather, in an annual ritual which sees tens of thousands of migrants risking their lives in rickety vessels at the hands of often unscrupulous and brutal traffickers.

"New arrivals on 3 September told UNHCR staff that passengers on their vessel were beaten with clubs and stabbed throughout the voyage. Several survivors were treated for their injuries at a UNHCR-sponsored medical clinic in Yemen," Mr. Redmond said.

Since January 2006 some 30,000 people braved the voyage, and nearly 400 were killed or died as smugglers murdered some migrants and others perished when their boats capsized.

Last week, UNHCR officials reported that thousands of Ethiopians and Somalis had already gathered in the northern Somali port of Bossaso in anticipation of the new exodus and they said they feared that the new people-smuggling season would be as bad and deadly as the last.

When the latest boat approached shore near Arqa on Saturday, Yemeni forces reportedly opened fire, barely missing the 90 passengers on board, Mr. Redmond said. Smugglers ask between $60 and $100 for the journey.

Somali refugees registered at the UNHCR's reception centre said they left their country due to conflict, arbitrary killings, the threat of detention, drought and lack of work. Somalis account for half of the migrant flow and most have fled conflict in southern and central parts of the country, including Mogadishu, the capital. There are nearly 90,000 registered refugees in Yemen, almost all of them Somalis.
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED CONFERENCE ADOPTS GLOBAL PLAN TO SAFEGUARD GENETIC DIVERSITY OF LIVESTOCK

UN-BACKED CONFERENCE ADOPTS GLOBAL PLAN TO SAFEGUARD GENETIC DIVERSITY OF LIVESTOCK
New York, Sep 11 2007 11:00AM
Delegates from 109 countries at a United Nations-backed conference have <" http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000655/index.html">adopted the first internationally agreed framework, including financing for developing states, to halt the erosion of the genetic diversity of livestock, seen as crucial in mitigating the effects of global warming and protecting the world's food supply.

"This is a milestone in international efforts to promote the wise management of the world's animal genetic resources for food and agriculture," UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Assistant Director-General for Agriculture and Consumer Protection José María Sumpsi told the closing session of the first International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources in Interlaken, Switzerland.

"It will provide the framework for action and international cooperation for many years to come. It is a visible sign of the urgency that all countries and regions give to ensuring the survival of these crucial resources, and to improving their use to achieve global food security and sustainable development."

At least one livestock breed a month has become extinct over the past seven years, and around 20 per cent of the world's livestock breeds are at risk of extinction, according to the FAO report, The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, released at the conference.

Many breeds at risk of extinction have unique characteristics and traits such as resistance to disease or adaptation to climatic extremes that could prove fundamental to the food security of future generations, FAO stressed.

The Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, adopted by the conference and providing the first authoritative assessment of global livestock biodiversity, identifies four strategic priority areas: characterization, inventory and monitoring of trends and risks; sustainable use and development; conservation; and policies, institutions and capacity building.

It calls for the provision of technical assistance, especially to developing countries and countries with economies in transition, to help them implement the plan's provisions.

A major breakthrough during the three-day negotiations was agreement on implementation and financing of the plan, which requires substantial financial resources and long-term support for national, regional and international animal genetic resources programmes.

"Governments are now strongly committed to implementing the global plan and are prepared to mobilize adequate funding," Mr. Sumpsi said. "The ability of developing countries to effectively implement their commitments under this plan will depend on the effective provision of funding."

But he warned that mere adoption of the plan was not an end in itself. "It now needs to be implemented. Governments must now demonstrate the sustained political will to do so, and resources will have to be found, nationally and internationally," he said.

"Success will depend on farsighted cooperation among many stakeholders. Governments, international organizations, the scientific community, donors, civil society organizations and the private sector all have important roles to play."
2007-09-11 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES PROGRESS AFTER ELECTIONS IN TIMOR-LESTE

SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES PROGRESS AFTER ELECTIONS IN TIMOR-LESTE
New York, Sep 10 2007 7:00PM
Welcoming the formation of a new Government in Timor-Leste after recent legislative elections, the Security Council today urged the small South-East Asian country's political groups to resolve any differences or disputes through only peaceful channels.

Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert of France, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month, said in a statement that the people of Timor-Leste, which the United Nations helped shepherd to independence in 2002, deserved credit "for demonstrating their strong commitment to peace and democracy" by successfully staging the polls.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão heads the Timorese Cabinet after the 30 June elections, which produced no clear winner and was followed by sporadic outbreaks of violence.

Mr. Ripert stressed that all parties in Timor-Leste and their supporters must refrain from violence and work through peaceful channels "and within the framework of democratic institutions" to ensure the security of the country.

Timor-Leste's Government, Parliament, political parties and general population must engage together in political dialogue so they can consolidate not only peace and democracy, but the rule of law and sustainable social and economic development, Mr. Ripert said.

Other priorities include security sector reform, resolving the issue of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and strengthening the justice sector.

The presidential statement also emphasized the importance of national reconciliation in Timor-Leste, where differences between the eastern and western regions last year led to the deaths of at least 137 people, the displacement of about 155,000 people – or 15 per cent of the national population – and the creation of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT).
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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MARKING DAY TO PREVENT SUICIDE, UN STRESSES THAT PEOPLE OF ALL AGES CAN BE AT RISK

MARKING DAY TO PREVENT SUICIDE, UN STRESSES THAT PEOPLE OF ALL AGES CAN BE AT RISK
New York, Sep 10 2007 6:00PM
With one person taking their own life every 30 seconds, the United Nations is marking World Suicide Prevention Day today by appealing for bolstered efforts to stem suicide rates among people of all ages.

According to the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/">WHO), 3,000 people kill themselves every day, and for every person who commits suicide, 20 or more may attempt it.

Statistics also show that in adults, suicide is a leading cause of death, accounting for more deaths than those resulting from wars and homicide. In short, "more human beings kill themselves than kill others each year," said Brian Mishara, President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), which has partnered with WHO to improve national responses to prevent suicide.

To raise awareness that suicide takes place across all people of all ages – children, adolescents, adults and the elderly – the theme of this year's Day is "Suicide prevention across the Life Span."

While progress has been made in curbing suicides among youth worldwide, suicide rates among young adolescents under the age of 15 have surged while the elderly rate remains high, especially among men in developed countries, Dr. Mishara told reporters in New York.

Addressing suicide among the elderly poses challenges, including "prejudices on the part of people in the health-care profession and other who feel that it's normal to be unhappy, depressed or feeling down when you're older," he said.

"There's phenomenal potential for preventing suicide among the elderly but generally very little attention is given to them," but research shows that the elderly respond as well or better than other age groups to psychotherapy, Dr. Mishara noted.

Although suicide among children under the age of 15 does not account for a large proportion of all suicides, suicide among people between the ages of 15 and 24 is still a leading cause of death in young people in many countries.

Treating mental health problems is a significant component of preventing suicides, but Dr. Mishara pointed out that globally, one of the largest challenges faced is encouraging men – who commit suicide at a higher rate than women in many nations – to seek help for their problems. "They call less frequently to telephone helplines, they consult their family physicians less often for mental health problems and they less frequently go into psychotherapy and seek help from physicians," he said.

In a joint press release, WHO and IASP called for a comprehensive approach – incorporating the education, labour, police, justice, religious, legal, political and media sectors – to promote effective suicide prevention.

"Fortunately, suicide is not an inevitable burden that must be accepted by society," the agencies said.
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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UN BLUE HELMETS HELP CONGOLESE SOLDIERS AND FAMILIES ESCAPE LATEST FIGHTING

UN BLUE HELMETS HELP CONGOLESE SOLDIERS AND FAMILIES ESCAPE LATEST FIGHTING
New York, Sep 10 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has helped more than 100 army soldiers, along with their wives and children, to evacuate from a town in the volatile far east of the country that has been the scene of fresh violence between armed groups at the weekend.

The mission, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/index.html">MONUC, said in a press statement today that UN blue helmets stationed in North Kivu province were able to escort 102 members of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and 125 dependants from Kichanga to Nyanzala after a request from FARDC.

The evacuation followed fresh fighting around Kichanga involving forces loyal to Laurent Nkunda, a dissident faction leader of the FARDC, and members of the ex-Rwandan armed forces (FAR)/Interahamwe and the Mayi-Mayi armed group known as PARECO.

MONUC said it was particularly concerned about the presence of Interahamwe members – notorious for their involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide – in the combat zone.

The fighting in North Kivu, which has remained one of the DRC's most unstable regions since the official end of the civil war in 2003 and last year's historic national elections, and in neighbouring areas has intensified sharply in recent months, forcing more than 220,000 civilians to flee their homes since December last year. The most recent clashes have been between FARDC members and those loyal to Mr. Nkunda.

Stressing it would continue to intervene to protect North Kivu's towns and cities, in line with its mandate, MONUC noted that it had deployed two companies of supplementary peacekeepers to the province on Saturday.

The mission added that direct clashes between the FARDC and the Nkunda faction seem to have stalled, and it said that the presence of MONUC troops in the area around the town of Sake – whose residents fled ahead of the advance of the Nkunda forces – presented the opportunity for the townspeople there to return to their homes.
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF AND FIFA KICK OFF 'GOALS FOR GIRLS!' CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE RIGHTS

UNICEF AND FIFA KICK OFF 'GOALS FOR GIRLS!' CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE RIGHTS
New York, Sep 10 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/china2007/index_40818.html">UNICEF) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) have kicked off a new "Goals for Girls!" campaign which aims to promote education, gender equality and women's rights through sport.

Launched on 7 September in conjunction with the FIFA Women's World Cup China 2007, Goals for Girls! will use the competition as a platform to explain how educating girls not only helps eliminate gender discrimination but also contributes to addressing many of the most serious problems their communities face.

"Children everywhere have a right to education, and educating girls is a key to defeating poverty, hunger, disease, violence, abuse and exploitation," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. "Through Goals for Girls!, UNICEF and FIFA will take this important message to soccer fans around the world."

The Federation's President, Joseph S. Blatter, said FIFA's long-standing partnership with UNICEF is founded on the two organizations' shared goal of supporting the rights of children, especially those of girls. "Football has an indispensable role to play as a tool for promoting integration, education and communication and, as such, it can help build a better future," he said.

The UNICEF-FIFA campaign promotes the child-friendly school model, offering both genders a quality education in a safe environment, even in emergency situations. UNICEF also works with partners and governments to remove barriers to education, including school fees and lack of access.

During the current competition, the 16 best women's national teams from the six confederations will be competing from 10 to 30 September in Chengdu, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin and Wuhan to be crowned world champion.

Since 2001, UNICEF and FIFA have teamed up on numerous occasions, using the world's most popular sport to inform them about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and help protect them from violence and exploitation.
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR: BAN KI-MOON SAYS PEACE TALKS MUST BE 'FINAL PHASE' TOWARDS SETTLEMENT

DARFUR: BAN KI-MOON SAYS PEACE TALKS MUST BE 'FINAL PHASE' TOWARDS SETTLEMENT
New York, Sep 10 2007 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in New York today following an intensive, week-long visit to Sudan, Chad and Libya, vowed to maintain his focus on ending the conflict in Darfur and said the region's leaders agree that next month's peace talks to try to resolve the crisis there must serve as "a final phase for a final settlement."

Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1067">told reporters at United Nations Headquarters that he had been encouraged by the results of his many meetings during his trip, including those with Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, Chadian President Idriss Déby and Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

"My visit… was very useful and constructive in generating a momentum to bring an early resolution of the situation in Darfur," he said, referring to the conflict between rebels, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militia that has engulfed the impoverished region of western Sudan since 2003, causing the deaths of more than 200,000 people and forcing at least 2.2 million others to flee their homes.

During the trip, Mr. Ban announced that the UN and African Union (AU) Special Envoys to Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, will lead full political negotiations between the Sudanese Government and Darfur's rebel groups on 27 October in Tripoli.

Mr. Ban and AU Chairman Alpha Oumar Konaré will also jointly chair a high-level meeting on the issue in New York on 21 September, while Chad is going to hold a preparatory meeting with Darfur's rebel movements later this month.

"I am encouraged. We must build upon this progress to bring peace and security and prosperity to these people," Mr. Ban said today.

The Secretary-General stressed that the region's leaders, especially those of Sudan, "should make their utmost efforts to make this political process move smoothly, keeping the cessation of hostilities and helping the humanitarian assistance flow smoothly, without any hindrance."

He also said that troop-contributing countries have given their full cooperation to the world body on plans for deploying a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force in Darfur (to be known as UNAMID), and in some cases have exceeded what is needed.

"But we are still lacking in the specialized areas, like air transportation, experts in finance and some other areas," Mr. Ban cautioned.

UNAMID, which is set to take over from the existing AU mission in Sudan (AMIS) by the start of next year, is authorized to have some 26,000 troops and civilian police officers.

In an <"http://radio.un.org/play.asp?NewsID=7710">interview with <"http://radio.un.org/">UN Radio, Mr. Ban said that his visit to the future headquarters of UNAMID in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, indicated that the preparations are "on the right track" for a smooth transition from AMIS.

He added that he was optimistic about the deployment of a separate multidimensional presence – comprising the European Union's military component, Chadian police and gendarmes and the UN's civilian elements – in neighbouring eastern Chad, where there has also been unrest and large-scale displacement.
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES PEACEFUL RUN-OFF ELECTIONS IN SIERRA LEONE

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES PEACEFUL RUN-OFF ELECTIONS IN SIERRA LEONE
New York, Sep 10 2007 5:00PM
This weekend's presidential run-off election in Sierra Leone was generally orderly and peaceful despite the violence and tensions preceding the polls, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, urging the country's people to resolve any future disputes through legal channels.

Sierra Leoneans cast their ballots on 8 September in the second-round of presidential elections between Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress and incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People's Party, who are vying to succeed President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2728">statement, a spokesperson for the Secretary-General said he "urges the political parties and people of Sierra Leone to exercise restraint as counting of the ballots proceeds and to resolve all arising disputes through the existing legal channels."

Earlier this month, the two presidential candidates signed a communiqué on measures to try to calm tensions in Sierra Leone.

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11146.doc.htm">statement on the eve of the run-off, Mr. Ban voiced his deep concern over incidents of harassment, intimidation and violence involving supporters of the two main political parties in the West African country, which is seeking to rebuild after a devastating decade-long civil war.

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. The mission has been replaced by the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL).
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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UN CALLS FOR $55 MILLION TO REBUILD REFUGEE CAMP IN NORTHERN LEBANON

UN CALLS FOR $55 MILLION TO REBUILD REFUGEE CAMP IN NORTHERN LEBANON
New York, Sep 10 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations appealed today for $55 million to reconstruct the Nahr el-Bared camp for Palestinian refugees in northern Lebanon, which was badly damaged during months of intense combat between the Lebanese army and Fatah el-Islam gunmen.

UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Geir O. Pedersen told a donor meeting for Nahr el-Bared, being held in Beirut, that "thousands of displaced Palestinian and Lebanese civilians" now depend on the support of the international community to restart their lives.

"We, the United Nations, will continue to assist and support the people affected by the conflict to the best of our ability," he said, adding later that "we count on the continued support of the international donor community to ensure that the recovery and reconstruction phase will move forward rapidly and effectively."

Earlier this month the Lebanese army announced that it seized full control of Nahr el-Bared from the Fatah el-Islam gunmen group, which it began fighting in May, forcing most of the camp's estimated 31,000 residents, including about 8,000 classified by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as special hardship cases, to flee to the nearby Beddawi camp and other areas.

In his statement, Mr. Pedersen voiced the UN's support "to the Lebanese Government, the army, the Lebanese people and the Palestinian refugees and the PLO for the courage, determination and unity with which they have faced and overcome the challenges posed by the criminal aggression of Fatah el-Islam."
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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MYANMAR: UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CALLS FOR RELEASE OF PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS

MYANMAR: UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CALLS FOR RELEASE OF PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS
New York, Sep 10 2007 1:00PM
Voicing mounting concern over the detention of peaceful demonstrators in Myanmar, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today called on the Government to release them immediately.

In a statement issued last Friday, Louise Arbour "<"http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/media.htm">urged the authorities to uphold freedom of expression and association and engage with Myanmar's civil society, rather than suppress dissent." She also noted that "there will be no progress in Myanmar's political transition unless people have space to express their views openly and peacefully."

Since 19 August when citizens started protesting against a surge in fuel prices, more than 150 people have been arrested, she said, expressing dismay at the violence utilized by "agents of the State" against some protestors, including monks.

Late last month, the High Commissioner 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.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari, in a press conference last week, <"http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2007/070905_Gambari.doc.htm">characterized the Government's response to the protests as a "setback for Myanmar."

He added that Myanmar's actions "are all the more disappointing as they not only have the effect of calling into question the stated commitment to democratization and national reconciliation by the authorities, but also make it more difficult to maintain support, international support, for engagement with Myanmar at a time when we believe strongly that the country needs international assistance in addressing the many pressing challenges, from political and human rights issues to humanitarian and socio-economic problems."
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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IMMEDIATE ACTION CRUCIAL TO TACKLE AFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING, UN OFFICIAL WARNS

IMMEDIATE ACTION CRUCIAL TO TACKLE AFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING, UN OFFICIAL WARNS
New York, Sep 10 2007 1:00PM
A senior United Nations official today called for action not only to tackle the causes of global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also to cope with its effects such as the increasing vulnerability of agriculture which places developing countries especially at risk.

Abnormal changes in air temperature and rainfall and the increasing frequency and intensity of drought and floods have long-term implications for the viability and productivity of world agro-ecosystems, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000654/index.html">FAO) Assistant Director General Alexander Müller told over 140 world experts convened in Rome for a workshop on Adaptation Planning and Strategies.

"FAO is already actively assisting its members, particularly developing countries, to enhance their capacity to confront the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture, forests and fisheries," Mr. Müller said, noting that this means helping people to adapt their agricultural systems to changed conditions and specific stresses.

This involves providing creative solutions and alternative approaches, such as introducing crop varieties that can tolerate heat and water stress, he added, calling for greater attention to forecasting extreme events and trends by collecting data and developing tools to produce on-hand information for adapting countries' agriculture.

Ways must be found to build up the resilience of people and of food production systems, he said, noting that agriculture – the sector most affected by changes in climate patterns – will be increasingly vulnerable in the future. Especially at risk are developing countries, which are highly dependent on agriculture and have fewer resources and options to combat damage from climate change.

In the short term, as the global average temperature rises 1-3º Celsius, industrialized countries may well gain in food production potential, but at lower latitudes, especially in subsistence sectors, marginal, semi-arid and sub-humid regions where rain-fed agriculture is the norm, crop potential will most probably decline even with a minimal rise in global temperature, according to FAO.

Agriculture is both culprit and victim when it comes to climate change. It is estimated that the livestock sector alone accounts for 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while deforestation is responsible for 18 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions.

According to FAO, introducing improved livestock management and crop practices, coupled with adaptive management of forests, could have a very significant impact. Adopting land-use practices such as conservation agriculture would also help to maintain significant amounts of carbon in the soil.

Rice production is another major source of greenhouse gas emissions. It is perhaps the main source of anthropogenic methane, with some 50 to 100 million metric tons per year emitted from the world's 130 million hectares of rice paddies, the agency said.

At the same time adverse and extreme weather conditions can jeopardize rice crop production, which feeds more than half the world's population. A major benefit could be achieved by introducing different and improved rice varieties with greater salinity tolerance. These were successfully used by FAO to expedite the recovery of production in areas damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The rapid transition toward greater use of biofuels could also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so long as food security and environmental considerations are taken into account, FAO said.

The workshop has been organized by the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC) and is part of a series of meetings to assess strategies to cope with the effects of global warming.
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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MILLIONS AT RISK OF EXPOSURE TO CHOLERA IN NORTHERN IRAQ, UN HEALTH AGENCY WARNS

MILLIONS AT RISK OF EXPOSURE TO CHOLERA IN NORTHERN IRAQ, UN HEALTH AGENCY WARNS
New York, Sep 10 2007 1:00PM
More than 7,000 cases of acute diarrhoea have so far been reported in the cholera epidemic in northern Iraq, putting over 2.8 million people at risk from exposure to the infectious and sometimes fatal disease, according to the United Nations health agency.

The UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_09_10a/en/index.html">WHO) is taking emergency measures to help the Kurdistan authorities in Sulemaniya, Kirkuk and Erbil provinces contain the epidemic. Ten people are so far reported to have died.

"We still need different materials to control this pandemic such as drugs and medical supplies, diagnostic and enteric disease bacteriology kits, water testing kits, awareness and communications tools and equipment," WHO Technical officer Omer Mekki said. "We are doing our best effort to lead the UN emergency aid in north Iraq."

All evidence suggests that transmission is still circulating. It is unclear what caused the outbreak, but initial investigation show some evidence that, in Sulemaniya, polluted water that residents were forced to rely on due to a shortage of drinking water may have been to blame. In Kirkuk, cracked water pipes allowed contamination by sewage, and because of the close geographic proximity the outbreak spread to Erbil, Dr. Mekki said.

WHO is providing technical assistance to the health authorities for risk assessment, strengthening surveillance system and improving coordination through a multi-sectoral operations room in health, water and environment in the provincial ministry of health.

The agency has also helped in standardizing case management, mobilizing medical and other essential supplies as well as in organizing social mobilization and health education campaigns where more than 10,000 posters distributed.

The continuous movement of people and cargo, bad sanitary conditions and high temperatures may increase the possibility of spreading the disease rapidly to other areas such as Baghdad and the central provinces, Dr. Al- Gasseer warned.

The WHO-Iraq office has ordered 10 emergency diarrhoea disease kits to pre-position adequate quantities of essential drugs as well as other medical and laboratory supplies in all hospitals and health centres. In addition, two truck loads of intravenous fluids and antibiotics are to be sent Erbil.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It causes watery diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given. About 80 to 90 per cent of cases are mild or moderate and are difficult to distinguish clinically from other types of acute diarrhoea. Less than 20 per cent of ill people develop typical cholera with signs of moderate or severe dehydration.
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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'MARTYRDOM CULTURE' NOT MAJOR CAUSE OF AFGHAN SUICIDE ATTACKS, UN REPORTS

'MARTYRDOM CULTURE' NOT MAJOR CAUSE OF AFGHAN SUICIDE ATTACKS, UN REPORTS
New York, Sep 10 2007 12:00PM
Suicide attackers in Afghanistan, including children, are being coerced or duped into carrying out such operations, and seemed to be motivated by a variety of grievances such as foreign occupation, anger over civilian casualties and humiliation rather than a "martyrdom culture," according to a new United Nations report.

"Based on what we've found you can say we are puncturing a few popular myths," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Tom Koenigs said of the study carried out by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). "The Afghan suicide attacker is not crazed, fanatical or brainwashed. Some are recruited in madrassas, but many are not. Of those we've seen most are young, poor, uneducated, and easily influenced."

Released yesterday on the anniversary of Afghanistan's first-known suicide attack, the 9 September 2001 slaying of commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, and just days before the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the study presents data and analysis and includes interviews with more than two dozen failed and alleged suicide attackers. It is the most detailed so far into the phenomenon in Afghanistan.

It notes a sevenfold increase in suicide attacks in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2006 and a continuing though slower rise in 2007. Its recommendations include immediate efforts to diminish perceptions of a foreign military occupation, and political steps to reduce the insurgents' support base by meeting the demands of the population, cutting corruption, overseeing fair judicial processes and providing basic public services.

"Unlike other conflict areas wherein suicide attacks are commonly used,
Afghanistan fortunately has yet to develop a robust "martyrdom culture," which
simultaneously celebrates the attacker and helps forge a justifying narrative for the
attacks as in other theatres," according to the study, Suicide Attacks in Afghanistan (2001-2007 – <"http://www.unama-afg.org">www.unama-afg.org).

"In fact, in Afghanistan it is rare that one can identify, much less celebrate, the attacker and his deed. Not all attackers seem to be truly ideologically committed, based upon the highly limited data garnered for this study. While suicide attackers in Afghanistan may have been inspired by such attacks in Iraq and neighbouring Pakistan, Afghanistan has been spared sectarian violence despite having a relatively large Shi'a population as discussed in this report," it says.

The study calls on all forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations to reduce civilian casualties and "conscientiously work to uphold the dignity and honour of Afghans, to avoid provoking outrage in the population and a ready supply of volunteers for jihad."

Afghan national security forces must be supported increasingly to assume responsibility for providing more effective security, and the means must be found to engage other Muslim countries to support security and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

The cross-border dimension of suicide attacks in Afghanistan must also be addressed by bolstering Pakistani support to eliminate domestic enablers for the insurgency in Afghanistan and address militancy within its own borders, the study states.

Previous research has noted the low effectiveness of Afghan suicide attackers, who in some cases succeed in blowing up only themselves. UNAMA's findings affirm this but also point to a possible explanation, that coercion and misrepresentation on the part of terrorist training and recruitment networks mean attackers are often ill-prepared for their missions and unaware of the consequences.
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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UN ATOMIC WATCHDOG HELPS PROTECT AGAINST NUCLEAR TERRORISM AT BEIJING OLYMPICS

UN ATOMIC WATCHDOG HELPS PROTECT AGAINST NUCLEAR TERRORISM AT BEIJING OLYMPICS
New York, Sep 10 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations atomic watchdog agency is providing expertise to support the security of major public events against the threat of nuclear terrorism, including ongoing preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

"The Agency's nuclear security work has clearly improved overall nuclear security," UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2007/ebsp2007n013.html">told the agency's Board of Governors meeting in Vienna on his latest report on nuclear security and protection against nuclear terrorism.

"But much remains to be done in shaping the nuclear security framework, in building up-to-date security systems and in dealing with the legacy of past lax security. This is not a problem that can be solved overnight; it takes time and resources to achieve a sustainable, internationally acceptable baseline level of nuclear security," he said.

Expertise for protection at major events is just one of element is the IAEA's arsenal of measures. The Agency already provided support in the preparations of July's Pan American Games in Brazil.

Mr. ElBaradei noted that over the past 12 months the IAEA continued to expand Member State participation in the Illicit Trafficking Database and that nuclear security training had been provided to some 1,650 individuals from 90 countries. The Agency assisted in improving physical protection at facilities in nine States.

"More than 900 items of security related equipment were supplied to Member States, including border detection equipment for 29 countries," he said. "Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plans were completed in 38 countries, and the agreed activities have been planned or are being implemented in each of the States concerned."

The international community has taken on board a variety of international instruments relevant to nuclear security and he welcomed the rapid entry into force of the <"http://untreaty.un.org/English/Terrorism/English_18_15.pdf">International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.

"However, progress on ratifying the Amendment to the <"http://untreaty.un.org/English/Terrorism/Conv6.pdf">Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material remains slow," he stressed, noting that only 11 of 128 States Parties had so far accepted the Amendment.

The Agency is foreseen as playing an important role in implementing these instruments.
"To that end, we have started an effort to provide nuclear security guidance that would facilitate implementation," Mr. ElBaradei said. "This and other programme changes entail transitioning from a situation in which strengthening nuclear security has been addressed as an ad hoc reaction to the prevailing threat of nuclear terrorism to a situation in which nuclear security will be addressed in a normative, sustainable manner."
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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DESPITE PROGRESS, IMPORTANT ISSUES OF IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME STILL REMAIN - UN

DESPITE PROGRESS, IMPORTANT ISSUES OF IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME STILL REMAIN – UN
New York, Sep 10 2007 10:00AM
Despite progress in resolving certain matters regarding Iran's nuclear programme, the United Nations atomic watchdog agency reported today that other important issues still need to be verified, although Iran has agreed to a work plan to settle these within a specific time framework.

"This is the first time that Iran has agreed on a plan to address all outstanding issues, with a defined timeline, and is therefore an important step in the right direction," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2007/ebsp2007n013.html">told the IAEA Board of Governors in his latest report on the nuclear programme, which many countries see as an effort to produce nuclear weapons but which Tehran says is solely for the peaceful purpose of producing energy.

"Naturally, the key to gauging Iran's commitment will be its willingness to implement this work plan fully and in a timely manner. This would require active cooperation by Iran and its undertaking of all the transparency measures needed to reconstruct the history of its nuclear programme," he said of the steps, which include access to locations, documents and individuals.

"Resolving all outstanding verification issues in the next two to three months, after a long deadlock, would go a long way towards building the confidence of the international community in the peaceful nature of Iran's past nuclear programme," he added.

On the progress made, Mr. ElBaradei reported that the IAEA has been able to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material, with Iran continuing to provide access and reporting, as well as additional information and access needed to resolve a number of long outstanding issues.

Questions about past plutonium experiments have thus been satisfactorily answered, and "the issue has been resolved," as have questions about the presence and origin of high enriched uranium particles at the Karaj Waste Storage Facility.

But despite Security Council calls, Iran has not suspended enrichment related activities, and is continuing with the construction and operation of the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz and a heavy water reactor at Arak. "This is regrettable," Mr. ElBaradei said. Enriched uranium can be used both for energy generation and weapons production.

The crisis began with the discovery in 2003 that Iran had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (<"http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Treaties/npt.html">NPT), and the Security Council has since imposed a series of sanctions, with members considering further action.

Mr. ElBaradei reiterated a call he made earlier this year for a "double time-out" suspending all enrichment related activities and sanctions and providing a breathing space for negotiations to be resumed.

"The earlier we move from confrontation and distrust to dialogue and confidence building, the better for Iran and for the international community," he said, calling on Iran to provide the IAEA with renewed access to information on its advanced centrifuge research and to ratify and bring into force an additional protocol of the NPT, allowing for short-notice, on-the-spot inspections.

"This would enable the Agency to provide assurances not only regarding declared nuclear material but, equally important, regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran," he added, repeating his past conviction that a durable solution can only be achieved through negotiations.

On the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Mr. ElBaradei reported a "positive step forward" in ending the country's nuclear weapons programme following agreements in July, noting that the IAEA had been able to verify the shutdown of the Yongbyon nuclear facility.

"I particularly welcome the active cooperation the IAEA team is continuing to receive from the DPRK. The Agency looks forward to continuing to work with the DPRK as the verification process evolves," he said.

But on efforts to apply safeguards to all nuclear activities in the Middle East and move towards the establishment of a Middle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, he reported no progress.

"Consultations with concerned States of the region has not produced an agreement on the agenda" for a forum to discuss the experience of other regions with existing nuclear-weapon-free zones, including confidence building and verification measures, for establishing such a zone in the Middle East, he added.
2007-09-10 00:00:00.000

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AS TENS OF THOUSANDS FLEE IN EASTERN DR CONGO, FIGHTING HAMPERS UN FOOD AID

AS TENS OF THOUSANDS FLEE IN EASTERN DR CONGO, FIGHTING HAMPERS UN FOOD AID
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
An upsurge in fighting between Government forces, renegade troops and rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is hampering efforts to deliver food aid to tens of thousands of people driven from their homes, United Nations agencies reported today.

At the same time, a shortage of funds is aggravating the situation, with supplies of food aid fast running out.

"This is a real and worsening crisis," UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2631">WFP) Deputy Country Director Claude Jibidar said. "The fighting is uprooting more people every day and making it ever harder for WFP to reach them with the assistance they urgently need. We need at least $12 million to buy more food in the region and move it in fast."

New arrivals streaming into camps for the displaced near Goma, capital of North Kivu province, are being registered for emergency food rations, amid reports that 40,000 people have fled the violence in recent days, in addition to 200,000 people displaced in the region since last December, WFP reported.

"It is neither normal nor acceptable that you have to live this way," Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes told the displaced people at one of the camps, Mugunga, adding that on his return to New York he would address the UN Security Council on the situation.

Thousands of people have moved towards Goma from the town of Sake, where entire families have fled fighting. Most of them had no time to collect any belongings or food from their homes. The fighting is restricting humanitarian access and food deliveries to areas beyond Goma. Roads are unsafe, and on Wednesday a UN helicopter airlifting WFP food to Masisi District had to turn back because of the conflict.

"We again urge all parties to the conflict in North Kivu to refrain from attacks on the civilian population and on the displaced in particular," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46e13e0f4.html">UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva, noting that up to 35,000 Congolese spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights in neighbouring Uganda to escape the fighting.

During the day, most of the men have been crossing back into the DRC to check on their properties, leaving behind 12,000 to 15,000 women and children. Nearly all of them are staying with Congolese relatives and friends living in the Ugandan town of Bunagana.

"In screening new arrivals, UNHCR and its NGO (non-governmental organization) partner have identified a number of rape and torture victims. Our teams also received reports of killings of civilians," Mr. Redmond said. "We are still hoping that negotiations to resolve the underlying causes of the conflict can resume, preventing further displacement and deterioration of an already devastating humanitarian situation."

Both UN agencies reported that thousands of people have moved towards Goma from the town of Sake, where entire families have fled fighting. Most of them had no time to collect any belongings or food from their homes. Columns of displaced are heading towards Muganga camp for internally displaced people, some 15 kilometres from Goma, and towards Goma itself. There are several camps and makeshift sites in the Mugunga area hosting at least 35,000 people, and the numbers continue to rise daily.

"The conditions are desperate, with the displaced sheltering in flimsy huts made of leaves and sticks, in overcrowded school buildings and under the open sky," Mr. Redmond said.
"Due to increasingly difficult and limited access in the region, we fear that the known displacement is only the tip of the iceberg."

Recent nutrition assessments by WFP partners in some of the worst affected areas have uncovered a worrying increase in malnutrition, with rates of acute malnutrition in some cases reaching 17 per cent – beyond the emergency threshold.

"WFP has moved rapidly to provide life-saving support to civilians caught up in the latest fighting," Mr. Jibidar said. "Our supplies in the East are running alarmingly low, but this operation is an absolute and immediate priority. The people of North Kivu have already suffered far too much."

A tripling in needs over the past year in eastern DRC has restricted WFP to the point that it is currently able to provide only half rations to 334,000 mostly displaced people across the region, which remains the most violent area of the vast country, where the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) has overseen the transition from a six-year civil war to gradual stabilization elsewhere.

The war cost 4 million lives in fighting and attendant hunger and disease, widely considered the most lethal conflict in the world since World War II. Last year the DRC held its first democratic elections in over four decades, the largest and most complex polls the UN has ever helped to organize.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL APPEALS FOR CALM ON EVE OF ELECTIONS IN SIERRA LEONE

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPEALS FOR CALM ON EVE OF ELECTIONS IN SIERRA LEONE
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
On the eve of run-off presidential elections in Sierra Leone, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2724">voiced concern about violent incidents in the country and appealed to all parties to refrain from activities that could endanger stability.

Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress and incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People's Party are vying to replace President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in tomorrow's second-round poll.

A spokesperson for Mr. Ban said he is "deeply concerned about the recent incidents of harassment, intimidation and violence involving supporters of the two main Sierra Leone political parties and about the incidents of inflammatory rhetoric appearing in the local media."

Through his spokesperson, the Secretary-General appealed to all Sierra Leonean parties and their supporters to refrain from activities that could endanger peace and stability.

Earlier this month, the two presidential candidates signed a communiqué on measures to try to calm tensions in Sierra Leone. In his statement today, Mr. Ban applauded "recent national and regional initiatives to bring the two remaining candidates together" and called on the people of Sierra Leone "to participate peacefully in tomorrow's elections."

The Secretary-General's Executive Representative in Sierra Leone, Victor Angelo, also issued a statement calling for calm. He recalled how during last month's vote, Sierra Leoneans "queued peacefully from as early as four in the morning to cast a vote for their future."

Mr. Angelo voiced hope "that the same memorable, peaceful image will be visible across the country tomorrow."

The election run-off between the two top presidential candidates will set in motion the final stages of the West African country's first general elections since the departure of UN peacekeepers in 2005 and will mark the first time since the end of Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war that power is due to be handed from one civilian Government to another.

"Saturday's vote will be the culmination of a long and demanding election process that has been crucial for the stability of Sierra Leone," said Mr. Angelo, who cautioned that "it will be the responsibility of the political parties and their supporters to respect the peace and to accept the outcome."

The two candidates who won the highest number of votes at the 11 August polls will compete for the country's Presidency on 8 September. Mr. Koroma took 44 per cent of the vote, against 38 per cent for Vice-President Berewa. On Saturday, a majority vote will suffice for victory.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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ALARMING UPSURGE IN REPORTED RAPE OF GIRLS IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE, UN REPORTS

ALARMING UPSURGE IN REPORTED RAPE OF GIRLS IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE, UN REPORTS
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
The most basic rights of children are violated in Côte d'Ivoire, the West African country split between the Government-controlled south and the Forces nouvelles-held north since 2002, and there is "an alarming degree of violence against children at the community level," according to a new United Nations report.

"I remain deeply concerned about the prevailing culture of impunity for violations against children," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in his <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/515">report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict in Côte d'Ivoire, covering the period from October 2006 to September 2007.

"I call upon the relevant authorities to undertake and demonstrate concrete measures to address this concern, including rigorous and timely investigation of incidents and the prosecution of perpetrators," he adds.

Mr. Ban also voices deep concern at the prevalence of sexual violence, especially against girls, and urges the Government "as a matter of urgent priority" to prepare a national action plan to address the issue.

"During the reporting period there was an upsurge in the number of reported cases of rape, while reported killings and abductions have declined," he writes. "Although the majority of the most serious incidents of sexual violence occurred during the clashes of 2002 and 2004, rape and other grave sexual violence against children, especially girls, take place with alarming frequency. These violations happen throughout the country."

He welcomes measures taken by Forces nouvelles and the militia groups to cooperate with the UN and the national disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme to end the association of children with their forces, and notes "significant progress" made "both in dialogue with the parties to the conflict and in the implementation of action plans by them" to end the practice.

Noting that abduction of children is often associated with trafficking and forced prostitution, Mr. Ban says perpetrators often go unpunished due to prevailing insecurity and particularly the absence of a justice system in the north. "It is critical that the Government of Côte d'Ivoire implement the multilateral agreement against trafficking in children," he says.

He also welcomes the accord between the parties, reached in March in Ouagadougou, the capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso, to heal the country's split and calls on all sides when carrying out the pact to ensure that issues concerning children are taken into full consideration.

Mr. Ban's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, who is currently visiting the country, issued a press release today voicing optimism that the problems of young Ivorians can be addressed. She cited plans by the Government to set up of an inter-ministerial structure on the issue as well as a national action plan to end sexual violence to be developed with UN assistance.

"For one year now, there is no case of child recruitment has been detected in Cote d'Ivoire and the execution of the Action Plan seems to be on the right track. We now need to ensure reintegration and proper follow-up on children in their communities," Ms Coomaraswamy said, calling in the international community to support the reintegration programme established by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners.

"The situation is moving in the right direction and Cote d'Ivoire can continue to count on the support of the United Nations family," she pledged.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE OFFICIAL ASKS LEBANON TO CONTINUE PROTECTING IRAQI REFUGEES

UN REFUGEE OFFICIAL ASKS LEBANON TO CONTINUE PROTECTING IRAQI REFUGEES
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46e13e116.html">UNHCR) official today asked Lebanon to continue protecting the 40,000 Iraqi refugees and asylum seekers who have fled their country.

Following a three-day visit to neighboring Syria, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Erika Feller is in Lebanon to meet with authorities to raise the agency's concern about the detention – especially prolonged and indefinite detention – of refugees and asylum seekers.

Ms. Feller has expressed appreciation for Lebanon's flexible and humanitarian approach towards Iraqi refugees, in spite of the complexity of the Lebanese situation and in light of the country's security concerns. She asked the Government to find a balance between Lebanon's security needs and the refugees' humanitarian concerns.

The Commissioner visited Roumieh Prison, the largest in the country, in which 400 people of concern to UNHCR, mostly Iraqis, are being detained mainly for illegal entry or stay. She met with Iraqis in their cells, where she witnessed their conditions first-hand and heard of their plights in fleeing their country.

"Of particular concern is the fact that many refugees suffer prolonged detention periods, even beyond the normal expiry of their sentence, with no prospect of release in sight unless they agree to return to Iraq," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva.

Of the countries in the region, Lebanon has the largest number of detained refugees and asylum seekers, he added. Only 7,878 of the estimated 40,000 Iraqis in the country have registered with UNHCR, although numbers have risen in recent months.

In Syria, the Commissioner met with Syrian authorities, UNCHR's partners on the ground and Iraqi and Palestinian refugees. At Al Tanf camp, situated in the no-man's land between Iraq and Syria which shelters 350 Palestinian refugees from Iraq stranded there since last April, refugees appealed for a solution to their plight. They told Ms. Feller that life in the camps is no longer sustainable and that they deserve to be treated like human beings.

Yesterday, Ms. Feller stopped at Bint Jbeil, a village in Lebanon's south which was severely damaged during last summer's Israel-Hizbollah war, and she noted that the humanitarian consequences of the conflict were still very visible.

While in Bint Jbeil, she saw the progress made in implementing a UNHCR-run and European Commission-funded recovery project which aims to assist vulnerable displaced Lebanese and returnees.

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro last night paid tribute to the work of UN peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"The men and women of UNIFIL illustrate what is most noble about United Nations peacekeeping," she said last night at the opening of an exhibition on the mission. "They come from every corner of the globe. They are united in their mission for peace. They display professionalism and courage under difficult and even dangerous circumstances."

She noted how UNIFIL is crucial in supporting "Lebanon's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, as well as stability in the wider region," and also paid tribute to those who lost their lives in last year's hostilities.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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UN TO LAUNCH FLASH APPEAL FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS IN NICARAGUA

UN TO LAUNCH FLASH APPEAL FOR HURRICANE VICTIMS IN NICARAGUA
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
United Nations relief officials are preparing to launch a flash appeal for victims of Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua, where over 34,000 people have been affected and nearly 8,500 houses damaged, according preliminary Government figures.

These figures are likely to increase as rescue brigades reach communities isolated by the rain and swollen rivers in the Central American country's northern Caribbean region.

Meanwhile, a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is still in neighbouring Honduras to assess the hurricane's aftermath there, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Elizabeth Byrs told a news briefing in Geneva today.

On the ground in Nicaragua, the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40801.html">UNICEF) is providing blankets and water purification equipment. "UNICEF will help the national authorities guarantee the supply of safe water, hygiene and nutrition to small children," the agency's country representative Debora Comini said.

As part of this commitment, blankets and supplies worth $32,971 were sent on Wednesday as an immediate response for hurricane victims. The first urgent aid package sent through the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health included four mobile water chlorination units, each with the capacity to purify water for 1,600 people a day.

Together with the other UN agencies and in coordination with the national and regional authorities, UNICEF is working to respond to the crisis, coordinating with the Ministry of Education to organize emergency shelters, implement "educational bridges" to stop the school year being interrupted, and evaluate school infrastructure. It has so far been reported that 80 per cent of schools have lost their roofs.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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BENIN'S FORMER ENVIRONMENT MINISTER NAMED TO HEAD UN ANTI-DESERTIFICATION BODY

BENIN'S FORMER ENVIRONMENT MINISTER NAMED TO HEAD UN ANTI-DESERTIFICATION BODY
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Luc Gnacadja, a former environment minister from Benin, as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (<"http://www.unccd.int/">UNCCD).

"My objective is to make the Convention a forum for dialogue between the North and the South on how to use this instrument as a tool for poverty eradication and sustainable development for over 1 billion people suffering from the scourges of desertification and land degradation," Mr. Gnacadja said in a recent statement.

The former Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development in Benin, Mr. Gnacadja has been an active participant in UNCCD meetings. For several years he headed Benin's delegation to talks on major environmental treaties and also served as Chairman of the African Ministers Conference on the Environment.

In March 2003, Mr. Gnacadja received the "Green Award 2002" from the World Bank in recognition of his contribution to the improvement of the global environment.

The incoming Executive Secretary will succeed Hama Arba Diallo of Burkina Faso, who resigned on 19 June.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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UN TO SEND MISSION TO GUATEMALA TO SET UP BODY TO PROBE ILLEGAL ARMED GROUPS

UN TO SEND MISSION TO GUATEMALA TO SET UP BODY TO PROBE ILLEGAL ARMED GROUPS
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
A United Nations political mission will leave for Guatemala later this month to begin the preparations for establishing an independent body to investigate the presence and activities of illegal armed groups in the Central American country.

The announcement of the mission follows a meeting yesterday at UN Headquarters in New York between Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe and a senior Guatemalan delegation led by Vice-President Eduardo Stein to discuss next steps toward setting up the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).

Mr. Pascoe said that the UN attaches great importance to the Commission and will work expeditiously toward establishing it with both the personnel and the resources it needs to be effective as an independent entity designed to assist Guatemala in its fight against impunity.

When the Guatemalan Congress voted to establish the CICIG as a matter of urgency last month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon applauded the decision, saying in a statement that the country "has sent a clear message, both to its people and to the international community, that it is committed to fight crime and impunity, and to provide security for its citizens."

The Commission will be able to conduct its own investigations and also help local institutions, particularly the Office of the Public Prosecutor. While it will be an independent, non-UN body, its commissioner will be appointed by the Secretary-General and report periodically to him.

One of its tasks is to recommend public policies and any legal or institutional measures for eradicating the illegal armed groups and preventing their re-emergence. The costs are expected to be borne by voluntary contributions from the international community.

Over three decades of conflict in Guatemala ended with the signing of peace accords in December of 1996, but concern has been mounting in recent years that illegal security groups and clandestine security organizations have continued to operate with impunity, conducting criminal activities and violating human rights.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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LIBERIA: CITING PROGRESS, TOP UN ENVOY RECOMMENDS MISSION DRAWDOWN

LIBERIA: CITING PROGRESS, TOP UN ENVOY RECOMMENDS MISSION DRAWDOWN
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
Citing the progress made by the once war-shattered Liberia, a top United Nations envoy today recommended a drawdown of peacekeepers who have overseen the West African country's transition to democracy based on regular security assessments and measurable benchmarks.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Alan Doss told reporters in New York that Liberia has "remained generally stable and calm," pointing out that sanctions have been lifted on diamonds and timber, the State budget has doubled in recent years and major investments are flowing into the country.

At the same time, Liberia faces significant challenges, Mr. Doss, who also heads the UN mission in the country (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmil/index.html">UNMIL), noted, particularly in the realms of security – both internal and external – and the rule of law.

Within its borders, Liberia sees "periodic flare-ups," while crime in the capital Monrovia is troubling to local citizens, he said. Also, despite economic growth estimated to be 8 per cent this year, the issue of job creation and the re-integration of ex-combatants remains a problem. Meanwhile, UNMIL intends to continue monitoring the situation in neighbouring Guinea, Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire, Mr. Doss said.

In the area of the rule of law, the Special Representative said the criminal justice system is weak, with major delays in processing cases and the corrections facilities needing improvement.

The drawdown plan proposed by Mr. Ban in his latest report takes into account both Liberia's achievements and challenges, Mr. Doss, who addressed the Security Council yesterday, noted. The three-year plan, set to start this October, entails reducing UNMIL's military component by approximately 5,000 and the police component by 500.

The Special Representative underscored the "core benchmarks" – in particular, progress made on bolstering national security institutions such as the army and the police, as well as the creation of a quick-reaction police force – which must be met before each stage of the drawdown occurs.

"At each level, we would look how we're making progress against those benchmarks and if we are and if there is a confirmed agreement, we will move on to the next stage," he said.

The presence of a "robust" UNMIL gives Liberia "the time and the space to push ahead with the reform programme, rebuild the national security institutions and also to ensure that the situation in the broader sub-region remains positive."

Mr. Doss acknowledged that it may seem as if a substantial investment is being made in a small country, "but it really is an investment in the whole of West Africa because Liberia was the centre of instability, the epicentre of instability, that progressively spread out and engulfed must of the sub-region."

UNMIL was established in 2003 to support Liberia's ceasefire and peace process, and currently has over 14,000 troops and nearly 1,200 police officers, along with around 500 international civilian personnel, almost 1,000 local staff and 220 UN Volunteers.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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CHAD: BAN KI-MOON ARRIVES TO PRESS FOR PROTECTION OF REFUGEES

CHAD: BAN KI-MOON ARRIVES TO PRESS FOR PROTECTION OF REFUGEES
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
Aiming to press for an international presence to help protect refugees and displaced persons in Chad, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived today in the capital, N'djamena, where he held talks with the country's President.

Mr. Ban began his day with a briefing on the humanitarian situation, in particular in eastern Chad, which is home to thousands of displaced persons as well as refugees fleeing the crisis in the neighbouring Darfur region of Sudan, spokesperson Michele Montas told the press in New York.

The focus of the Secretary-General's visit to Chad is to move forward with the Government on plans for an international military and police presence to protect refugees and internally displaced persons in eastern Chad, and to seek the direct support of the Government for the upcoming Darfur peace talks to be held in Libya since it is an important regional player in ensuring that all parties participate.

Mr. Ban also wanted to call attention to the problem of desertification through a visit to Lake Chad, which measured 26,000 square kilometres in the 1960s and which has shrunk to only some 1,500 square kilometres, according to the spokesperson. He met with several officials, including President Idriss Déby. The two held a working lunch before Mr. Ban visited Lake Chad by helicopter.

The Secretary-General came from Khartoum, where the UN yesterday issued a joint communiqué with the Sudanese Government on the deployment of a hybrid African Union-UN peacekeeping force in Darfur (to be known as UNAMID).

Today marked Mr. Ban's first official visit to Chad. The Security Council has indicated its willingness 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.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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UN NAMES MEMBERS OF PANEL PROBING SUBSTANCE AT IRAQ WEAPONS INSPECTION OFFICE

UN NAMES MEMBERS OF PANEL PROBING SUBSTANCE AT IRAQ WEAPONS INSPECTION OFFICE
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
The United Nations today announced the members of a fact-finding panel tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the recent discovery of a potentially hazardous substance at the New York office of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (<"http://www.unmovic.org/">UNMOVIC).

Spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters that the panel will include Dr. Stefan Mogl, who previously led the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' laboratory and currently heads Chemistry at Switzerland's SPIEZ national laboratory.

Dr. Susan Brown, Director of the High Performance Computing Outreach Center at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, will also serve on the panel. Ms. Brown is a chemical engineering and energy technology expert who served in Iraq with the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) – UNMOVIC's predecessor – in the 1990s.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, David Veness, will also serve on the panel, the spokesperson said.

"The panel, which will act under the direction of Vijay Nambiar, the Secretary-General's Chef de Cabinet, is expected to meet for the first time next week. It will be tasked with ascertaining the circumstances under which the substances in question were brought to UN Headquarters, the reasons why the items were discovered only recently, and safety procedures in place and the extent to which they were followed."

The panel is expected to deliver a report to the Secretary-General by the end of October.

The materials came to light last month when 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 liquid substances, 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.

The substances have since been handed over to United States authorities.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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UNICEF CHIEF CALLS FOR END TO FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING, 'HONOUR CRIMES,' CHILD MARRIAGE

UNICEF CHIEF CALLS FOR END TO FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING, 'HONOUR CRIMES,' CHILD MARRIAGE
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
Female genital cutting, so-called honour crimes and child marriage are symbols of discrimination against girls and women and must be ended, United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) Executive Director Ann M. Veneman has said.

In an opinion piece this week in the Modesto Bee, a daily newspaper published in her home state of California, Ms. Veneman highlighted the cases of two young girls in Egypt who died as a result of genital cutting this summer.

"About 3 million girls are cut each year, and an estimated 130 million women have undergone the procedure," she wrote, assailing the practice as "one of many harmful practices that have their roots in discrimination" against girls and women.

Other destructive and discriminatory practices cited by Ms. Veneman included 'honour crimes' and child marriage. Any effective strategy to end such abuses has to include community-based approaches like those adopted by Tostan, a UNICEF-supported non-governmental organization in Senegal, she argued.

"Tostan works with communities in local languages to help provide women with a voice in decision-making," she wrote. "This approach has been put into practice in hundreds of Senegalese villages – with great success."

Ms. Veneman, who visited the Tostan programme last year, said nearly a third of the 5,000 communities in Senegal had abandoned female genital cutting and many had moved away from child marriage.

Through collective action encompassing efforts like these, female genital cutting and "other harmful practices that subjugate young girls must be consigned to history," she concluded.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON, SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMN DEADLY BOMBING IN ALGERIA

BAN KI-MOON, SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMN DEADLY BOMBING IN ALGERIA
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council today strongly condemned yesterday's terrorist bombing which killed and wounded numerous innocent civilians in Algeria and reportedly targeted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's convoy.

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11145.doc.htm">statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban also repeated his longstanding call for the international community to join forces "to reject and to combat terrorism in all of its expressions."

The attack took place during a visit of President Bouteflika to the city of Batna in eastern Algeria.

In his statement, Mr. Ban voiced solidarity with the Government and people of Algeria, particularly the victims' families.

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9110.doc.htm">presidential statement, the 15-member Council reaffirmed that "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, where, whenever and by whomsoever committed."

Stressing the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of the "heinous" and "reprehensible" act to justice, the body urged all States to fulfil their obligations under international law and Council resolutions and cooperate with Algerian authorities.

The Council also reminded States the any measures to combat terrorism must be taken in accordance with international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON RENEWS CALL AGAINST TERRORIST VIOLENCE IN ALGERIA

BAN KI-MOON RENEWS CALL AGAINST TERRORIST VIOLENCE IN ALGERIA
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
One day after speaking out against a terrorist blast in Batna, Algeria, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned a car bombing in the city of Dellys.

"The Secretary-General firmly believes that violence will not deter the people of Algeria from the path of peace and national reconciliation," a spokesman for Mr. Ban said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General is deeply shocked and saddened by the escalation of terrorist violence in Algeria which has reportedly claimed dozens more lives today in a car bombing in the city of Dellys, the second such terrorist attack this week in the country," the spokesperson said, strongly condemning the killings and again expressing solidarity with those affected.

On Friday, Mr. Ban was joined by the Security Council which also issued a statement against the 6 September attack in Batna reportedly targeting President Abedelaziz Bouteflika's convoy. Both statements underscored the need to combat terrorism in all its forms.

2007-09-08 00:00:00.000

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UN MEETING ON SECURITY IN CENTRAL AFRICA WRAPS UP

UN MEETING ON SECURITY IN CENTRAL AFRICA WRAPS UP
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
The illicit arms trade, violence in individual Central African countries and other pressing concerns were among the issues addressed at a United Nations meeting on the region's security concerns which concluded today in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Topics conferred on by participants at its 26th ministerial meeting of the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa – whose prime objective is to promote peace and security in the sub-region – included the situation on the ground in Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

"Despite encouraging progress, Central Africa's political, security and socio-economic situation remains worrying," according to a press release issued by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, which organized the five-day conference.

Regarding Burundi, attendees discussed compliance with the ceasefire agreement, while they voiced concern over the violence in the Kivus and the militia and armed groups' repeated violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

The group welcomed the deployment of a joint UN-European Union (EU) force in north-eastern CAR and eastern Chad, as well as the Joint Communiqué signed between Rwanda and the DRC.

The topic of controlling small arms and light weapons in the area, known as the "Initiative of Sao Tome," was also discussed.

The 11 States members of the Committee are: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Congo, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Principe. Representatives from several UN entities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were also in attendance.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON URGES DARFUR PARTIES TO FOSTER POSITIVE CLIMATE FOR PEACE TALKS

BAN KI-MOON URGES DARFUR PARTIES TO FOSTER POSITIVE CLIMATE FOR PEACE TALKS
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today in Libya called on all parties to the conflict in the Sudanese region of Darfur to create a climate conducive to successful peace negotiations to be held next month in Tripoli.

In a statement released in the Libyan capital, where Mr. Ban is wrapping up a three-nation trip that also took him to Sudan and Chad, the Secretary-General set out a series of measures required to address the conflict that has engulfed Darfur since 2003, killing over 200,000 people and driving an additional 2.2 million from their homes.

He urged all parties "to declare their serious commitment to achieve a political solution to the Darfur crisis; to create a security environment in Darfur conducive to negotiations; to participate in and commit to the outcome of the negotiation effort; and to cease all hostilities immediately."

Mr. Ban further stressed the need for an end to violence and insecurity, a strengthened ceasefire supported by the incoming UN-African Union peacekeeping force, to be known as UNAMID, as well as an improvement in the humanitarian situation and better prospects for development and recovery for the people of Darfur.

The peace negotiations will begin in Libya under the lead of the AU-UN Special Envoys on 27 October. The envoys, Jan Eliasson representing the UN and Salim Ahmed Salim for the AU, "will continue to work in close coordination with the countries of the region and ensure that the concerns of civil society, representatives of internally displaced persons, women's groups and tribal leaders are channeled into the negotiation process," Mr. Ban said today.

During his visit to Sudan, Chad and Libya, the Secretary-General received "strong endorsement" for the upcoming negotiations, according to the statement.

2007-09-09 00:00:00.000

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