UN, SUDAN AGREE ON IMPORTANCE OF DEPLOYING DARFUR FORCE

UN, SUDAN AGREE ON IMPORTANCE OF DEPLOYING DARFUR FORCE
New York, Dec 8 2007 9:00PM
Representatives of the United Nations and the Government of Sudan today issued a joint statement stressing the importance of deploying the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and urging international support for this effort.

Both delegations "recognized that UNAMID would play a critical role in bringing peace and stability to Darfur" and agreed on the importance of setting up the force, according to the statement released in Lisbon following a meeting in the margins of the European Union-AU summit.

Attending the summit was a high-level UN delegation headed by Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro and including the UN High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Countries and Small Island Developing States, Cheick Sidi Diarra, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet and Deputy Chef de Cabinet Kim Won-Soo.

Participants provided clarification "in some areas and identified a number of other areas where technical clarity was required to ensure that effective preparations for and deployment of the AU-UN Mission could continue."

The UN and Khartoum agreed on the importance of addressing and resolving these issues "transparently, expeditiously and in the appropriate forum, as part of their collaboration regarding deployment of UNAMID."

Noting critical gaps in the force capabilities, particularly military aviation, the statement called on the international community to provide the necessary equipment.

"The Government of Sudan and the United Nations emphasized their commitment to the ongoing and intensive technical effort which would be required for the timely deployment of UNAMID," they said.

UNAMID is due to take over next month from the existing but under-resourced AU mission (known as AMIS) trying to quell the fighting in Darfur between rebels, Government forces and allied militias that has left at least 200,000 people dead and more than 2.2 million others displaced s

But the hybrid force lacks offers for crucial force units. It is short one heavy and one medium transport unit, three military utility aviation units and one light helicopter unit, while an earlier pledge for one reconnaissance company has been withdrawn.

2007-12-08 00:00:00.000

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NEW UN REPORT POINTS TO POWER OF RENEWABLE ENERGY TO MITIGATE CARBON EMISSIONS

NEW UN REPORT POINTS TO POWER OF RENEWABLE ENERGY TO MITIGATE CARBON EMISSIONS
New York, Dec 8 2007 11:00AM
Renewable energy is increasingly being used as a mainstream alternative to the fossil fuels which are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says in a new report.

The REN21 Renewables Global Status Report 2007 says that out of a total global power capacity of 4,300 Gigawatts (GW), renewable energy (without large hydro) now provides about 240 GW of clean power, avoiding some 5 gigatonnes per year (Gt/year) of carbon emissions.

"What's needed now are binding targets in an international agreement to establish polices that can rapidly accelerate the large-scale deployment of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels", said Mohamed El Ashry, head of the global policy network REN21 that produced the report with the Worldwatch Institute.

Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which houses the REN21 secretariat, said renewable energy "can make a significant contribution to de-carbonizing the global economy" and called on Governments "to send market signals that will accelerate the use of renewable energy even further."

He also said States should "reverse the declines in research and development spending so as to accelerate the commercialization of other renewables waiting in the wings."

The new report follows two earlier Global Status Reports in 2005 and 2006, and shows that renewable energy sources like wind, grid-tied electricity from solar photovoltaic technology and solar hot water systems continue their strong double-digit growth in 2007.

More than 50 countries worldwide have adopted targets for future shares or amounts of renewable energy, including 13 developing countries, all EU countries, and many states or provinces in the United States and Canada. At least 56 countries now have some type of renewable energy promotion policy, and 44 countries, states and provinces have enacted renewable-portfolio-standards requiri
generation, UNEP said.

The 2007 Renewables Global Status Report concludes that current trends are set to continue as the costs of renewable energy technologies decline and the sector continues to diversify production and technology development to a broad base of countries, including emerging economies.

The report comes as negotiators gather in Bali, Indonesia to frame a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, the legally binding regime for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that will expire in 2012.
2007-12-08 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL DISMAYED BY EXECUTION OF THREE JAPANESE PRISONERS

TOP UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL DISMAYED BY EXECUTION OF THREE JAPANESE PRISONERS
New York, Dec 7 2007 7:00PM
The top United Nations human rights official today deplored the execution of three prisoners – including one aged over 75 – in Osaka, Japan, and appealed to the East Asian nation to reassess its approach to the death penalty.

The executions reportedly took place suddenly and neither the convicts nor their families were given advance warning.

"This practice is problematic under international law, and I call on Japan to reconsider its approach in this regard," Louise Arbour, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said.

Expressing particularly dismay at the execution of the prisoner over the age of 75, she said that "it is difficult to see what legitimate purpose is served by carrying out such executions of the elderly, and at the very least on humanitarian grounds, I would urge Japan to refrain from such action."

In contrast to carrying out executions in secret as it has done in the past, Japan publicly released the names of those executed, the High Commissioner noted.

Japan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which legally obligates States Parties to ensure strict safeguards when applying the death penalty. It is widely accepted that executions cannot be carried out in secret and without warning, as this could be seen as inhuman punishment and treatment under the ICCPR.

Ms. Arbour urged the Japanese Government to implement a moratorium on executions or ban the practice altogether, as a growing number of nations have.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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INDEPENDENT UN RIGHTS EXPERT CONCERNED AT EXPULSION OF JOURNALISTS IN SOMALIA

INDEPENDENT UN RIGHTS EXPERT CONCERNED AT EXPULSION OF JOURNALISTS IN SOMALIA
New York, Dec 7 2007 7:00PM
An independent United Nations human rights expert today expressed concern at recent reports that authorities in the self-declared Somaliland have ordered 24 journalists to leave the region of northern Somalia within the next few days.

Ghanim Alnajjar, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, issued a statement calling on the authorities to reconsider their decision.

"The media must be allowed to perform its duties without apprehension," he said, noting that threats to journalists and media outlets constitute a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Somalia's journalists and human rights defenders face one of the most dangerous operating environments in the world. Eight media professionals have been killed this year and dozens more threatened into silence or forced to flee. Several media organizations have also been closed by authorities or pressured into restricting their reporting.

The journalists in question reportedly fled the Somali capital Mogadishu earlier this year because of threats and intimidation and then sought refuge in a safe house in the town of Hargeisa, which lies in Somaliland, with the approval of local authorities. Some of the journalists have continued to exercise their freedom of expression while in Hargeisa.

Mr. Alnajjar called for an investigation into all threats and attacks against the media and the prompt re-opening of any media outlets that had been forced to shut.

"I also take this opportunity to remind all Somali authorities of their obligation to respect the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and to ensure the safety and security of all, including journalists and other media professionals, human rights defenders and humanitarian workers."

Somaliland's authorities have declared the region to be independent of Somalia, which has not had a functioning national government since 1991, but this has not been recognized internationally.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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ANGOLA: UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF ALARMED BY REPORTS OF ABUSES OF CONGOLESE

ANGOLA: UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF ALARMED BY REPORTS OF ABUSES OF CONGOLESE
New York, Dec 7 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has voiced concern at media reports that Angolan security forces in the northeast of the country have raped, beaten or tortured Congolese migrant workers before deporting them across the border.

Praveen Randhawa, a spokesperson for OHCHR, told reporters in Geneva today that High Commissioner Louise Arbour was extremely concerned by the reports and had called on the Angolan Government to investigate and bring any perpetrators to justice.

The reports that have emerged this week say that Angolan security forces based in Lunda Norte province, next to the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have been committing abuses against Congolese migrants, especially women.

Large numbers of Congolese have lived and worked for many years in Angola, including in its diamond mines in Lunda Norte.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON SELECTS FOUR MEMBERS FOR PANEL ON DARFUR SANCTIONS

BAN KI-MOON SELECTS FOUR MEMBERS FOR PANEL ON DARFUR SANCTIONS
New York, Dec 7 2007 7:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed four experts to serve on a panel authorized by the Security Council to monitor the arms embargo, travel ban and assets freeze set up as a result of the conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

Mr. Ban sent a letter to the Council President that was made public this week informing him that he has appointed Thomas W. Bifwoli (Kenya), Awni Momani (Jordan), Ian Rowe (Canada) and Anoop Swarup (India) to sit on the panel until 15 October next year.

Mr. Bifwoli has also been designated to succeed Gerard P. McHugh as the Coordinator of the Panel of Experts, which was established under a resolution in March 2005.

The Council set up the panel to help monitor the implementation of the arms embargo on all non-government entities and individuals, including the notorious Janjaweed militia. The group is mandated with informing the Council's sanctions committee about individuals who impede the Darfur peace process, violate international law or are responsible for offensive military overflights.

Later the mandate was expanded so that the panel is also tasked with monitoring the implementation of a travel ban and assets ban on certain targeted individuals.

Since fighting erupted between rebel groups, Government forces and the allied Janjaweed in 2003, UN officials have repeatedly described Darfur as the scene of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. More than 200,000 people have been killed and the conflict has spilled into neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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DEATH TOLL IN MYANMAR CRACKDOWN HIGHER THAN GOVERNMENT FIGURES - UN EXPERT

DEATH TOLL IN MYANMAR CRACKDOWN HIGHER THAN GOVERNMENT FIGURES – UN EXPERT
New York, Dec 7 2007 6:00PM
An independent United Nations human rights expert says that at least 31 people died during the crackdown by Myanmar authorities on peaceful protesters a few months ago – 16 more than had been acknowledged by the Government.

"Several reports of killings indicate that the figure provided by the authorities may greatly underestimate the reality," Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro states in a report to be presented to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council next Tuesday.

Mr. Pinheiro, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, visited the country at the Government's invitation to verify allegations of abuses during the Government crackdown, determine the numbers and whereabouts of those detained or killed, and collect testimony about what happened.

According to "credible eye-witness reports," there were more than 30 fatalities in Yangon associated with the September protests, including the killing a Japanese photojournalist, states Mr. Pinheiro, who describes the lethal force used by the security forces in responding to peaceful demonstrators as "unnecessary and disproportionate."

In his report, the Special Rapporteur also states that between 3,000 and 4,000 people were arrested in September and October, and between 500 and 1,000 are still being detained. In addition, 1,150 political prisoners held prior to the protests have not been released. Most of the arrests took place during the crackdown on the demonstrations and the night raids carried out by the security forces and "non-law enforcement officials."

Of particular concern are "numerous accounts of the use of large capacity informal detention centres, unacknowledged by State authorities, which are regarded as 'secret' facilities," he says, adding that detainees have included children and pregnant women.

Mr. Pinheiro says he is aware of at least 74 cases of enforced disappearance, and calls allegations of the burning of a large amount of bodies "very disturbing."

In addition, he condemns the new arrests of political activists, despite the assurances given by Prime Minister Thein Sein to the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, in early November that no more arrests would be carried out.

Mr. Pinheiro has shared his report and a list of names of 653 detainees, 74 persons disappeared and 16 killed – in addition to the list of 15 dead provided by the authorities – with the Government for comments.

He also recommends a number of measures to the Myanmar Government, including releasing unconditionally all those taken into custody for peaceful assembly or the peaceful expression of their political beliefs, revealing the whereabouts of those still detained or missing, returning the remains of the deceased to their families for proper burials and ensuring immediate access by Red Cross officials to all detainees.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON RECEIVES CONTACT GROUP REPORT ON KOSOVO

BAN KI-MOON RECEIVES CONTACT GROUP REPORT ON KOSOVO
New York, Dec 7 2007 6:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has received the report of the 'Contact Group' of countries working to address the status of Kosovo, the Serbian province which has been run by the United Nations since 1999.

A spokesperson for Mr. Ban said the Secretary-General would transmit the report to the Security Council on Sunday.

The Contact Group, comprised of France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, had promised to report by 10 December on the progress of negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade.

The Group's report is expected to cover talks led by the so-called Troika of the European Union, Russia and the US, which began after a stalemate emerged over a proposal by Mr. Ban's Special Envoy, Martti Ahtisaari, for a phased process of independence for the province, where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and others by nine to one.

Kosovo's Albanian leadership supports independence but Serbia is opposed.

Mr. Ahtisaari declared talks on the future status of the province deadlocked on 12 March – a little more than a month after unveiling his proposals, which aimed to addressed the demands of a multi-ethnic society.

The plan called for a constitution enshrining principles to protect the rights of all communities, including culture, language, education and symbols, as well granting specific representation for non-Albanians in key public institutions and requiring that certain laws may only be enacted if a majority of the Kosovo non-Albanian legislative members agree.

It also called for wide-ranging decentralization, focusing in particular on the specific needs and concerns of the Serb community, which would have a high degree of control over its own affairs such as secondary health care, higher education and financial matters, including accepting transparent funding from Serbia. Six new or significantly expanded Kosovo Serb majority municipalities would be set up.

Earlier this week, the Security Council President for December, Ambassador Marcello Spatafora of Italy, said the 15-member body would meet this month on Kosovo. Asked about upcoming steps, he replied that "when the time comes we will assess and decide how to go forward on process and on substance."
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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DPR KOREA: INDEPENDENT PANEL MAKING HEADWAY INTO REVIEWING UNDP ACTIVITIES

DPR KOREA: INDEPENDENT PANEL MAKING HEADWAY INTO REVIEWING UNDP ACTIVITIES
New York, Dec 7 2007 5:00PM
An independent panel announced today that it is making headway reviewing allegations about the activities of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that are not being considered by an existing probe by the UN Board of Auditors.

The External Independent Investigative Review Panel – led by Miklos Németh, the former Prime Minister of Hungary and a current member to the Advisory Council of Transparency International – "is making substantial progress," it said in a statement.

The three-person Panel said has collected information and data, studied many documents provided by different sources, interviewed individuals both within and outside UNDP and has established a comprehensive investigation of all issued covered by the Terms of Reference.

The Panel, whose creation was announced in August, will also examine documents from the agency's DPRK office, which are en route to New York and will be kept in a secure area upon their arrival.

Although the original intention was for the body to submit a report by the end of this year, it announced today that due to the "significant work still ahead of the Panel, it has concluded that it will not be able to complete its task before the end of this year."

Instead, it will finish its work and submit its final report at the end of March 2008, at the very latest, today's statement said.

In January, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ordered the Board to audit amid allegations aired in the media that funds used by UN agencies to help in humanitarian efforts in the DPRK were being channelled improperly to the Government in Pyongyang, including to its nuclear programme.

The first phase of the Board's investigation into the operations of <"http://www.undp.org/">UNDP, the UN Population Fund (<"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) found there had been no large-scale or systematic diversion of UN funds.

But the Board said that its second phase will not cover the full range of allegations and issues raised specifically about UNDP's work in the DPRK, and the Panel led by Mr. Németh was created as a result.

That body's other two members are 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.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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GUINEA-BISSAU: UN PEACEBUILDING OFFICE SHOULD BE EXTENDED - BAN KI-MOON

GUINEA-BISSAU: UN PEACEBUILDING OFFICE SHOULD BE EXTENDED – BAN KI-MOON
New York, Dec 7 2007 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has recommended that the mandate of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau be extended for one year, with the possibility of it transforming into an integrated mission following the 2008 legislative elections.

Extending the mandate until next 31 December will "allow the Office to continue to assist Guinea-Bissau as it confronts the challenges of peacebuilding and strives to bring about political stabilization," Mr. Ban wrote in a letter to the President of the Security Council made public earlier this month.

He suggested a revision of the UNOGBIS mandate so that it can help to generate the international community's support for the West African nation's efforts to stem drug trafficking.

To this end, the Office's 2008 activities would focus on supporting the country's reconciliation and dialogue; helping to reform the security sector; assist with the holding of transparent and credible legislative elections; promote respect for the rule of law and human rights; among others, Mr. Ban wrote.

After next year's elections, the Secretary-General noted that he will look into the possibility of transforming UNOGBIS into an integrated mission.

"Such a mission, if deemed appropriate, would provide a holistic approach to addressing the complex and multidimensional situation facing Guinea-Bissau," the letter said.

UNOGBIS was created in 1999 to help Guinea-Bissau emerge from the devastation of a civil war in which thousands were killed, wounded or forced from their homes.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS CONTINUES IN MYANMAR AND BURUNDI, SAYS TOP UN OFFICIAL

USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS CONTINUES IN MYANMAR AND BURUNDI, SAYS TOP UN OFFICIAL
New York, Dec 7 2007 4:00PM
Despite calls to stop the abominable practice, children continue to be recruited and used as child soldiers in Myanmar and Burundi, according to the United Nations envoy for children in armed conflict who has just presented two new reports on the issue.

"The issue of recruitment and use of children continues to be a problem in Myanmar both with regard to the Government and various non-state actors," stated Radhika Coomaraswamy, who yesterday presented the <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/666">report of the Secretary-General on the situation of children and armed conflict in Myanmar to the Security Council Working Group dealing with the matter.

Although there has been progress in terms of dialogue with the Myanmar Government and two non-State actors, the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), the report notes that "State and non-State actors continue to be implicated in grave child rights violations."

Ms. Coomaraswamy also raised concerns about the issue of access for UN monitors in Myanmar, stating that "the Government should provide the UN country team with free access to conflict areas and to recruitment centres so that monitoring and reporting can be performed effectively and all the information can be verified."

Among other issues cited were difficulties with age verification, reports of children convicted and sentenced for desertion, and lack of humanitarian access. "Children are the first to be affected by a humanitarian crisis," she said. "There is a real urgency for a humanitarian needs assessment in the conflict areas in order to devise proper programmatic responses for the most vulnerable."

However, she stressed that the efforts of the Working Group and the monitoring and reporting mechanism established by the Council had already led to commitments by some parties to stop the recruitment and use of children.

The Government has adopted directives that explicitly prohibit the recruitment of children under 18 and set up a high-level Committee for the Prevention of Military Recruitment of Underage Children, she noted. The KNU and the KNPP have also signed deeds of commitment that are currently being finalized.

With regard to Burundi, Ms. Coomaraswamy condemned new reported cases of recruitment and use of children by the Forces Nationales de Libération (FNL). She also criticized the attitude of armed groups that have been recruiting children by promising them demobilization benefits for which they were not eligible.

In addition, she deplored the alarming increase of cases of rape and sexual violence in the country, a concern that was also raised by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his recent report on Burundi. "The 80 per cent rise in reported cases show that [the] dawning of peace has unfortunately not heralded a more secure environment for women, boys and girls in Burundi," she stated.

Ms. Coomaraswamy was pleased to note that the UN system had begun a series of activities together with Government ministries to address this problem, and called for sustained political will and commitment to fight impunity for such crimes.

Mr. Ban's Executive Representative for Burundi told reporters in New York today that the UN is aware that there are under-age persons among the alleged FNL dissidents, and stressed that the UN is ready, willing and able to take care of those identified as children.

"We have sent that message to the FNL, to the Government, that if there are children among these alleged dissidents, we would be prepared to take care of their needs and they should not be in the camps," Youssef Mahmoud stated.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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MARKING ANNUAL DAY, UN AVIATION AGENCY CALLS ON INDUSTRY TO BECOME GREENER

MARKING ANNUAL DAY, UN AVIATION AGENCY CALLS ON INDUSTRY TO BECOME GREENER
New York, Dec 7 2007 4:00PM
Global air transportation has brought millions of jobs, a major boost to the world economy and valuable savings in time for many people, but its benefits may be in jeopardy unless the industry takes more steps to improve its environmental performance, the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said today.

In a <"http://www.icao.int/icao/en/nr/2007/pio200712_e.pdf">joint message to mark International Civil Aviation Day, which is celebrated every year on 7 December, <"http://www.icao.int/">ICAO Secretary-General Taïeb Chérif and the President of its Council Roberto Kobeh González said that while recent innovations have made aircraft engines cleaner and greener, they are not enough to counter the projected substantial growth in air traffic worldwide in the years ahead.

Delegates at the ICAO Assembly in September called for a series of stepped-up measures to monitor and improve the environmental performance of civil aviation, and Dr. Chérif and Mr. González said governments and individuals must also play their part in ensuring that aviation does not make progress "at the expense of the environment."

"As we move towards greater sustainability, we must ensure that action is taken in a cooperative and harmonized manner," the message noted. "We all share the responsibility of maintaining an appropriate balance between the development of aviation and environmental protection – governments, industry and individuals, so that future generations can also enjoy the economic, social and cultural benefits of air travel."

Dr. Chérif and Mr. González said the Montreal-based ICAO remained committed to making air travel as safe, secure, efficient and accessible as possible, so that the maximum number of people can share in its benefits.

They said that last year 2.1 billion passengers travelled on scheduled flights, which does not include charter and other aircraft operations. Almost 40 million tons of cargo were also carried by air.

Civil aviation's contribution to the world economy is worth an estimated $3.5 trillion, or about 8 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Air Transport Action Group. About 32 million jobs are linked either directly or indirectly to the industry as well.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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FRESH ROUND OF UN-BACKED TALKS ON WESTERN SAHARA SET FOR NEXT MONTH

FRESH ROUND OF UN-BACKED TALKS ON WESTERN SAHARA SET FOR NEXT MONTH
New York, Dec 7 2007 3:00PM
A third round of United Nations-backed negotiations on Western Sahara, bringing together representatives of Morocco and Frente Polisario, will take place early next month, it was announced today.

UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters that the next meeting of the parties is scheduled for 7-9 January in Manhasset, just outside New York City, and the site of the two previous rounds of negotiations in June and August this year. It will be facilitated by Peter van Walsum, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara.

Letters of invitation from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have been sent to both Morocco and Frente Polisario and to neighbouring countries as well, Ms. Montas added.

The second round of talks in August wrapped up with agreement among the parties that the status quo is unacceptable and the process of negotiations will continue. But in his most recent report on the situation, Mr. Ban said the two sides held mutually exclusive positions that had prevented them from seriously discussing each other's proposal during the talks.

Morocco holds that its sovereignty over Western Sahara should be recognized, while the Frente Polisario's position is that the Territory's final status should be decided in a referendum that includes independence as an option.

The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minurso/index.html">MINURSO) has been in place since September 1991 to monitor the ceasefire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, which contest the territory.

In October, the Security Council extended the mandate of MINURSO through next April and called on the two sides "to continue to show political will and work in an atmosphere propitious for dialogue in order to engage in substantive negotiations."
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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SOMALIA: UNICEF URGES SAFE ACCESS TO HELP WOUNDED CHILDREN AND WOMEN

SOMALIA: UNICEF URGES SAFE ACCESS TO HELP WOUNDED CHILDREN AND WOMEN
New York, Dec 7 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_42086.html">UNICEF) today urged all sides to the current conflict raging in Somalia's capital Mogadishu to allow safe access for women and children across checkpoints so they can receive life-saving medical care.

"UNICEF is deeply concerned and distressed that checkpoints and roadblocks are posing an additional challenge to wounded or sick children and women as they try to get medical assistance," said the agency's Representative to Somalia, Christian Balslev-Olesen.

In a press release, UNICEF said that it has heard reliable reports that children, adolescents, pregnant women and mothers – some of whom have sustained injuries by shells and stray bullets – are being turned back at checkpoints while trying to reach health posts.

Those who have not been allowed to cross the checkpoints include women requiring antenatal and post-natal care and many children urgently needing medical care for conditions such as diarrhoea, the agency reported.

"To be denied access to basic health services in such critical circumstances greatly compounds the distress of the children and women who are amongst those most heavily affected by the current conflict – fighting that has left many children killed, maimed, displaced and orphaned," Mr. Balslev-Olesen noted.

Additionally, doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners are also prevented from reaching their workplaces to help those in need.

These checkpoints also hinder children from attending schools, which could provide shelter and serve as a safe space. Some 80 per cent of all Mogadishu schools have been closed due to the capital's dangerous environment.

Due to the violence, an estimated 600,000 people have fled Mogadishu, Jennifer Pagonis of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said late last month.

The city is also now home to over 40,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), the agency reported.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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DEADLY OUTBREAK OF EBOLA VIRUS IN UGANDA WORSENS, SAYS UN HEALTH AGENCY

DEADLY OUTBREAK OF EBOLA VIRUS IN UGANDA WORSENS, SAYS UN HEALTH AGENCY
New York, Dec 7 2007 3:00PM
The number of suspected cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in western Uganda has almost doubled in the past 10 days, and four health-care workers are now among the fatalities, the United Nations World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_12_07/en/index.html">WHO) reported today.

There are 93 suspected cases in Uganda's Bundibugyo District, up from 51 cases on 28 November, and laboratory analysis has confirmed the presence of a new species of the virus in nine cases.

WHO said in an update on the outbreak released today that there have been at least 22 fatalities so far, including the four health-care workers.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), WHO and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Médecins Sans Frontières are helping the Ugandan health authorities with logistics, the provision of drugs and personal protection equipment to deter the spread of the infection.

Ugandan officials are also stepping up their public awareness campaign to alert local communities to the outbreak and the importance of hygienic practices, including in burying victims. Isolation wards have also been established at hospitals in Kikyo and Bundibugyo.

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.

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.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL PROPOSES SCALING DOWN UN PRESENCE IN SIERRA LEONE

SECRETARY-GENERAL PROPOSES SCALING DOWN UN PRESENCE IN SIERRA LEONE
New York, Dec 7 2007 3:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has proposed replacing the current United Nations operation in Sierra Leone, when it completes its mandate next September, with a leaner integrated office to assist the West African nation in consolidating peace.

In his latest report on the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL), Mr. Ban recommends that the current operation be extended for a final period of nine months so that it can continue to assist the Government in supporting the local elections scheduled for next year and in strengthening State institutions.

"During this period, UNIOSIL would take steps to progressively reduce its strength with a view to completing its mandate by September 2008," Mr. Ban writes, adding that he intends to submit proposals concerning the drawdown of the mission, as well as the mandate, structure and strength of the successor office, to the Security Council next April.

He notes UNIOSIL continues to help the Government consolidate peace and address a myriad of challenges related to good governance, security, human rights and development. In particular, he recalls the significant role the mission played in presidential and parliamentary elections held on 11 August, which led to the swearing in of President Ernest Bai Koroma, as well as in strengthening the security sector and promoting human rights.

But Sierra Leone, working to rebuild after a brutal, 11-year conflict, continues to face "daunting challenges," says Mr. Ban, drawing attention to widespread poverty, worsening unemployment and rising food prices. "A viable economy that can generate employment and sustainable public revenues has yet to be created."

He also notes this summer's elections highlighted "deep-seated political tensions and cleavages" among the population along ethnic and geographical lines, warning that these have the potential to escalate in the run-up to next year's local elections. In addition, the holding of the local elections will require UN assistance given that the National Electoral Commission does not have the required capacity to conduct them.

While drawing attention to the progress made in the country's armed forces and police, the Secretary-General states that both institutions are plagued by logistical deficiencies and inadequate funding from the Government. "Given the ongoing political tensions and lack of economic progress, there is a risk that the fragile peace could unravel if those issues are not addressed on a priority basis," he stresses.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON RECOMMENDS EXTENSION OF UN OFFICE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

BAN KI-MOON RECOMMENDS EXTENSION OF UN OFFICE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
New York, Dec 7 2007 1:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has recommended that the United Nations office in the Central African Republic (CAR) be extended for another year to help the country consolidate progress and prevent a relapse into conflict.

In a letter to the President of the Security Council, Mr. Ban notes that the Government has indicated that it would like the UN Peacebuilding Support Office in the CAR, known as BONUCA, to "continue to assist them in their efforts towards building lasting peace, including by helping the national stakeholders organize an inclusive political dialogue."

Some recent positive developments, facilitated in part by BONUCA, show that the UN peacebuilding efforts in the CAR are "making strides," writes Mr. Ban, noting in particular that preparations for the national dialogue are progressing, and the round table held in Brussels on 26 October mobilized close to $600 million for the country's development programmes.

But despite progress, concern remains about a number of issues, including sporadic attacks by rebels and criminal gangs and subsequent reprisals by Government forces, as well as the fallout of the Darfur crisis in the border areas with the Sudan, all of which add to the prevailing insecurity in the country and the humanitarian challenges it faces.

These factors also undermine efforts to reform the economy and to promote development, both of which are crucial for long-term stabilization of the country, the Secretary-General adds.

The support of the international community remains vital to the country's efforts to remain on the path to peace and development, Mr. Ban writes, recommending that BONUCA's mandate be extended through the end of 2008, so that it can help national players to organize an inclusive political dialogue and facilitate the mobilization of resources for national reconstruction, development and other priorities.

Mr. Ban's comments echo those in his recent report on BONUCA's activities, in which he appealed to actors in the CAR to engage in national dialogue to end the cycle of political instability and violence that continues to plague the country.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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FORMER PROVINCIAL LEADER OF RWANDA GIVEN LIFE SENTENCE BY UN GENOCIDE TRIBUNAL

FORMER PROVINCIAL LEADER OF RWANDA GIVEN LIFE SENTENCE BY UN GENOCIDE TRIBUNAL
New York, Dec 7 2007 1:00PM
A former Rwandan provincial leader has been sentenced to life in prison by the United Nations tribunal dealing with the country's 1994 genocide after it convicted him for his role in the killings, including the massacre of hundreds of Tutsis who had sought refuge in a church.

A three-judge panel at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (<"http://69.94.11.53/ENGLISH/PRESSREL/2007/542.htm">ICTR), which sits in Arusha in neighbouring Tanzania, sentenced François Karera today after finding him guilty of three counts of genocide and crimes against humanity. He was acquitted of complicity to commit genocide, which had been an alternative count to genocide.

The ICTR found that Mr. Karera, who served as the prefect, or chief administrator, of Kigali-Rural Prefecture between April and July 1994, ordered, instigated and encouraged attacks by Hutu militiamen and soldiers against Tutsis in his prefecture.

In mid-April of that year, militiamen and soldiers arrived in Ntarama sector and attacked Tutsis who had sought shelter at a church because of the killings and violence engulfing the country. Mr. Karera was present and encouraged the attackers as they killed hundreds of people at the church.

Later that month and also in May, many Tutsis were also killed – mainly at makeshift roadblocks – at two other communes in Mr. Karera's prefecture, following orders he gave.

The judges said that in determining the appropriate sentence for Mr. Karera, they "took into account in particular his position of authority and the number of victims who were killed at Ntarama Church."

About 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered, mainly by machete, in less than 100 days starting in April 1994. The Security Council set up the ICTR later that year to deal with the worst crimes.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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LIBERIA: UN MISSION URGES RESTRAINT AFTER VIOLENCE ERUPTS AT RUBBER PLANTATION

LIBERIA: UN MISSION URGES RESTRAINT AFTER VIOLENCE ERUPTS AT RUBBER PLANTATION
New York, Dec 7 2007 12:00PM
The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) today urged restraint following violent disturbances yesterday at the Firestone Rubber Plantation in the south-central area of the country which is rebuilding after years of conflict.

UNMIL worked with the Liberia National Police (LNP) to restore calm after the incident in Harbel, Margibi County, which resulted in at least five people sustaining injuries.

In a statement, the mission called on the community "to stop acts of violence, which will only make the situation worse."

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Liberia, Alan Doss, appealed to all parties to be cautious and to peacefully resolve any grievances and disagreements.

The mission's security personnel – including military and police officers from Formed Police Units (FPUs) – were deployed quickly to join LNP officers when it became clear that the demonstration was turning violent.

Some properties, including a health centre, were damaged and looted during the incident, and extra personnel are patrolling the now-calm area.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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JUMP IN GLOBAL SEA TRADE DRIVEN BY EXPANDING ASIAN DEMAND - UN

JUMP IN GLOBAL SEA TRADE DRIVEN BY EXPANDING ASIAN DEMAND – UN
New York, Dec 7 2007 12:00PM
Pushed by surging demand in Asia, international trade carried by ship climbed 4.3 per cent to over 7 billion tons in 2006, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report released today.

Crude oil and petroleum products comprised over one-third of seaborne merchandise, the report noted.

Growth in Asia – and China in particular – drove total demand for shipping services up by 5.5 per cent to reach 30,686 billion ton-miles in 2006.

Also, the total world merchant fleet expanded to 1.04 billion deadweight tons in 2006, marking the first year global capacity has surpassed the 1 billion mark.

Last year, total world merchandise trade – however carried – rose 8 per cent, double the rate of increase in global GDP for the year.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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NEGOTIATORS AT UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE PRESS FORWARD ON KEY ISSUES

NEGOTIATORS AT UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE PRESS FORWARD ON KEY ISSUES
New York, Dec 7 2007 11:00AM
<"http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php">Climate change talks in Bali aimed at charting a roadmap for action moved ahead today with focused negotiations on the key elements aimed at guiding the process that will continue after the Confernce ends.

Delegates, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and conference officials generally agreed that there were signs of progress in the discussions, although no firm decisions have yet been reached.

While Hans Verolme, Director of WWF, said that while the conference "should get on it," there had been progress and that some countries had put forward a number of good proposals.

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, reported that countries had held useful discussions on future action on climate change, particularly on the objectives and principles. He said there was a strong focus on providing incentives for developing countries to limit their growth of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as recognizing the efforts those countries were already making in that area.

Talks also continued on ways to provide developing countries with newer and cleaner technologies and on the issue of deforestation, where delegates have agreed to conduct work on methods on issues that include how to assess forest cover and emission reductions.

Trade ministers from more than 30 countries will be in Bali to discuss climate change issues this weekend and about two dozen finance ministers will meet early next week. It is the first time that these ministerial groups have organized meetings in connection with a climate change conference.

The meeting could help the development of a financial response to climate change, which Mr. de Boer said was essential for the new deal to tackle the problem. "It is the oil that will make the machinery run."

He said that investments of around $20 trillion would be needed by 2030 to meet the world's hunger for energy, with more than half of that demand coming from developing countries.

Developing countries, he added, would need incentives to alter the course of an "investment super tanker." Those incentives would need to be agreed as part of post-2012 climate change deal under the auspices of the UN for which negotiations need to be launched at Bali.
2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH CRUCIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT, SAY TOP UN OFFICIALS

SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH CRUCIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT, SAY TOP UN OFFICIALS
New York, Dec 6 2007 7:00PM
Vigorous and sustainable economic progress is the best means to achieve development goals, top United Nations officials said today.

"Robust global growth that is resilient to economic shocks and sustainable over the long-term is the best catalyst for development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," said General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim, referring to the eight targets to slash poverty and other ills by 2015.

But this growth has been checked by the recent instability of financial markets, the credit squeeze and high oil prices, among other factors, he said in an address to a meeting aimed at sharing views of economic trends that could impact upon development.

"The current challenges remind us that national governments and multilateral institutions must be ever vigilant and ready to take appropriate steps to ensure we can respond rapidly to changing international market conditions that may undermine growth," Mr. Kerim noted.

Although some sub-Saharan nations will not achieve many, or any, of the MDGs by 2015, some of the region's countries "are demonstrating progress towards the MDGs is possible when strong government leadership, good policies and healthy institutions are combined with adequate financial and technical support from the international community," he observed.

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro also <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/dsgsm361.doc.htm">stressed the necessity of "urgent and concerted action by political leaders" to reach development goals as seen in countries in Africa and elsewhere.

"We need a strong and sustained effort by developed and developing countries alike to ensure that millions of people can emerge from extreme poverty and hunger," she told an Assembly Debate on Development.

Richer nations must boost their development assistance flows and increase debt relief, while developing countries must take full ownership of their development processes, she said.

"Furthermore," Ms. Migiro noted, "developing countries need to have access to open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory trading and financial systems. It is imperative that the Doha trade negotiations conclude early and deliver on the promise to be a true development round."

Touting the benefits of the Doha round of international trade negotiations, Jagdish Bhagwati, the renowned economist and Columbia University professor, underscored the benefits of free trade for developing countries.

"I think we have substantial evidence that in the long run, openness really pays off," he said at a press briefing at UN Headquarters.

The lowering of external tariffs has "been a very substantial achievement and that has coincided with very substantial growth in the developing countries which managed to take advantage of that opening," Mr. Bhagwati said.

Nobel prize laureate and fellow Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz emphasized the detrimental effects of bilateral trade agreements on multilateral ones.

Speaking at the same briefing, he said that "the growth of bilateral agreements is really undermining the multilateral trade system that so many people worked so hard over 60 years to create," as many issues are hidden into trade agreements that work against the interests of developing countries.

Regarding climate change, which he characterized as "an issue of global social justice," Mr. Stiglitz suggested an alternative framework to the current carbon tax system as well as a rainforest initiative – which he hopes will come to pass at the landmark UN Convention on Climate Change underway in Bali, Indonesia – to act as an incentive for developing nations to maintain forests.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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HONDURAS: UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT WARNS ON THREATS TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

HONDURAS: UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT WARNS ON THREATS TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
New York, Dec 6 2007 8:00PM
Honduran journalists, media owners and many members of civil society face a climate of "rampant insecurity" that includes the threat of assassination, pressure from organized crime and widespread impunity for those who carry out violent acts against them, an independent United Nations human rights expert today.

Ambeyi Ligabo, the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, released a statement following his five-day visit to Honduras last week in which he urged authorities in the Central American country to make the issue a priority item on the national agenda.

Although Honduras has made important advances in framing legislation to strengthen freedom of expression and protect practitioners, Mr. Ligabo said the Government needs to step up its efforts to ensure that journalists and others enjoy better protections.

He noted that one journalist was assassinated recently and two others have gone into voluntary exile for fear of being killed as well.

During his meetings with media professionals and others, the Special Rapporteur said he "heard testimonies of several journalists who are currently under threats. These threats need to be closely monitored and investigated by the police."

He said that so far no one has yet been convicted of violent acts related to efforts to clamp down on freedom of expression and opinion, and he called for the "speedy conclusion [of] all ongoing investigations into crimes committed against journalists."

Mr. Ligabo also raised concerns about the independence of the media, given that many newspapers depend on Government advertising for their financial health.

"State advertising should not be used as a means to put pressure on any media, particularly those critical to the Government or any special interest groups. I have also been informed that some journalists are on [the] Government payroll. If this is true, it is unacceptable and contrary to press ethics."

In addition, he noted what he described as the slow pace in adapting national laws to international standards of freedom of opinion and expression, particularly concerning censorship and offences in the criminal code against "good reputation," which he said leads to self-censorship by journalists afraid to voice allegations about corruption by those in powers.

"Examples of this are still fresh in recent memories… If the clause is to protect good reputation, it is imperative that the civil code, and not the criminal code, be applicable."

The right of indigenous groups and other vulnerable minorities to have their voices heard in the Honduran media and public square also deserve greater reinforcement, he stressed.

Mr. Ligabo, who serves in an unpaid, personal capacity, was appointed as a Special Rapporteur in 2002 and reports to the UN Human Rights Council. A full report on his visit to Honduras is expected next year.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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UN'S TOP RIGHTS CHIEF SPEAKS OUT AGAINST EXECUTION OF A MINOR IN IRAN

UN'S TOP RIGHTS CHIEF SPEAKS OUT AGAINST EXECUTION OF A MINOR IN IRAN
New York, Dec 7 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has spoken out against the execution of a minor in Iran, calling on the Tehran Government to respect the international consensus against meting out capital punishment to juvenile offenders.

Louise Arbour expressed her "grave concern" on 6 December over the execution of Makwan Moloudzadeh the previous day in a prison in Iran's Kermanshah Province, according to a statement released by her office.

Makwan Moloudzadeh was convicted of the rape of three boys seven years ago, when he was 13 years old. "It was reported that the execution was carried out, despite his alleged victims withdrawing their accusations, and the Head of the Judiciary issuing an order to stay the execution pending a further judicial review of the sentence," Ms. Arbour observed.

Iran is a party to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child -- treaties which place a legal obligation on States parties not to impose the death penalty for those under the age of 18 years at the time of the commission of the crimes.

The High Commissioner called on Iran "to respect its international legal obligations and the strong international consensus against the execution of minors."

2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE AGENCY STAFF MEMBER SHOT DEAD IN CHAD

UN REFUGEE AGENCY STAFF MEMBER SHOT DEAD IN CHAD
New York, Dec 7 2007 8:00AM
A staff member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was shot dead during a shooting incident in Chad yesterday, prompting the agency and the Government to examine the circumstances surrounding the killing.

Mahmat Mahamadou, a driver based at the UNHCR Field Office in Danamadji in the south of Chad, where UNHCR cares for over 43,000 refugees from the Central African Republic, was returning alone in a vehicle after delivering a staff member to a regular meeting point for transfer of staff members when he was attacked, according to a spokesman for the agency.

"We are shocked and saddened" by the killing, said William Spindler.

"The circumstances surrounding the shooting are still not clear and we are working with the Chadian authorities to find out exactly what happened," he told the press in Geneva, where UNHCR is headquartered.

This is the first fatality UNHCR has suffered in its operations in Chad.

2007-12-07 00:00:00.000

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UN TOUR GUIDES HOLD SICK-DAY LABOUR ACTION

UN TOUR GUIDES HOLD SICK-DAY LABOUR ACTION
New York, Dec 6 2007 6:00PM
Nearly two dozen United Nations tour guides called in sick today in a labour action which added impetus to a previously planned meeting convened this afternoon by the world body's top public information official to address their concerns.

Tours at the UN were drastically reduced after the 22 guides called in sick. Spokesperson Marie Okabe said visitors who had made prior reservations were generally able to go on their tour as scheduled, but all others were prevented from visiting UN Headquarters.

The action "must have caused some inconvenience," said Mr. Ban when asked by reporters to comment.

The Secretary-General also paid tribute to the value of the work of the multilingual staff members. "Tour guides are very important to connecting the UN and the outside world," he said. "They have been playing an important role."

Under-Secretary-General for Public Information Kiyotaka Akasaka "is going to discuss this matter [and] what their complaints and their issues are."

Mr. Akasaka had planned to join the scheduled meeting and announce that he would constitute a working group to discuss the issues of concern, according to Ms. Okabe.

"The meeting is scheduled as planned and the United Nations is fully committed to dialogue with the Tour Guides," she said.

The guides are reportedly seeking improvements in their conditions of service, including benefits, sick leave and job security.

Since 1952, when the UN began offering guided tours of its iconic New York Headquarters, approximately 37 million people have visited. Annual attendance now fluctuates at around 400,000 visitors, who have the option of tours in over 20 languages.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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UN BUDGET COMMITTEE BACKS PLAN TO SPEED UP HEADQUARTERS RENOVATION

UN BUDGET COMMITTEE BACKS PLAN TO SPEED UP HEADQUARTERS RENOVATION
New York, Dec 6 2007 6:00PM
Concerned about further delays to the renovation of the United Nations Headquarters complex in New York, the General Assembly's budget committee has <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/gaab3830.doc.htm">endorsed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's proposals to accelerate the much-needed overhaul.

A draft resolution approved today by the main committee dealing with administrative and budgetary matters (or the Fifth Committee) would have the General Assembly approve the changes to the schedule of the refurbishment of the world body's Headquarters, known as the Capital Master Plan, as proposed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in an October report.

The Assembly would also appropriate over $992 million for the Plan's 2008-2009 budget, according to the draft which is expected to receive final approval from the entire UN membership in the coming days.

Mr. Ban had proposed accelerating the plan approved last year by the Assembly, known as Strategy IV, to make the renovation "less risky, less expensive and faster" in the long run, citing the need to make up for lost time and avoid further cost escalation.

Under "accelerated strategy IV," the time needed for the renovation would be reduced owing to a decrease in the total number of phases needed to refurbish the Secretariat and Conference Buildings.

The new proposals would involve the construction of the temporary Conference Building on the North Lawn as planned in early 2008, while completing the entire renovation by mid-2013 rather than mid-2016 as envisioned under the current strategy.

By this timetable, renovation of the Secretariat building would be completed in three years instead of six, starting early in 2009; the General Assembly building in two years instead of two and a half; and the Conference building in two years instead of three.

Today's resolution would also have the Assembly authorize Mr. Ban to enter into an additional swing space arrangement needed for a single-phase renovation of the Secretariat building "as a matter of urgency." In addition, it would approve the proposed changes in the renovation schedule, subject to the availability of the swing space.

The Executive Director of the CMP, Michael Adlerstein, welcomed the Fifth Committee's approval of the accelerated version of the CMP, which is expected to result in a Headquarters complex that is more energy efficient and safer for staff and visitors.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY SEEKS TO MINIMIZE THREAT POSED BY NUCLEAR WEAPONS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY SEEKS TO MINIMIZE THREAT POSED BY NUCLEAR WEAPONS
New York, Dec 6 2007 5:00PM
To address the dangers posed by thousands of nuclear weapons that still remain on high alert years after the end of the Cold War, the General Assembly has called for further practical steps to decrease the operational readiness of nuclear weapons systems, acting on the recommendation of its committee devoted to disarmament and global security matters.

The Assembly made the call in one of 51 texts presented by the First Committee and adopted by the 192-member body yesterday; 32 of them were passed by recorded votes including those relating to missiles, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (<"http://disarmament2.un.org/wmd/ctbt/index.html">CTBT), and preventing an arms race in outer space.

In adopting the resolution on decreasing operational readiness of nuclear weapons systems, the Assembly recognized that maintaining these systems at a high level of readiness increased the risk of their use, including unintentional or accidental use, with catastrophic consequences.

In a related action, the Assembly, considering that the hair-trigger alert of nuclear weapons carried unacceptable risks, called for urgent steps to reduce the dangers of those weapons' unintentional and accidental use.
By that text, entitled "Reducing nuclear danger," the Assembly also called on the five main nuclear-weapon States – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States – to take steps towards de-alerting and de-targeting their nuclear weapons.

In addition, Member States were requested to take measures to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and to promote nuclear disarmament, with the objective of eliminating nuclear weapons.

Among the other texts adopted by the Assembly were those relating to arms control, preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, the dumping of radioactive wastes, the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, and the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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UN DELEGATION TO FOCUS ON DARFUR DEPLOYMENT AT AFRICAN-EUROPEAN SUMMIT

UN DELEGATION TO FOCUS ON DARFUR DEPLOYMENT AT AFRICAN-EUROPEAN SUMMIT
New York, Dec 6 2007 4:00PM
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro is heading a United Nations delegation to this weekend's African Union-European Union summit in Lisbon, where the ongoing struggle to deploy a hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force to the war-wracked Darfur region of Sudan will be high on the agenda.

Ms. Migiro will be joined in the Portuguese capital by the UN High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Countries and Small Island Developing States Cheick Sidi Diarra, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet and Deputy Chef de Cabinet Kim Won-Soo.

Mr. Mulet and Mr. Kim are scheduled to meet with the Sudanese delegation attending the summit on issues relating to the deployment of the hybrid force, known as UNAMID, to try to quell the fighting between rebels, Government forces and allied militias that has left at least 200,000 people dead and more than 2.2 million others displaced since 2003.

UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters today that the purpose of the talks on the sidelines of the summit will be to tackle and resolve the issue of the composition of UNAMID as well as "all other obstacles impeding" its deployment.

UNAMID is due to take over from the existing but under-resourced AU mission (known as AMIS) by the start of next month, but senior UN officials have warned that the deployment is in jeopardy because of a series of objections and obstacles raised by the Sudanese Government and the lack of offers for crucial force units.

The mission is short of one heavy and one medium transport unit, three military utility aviation units and one light helicopter unit, while an earlier pledge for one reconnaissance company has been withdrawn.

Khartoum is yet to approve units for the force, which is supposed to be predominantly African, from Thailand, Nepal and Scandinavia, and it has also not facilitated the acquisition of land and flight operations rights for UN aircraft, impeding the ability of UNAMID to carry out its mandate.

Choi Young-jin, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Côte d'Ivoire, will also be attending the Lisbon gathering to participate in a separate mini-summit on the current challenges facing the West African nation.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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INCREASED EMPLOYMENT COULD BE CLIMATE CHANGE'S SILVER LINING - UN

INCREASED EMPLOYMENT COULD BE CLIMATE CHANGE'S SILVER LINING – UN
New York, Dec 6 2007 4:00PM
Despite the detrimental effects brought on by climate change, new industries to combat global warming could spur employment, the head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said today.

"Millions of new jobs are among the many silver, if not indeed gold-plated linings on the cloud of climate change," said Achim Steiner, UNEP's Executive Director.

He pointed out that research shows that these are not just 'green collar' jobs targeted at the middle classes, but that opportunities abound for workers in areas ranging from construction, sustainable forestry and agriculture, engineering and transportation.

"Talk of environmental sustainability and climate change often emphasizes the costs, but downplays the significant employment opportunities from the transition to a global economy that is not only resource efficient and without the huge emissions of greenhouse gases, but one that also restores environmental and social values," Mr. Steiner said.

The research is part of a draft report entitled "Green Jobs: Can the Transition to Environmental Sustainability Spur New Kinds and Higher Levels of Employment?" that was commissioned by <"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=523&ArticleID=5717&l=en">UNEP.

It found that the United States environmental industry in 2005 generated over 5.3 million jobs, ten times the number in the country's pharmaceutical industry.

Delhi, it noted, is introducing new eco-friendly compressed natural gas buses that will create 18,000 new jobs, while Brazil's ethanol programme has lead to half a million new jobs.

Meanwhile, the top UN climate change official today said that greater efforts are necessary to extend the benefits of the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) – which allows projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and contribute to sustainable development to earn certified emission reduction credits (CERs) – to Africa.

"There are 850 clean development mechanism projects in 49 developing countries, but only 23 of those projects are in Africa," said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC). "It's time that the benefits of this important Kyoto Protocol mechanism were expanded in Africa."

Last November, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the Nairobi Framework aimed at spreading the spreading the benefits of the CDM.

Since then, several projects have been launched in Africa, but the total number of CDM initiatives on the continent comprise only 2.6 per cent of the some 800 registered projects.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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TIMOR-LESTE FACES SERIOUS CHALLENGES DESPITE RECENT GAINS, SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD

TIMOR-LESTE FACES SERIOUS CHALLENGES DESPITE RECENT GAINS, SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD
New York, Dec 6 2007 3:00PM
While Timor-Leste has recovered well from the violent crisis that engulfed it last year, it continues to grapple with a host of challenges including the fate of about 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and widespread poverty, the head of a recent United Nations Security Council mission to the tiny nation said today.

"The challenges of governance and the legacy of the 2006 violent crisis and its aftermath continue to haunt the country's political leadership and affect the people of Timor-Leste," South African Ambassador Dumisani S. Kumalo stated, as he briefed the Council on the 24 November to 1 December visit to the country which the UN helped shepherd to independence in 2002.

During their visit, the Council team – which also included delegates from China, Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Russian Federation, Slovakia and United States – gained first-hand knowledge of the issues the country has to address, meeting with a wide range of people from Government, civil society and the UN family.

Mr. Kumalo noted that the general and security situation in Timor-Leste remains calm and stable, although fragile. The country held successful presidential and parliamentary elections earlier this year, all 15 political parties were working together and civil society seemed to be flourishing.

But Timor-Leste still faces enormous challenges associated with political differences among leaders in resolving critical issues, and difficulties associated with widespread unemployment and poverty.

Mr. Kumalo noted in particular the unresolved issues of the so-called "petitioners" – former soldiers who deserted the army – as well as the IDPs, who are currently settled in about 53 camps. "In the short-term, it is crucial that the Government of Timor-Leste, with the support of the United Nations and the international community, work together to improve the living conditions of the IDPs," he stated.

In addition, the mission found that Timor-Leste faces challenges related to weak institutions, lack of capacity and difficulties in governance, and the security and justice sectors needed strengthening.

"Despite these challenges, the mission left Timor-Leste convinced that the country is on the right path of regaining its role as a peaceful, stable, united and prosperous country," Mr. Kumalo said.

He added that everyone the mission spoke with agreed on the importance of the continued presence of the UN in the country, including that of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT).

Echoing the assessment of the Council mission, the Ambassador of Timor-Leste said that while considerable progress has been made since the April 2006 crisis, the challenges facing his country are "enormous."

"Though the atmosphere of general improvement of peace and security is welcome, it should not be replaced by complacency or another premature celebration," said Nelson Santos.

He assured the Council that the Government and people of Timor-Leste are doing all they can to consolidate peace and stability, "in order to firstly free our people from poverty and to secondly, but not less importantly, absolve the United Nations from its responsibilities in this regard."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Timor-Leste as part of his trip to Asia in the coming weeks. He plans to visit UNMIT, meet with Government officials and address the National Parliament, as well as stop at camps for the internally displaced.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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IN ERA OF E-MAIL, SNAIL MAIL STILL GOING STRONG, UN POSTAL AGENCY REPORTS

IN ERA OF E-MAIL, SNAIL MAIL STILL GOING STRONG, UN POSTAL AGENCY REPORTS
New York, Dec 6 2007 3:00PM
Despite stiff competition from electronic communications, snail mail is still going strong, the United Nations Universal Postal Union (UPU) <"http://www.upu.int/press/en/2007/letter_traffic_rallying_profits_up.pdf">announced today, with letter mail traffic up slightly, more parcels being sent and postal revenue surging.

In its worldwide statistics for 2006, the Berne, Switzerland-based <"http://www.upu.int/news_centre/en/index.shtml">UPU reported that with a total traffic of 433 billion mail items, domestic letter-post traffic rose slightly compared to the year before, while international mail was down two per cent.

The number of parcels sent last year numbered 6.235 billion items nationally and internationally, increasing 4.8 per cent from the year before. Domestically, advertising mail contributed to the rise in mail volumes.

The biggest rise in domestic parcels traffic – 11.7 per cent – occurred in Africa, while internationally, Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) saw a 21.4 per cent surge.

Global postal revenue climbed 13 per cent to $308.1 billion compared to 2005. More than half of these profits were generated by letter post, while more than one quarter was created by parcels and logistics services.

The statistics were gathered from responses to a UPU questionnaire, to which 163 out of the 191 UPU Member States responded.

The survey showed that the Swiss send the largest number of letters – 713 letters annually – while the Japanese send the most parcels, some 18.1 yearly.

The UPU also found that the world's postal services employ more than 5.5 billion people. Vanuatu has the smallest postal staff globally with 37 employees, while with 796,199 employees, the United States has the largest.

With four post offices, the Vatican has the fewest number of them, while India, with the most, has 155,333.

The UPU is the world's second-oldest international organization, created in 1874. The agency acts as the primary forum for cooperation between postal systems worldwide.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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URGENT FUNDS NEEDED TO RUN FOOD AID OPERATIONS IN YEMEN, SAYS UN AGENCY

URGENT FUNDS NEEDED TO RUN FOOD AID OPERATIONS IN YEMEN, SAYS UN AGENCY
New York, Dec 6 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2710">WFP) today called on donors to provide an urgent injection of $3.3 million in funds so that it can feed for the next four months nearly 80,000 Yemenis who have been displaced by intermittent conflict in the northwest of the country.

WFP Yemen Country Director Mohamed El-Kouhene said improved security in the Sa'adah governorate, where the conflict is centred, in recent months has allowed the agency to start assisting many more people across the region. Before then, the violence had confined the operation largely to Sa'ada city.

The agency said in a news release that it estimates it will need to feed 77,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from now until at least next March, double the number of people it has been helping since the operation began in June.

Under the scheme WFP provides food to those who cannot meet their own needs and the Yemeni Government provides security and logistical assistance.

Conflict between Yemeni Government forces and followers of the rebel movement of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi has flared intermittently since 2004, but in the latest round of fighting that began in January, the homes and possessions of tens of thousands of people have been destroyed, forcing many to flee.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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KILLING OF AFGHAN AID WORKER SPARKS OUTRAGE FROM UN AGENCY CHIEF

KILLING OF AFGHAN AID WORKER SPARKS OUTRAGE FROM UN AGENCY CHIEF
New York, Dec 6 2007 1:00PM
The head of the United Nations World Food Programme (<" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2711">WFP) has spoken out against the killing of a humanitarian worker in southern Afghanistan, gunned down while delivering vital food aid in one of the most dangerous parts of the violence-ridden nation.

"We strongly deplore this attack, as we do all acts of aggression against humanitarian workers assisting people in desperate need," WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said today, in response to the killing of one of the agency's truck drivers, Ezatollah. "No loss of life can be tolerated."

Mr. Ezatollah was driving a truck carrying 14 tons of high energy biscuits for WFP in the early hours of 2 December when he was ambushed by armed men on the road from Kandahar to Helmand in southern Afghanistan – the site of two other attacks on WFP trucks in October and November.

He was shot dead and his assistant was abducted and remains missing, as does the truck and its cargo. Police investigations are continuing into the incident.

WFP notes that attacks on its trucks and convoys are a common hazard in various parts of the world. In October, three contract truck drivers were shot dead while working for the agency in the strife-torn Darfur region of Sudan.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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UN HEALTH AGENCY LAUNCHES NEW DRIVE TO DEVELOP CHILD-SIZE DRUGS

UN HEALTH AGENCY LAUNCHES NEW DRIVE TO DEVELOP CHILD-SIZE DRUGS
New York, Dec 6 2007 1:00PM
Citing the need for medicines better tailored to children's needs, the United Nations World Health Organization (<" http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr63/en/index.html">WHO) today unveiled plans for further research and development into child medicine.

The agency presented its new initiative at the London launch of the "make medicines child size" campaign. Spearheaded by WHO, the campaign aims to raise awareness and spur action to address the need to ensure that all children under the age of 15 have better access to medicines appropriate for them.

Greater efforts are needed in this area given that many medicines available today are not developed for children or available in suitable dosages or formats. When they are available, they are not reaching the children who need them most, notes WHO.

"The gap between the availability and the need for child-appropriate medicines touches wealthy as well as poor countries," said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. "As we strive for equitable access to scientific progress in health, children must be one of our top priorities."

According to WHO, more than half of children in industrialized societies are prescribed medicines whose dosages are intended for adults and not authorized for use in children. In developing countries, the problem is made worse by lower access to medicines.

The agency adds that about six million children – out of the 10 million that do not reach their fifth birthday every year – die of treatable conditions and could be saved if the medicines they need were readily available, safe, effective and affordable.

Pneumonia kills two million children under five each year and HIV kills 330,000 children under 15. "These illnesses can be treated, but many children don't stand a chance because the medicines are either not appropriate for their age, don't reach them or are priced too high – up to three times the price of adult drugs," said Howard Zucker, WHO Assistant Director-General.

The medicines that need to be adapted to children's needs include many antibiotics, as well as asthma and pain medication. The campaign also calls for more research and development of combination pills for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as appropriate child therapy for a number of neglected tropical diseases.

To promote increased attention to research into children's drugs, WHO is building an Internet portal to clinical trials carried out in children and will publish that information early next year.

The agency is also releasing today the first international List of Essential Medicines for Children, containing over 200 medicines that are deemed safe for children. In addition, it will work with governments to address regulations for children's medicines.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT AND HONDURAN OFFICIAL DISCUSS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REFORMS

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT AND HONDURAN OFFICIAL DISCUSS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REFORMS
New York, Dec 6 2007 1:00PM
The recent social and economic reforms in Honduras and its Government's efforts to uphold human rights topped the agenda during talks between General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim and the Central American country's Foreign Minister.

Mr. Kerim met Milton Jiménez Puerto at United Nations Headquarters in New York yesterday, according to a statement released by Mr. Kerim's spokesperson, where he received a briefing on the recent reforms undertaken by the Government.

The statement noted that Mr. Kerim commended Honduras for its efforts to protect and promote human rights, "and for its declared commitment to progress on economic and social reforms, as well as on the human rights agenda."

Mr. Kerim also thanked Mr. Jiménez Puerto for his country's support of the work of the 192-member Assembly, especially its efforts as one of the Vice-Presidents of the current session.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN OFFICIAL PRAISES BRAZIL'S HUMAN RIGHTS ACHIEVEMENTS

TOP UN OFFICIAL PRAISES BRAZIL'S HUMAN RIGHTS ACHIEVEMENTS
New York, Dec 6 2007 1:00PM
During a three-day visit to Brazil that wrapped up yesterday, the top United Nations human rights official praised the South American country's recent accomplishments in that realm but pointed out that other obstacles remain.

"Brazil has demonstrated leadership at the international level in the area of human rights," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour <"http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/CB7CDE1A6681608AC12573A9003534B1?OpenDocument">said. "The country realized significant achievements in the fight against poverty and HIV/AIDS, although challenges remain, particularly in the administration of justice and the enforcement of other rights enshrined in the 1988 Constitution, and especially with regards to indigenous rights."

She encouraged the South American country's Government to bolster efforts to improve the administration of justice, particularly the widespread use of pre-trial detention.

The High Commissioner also suggested innovative measures to alleviate prison overcrowding, further accountability among law enforcement officials and prevent abuses against detainees.

On her last day in the country, she delivered a lecture on poverty as both cause and consequence of human rights violations at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and stopped at the community of Vigario Geral, where she learned about projects to bring peace through arts by less privileged youth.

The High Commissioner's visit, her first to Brazil, came after the Government extended an invitation. Stopping at Brasilia, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, she met with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, federal Government officials and the federal Supreme Court.

She also held talks with state authorities in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to discuss the country's human rights successes and challenges, as well as with civil society organizations to hear their concerns.
2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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SOMALIA: UNICEF IMMUNIZES 100,000 CHILDREN AND WOMEN IN CAMPS

SOMALIA: UNICEF IMMUNIZES 100,000 CHILDREN AND WOMEN IN CAMPS
New York, Dec 6 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has announced plans to immunize approximately 100,000 internally displaced Somalis living in camps along the Mogadishu-Afgoye corridor this week.

The vast majority of Somali children under the age of five -- 95 per cent -- have not received the full recommended course of vaccinations. The new drive will provide those to 47,600 children as well as 56,000 women who have fled recent violence

UNICEF's Representative to Somalia, Christian Balslev-Olesen said UNICEF is spearheading efforts to reach the displaced in response to Somalia's volatile security conditions. "If you consider that ten percent of the country's population has had to flee their homes -- with these numbers increasing every day -- then we have to find effective means of delivering services to these people. This is why UNICEF and its partners have organized campaigns like this one to reach every child."

Somalia has some of the worst social indicators for children in the world: one in eight children dies before his fifth birthday, one in three is chronically malnourished, hardly a third of families have access to clean drinking water, just 30 per cent of children go to school and on average people only live to the age of 47, according to UNICEF.

"If the United Nations is to remain relevant and improve the lives of Somalis, then we need to be more aggressive in how we reach children who need us," said Mr. Balslev-Olesen.

This week's immunization campaign is one of three that UNICEF and its partners will organize in the coming weeks, said the agency, which is also working to deliver clean water, sanitation and education facilities, as well as to improve the delivery and quality of health and social protection services.

With the fall of Somalia's Government in 1991, the country's health system has faced severe challenges in providing essential services to its population. But UNICEF said recent data coming out of th
indicates that effective awareness-raising campaigns and temporary and mobile health delivery points can significantly reduce the number of children dying from measles and polio.

UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) said they can reach 3.5 million children and women in the next two years for as little as $15 per person per year. This cost will enable, among other critical child survival interventions, the delivery of measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus and tuberculosis vaccines to children under five along with a capsule of vitamin A to boast their immunity. Women of reproductive age will receive iron supplementation and tetanus toxoid immunization.

2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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NEGOTIATORS IN TALKS ON CORE CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES AT UN CONFERENCE

NEGOTIATORS IN TALKS ON CORE CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES AT UN CONFERENCE
New York, Dec 6 2007 8:00AM
Special negotiating groups created at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali are discussing the elements of a future roadmap for tackling the problem, technology transfer, deforestation and practical action on adaptation strategies for countries coping with adverse effects.

Several countries, including Brazil -- on behalf of the caucus of developing countries known as the "Group of 77" -- as well as China, the United States, Japan and the European Union, have now put forward various proposals for developing the roadmap for a way forward after 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol regime for cutting greenhouse gas emissions will expire, according to Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Earlier today, he said it was "encouraging" that many countries have come prepared to Bali with their own proposals on how the process should move forward.

Also today, the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formally presented to the Conference. The report warns that left unchecked, climate change could have catastrophic impacts.

Mr. de Boer said there had been a suggestion that the IPCC should be asked to update these reports in 2009, the year when future negotiations on a post-2012 climate change deal are expected to conclude. IPCC practice has been to prepare an assessment about every five years.

Countries are looking at the possibility of starting a round of pilot projects to reduce deforestation, which is claiming 13 million hectares each year, Mr. de Boer said.

On the talks on technology transfer, he welcomed the fact that the private sector is involved in offering solutions on the way forward.

Responding to press questions on whether Bali would yield a concrete reduction in targets, de Boer said industrialized countries needed to continue to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and there was agreement that emissions ne
40 per cent against 1990 levels to avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change.

At the same time, he said it would be more constructive for the parties to agree on the necessary tools for reaching emission reductions instead of becoming bogged down in discussions over targets in Bali.

Meanwhile, the UN Climate Change Convention, the World Bank, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced a new project to bring larger numbers of clean development projects to Africa. Building on a framework launched by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan last year in Nairobi, the new projects aim to make clean investment opportunities in Africa more attractive.

2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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UN RIGHTS EXPERT RAISES ALARM ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN DR CONGO

UN RIGHTS EXPERT RAISES ALARM ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN DR CONGO
New York, Dec 6 2007 8:00AM
Raising alarm about abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially the volatile eastern region, an independent United Nations human rights expert is calling for measures to protect civilians there.

Following an eight-day visit to the DRC that concluded on Wednesday, Titinga Frederic Pacere, the UN Independent Expert on Human Rights for the DRC, said that the situation was "alarming" and called for international support to resolve the problems facing the country.

During his third visit to the DRC, the independent expert met with the presidents of the National Assembly, the Senate and the High Military Court, as well as the Auditor General, the Justice and Defence Ministers, and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Pacere also visited Bukavu in South Kivu province, where he met the provincial governor, provincial assembly ministers, as well as civil, judicial and military authorities.

According to the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC), the expert used the meetings to call on the governmental, legislative and judicial authorities to invest in the fight against impunity and sexual violence, two plagues which are undermining the DRC's stability.

In an interview held at MONUC headquarters, Mr. Pacere stressed the need to tackle violence in the east, where forces loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda are battling government troops (FARDC).

Mr. Pacere said that the state of the DRC justice system was also "alarming, because as long as there is impunity, it breeds more impunity."

He also called for the creation of an international criminal court for the DRC "to deal with the high level of criminality" as well as five special criminal courts located in different parts of the vast country.

Mr. Pacere said that during his visit he observed the efforts on the part of the public authorities and other players. "But the deficiencies and challenges are enormous in this domain, and the international comm
the human rights problems."

2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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IRAQ: UN AGENCIES TEAM WITH GOVERNMENT TO BOOST LOCAL AUTHORITIES

IRAQ: UN AGENCIES TEAM WITH GOVERNMENT TO BOOST LOCAL AUTHORITIES
New York, Dec 6 2007 8:00AM
The Government of Iraq and seven United Nations agencies have launched a new initiative aimed at boosting the capacities of local authorities to carry through on development plans in partnership with the private sector and the community.

The programme will be carried out in Sulamaniya, Babel, and the Marshlands in a bid to stimulate local economic development and improve local infrastructure and basic services, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said in a news release.

The pilot phase is operating on a contribution of $30 million from the European Commission (EC) channelled through the UN Development Group Iraq Trust Fund and should offer lessons to guide expansion of the programme to other areas, UNAMI said.

Participating agencies are the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT), International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

2007-12-06 00:00:00.000

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SUCCESS OF COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY HINGES ON IMPLEMENTATION - UN

SUCCESS OF COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY HINGES ON IMPLEMENTATION – UN
New York, Dec 5 2007 7:00PM
The success of the landmark Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy ultimately hinges on its complete implementation, United Nations officials and others closely involved with the initiative said today.

The Strategy – adopted by the General Assembly last September after a year of sometimes fractious negotiations as countries worked to overcome their differences – is the first global and common approach to tackle terrorism.

It has four main pillars of action, focusing on addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism; preventing and combating terrorism; building State capacity and bolstering the role of the UN; and ensuring respect for human rights and the rule of law against the backdrop of the fight against terrorism.

However, the Strategy "will only be a historic achievement if it is implemented," Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Strategic Planning, told reporters in New York.

Mr. Orr, who also chairs the Secretary-General's Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, added that "the focus at this point in time is on the implementation of this very significant document."

An informal meeting – in which two of the Assembly's 21 Vice-Presidents presided over its two separate sessions – was held yesterday at Headquarters to assess to what extent the Strategy has been put into practice.

Baki Ilkin, Turkey's Permanent Representative, observed today at a press briefing that during the session he led, the participants stressed the importance of the Strategy's concrete implementation and also that "it should be held under constant review and monitoring to assess the progress being made."

Delegates also called for improved dialogue – particularly interreligious and intercultural discourse – to improve understanding and increase tolerance worldwide, he noted.

"The fact that no religion or culture can be associated with violence or terror came out very strongly in the discussion."

During the session he chaired, Ambassador Elbio Rosselli of Uruguay said that the issue of terrorism's victims – including their rights, survivors and their relatives – featured very prominently.

"Therefore, there was strong support among the membership to emphasize that no justification exists for torture," he said.

In his concluding remarks at the end of yesterday's meeting, Assembly President Srgjan Kerim said that the gathering is a manifestation of the determination of Member States, the Task Force and civil society "to work together in this common effort to go forward with the implementation of all aspects of the Strategy."

But he cautioned that ongoing efforts to heighten awareness of the initiative are key. "These discussions should not stay in New York but be translated into furthering integrated and coordinated actions in your capitals," he told the delegates.

The formal review of the Strategy's implementation will take place next September.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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HEAD OF UN PROBE INTO HARIRI ASSASSINATION 'MORE CONFIDENT THAN EVER' OF SUCCESS

HEAD OF UN PROBE INTO HARIRI ASSASSINATION 'MORE CONFIDENT THAN EVER' OF SUCCESS
New York, Dec 5 2007 7:00PM
The head of the United Nations probe into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri is "more confident and optimistic than ever that the investigation can be concluded successfully," he told the Security Council today, explaining that his team has been able to answer many key questions regarding the February 2005 attack.

Serge Brammertz – who will step down later this month as head of the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) – said he could not yet predict when the inquiry into the massive car bombing in downtown Beirut, which killed Mr. Hariri and 22 others, would be wrapped up.

"Conducting an investigation is never an exact science," he said in a briefing on the latest report of the IIIC. "The completion of the investigation will depend on the final results of several ongoing projects and on the cooperation of all States," adding that it also relied on the willingness of additional witnesses to come forward.

Mr. Brammertz, who is being succeeded as investigation chief by Daniel Bellemare of Canada, stressed that it was paramount that the IIIC continues to receive the administrative and resource support it needs to carry out its work in the months ahead.

"When I am asked whether I am satisfied with the progress made so far, my answer is absolutely yes. Important results have been achieved in many areas of the investigation despite the numerous challenges the Commission has faced. Based on the progress made in recent months, I am more confident and optimistic than ever that the investigation can be concluded successfully."

Mr. Brammertz did not reveal many details about the IIIC's findings so far, saying his Office was increasingly cautious about the release of information given that it does not want to compromise any future legal process at the planned Special Tribunal for Lebanon, being set up to deal with the Hariri killing and up to 18 other politically-related murders in the country in recent years.

But he noted that, based on hundreds of interviews and examinations, investigators have been able to answer or substantially narrow the focus on many of the key questions surrounding the bombing, including the possible motive, the identity of the suicide bomber and details about the persons who conducted active surveillance on Mr. Hariri ahead of the attack.

Ahmed Abu Addas, who appeared in a video claiming responsibility for the assassination, was not the suicide bomber, Mr. Brammertz said, but may still be connected to the attack.

He added that investigators have gathered large amounts of evidence about the video, the Mitsubishi van in which the bomb exploded, the crime scene and many other forensic issues.

Drawing on tests of DNA and teeth and other information, the IIIC "has developed one principal hypothesis" about the identity of the suicide bomber, especially the specific area of the Middle East from which the young male is thought to have originated. But more tests need to be conducted to confirm the hypothesis.

Expert findings indicate the bomber was exposed "to significant quantities of a specific type of lead, possibly through proximity to military ammunition, between the ages of 16 and 20," which could show the man was living near an area of conflict or one where weapons were regularly used, such as a military training camp.

"New expert findings have provided additional information on the possible place of birth of the unidentified male, as well as further details on the location where he may have spent his childhood."

Turning to another political assassination in Lebanon, the death of the parliamentarian Antoine Ghanem in September this year following a car bombing in eastern Beirut, Mr. Brammertz said the initial findings indicated that the perpetrators were able to conduct surveillance and mobilize a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) "within a very short window of time.

"This and other preliminary results in other cases suggest that the perpetrators had – and most likely still have – operational capabilities available in Beirut."

Mr. Brammertz also said that investigations so far suggest that "some operational links exist" between the various attacks being probed by the Commission.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS NEW TOOL TO PROMOTE PEACEBUILDING IN BURUNDI

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS NEW TOOL TO PROMOTE PEACEBUILDING IN BURUNDI
New York, Dec 5 2007 6:00PM
Applauding Burundi on its commitment to peace after more than a decade of armed conflict, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today welcomed the adoption of a new tool that will strengthen the partnership between the United Nations, the West African country and its international partners.

Addressing a meeting of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, Ms. Migiro called the Monitoring and Tracking Mechanism for the Strategic Framework for Peacebuilding in Burundi "a practical and powerful tool to ensure dialogue and enhanced coordination between key stakeholders.

"And it will help to ensure accountability of the actors engaged in supporting Burundi in its efforts to stay on the path to secure peace and sustainable development," she told the gathering at UN Headquarters in New York.

Burundi is one of two countries – along with Sierra Leone – on the agenda of the Commission, set up a year ago to help countries emerging from conflict avoid the slide back into war.

The Mechanism, the first of its kind, paves the way for a "principled and active partnership" between countries under consideration by the Commission, the entire UN system and the larger international community, she said.

Noting that Burundi still faces a number of challenges in its efforts to consolidate peace, including good governance, security sector reform and socio-economic recovery, Ms. Migiro said the adoption of the Mechanism is a critical step for the country and its people, as well as for the work of the Commission.

"I believe that the framework and monitoring mechanism you have jointly agreed with the Government and other stakeholders in Burundi will strengthen the long-term international support and engagement Burundi needs."
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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SUDAN HAS FAILED TO COOPERATE WITH INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT, PROSECUTOR SAYS

SUDAN HAS FAILED TO COOPERATE WITH INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT, PROSECUTOR SAYS
New York, Dec 5 2007 5:00PM
The Sudanese Government is not cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC), its Chief Prosecutor said today, calling on the Security Council to send "a strong and unanimous message" to Khartoum to arrest and surrender two men accused of committing war crimes during the conflict in Darfur.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo told a Council <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9186.doc.htm">meeting that although "Sudan has known the nature of the case against Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb for 10 months, they have done nothing. They have taken no steps to prosecute them domestically, or to arrest and transfer them to The Hague [where the <"http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/307.html">ICC is based]."

Mr. Harun, currently Sudan's Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, and Mr. Kushayb, a leader of a pro-Government Janjaweed militia, are accused of targeting civilians in attacks on four villages in West Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004, according to their warrants, which outline multiple counts of personal responsibility for murder, rape and pillaging for each man.

"The only realist solution today is to request the removal and arrest of [Mr.] Harun as a first step to any solution," Mr. Moreno-Ocampo told Council members. "It will send a signal to the perpetrators of crimes in Darfur that the international community is not only watching, but will hold them accountable for their actions."

The Prosecutor said "massive crimes continued to be committed" across Darfur, where at least 200,000 people have been killed since 2003 and up to 2.5 million others forced to leave their homes because of fighting between rebel groups, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militias.

He is planning to open two new investigations into the situation in Darfur: one into "a pattern of attacks by Sudanese officials" against civilians, and the other into the rising number of attacks, with involvement by rebels, against peacekeepers and aid workers.

"In Darfur in 2003-2004, we witnessed the first phase of the criminal plan coordinated by Ahmad Harun. Millions of people were forced out of their villages and into camps. In the second phase – happening right now in front of our eyes – the victims are attacked in the camps."

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said that to characterize recent attacks and crimes as "sporadic violence" or "inter-tribal clashes" only served to cover up the reality.

"We are witnessing a calculated, organized campaign by Sudanese officials to attack individuals and further destroy the social fabric of entire communities. All information points not to chaotic and isolated acts, but to a pattern of attacks."

He added that Darfur's displaced are routinely subjected to persecution and abuses, such as unlawful killings, illegal detentions and episodes of sexual violence, while those living inside camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) "are deliberately kept in a state of destitution. Obstacles to the delivery of aid are part of the pattern of attacks."

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo expressed particular concern that Mr. Harun, despite being indicted by the ICC, was responsible as a Sudanese Government minister for providing relief to the victims of violence and displacement in Darfur.

"Formally, he shares responsibility for the safety and well-being of the displaced population. In reality, he joins in constant abuses against them," he said, accusing a component of Mr. Harun's ministry of promoting organized disturbances in the camps.

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo said Mr. Harun has also been present during specific operations against IDP camps in recent months, and added that he was last month appointed to a national group overseeing the deployment of UNAMID, the hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force that is being set up to try to quell the violence and suffering in Darfur.

"Maintaining Harun is his position is a direct threat to millions of victims and to the humanitarian workers and peacekeepers seeking to protect them. When will be a better time to arrest Harun? How many more women, girls, have to be raped? How many persons have to be killed? Must we really wait, again, for the destruction of entire communities?"

Turning to the increasing number of attacks against aid workers and peacekeepers, he noted that in late October 10 soldiers of the existing AU mission in Sudan were killed, eight others injured and one unaccounted for after an attack on the mission's base at Haskanita.

"Such attacks or threats of attack on peacekeepers and aid personnel will be investigated by my Office. They can constitute a war crime under the Statute. They also further undermine efforts to protect the civilian population.

The Prosecutor added that "we note with concern that the Sudan is taking no measures to protect international forces. There are allegations that some Sudanese aircraft have been painted with UN or AU colours and are used in Darfur. Such acts – among others – undermine the UN and AU, create the impression of collusion and can encourage attacks against them."

The ICC is an independent, permanent court that investigates and prosecutes individuals accused of the most serious crimes of international concerns, such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Prosecutors at the Court are currently probing four situations: Darfur, northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR).
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR: UN, AFRICAN UNION ENVOYS MEET WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS TO PEACE PROCESS

DARFUR: UN, AFRICAN UNION ENVOYS MEET WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS TO PEACE PROCESS
New York, Dec 5 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations and African Union Special Envoys for Darfur have met with the regional partners to the peace process in the war-torn Sudanese region to assess the progress so far and try to forge agreement on the way forward.

Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim held talks in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday with the foreign ministers of Chad, Egypt and Libya and senior representatives of the Eritrean President, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters.

They discussed the political and security situation inside Darfur, the progress of efforts to unify the region's many movements and possible options for the next phase of the peace process.

Ms. Okabe said participants agreed that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the former rebel group from southern Sudan, deserves commendation for its efforts to facilitate the unification of the Darfur movements ahead of scheduled direct talks between the rebels and the Government.

The movements, which have splintered since the conflict began from two or three large groups into as many as 16 separate factions, have also been encouraged to continue with their work to nominate a common negotiating team and process.

In addition, Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim and the regional partners discussed the surge in fighting in eastern Chad during the past fortnight and its impact on both the Darfur conflict and Chadian-Sudanese relations.

Yesterday's meeting was the latest step in the efforts of the UN and AU to broker a comprehensive peace accord to quell the violence and humanitarian suffering in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others displaced since rebels began fighting Government forces and allied militia known as the Janjaweed in 2003.

The UN and AU are deploying a hybrid peacekeeping mission (known as UNAMID) to Darfur at the start of next year to take over from the existing but under-resourced AU mission (AMIS), but objections and obstacles raised by the Sudanese Government and a lack of offers for critical force units have left the deployment in jeopardy, senior UN officials warned last week.

Today Mr. Eliasson arrived in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, for a week-long visit around the country in which he is scheduled to meet senior Government officials, members of the SPLM in the southern town of Juba, and representatives of the Darfurian movements and civil society groups.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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UN APPEALS FOR SAFE, UNHINDERED HUMANITARIAN ACCESS AMID FIGHTING IN CHAD

UN APPEALS FOR SAFE, UNHINDERED HUMANITARIAN ACCESS AMID FIGHTING IN CHAD
New York, Dec 5 2007 4:00PM
The ongoing fighting in eastern Chad is preventing humanitarian workers from reaching more than 400,000 refugees and displaced persons, setting the stage for a situation that could worsen rapidly and lead to significant loss of life, the United Nations warned today.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/News/tabid/1080/Default.aspx">OCHA), armed conflict is hampering the ability of aid workers to move freely and safely in most parts of eastern Chad, cutting off vulnerable groups from vital humanitarian assistance.

The UN and its partners are aiding over 230,000 Sudanese refugees and 180,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the eastern part of the country where humanitarian conditions have deteriorated over the course of this year.

Staff of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) and the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) have been unable to reach the affected population due to recent fighting, while restrictions on movement have impacted the ability of the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/">WFP) to distribute the December food aid rations. This lack of aid could contribute to security problems in and around the camps as resources become scarce, OCHA warned.

"Unless immediate action is taken to ensure unrestricted and safe access to the vulnerable populations, the humanitarian situation will rapidly deteriorate and could lead to significant loss of lives," said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes.

Mr. Holmes appealed to the Chadian Government to "take all necessary measures to preserve humanitarian space in the east of the country and to increase its commitment to protect civilians in combat zones.

"I also appeal to rebel movements operating in the area to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law," the UN humanitarian chief added.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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SENIOR UN ENVOY CERTIFIES ELECTION RESULTS IN KOSOVO

SENIOR UN ENVOY CERTIFIES ELECTION RESULTS IN KOSOVO
New York, Dec 5 2007 3:00PM
The top United Nations envoy to Kosovo today certified election results for the Assembly of the Serbian province where ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs and other minorities by about nine to one.

"I am pleased that the process is moving forward in a peaceful atmosphere which shows the maturity of the Kosovo people and the political parties," the Secretary-General's Special Representative Joachim Rücker said.

The elections were held on 17 November, when voters also participated in municipal ballots and – for the first time – directly elected a mayor for each of Kosovo's 30 municipalities.

Mr. Rücker also announced that 8 December will be the date for mayoral run-off elections.

Earlier this year Belgrade and Pristina held direct negotiations on the future status of Kosovo. This followed a report from the UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari in which he proposed a phased process of independence for Kosovo.

The UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (<"http://www.unmikonline.org/">UNMIK), which Mr. Rücker heads, has administered the province since 1999, when Western forces drove out Yugoslav troops amid inter-ethnic fighting.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON URGES CREDIBLE DIALOGUE TO RESOLVE CRISIS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

BAN KI-MOON URGES CREDIBLE DIALOGUE TO RESOLVE CRISIS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
New York, Dec 5 2007 3:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to actors in the Central African Republic (CAR) to engage in national dialogue to end the cycle of political instability and violence that continues to plague the country, pledging the sustained support of the United Nations in this process.

"I hope that the year 2008 will usher in a new era of an all-inclusive political dialogue in the interest of all the people of the Central African Republic," Mr. Ban wrote in his latest report on the activities of the UN Peacebuilding Support Office in the country, known as BONUCA.

Characterizing the overall political, security and socio-economic situation in the country as "fragile," the Secretary-General pointed out that existing challenges are compounded by persistent mistrust among political actors, widespread poverty, continuing insecurity, serious human rights violations and a culture of impunity.

Particularly worrying is the human rights situation in the north-western part of the country, around the border with Chad, where skirmishes between Government troops, rebels and bandits have led to "a serious humanitarian crisis," Mr. Ban stated.

In addition, there is a deepening perception that the CAR faces "a serious culture of impunity," particularly for alleged abuses committed by the national security forces.

The crisis brought about by rebel activities in the north-western and north-eastern regions of the country forced an estimated 200,000 people to become internally displaced and thousands of others to flee to Chad or Cameroon as refugees.

Mr. Ban reported that the humanitarian situation has stabilized following the signing of a peace agreement between the Government and the Union of Democratic Forces (UFDR) rebel group in April, and displaced persons are returning to their villages. This has brought the number of internally displaced persons to some 45,000, down from 65,000, while another 45,000 remain in refugee camps in neighbouring Cameroon.

"The expected deployment of the European Force in this region will contribute to the consolidation of stability," Mr. Ban stated, referring to the UN-mandated, multidimensional presence, which will include European Union military forces, established by the Security Council in September to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian aid to those in north-eastern CAR and eastern Chad.

He welcomed the efforts underway for the deployment of the European force, as well as the decision by the African Union and the European Union to extend and strengthen the mandate of the regional peacekeeping effort known as FOMUC.

Calling for a credible dialogue among all actors to overcome the differences between them, Mr. Ban stressed that the encouraging prospects from the Donors' Round Table held in Brussels in October, which mobilized financial resources for the country's development programmes, can only be sustained in a stable political environment.

He added that while the UN will continue to support the country in its efforts to achieve lasting peace and mobilize international assistance, the primary responsibility for improving conditions in the CAR rests with its Government and people.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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GREECE, FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA TO HOLD UN-LED TALKS ON NAME

GREECE, FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA TO HOLD UN-LED TALKS ON NAME
New York, Dec 5 2007 2:00PM
Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have agreed to hold a fresh round of direct talks next month over the official name of the latter country and related issues following consultations by a United Nations envoy in the two capitals this week.

Matthew Nimetz, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the talks between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, held talks today with senior Greek officials in Athens, two days after he conducted similar meetings in Skopje.

The first round of fresh talks will take place in Skopje next month and will be hosted by Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters. It will be the first time that direct talks in the UN-brokered process are being held in the region, rather than in New York.

Ms. Okabe said a second round of talks will be hosted later by Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis in Athens.

Today Mr. Nimetz met with Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, Ms. Bakoyannis, opposition leader George Papandreou and other officials.

He found heightened concern in the region about the possibility of deteriorating relations between the two countries as a result of the "name issue." But Mr. Nimetz noted that there was also recognition of the positive developments that could ensue if a solution is reached.

Mr. Nimetz's consultations this week follow a meeting he initiated in New York early last month between representatives of the two countries.

The Interim Accord of 13 September 1995, which was brokered by the UN, details the difference between the two countries regarding the official name of the former Yugoslav republic. It also obliges the two sides to continue negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General to try to reach agreement on their dispute.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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UN PARTNERS WITH ITALIAN FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE AIDS EDUCATION IN AFRICA

UN PARTNERS WITH ITALIAN FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE AIDS EDUCATION IN AFRICA
New York, Dec 5 2007 1:00PM
Hundreds of thousands of students in four southern African countries stand to benefit from HIV and AIDS prevention education thanks to a new partnership between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Italy's Fondazione Virginio Bruni Tedeschi.

The agreement, signed at <" http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO's Paris headquarters today, includes $1.7 million in funding for an HIV/AIDS prevention education project in Angola, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland for two years.

Southern Africa is among the regions hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with infection rates as high as 30 per cent among adults. The new initiative will help provide prevention education programmes and materials to some 100,000 students in each of the target countries.

Nearly 100 schools and a thousand teachers will be involved in the initiative, which will also include activities related to reducing stigmatization of HIV-positive people.

UNESCO notes that while studies have shown that the mere fact of attending school provides protection against the disease, there is often a lack of classes focusing on HIV/AIDS for children in school.

As the UN agency specializing in education, UNESCO is the lead organization for <" http://www.educaids.org/">EDUCAIDS, an initiative by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (<" http://www.unaids.org/en/">UNAIDS) implemented by a number of countries to promote HIV/AIDS education. The agency assists governments in improving their educational systems to ensure quality education on HIV/AIDS and in providing assistance to communities most exposed to the epidemic.

Created in February of this year, the foundation honours the memory of Virginio Bruni Tedeschi, an Italian graphic designer who died of cancer in July 2006.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN OFFICIALS HAIL VITAL, BUT OFTEN OVERLOOKED, ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS WORLDWIDE

TOP UN OFFICIALS HAIL VITAL, BUT OFTEN OVERLOOKED, ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS WORLDWIDE
New York, Dec 5 2007 1:00PM
Marking International Volunteer Day, United Nations officials today paid tribute to the many millions of people around the world who contribute their time and efforts to help tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges, from reducing poverty to addressing climate change, and whose efforts often go unrecognized.

Tackling the vast and complex challenges facing today's world requires all actors – governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society – to work together, said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message marking the Day, which is observed annually on 5 December.

"Volunteers play an indispensable role in these efforts," he stated. "Yet, the remarkable contribution of voluntary action around the world is not sufficiently recognized."

Mr. Ban called volunteerism a feature of all cultures and societies, and a fundamental source of community strength, resilience, solidarity and social cohesion. "It can help effect positive social change by fostering inclusive societies that respect diversity, equality and the participation of all," he said.

Such contributions are vital to the three pillars of the UN's work – promoting peace and security, advancing development, and protecting human rights and human dignity. "That is why every United Nations agency draws on the spirit of volunteerism, including through the <" http://www.unv.org/en.html">United Nations Volunteers programme, to expand the reach of its activities," Mr. Ban stated.

He called for recognition of the power of volunteerism to promote peace and development worldwide, while paying tribute to the "many millions of citizens all over the world who, every day – in ways small and large – volunteer their time, ingenuity, solidarity and creativity to help build a better, more sustainable future."

In his message for the Day, the Executive Coordinator of UN Volunteers recognized the power of volunteerism in building social capital and cohesion, and its contribution to development.

Ad de Raad also expressed his appreciation to the millions of volunteers worldwide, saying that "regardless at what level they act, internationally, nationally or locally, all belong to an extraordinary group of global citizens who make an essential difference in building a better world for all.

"Everywhere we look we see those extraordinary contributions, from responding to disasters, to efforts to tackle major development challenges such as climate change, peace, human health, as well as the encouragement and engagement in society of youth and marginalized groups," he stated.

Echoing these comments, the head of the UN Development Programme (<" http://www.undp.org">UNDP) paid tribute to those who volunteer their time, skills and energy to help improve the social and economic well-being of people and communities around the world.

"Volunteers are critical partners for development and deserve every support and recognition for their contribution to development efforts around the world," said Administrator Kemal Dervis.

He noted that as the world stands at the midpoint towards the 2015 deadline for reaching the internationally agreed anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (<" http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ ">MDGs), it is clear that many developing countries have made significant progress in human development. At the same time, a range of obstacles continues to slow down the progress of others, particularly in Africa.

"We need to renew our efforts and there is no doubt that people's engagement through voluntary action will be critical to this," he stressed.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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CONTINUING DELAYS IN ELECTION OF NEW LEBANESE PRESIDENT CONCERN BAN KI-MOON

CONTINUING DELAYS IN ELECTION OF NEW LEBANESE PRESIDENT CONCERN BAN KI-MOON
New York, Dec 5 2007 1:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been holding talks by telephone this week with Lebanon's political leaders to urge them to find a solution to their tense stand-off over the election of a new president.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2892">statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said he was "extremely concerned about the continuing delay in the election" of a president to succeed Emile Lahoud, noting that the postponement has now "extended well past the constitutional timeframe."

"He believes it is now time for this matter to be resolved without further delay," the statement added.

In the past few days Mr. Ban has spoken to Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri and Majority Leader Saad Hariri, and the statement said "the Secretary-General will remain in close touch with Lebanese political leaders who bear, both to the people of Lebanon and to the future of the country, the responsibility to find a solution."

Mr. Ban has stressed repeatedly in recent weeks that Lebanon's political leaders must place the national interest above their personal and sectarian interests.

Last month, while visiting the Lebanese capital Beirut, he told reporters that "the country now stands at an important crossroads in its modern history… A free and fair election of a new president according to constitutional rules without foreign interference [would be] a milestone in the development of Lebanon as a vibrant democracy."
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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NEARLY ONE DOZEN AFRICAN NATIONS SIGN UP FOR UN-BACKED EDUCATION SCHEME

NEARLY ONE DOZEN AFRICAN NATIONS SIGN UP FOR UN-BACKED EDUCATION SCHEME
New York, Dec 5 2007 12:00PM
Nearly one dozen African nations have joined forces to participate in a United Nations-backed programme to bolster education and training in rural areas.

At the Rome headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000721/index.html">FAO), representatives from 11 countries – Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Uganda, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania – last week agreed to identify areas of cooperation.

Rural people comprise approximately 70 per cent of Africa's total population and are expected to remain the majority over the next three decades.

Education and training for rural people is key in sub-Saharan Africa's fight against poverty, hunger, malnutrition and illiteracy. But for every 100 urban children who have access to primary education, only 68 do in rural areas, and for every 100 children who complete primary school in urban areas, only 46 of their rural counterparts do.

The participating nations' ministries of education, agriculture and rural development, among others, were asked to work together to design programmes reflecting local cultural and social values, as well as to collect and analyze statistics.

Agencies such as the FAO and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) were requested to boost their support for capacity-building and institutional strengthening of rural education.

The two-day Rome meeting was a follow-up to a ministerial seminar in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, held in September 2005.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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UNESCO MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF TRANSLATION INDEX WITH ROUND TABLE

UNESCO MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF TRANSLATION INDEX WITH ROUND TABLE
New York, Dec 5 2007 11:00AM
Shakespeare in Russian, Lenin in Swedish and Agatha Christie in Chinese… these and many other great works that have been shared across cultures are documented in the Index Translationum, the database maintained by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<" http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=41370&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO), which is holding a round-table discussion at its Paris headquarters today to mark the 75th anniversary of this comprehensive database listing the world's translated works.

The discussion will be on the topic "Measuring translation flows: what for?" and is being held with the participation of the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), according to a press release issued by UNESCO.

The index, which currently has some 1,700,000 entries listing more than 250,000 authors, contains cumulative bibliographical information on books translated and published in some 800 languages in about 130 UNESCO Member States since 1979. Updated every four months, it is now accessible online and used by librarians, archivists, researchers, editors, journalists, translators and others.

The references registered before 1979 are available in the printed editions of the index, which are in all national depositary libraries and at the UNESCO library in Paris.

Each year the national libraries or bibliography centres in participating countries send UNESCO the bibliographical data concerning translated books – but not periodicals, articles, patents or brochures – in all fields of knowledge, including literature, the social and human sciences, art, history and the natural sciences.

The index shows that the world's most translated authors include William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Jules Verne, Vladimir Lenin and Walt Disney Productions. The most translated languages are English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish and Swedish, while the languages with the most number of works in translation are German, Spanish, French, English, Japanese, Dutch and Portuguese. Germany, Spain, France and Japan are the countries which carry out the most translations.
2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE AGENCY HAILS NEW PROTECTION LAW IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

UN REFUGEE AGENCY HAILS NEW PROTECTION LAW IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
New York, Dec 5 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations refugee agency today hailed a new law approved in the Central African Republic (CAR) guaranteeing refugees protection and other fundamental rights.

"Since independence, the Government and people of CAR have shown generous hospitality towards refugees, welcoming men, women and children seeking protection as a result of conflict or persecution. The adoption of a national refugee law formalizes this liberal asylum policy," said Bruno Geddo, UNHCR representative in Bangui.

The issue is key in the country, which has thousands of refugees and displaced persons within its borders; with the arrival earlier this year of 2,700 refugees from the Darfur region in Sudan, there are now some 9,000 refugees living in CAR, including some 2,000 Congolese. Some 80,000 Central Africans have fled conflict-affected areas in the country's north to neighbouring countries. An estimated 220,000 civilians are displaced within CAR.

Adopted Thursday by the National Assembly, the Law on the Status of Refugees must now be signed by President François Bozizé to come into force. It guarantees people fleeing conflict and persecution the right to enter CAR territory, to apply for asylum and to be recognized as refugees if they fulfil the definitions contained in international treaties. It also establishes an appeals commission to re-examine the cases of people who have been denied refugee status in the first instance.

In addition, the law guarantees people seeking refuge in CAR the fundamental rights elaborated in international refugee law. This means that refugees will have most of the same rights enjoyed by CAR citizens, including the rights to employment, to freedom of association, to social assistance, to health services, to education and to freedom of movement and residency, UNHCR said in a news release.

Under the new legislation, refugees cannot be expelled from the CAR or sent forcibly to a country where their life or
threat, the agency said.

2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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WORLD'S POOR NEED ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, UN OFFICIAL TELLS BALI MEETING

WORLD'S POOR NEED ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, UN OFFICIAL TELLS BALI MEETING
New York, Dec 5 2007 8:00AM
A senior United Nations official told the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali today that any delay in addressing the issue of adaptation could be called "an attack on the poor."

"Our hope is that the meeting here will agree that more developing countries should be provided with the resources to really be able to assess properly how they are likely to be affected by the impacts of climate change," said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Negotiators at the Conference are working to frame a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, which contains binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions but is set to expire in 2012.

Adaptation has emerged as a major issue in the talks as projections indicate that rising sea level, river flooding, droughts and a scarcity of water will affect more people. The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that between 75 and 250 million people in Africa could be affected by increased water stress by 2020. In Asian megadeltas, such as the Ganges-Brahmaputra, large populations are at risk due to and high exposure to sea-level rise, storm surge and river flooding.

Mr. de Boer said that governments in Bali have clearly indicated that the time for concrete action on adaptation has come and that to carry out this action will require increased financial resources. These resources could come from the Kyoto Protocol's Adaptation Fund, which already generates $36 million a year, and could potentially deliver about $1.5 billion in the period 2008-2012 if projects still in the pipeline are taken into account.

"There's this quite strong feeling that a number of commitments in those areas, commitments from the past, have not been met and will be conveniently forgotten when we switch to a new agenda item called the future," he said, voicing hope that this would change.

Overall, Mr. d
good" as a negotiating group on ways of reaching a future climate change agreement held its first meeting in Bali. He stressed that the Conference will not finalize a post-2012 climate deal, but can "put in place a two-year process to work towards such a deal."

2007-12-05 00:00:00.000

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ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT UNDERSCORES NECESSITY OF COOPERATION IN COUNTERING TERRORISM

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT UNDERSCORES NECESSITY OF COOPERATION IN COUNTERING TERRORISM
New York, Dec 4 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations General Assembly President said today that global cooperation is crucial in tackling terrorism, which he characterized as "one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."

GA President Srgjan Kerim convened an informal meeting – also attended by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – at UN Headquarters in New York.

Participants gathered to review the implementation of the historic UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted last September, which includes practical steps at the local, national and international level – ranging from strengthening the capacity of individual States to prevent and combat terrorism to ensuring that human rights and the rule of law are always respected in the fight against terrorism.

"Countering terrorism is a daunting challenge that we can only overcome by working together in partnership," Mr. Kerim said in remarks at the meeting's start. "If we do not act now, the magnitude of the threat could grow and affect many more innocent people."

To honour the memory of the victims of terrorism, the international community must join forces and respond to the scourge in unity, he added.

The President also underscored the importance of education and dialogue among religions and cultures in countering terrorism.

"We must put a stop to the misuse of religion in contemporary society, and reject extremist ideologies that threaten peace and understanding among nations and peoples," he said, adding that the UN has a major role to play.

At the adoption of the Strategy – the first global and common approach to tackle terrorism – last year, Member States called for a formal assessment of its implementation in two years, and today's meeting served as an informal mid-term review.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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IRAQI GOVERNMENT, UN LAUNCH PLAN TO HELP RETURNING REFUGEES

IRAQI GOVERNMENT, UN LAUNCH PLAN TO HELP RETURNING REFUGEES
New York, Dec 4 2007 7:00PM
Acting on an Iraqi Government request, the United Nations Assistance Mission in the country (UNAMI) today announced that it will support efforts to help returning refugees by providing a relief package under a new plan that can be expanded as necessary.

An estimated 40,000 families of refugees and 10,000 families of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned, largely to greater Baghdad, <"http://www.uniraq.org/default.asp">UNAMI said in a news release.

"The United Nations, while not encouraging or promoting the return of refugees or IDPs, given the prevailing security environment, has taken active measures to support the Iraqi authorities in meeting the assistance and needs of those returnees and prepare for organized movements," the mission said.

Toward this end, UNAMI and the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration today launched a plan to assist 5,000 families – some 30,000 people – with an immediate relief package delivered through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/home.html">UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (<"http://www.iom.int/jahia/jsp/index.jsp">IOM).

"Three UNHCR experts have been with us in Baghdad to assist the Iraqi authorities and UNAMI in its design with an initial contribution of about $11 million," the mission said, noting that the response can be expanded to assist an increased number of returnees or other vulnerable groups.

"The voluntary flow of returnees to Iraq is a positive sign that deserves an equally positive response and prompt assistance in support of a safe and dignified return, which is the reason for the joint Rapid Response plan between the Government and the United Nations system."

The UN is expected to launch a consolidated emergency appeal for Iraq in the latter part of January 2008.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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DONORS PLEDGE OVER $160 MILLION FOR UN AGENCY AIDING PALESTINIAN REFUGEES

DONORS PLEDGE OVER $160 MILLION FOR UN AGENCY AIDING PALESTINIAN REFUGEES
New York, Dec 4 2007 6:00PM
Twenty-two international donors today pledged over $160 million to support the main United Nations agency providing vital humanitarian aid to some 4.5 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

The pledges to the 2008 budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) came during a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/ga10665.doc.htm">meeting in New York of the General Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee for Voluntary Contributions.

UNRWA's total budget for 2008-2009 is $1.21 billion – down slightly from $1.28 billion for the current biennium, <"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA Deputy Commission-General Filippo Grandi told the meeting. He said that while many refugees had taken great strides towards self-reliance and personal success, deep pockets of entrenched deprivation among them remained to be tackled throughout the Agency's operational areas.

He added that next week, the UN would issue its consolidated appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory, of which UNRWA would be an integral part, amounting to about $235 million. A few days later, the UN would also participate in the Paris Donors Conference aimed at supporting the Palestinian Authority and restarting development activities.

Also addressing today's meeting, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim said the forthcoming Paris Conference would provide an important opportunity to help rebuild Palestinian institutions, boost economic growth and lay the foundations for a viable Palestinian State.

At the same time, the needs of Palestinian refugees should not be neglected, he said, noting that UNRWA presently faced heavy challenges on all sides, with demands for its increasingly complex services growing steadily.

According to the UN's latest humanitarian fact sheet on Gaza, roughly 75 per cent of Gaza's population receives food aid. But while regular humanitarian aid is continuing, import restrictions have led to the suspension of more than $200 million worth of programming, including shelter and housing projects for 27,000 refugees and construction at three major hospitals.

The fact sheet also shows that the unemployment rate in Gaza has soared past 32 per cent. At the same time, food prices have shot up with the price of wheat flour, for example, having gone up by 46 per cent.

The latest figures underscore the vital work carried out by UNRWA, which is not only a humanitarian organization but also the main provider of essential public services to the Palestinian refugee population.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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SUDAN TO DOMINATE SECURITY COUNCIL'S INTENSIVE DECEMBER SCHEDULE - PRESIDENT

SUDAN TO DOMINATE SECURITY COUNCIL'S INTENSIVE DECEMBER SCHEDULE – PRESIDENT
New York, Dec 4 2007 6:00PM
With just weeks remaining before the hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force is due to take over from the existing AU operation in Darfur, the situation in Sudan is set to dominate the Security Council's programme for December, its President for the month said today.

<"http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs//2007/071204_Spatafora.doc.htm">Briefing reporters in New York, Ambassador Marcello Spatafora of Italy, which holds the Council's rotating presidency for this month, said the Council will be focusing on Sudan over the next several days.

In particular, since the transfer of authority from AMIS, the AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur, to the hybrid force – known as UNAMID – will take place on 31 December, it will be necessary for the Council to "assess where we stand with the deployment of the force," especially given the difficulties associated with the deployment that were cited by the UN peacekeeping chief last week, Mr. Spatafora said.

Also on Sudan, the 15-member body will hear a briefing tomorrow from the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, on the Court's activities related to Darfur. Then on Thursday, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes will brief on his nine-day trip to Africa, during which he visited Darfur, as well as Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.

"Our main and first concern has to be the situation on the ground," Mr. Spatafora said, adding that Mr. Holmes' briefing will be crucial to "really have a first-hand assessment of where we are now in Sudan."

Sudan is on the agenda again for Friday, when Mr. Spatafora, in his capacity as chair of the Sudan sanctions committee, will brief the Council on the report of the committee's panel of experts.

Among the other African issues that will occupy the Council's attention this month will be the situation in Somalia, which has been described by the top UN envoy in that country as "the worst crisis in Africa," stated Mr. Spatafora. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to submit proposals to the Council for the renewal of the UN political office in Somalia, whose mandate expires at the end of this year.

The Council will also discuss Guinea-Bissau, which Mr. Spatafora said "represents a crucial test case for the UN's ability to respond to post-conflict challenges." Discussions are expected to focus on recent developments in the country's fight against drug trafficking, which the Council has recognized as a "most serious and imminent threat."

Turning to the Middle East, Mr. Spatafora said that the outgoing Commissioner of the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) examining the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and others, Serge Brammertz, will brief the Council tomorrow. The Council is also expected to hear from senior UN officials on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

The Council would address the issue of Kosovo, after having received the report on negotiations on the future status of the UN-administered province. "When the time comes we will assess and decide how to go forward on process and on substance," the President said regarding the Council's next steps with regard to Kosovo.

On Iran, he said the Council is expected to receive the quarterly report of the Iran sanctions committee this month. Asked about the recently released United States intelligence report concluding that there has been no ongoing nuclear weapons programme in Iran since the fall of 2003, Mr. Spatafora replied: "We will see at the proper time if and how this will impact on our work."

On Myanmar, he said the Council is keeping in close contact with UN Envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who just returned from the region and is planning to visit Myanmar at the end of this year or early next year.

During this month the Council is expected to renew the mandates of a number of UN operations, including those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi and the Golan Heights.

It is also expected to renew the chairs of the Council's subsidiary bodies, as well as elect two members of the Peacebuilding Commission. The Council will also hold meetings on the situations in Burundi and Sierra Leone – the first two countries to be on the agenda of the Commission. In addition, it will take up the Liberian sanctions regime.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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RENEWED FIGHTING IN EASTERN CHAD SPARKS ALARM FROM UN REFUGEE AGENCY

RENEWED FIGHTING IN EASTERN CHAD SPARKS ALARM FROM UN REFUGEE AGENCY
New York, Dec 4 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations refugee agency today issued a warning that the surge in fighting in eastern Chad between Government forces and rebels over the past 10 days has limited its access to camps that are home to hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and heightened tensions in the area.

Although the most recent clashes have occurred away from inhabited areas and not caused any significant movements of population yet, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/home.html">UNHCR) spokesperson Andrej Mahecic <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47553a024.html">told reporters in Geneva that refugees and IDPs in eastern Chad fear the already unstable situation may soon worsen.

The fighting has been concentrated mainly in the Farchana, Iriba, Biltine and Guereda areas, located to the north and east of the major town of Abeché, the main operational base for a dozen of refugee camps that run by UNHCR. Insecurity is also plaguing the areas near refugee camps to the south of Abeché, such as Goz Beida.

Mr. Mahecic said all essential services are still running in the camps, which house an estimated 212,000 people from the war-torn Darfur region of neighbouring Sudan, but aid workers' access has become limited because of the dangers posed by the fighting.

For more than a week over 130 humanitarian workers from various organizations were blocked in the town of Hadjer Hadid, southwest of Farchana, because of heavy fighting, but they were finally relocated yesterday to Abeché.

"The volatile situation has also prompted an increase in banditry," Mr. Mahecic said. "We continue to monitor the security situation very closely."

Across eastern Chad UNHCR and its aid partners are helping more than 240,000 Darfur refugees and at least 180,000 IDPs.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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NEW UN-BACKED REPORT SPOTLIGHTS HOW COMMUNITIES ARE ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE

NEW UN-BACKED REPORT SPOTLIGHTS HOW COMMUNITIES ARE ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, Dec 4 2007 5:00PM
As negotiators meet in Bali, Indonesia to frame a legally binding regime on international responses to climate change, a new United Nations-backed report was released today on how communities spanning the globe are coping with the problem.

The new study by the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=523&ArticleID=5715&l=en">UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (<"http://www.gefweb.org/">GEF) includes results from case studies ranging from food security in the Sahel, pastoralists in Mongolia, rice farmers in the lower Mekong basin and artisanal fishing communities in South America.

Vulnerable communities and nations can draw on examples of 'climate proofing' the report – entitled "Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change" – provides to quickly respond to the challenges posed by global warming.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner pointed out that 2007 was the year in which science has demonstrated that climate change is unequivocally occurring.

But "one of the big missing links has been adaptation, both in terms of adaptive strategies and in terms of resources for vulnerable communities," he added.

"This assessment, involving experts across the developed and developing world, lays a solid and much needed foundation – a foundation upon which adaptation can become part of country development plans and built into international assistance including overseas development aid."

More than 350 scientists, experts and others from 150 institutions in 50 developing nations and 12 developed ones participated in the report, which underscores the need to develop early warning systems especially, but not exclusively, in Africa, where monitoring networks are sparse, under-funded or poorly maintained.

In a related development, the UN World Meteorological Organization (<"http://www.wmo.ch/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/PR_803_en.html">WMO) today noted that increased investment in predicting, monitoring and developing adaptation measures for climate change is critical.

In addition to mitigation, efforts must be bolstered to help populations adapt to water scarcity, extreme weather and other natural hazards which could be exacerbated by global warming, WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said in a statement at the UN <"http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php">Climate Change Conference underway in Bali, Indonesia.

"It is now recognized that mitigation alone is unlikely to fully address, in a reasonable time the challenges that human-induced climate change is likely to bring and that, therefore, much greater attention needs to be given to adaptation to climate change," he observed.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR: UN ENVOY HEADS TO SUDAN FOR TALKS WITH ALL SIDES TO CONFLICT

DARFUR: UN ENVOY HEADS TO SUDAN FOR TALKS WITH ALL SIDES TO CONFLICT
New York, Dec 4 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Special Envoy for Darfur heads to Sudan tomorrow for talks with all sides to the four-year conflict as the UN and the African Union continue their joint mediation efforts to expedite preparations for direct negotiations between the Sudanese Government and rebel movements.

Jan Eliasson is due to arrive in Khartoum to start several days of consultations in the capital, as well as in Darfur itself and in the southern Sudanese town of Juba, where some of the rebel movements are based.

The consultations represent the latest step in the efforts of the UN and AU to broker a peace accord to quell the violence and humanitarian suffering in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others displaced since rebels began fighting Government forces and allied militia known as the Janjaweed in 2003.

The UN and AU are deploying a hybrid peacekeeping mission (known as UNAMID) to Darfur at the start of next year to take over from the existing but under-resourced AU mission (AMIS). However, objections and obstacles raised by the Sudanese Government and a lack of offers for critical force units have left the deployment in jeopardy, senior UN officials warned last week.

Today Mr. Eliasson and AU envoy Salim Ahmed Salim have been in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh for talks with representatives of Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and Libya, the regional partners to the peace process.

The two envoys briefed the four countries on the latest developments in the three-part peace process, which began in late October with formal talks in Sirte, Libya, and then moved into a second phase last month with consultations and meetings with some of Darfur's various and often splintered movements.

The third phase aims to bring the movements together with the Government for full talks on the key issues, including power-sharing, wealth-sharing, the humanitarian situation and security conditions.

While in Sharm el-Sheikh, Mr. Eliasson told UN Radio that he "cannot hide that we are in a difficult situation," adding that "we are seeing certain negative developments in the level of violence both inside Darfur, but above all in [neighbouring eastern] Chad."

Mr. Eliasson also stressed that the Government and the movements must do all in their power to facilitate a political process leading to a resolution of the deadly conflict.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, is heading to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to represent the UN at a ministerial-level meeting tomorrow on Sudan.

The meeting, convened by United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, is being held to discuss the implementation of the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement that ended the long-running north-south civil war in Sudan.

The parties to the agreement – the Sudanese Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) – are expected to attend, as well as representatives of the UN, the AU and regional partners to that peace process.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES VIGILANCE TO REACH UN MILLENNIUM GOALS

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES VIGILANCE TO REACH UN MILLENNIUM GOALS
New York, Dec 4 2007 4:00PM
Stressing that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide a "unique road map" for building a better world, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro has warned against faltering in global efforts to deliver on the pledges to slash poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy by 2015.

"At the mid-point towards the 2015 deadline, we must not diminish our sense of urgency," Ms. Migiro said yesterday at a special event in New York on the MDG Achievement Fund. "We must mobilize the resources and implement the policies that can give us a chance to reach the MDGs – in all countries and for all communities."

In a world where 2.5 billion people struggle to survive on less than $2 per day, the Goals provide a "unique road map for building a better and fairer world for all of humanity," she said.

Ms. Migiro referred to reaching the MDGs as one of the UN's greatest challenges. "It has reinforced the conviction of all of us within the UN that we can and must do better in supporting our partners' development efforts; that we can and must be more results-oriented; and that this is absolutely not the time for 'business as usual.'"

She also hailed Spain for its initiative on the MDG Achievement Fund, which was set up by the Madrid Government and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in December 2006. The Spanish Government has committed €528 million to the Fund.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON: STATES MUST STEP UP EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE SCOURGE OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS

BAN KI-MOON: STATES MUST STEP UP EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE SCOURGE OF CLUSTER MUNITIONS
New York, Dec 4 2007 4:00PM
Ahead of an international meeting on cluster munitions, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated his appeal to Member States to eradicate the arms which cause "unacceptable harm to civilians."

In a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11315.doc.htm">statement, Mr. Ban stressed that "the inhumane impact of these weapons requires urgent action," and called for nations to make efforts domestically to halt the use and transfer of cluster munitions until the adoption of a new global treaty regarding the weapons.

The Secretary-General voiced hope that there will be bolstered global measures to tackle the problem in the coming year.

He said that the group of nations which will hold a three-day meeting in Vienna – the third in a series of global conferences – this week on the issue of cluster munitions "will have an opportunity to give further impetus towards the success of these efforts."

Stressing the urgency of the issue, Mr. Ban said that there are "high humanitarian, human rights and developmental stakes" involved.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR SIX-MONTH EXTENSION OF UN FORCE IN GOLAN HEIGHTS

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR SIX-MONTH EXTENSION OF UN FORCE IN GOLAN HEIGHTS
New York, Dec 4 2007 3:00PM
The situation in the Golan Heights has been "generally quiet" recently, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report, which warns that the overall region remains tense and a United Nations force observing the ceasefire between Israel and Syria should stay on for another six months.

The UN Disengagement Observer Force (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/undof/index.html">UNDOF), which has been in place since 1974, should have its mandate extended until at least 30 June next year, Mr. Ban writes in his latest report to the Security Council on the work of the Force. He notes that both Syria and Israel have already voiced their agreement.

The situation in the Middle East is likely to remain tense "unless and until a comprehensive settlement covering all aspects of the Middle East problem can be reached," he states, calling for a just and durable settlement in line with Council resolutions on the issue.

During the period under review UNDOF supervised its area of operation in the Golan Heights through a mixture of patrols and fixed positions, and also carried out regular inspections of equipment and Force levels. Both sides "generally cooperated" with UNDOF as it conducted its mandated tasks, although they also denied inspection teams access to some positions and imposed restrictions on the Force's freedom of movement.

UNDOF staff also helped the International Committee of the Red Cross with the passage of people through the area of separation between Israeli and Syrian forces. In the past six months, the Force assisted in the crossing of 637 students, 500 pilgrims, five civilians and one bride, while it provided health services to 243 villagers and medical treatment to 116 civilians.

At the same time, Mr. Ban's report draws attention to the growing financial shortfall faced by UNDOF. As of the end of August, some $24 million is owed to the countries that contribute troops to the Force: Austria, Canada, India, Japan, Poland and Slovakia.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCY RUSHES AID TO PREGNANT WOMEN IN CYCLONE-HIT PARTS OF BANGLADESH

UN AGENCY RUSHES AID TO PREGNANT WOMEN IN CYCLONE-HIT PARTS OF BANGLADESH
New York, Dec 4 2007 3:00PM
With some 30,000 babies expected to be born in the coming months in cyclone-hit parts of Bangladesh, the United Nations Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/">UNFPA) today announced plans to help pregnant women there avoid life-threatening delivery complications.

Out of the 6.7 million people affected by the storm which hit in mid-November, 30,000 women are carrying third-trimester pregnancies, the agency said in a news release, warning that almost 4,500 of them "are likely to experience potentially life-threatening complications."

In response, UNFPA is sending reproductive health kits equipped with intravenous fluids and drip sets, antibiotics, pain killers, syringes, sterile gloves and a small sterilizing machine, all to help prevent maternal deaths and disabilities.

The agency is also providing other safe motherhood services to women who come to designated facilities for delivery.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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VIGILANCE AGAINST BIRD FLU MUST NOT WANE, UN AGRICULTURE AGENCY WARNS

VIGILANCE AGAINST BIRD FLU MUST NOT WANE, UN AGRICULTURE AGENCY WARNS
New York, Dec 4 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations agriculture agency warned today that continued vigilance is needed to avert a global pandemic of avian influenza as Chinese health officials reported a new case of fatal infection in a human.

Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agricultural Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000720/index.html">FAO), told an international ministerial conference on bird flu in New Delhi that control efforts must be maintained, given that the H5N1 virus responsible for outbreaks in recent years is still circulating in some parts of the world.

"The spread of avian influenza typifies the potential emergence of major health crises, with an increased risk of pathogens travelling over large distances in very short time periods, favoured by globalization and climate change," he said.

Mr. Diouf stressed the need for robust control efforts led by well-equipped veterinary services when dealing with animals, especially poultry, to prevent the spread of the virus throughout the production chain.

"We are still uncertain as to the precise the role played by wild birds. There are real risks of viruses emerging against which current vaccines provide no protection."

He added that the international community will have to prepare for other major health crises to potentially emerge from the animal kingdom, especially given the acceleration of international trade and the impact of climate change.

Meanwhile, the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_12_04/en/index.html">WHO) reported today that China's national laboratory confirmed on Sunday that a 24-year-old man from Jiangsu province who had developed symptoms last month and then died at the weekend was infected with the H5N1 virus.

"There is no initial indication to suggest he had contact with sick birds prior to becoming unwell," WHO said in a media statement. "Close contacts have been placed under medical observation and all remain well."

So far in China, of the 26 confirmed human cases of infection with the H5N1 virus, 17 have been fatal. Some 60 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa have been affected by bird flu since 2003, with most outbreaks confined to domestic poultry, such as chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks and quails.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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REVENGE ATTACKS AGAINST CATTLE THEFT IN SOUTH SUDAN HALTS UN REPATRIATION SCHEME

REVENGE ATTACKS AGAINST CATTLE THEFT IN SOUTH SUDAN HALTS UN REPATRIATION SCHEME
New York, Dec 4 2007 2:00PM
Deadly tribal feuds caused by cattle theft in southern Sudan have forced the United Nations refugee agency to suspend temporarily its repatriation of thousands of Sudanese from neighbouring countries to the area.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4755688615.html">UNHCR) spokesperson Andrej Mahecic <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47553a042.html">told reporters today in Geneva that cattle theft in Jonglei state, located in south-eastern Sudan, has led to clashes between Murle and Dinka tribesmen and degenerated into revenge attacks over the past fortnight that have left 34 dead and scores wounded.

UNHCR officials fear the revenge attacks could spread into areas of Jonglei, particularly Pibor, Boma and Porchalla, that are major return areas for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) since the comprehensive peace accord in 2005 ended Sudan's long-running civil war between north and south.

"A UN security assessment mission is due to take place in Jonglei tomorrow to determine the level of the security threat," Mr. Mahecic said.

UNHCR staff have been helping thousands of southern Sudanese return to their homes, particularly from the large Kakuma camp in northwest Kenya, where more than 2,500 refugees who signed up for repatriation this year wish to return to Jonglei state.

Poor weather and road conditions and widespread insecurity meant UNHCR had temporarily halted some of the repatriations from Kakuma in August, but they had resumed again last month.

Working with the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR is continuing to assist refugees – mainly from Uganda – to return to Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile and Blue Nile states, where security is more stable.

Since the Sudanese civil war ended UNHCR has helped more than 70,000 people return to southern Sudan and to the Blue Nile region, while another 90,000 have returned using their own means.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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THREE JUDGES ELECTED TO SERVE ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

THREE JUDGES ELECTED TO SERVE ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
New York, Dec 4 2007 1:00PM
Three judges have been elected to fill vacancies on the 18-member International Criminal Court (ICC) after four rounds of voting at United Nations Headquarters in New York during the current session of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC.

Bruno Cotte of France, Uganda's Daniel David Ntanda Nsereko and Fumiko Saiga of Japan were chosen in secret balloting that began last Friday and concluded yesterday, according to a media statement issued by the ICC today.

The ICC is an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Mr. Cotte and Ms. Saiga were chosen after achieving the necessary two-thirds majority in the first round of balloting on Friday while Mr. Nsereko was elected in the fourth round yesterday. Jean Angela Permanand of Trinidad and Tobago and Graciela Dixon of Panama stood unsuccessfully as candidates.

After a drawing of lots yesterday, Ms. Saiga was selected to serve the remainder of Judge Claude Jorda's term in office, which will end on 10 March 2009. The terms of Mr. Cotte and Mr. Nsereko will finish on 10 March 2012.

The elections were held to fulfil vacancies caused by resignations over the past year of Judge Maureen Harding Clark of Ireland, Judge Karl T. Hudson-Phillips of Trinidad and Tobago and Judge Jorda. No two judges of the same nationality may sit on the Court.

Candidates are required to have "established competence" in criminal law and procedures or in areas of international law, such as human rights law and humanitarian law, and be fluent in one of the Court's two working languages, English and French.

A swearing-in ceremony for the new judges on the ICC, which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands, is tentatively scheduled for 17 January next year.

The Assembly of States Parties is the ICC's management, oversight and legislative body, and is composed of representatives of the 105 States that have either ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute which established the Court.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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US INTELLIGENCE ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME SHOULD SPUR TALKS, SAYS UN OFFICIAL

US INTELLIGENCE ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME SHOULD SPUR TALKS, SAYS UN OFFICIAL
New York, Dec 4 2007 1:00PM
A recently-released United States intelligence report concluding that there has been no ongoing nuclear weapons programme in Iran since the fall of 2003 tallies with the findings of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/index.html">IAEA), its Director-General said today, calling for all parties concerned to enter into negotiations.

Mohamed ElBaradei said in a <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/PressReleases/2007/prn200722.html">statement that the National Intelligence Estimate "should help to defuse the current crisis."

Iran "still needs to clarify some important aspects of its past and present nuclear activities," he said.

The intelligence should also "prompt Iran to work actively with the IAEA to clarify specific aspects of its past and present nuclear program as outlined in the work. This would allow the Agency to provide the required assurances regarding the nature of the programme."

Iranian authorities have stated that their nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, but other countries contend that it is driven by military ambitions.

The country'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).

In light of the new Estimate, Mr. ElBaradei urged all parties – as soon as possible – to enter negotiations, "which are needed to build confidence about the future direction of Iran's nuclear programme" and address the concerns repeatedly expressed by the Security Council.

Talks are also necessary to generate a "comprehensive and durable solution that would normalise the relationship between Iran and the international community," he said.

Last December, the Security Council adopted a 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.

This September, Mr. ElBaradei welcomed Iran's agreement on a timeline to address all outstanding issues regarding the country's nuclear programme.
2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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LOGISTICS COMPANIES TNT AND UPS SUPPORT HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS -- UN AGENCY

LOGISTICS COMPANIES TNT AND UPS SUPPORT HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS -- UN AGENCY
New York, Dec 4 2007 9:00AM
United Nations Humanitarian Response Depots run by the UN World Food
Programme (WFP) in Ghana and Panama are benefiting from free warehousing facilities being provided by logistics companies UPS and TNT, the agency said today.

The depots stock vital supplies such as high-energy biscuits, drugs and other rapid response equipment essential for emergency operations, the agency said in a news release.

Amer Daoudi, Associate Director of WFP's Transport and Procurement Division, welcomed the contribution, saying it enables WFP and its partners to better respond to urgent needs. "The faster the response from these hubs, the more lives we're able to save," he said.

Since October 2006, WFP has been using TNT's warehouse facilities at Accra's Kotoka International Airport in Ghana. UPS then followed in February 2007 by providing similar warehousing facilities at Panama's Tocumen International Airport.

Over the past 12 months, the Ghana facility expeditiously dispatched food and supplies to humanitarian operations in the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Chad and other countries south of the Sahara. The Panama depot has helped provide relief supplies to Peru and Bolivia in the aftermath of the earthquake in August, and to Nicaragua in response to Hurricane Felix.

2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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AT UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE, GROUP ON COOPERATIVE ACTION PLAN SET UP

AT UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE, GROUP ON COOPERATIVE ACTION PLAN SET UP
New York, Dec 4 2007 9:00AM
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali is off to an "encouraging start," a senior UN official dealing with the issue has said, citing the decision by participating countries to establish a group that will determine the key elements of a long-term cooperative plan of action to address climate change.

The group, which will open to all 192 countries of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, will present its decisions on the launch of negotiations on a post-2012 climate change regime to the ministers who will meet during the second week of the conference. The current regime, called the Kyoto Protocol, expires that year.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer said the establishment of the group was an "encouraging signal" which puts in motion a mechanism to reach an agreement in Bali.

He explained that the group would decide which topics would be the subject of negotiations and when those negotiations would be completed. Discussions in the group will be led by Australia and South Africa.

Countries also agreed today on a mechanism that could speed the transfer of technology that developing countries consider essential for addressing climate change. While the issue has been considered in the past in talks under the Climate Change treaty, States will now discuss concrete concerns on how to make it happen.

The decision came as concerns were raised by developing countries that attention in Bali was too focused on a future agreement that would enter into force in 2013, while previous commitments to assist developing countries under the existing Convention and Protocol had been largely forgotten.

Discussions to address deforestation also advanced today. Kishan Kumar-Singh, the Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice, the UN body in which talks and negotiations on the issue are conducted, said there was agreement that methodologies and tools for estimat
that pilot projects on deforestation should be launched in developing countries.

Mr. Kumar-Singh said forests play a key role in addressing climate change as they absorb carbon that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Between 1990 and 2005, 13 million hectares disappeared every year due to deforestation. He said deforestation was the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and causes up to 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas.

2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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DR CONGO: AS FIGHTING INTENSIFIES, POPULATION AT DISPLACED SITE SWELLS

DR CONGO: AS FIGHTING INTENSIFIES, POPULATION AT DISPLACED SITE SWELLS
New York, Dec 4 2007 9:00AM
Hundreds of people have been streaming into a makeshift camp for displaced persons in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amid clashes between Government troops (FARDC) and those loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

All sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Goma area "are about to reach capacity," said Andrej Mahecic, a UNHCR spokesman in Geneva. "We fear renewed fighting will bring more suffering in an already desperate humanitarian situation.

"With sharpening inter-ethnic divides and a continuous build-up of military forces, UNHCR is deeply concerned about the risks of severe human rights abuses and violence against civilians."

The displaced people arriving at Lac Vert camp were fleeing heavy fighting yesterday between rebels, renegade troops and government forces near Sake, 30 kilometres northwest of Goma, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"According to the new arrivals, at least another 1,000 people were on the road heading towards the same site," said Mr. Mahecic. "The situation is subject to rapid change depending on the fighting."

The makeshift site at Lac Vert, which was overpopulated with extremely poor living conditions, is under rehabilitation by UNHCR and its non-governmental organization (NGO) partners following the transfer of more than 7,000 IDPs to UNHCR-managed Buhimba and Bulengo camps.

The agency is transferring the newly arrived to other camps because the environment at Lac Vert is not suitable for habitation and needs refurbishment. "With all the agencies, international NGOs and government officials we are relocating the new arrivals to sites where the environment is appropriate," said Germaine Bationo, leader of the UNHCR emergency response team in Goma.

Marcelin Hepie, UNHCR's deputy representative in Goma, added: "All the four sites in the Goma area are about to reach maximum cap
the intensification of fighting on different fronts, we need sites to host new arrivals in desperate need of security. But what we need is for the guns to fall silent. What we need most is peace."

Since December 2006, conflict and military build up in North Kivu have led to a massive population displacement -- one of the worst since the end of the civil war in 2003. Some 405,000 Congolese have been forced from their homes in the province in the past 12 months, including some 170,000 since August. In total, there are some 800,000 IDPs in the province, UNHCR said.

The fighting which broke out Sunday hampered the agency's efforts to move some 2,500 IDPs from public buildings in the centre of Rutshuru, north of Goma, to a newly developed site at Dumez, just outside the town. "After transferring just 295 IDPs, our staff had to be withdrawn and the operation was suspended," the spokesman said.

2007-12-04 00:00:00.000

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ETHICS CODE FOR UN SECRETARIAT STAFF EXTENDED TO COVER ALL FUNDS AND PROGRAMMES

ETHICS CODE FOR UN SECRETARIAT STAFF EXTENDED TO COVER ALL FUNDS AND PROGRAMMES
New York, Dec 3 2007 7:00PM
Employees working in the funds and programmes of the United Nations are now covered by the same system of ethical protections and programmes as their colleagues in the UN Secretariat after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a bulletin on the issue today.

The bulletin's release follows a meeting in late October of the Chief Executives Board (CEB) of top officials from across the UN system in which they agreed to establish an ethical code and system within which they will all operate.

Announcing the bulletin's release, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe noted that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged, when he took office in January, that the UN would commit itself to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, accountability and transparency.

She said that even after this UN-wide ethical code is established, Mr. Ban will continue to work with the leadership of the specialized agencies to ensure that the ethical standards and programmes are as uniform and harmonized as possible.

"As we strive for 'One United Nations,' the United Nations must be governed by a single code of ethical standards," Ms. Okabe said.

As part of the system-wide code unveiled today, an ethics committee will be established and tasked with devising "a unified set of standards and policies" for the UN system, reviewing the annual reports of the ethics offices of the Secretariat and the various funds and programmes, and consulting on any important or complex cases or issues raised by an ethics office.

This committee will be headed by Robert Benson, the Director of the UN Ethics Office, and also include any heads of ethics offices in the specialized agencies.

Mr. Benson told reporters today that individual funds and programmes have the option of appointing or designating their own ethics officers. If they do not by next month, then staff working for that fund or programme will be covered by the ethics office of the UN Secretariat, including on issues concerning protection for whistleblowers from retaliation.

Similarly, if the ethics office of a fund or programme has not provided advice or formally considered a request for protection from retaliation within 45 days of a request from a staff member, then that employee is entitled to refer the matter to the newly established UN Ethics Committee.

The individual ethics office will be charged with: developing standards, training and education on ethics issue for their specialized agency; providing guidance to the agency management to ensure the UN principles and policies are being followed; provide confidential advice to staff; help protect staff against retaliation; and administer the financial disclosure programme of senior staff at the agency.

In response to questions from journalists, Mr. Benson said he believed that many funds and programmes already had plans to designate an ethics officer, including the UN Development Programme (<"http://www.undp.org/">UNDP), the World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/">WFP) and the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF).

The need for a common ethics code among all UN entities has gained increased momentum in recent months along with issues relating to whistleblower protection and the disclosure of information by the various entities.

At the World Summit at UN Headquarters in New York in September 2005, Member States called for a scrupulous application of existing standards of conduct and the development of a system-wide code of ethics for all UN personnel.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON APPEALS FOR ONGOING FIGHT TO ERADICATE LANDMINES

BAN KI-MOON APPEALS FOR ONGOING FIGHT TO ERADICATE LANDMINES
New York, Dec 3 2007 7:00PM
On the tenth anniversary of the landmark international anti-mine treaty, Ban Ki-moon today urged the world's peoples and governments to continue the fight to abolish anti-personnel landmines.

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction opened for signature in Ottawa, Canada, in 1997. At present, it has been signed by133 States, while 156 States have formally agreed to be bound by the treaty.

"The Convention is a reality because people and governments all around the world agreed that anti-personnel landmines have no place in our world," Mr. Ban said in a message marking the occasion. "On this anniversary, let us recommit ourselves to their elimination."

In the decade since the treaty – often referred to as the Ottawa Convention – opened for signature, legal trade in anti-personnel landmines has been halted, tens of millions of stockpiled landmines have been destroyed and land has been cleared and returned to communities, he pointed out.

"The road to a mine-free world is long, but an end is in sight," the Secretary-General observed. "But even after all the mines are out of the ground, a major challenge will remain: to provide the hundreds of thousands of people who have survived landmine accidents with all the support they need to become and remain active and productive members of the communities."
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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FIRST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES HOSTED BY UN AGENCY

FIRST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES HOSTED BY UN AGENCY
New York, Dec 3 2007 7:00PM
The United Nations World Meteorological Organization (<"http://www.wmo.ch/pages/index_en.html">WMO) has brought together more than 100 experts for the first international symposium on public weather services to discuss how to help protect communities from natural disasters and the adverse impact of climate change.

The three-day symposium, which started today in Geneva, is tasked with preparing a road map to help the national meteorological and hydrological services of countries deliver more useful, effective and relevant information about the weather to their customers.

WHO said in a media statement that the estimated 120 symposium participants will analyze existing gaps in the service delivery of weather information providers, as well as the strengths of public weather services.

"Much has been done to raise awareness among governments on the importance of such services," WHO said in the statement. "But, despite very good forecasts and warnings being available, people still die from weather-related hazards."

The agency said both governments and the general public need further education to better understand and use weather forecasts, particularly in case of emergencies following natural disasters.

Already WHO is launching two-year pilot projects in Latin America, Africa and Asia to help poor countries in those regions improve their public weather services.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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UN HELPS LAUNCH NATIONWIDE ANTI-RAPE CAMPAIGN IN LIBERIA

UN HELPS LAUNCH NATIONWIDE ANTI-RAPE CAMPAIGN IN LIBERIA
New York, Dec 3 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations has teamed up with the Government of Liberia to launch a nationwide campaign to prevent and punish the crime of rape, one of the most serious challenges the West African nation is grappling with as it emerges from years of conflict.

"Rape is the most frequently committed serious crime in Liberia so we must find more effective ways to stop these crimes before more women and girls are hurt and abused," said Alan Doss, outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

The campaign, called "Stop rape – it could be your mother, your daughter, your sister, your niece," will be taken around the country over the next six months. It was launched following a call by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Mr. Doss for stepped-up efforts to tackle the crime.

According to UN Police (UNPOL) Commissioner Mohammed Alhassan, the number of reported rape cases had increased from 351 in 2006 to 425 in 2007. He encouraged victims to report rape, as "UNPOL will continue to work with the Liberia National Police (LNP) to ensure that there is no hiding place for rapists."

He added that, as part of the campaign, women and children's protection units are being established around the country with specially trained officers to help track down perpetrators.

In a related development, Mr. Doss yesterday handed over a newly reconstructed Gender and Development office building in Voinjama, the capital of Lofa County, which was completed through UNMIL's Quick Impact Projects.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, he emphasized the importance of involving women in all aspects of public life. "Women must always be placed at the centre of communities and at the centre of our lives because a successful country always ensures the full participation of women in national and local life."
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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BUDGET SHORTFALLS THREATENING ASSISTANCE TO PALESTINIAN REFUGEES, WARNS UN OFFICIAL

BUDGET SHORTFALLS THREATENING ASSISTANCE TO PALESTINIAN REFUGEES, WARNS UN OFFICIAL
New York, Dec 3 2007 6:00PM
Chronic funding shortfalls have become a serious issue for the main United Nations agency aiding Palestinian refugees, threatening the quality and continuation of vital services to some 4.5 million people, a senior official warned today.

"Lack of resources means that we are unable to employ enough teachers, health care and social workers to keep pace with a beneficiary population that is growing in both size and needs," said Filippo Grandi, Deputy Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA), which aids 4.5 million people.

Addressing a meeting in New York on the plight of Palestinian refugees, he noted that one of the biggest threats to UNRWA's operations is financial, given that it is funded almost exclusively by voluntary contributions from Member States. "While our donors have by and large kept faith with us over the years, chronic funding shortfalls have become a matter of serious concern."

This year, the Agency is struggling with a budget deficit of some $92 million for its core programmes. In addition, its $246 million emergency appeal for Gaza and the West Bank in 2007 is currently a little more than half funded. "Budget shortfalls directly threaten the quality and even the continuation of our services," he said.

Mr. Grandi noted that conflict and violence compound the social and economic difficulties of the refugees. "We operate in an unpredictable and unstable environment, in which, by contrast, we are expected to provide predictable and stable services."

While acknowledging that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was an international challenge that needed to be addressed by political actors, he also stressed that it could only be solved if human rights and international humanitarian law were given a prominent place in the political discourse.

"The ultimate guarantee of the security of States is the safety, economic self-sufficiency and protection of all people, including the refugees," he stated.

One of the oldest and largest of the UN agencies, UNRWA is not only a humanitarian organization but also the main provider of essential public services to a population spread across Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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DR CONGO: UNICEF ESTIMATES 1,000 CHILDREN REMAIN ACTIVE IN WARFARE

DR CONGO: UNICEF ESTIMATES 1,000 CHILDREN REMAIN ACTIVE IN WARFARE
New York, Dec 3 2007 6:00PM
As violence flared in the troubled North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) today said an estimated 1,000 young people remain involved in fighting across the country.

The agency, which recently rescued some 200 Congolese children from rebel custody, also reported that fighting since Sunday between the Congolese Army (FARDC) and troops loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda has displaced an additional 30,000 to 40,000 people in North Kivu.

In New York, a UN spokesperson reported that the Congolese Army "has been forced into retreat from some of its some positions, including those near Katsiru and Kikuku."

UN humanitarian agencies are working to transfer 10,000 displaced persons from the town of Rutshuru to safer sites, where the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that as many as 1,750 newly displaced families arrived in the course of last week.

The UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) is not participating in offensive actions but may provide close air support where civilians are in imminent danger, if appropriate. The mission's mandate allows UN peacekeepers to act in support of the Government and promote the protection of civilians.

MONUC spokesman Kemal Saiki told the UN News Service that the blue helmets are working in close liaison with the FARDC, including by co-locating tactical staff in North Kivu. The mission has also moved some 4,000 troops to the area.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES A BOON FOR THEIR EMPLOYERS, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES A BOON FOR THEIR EMPLOYERS, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL
New York, Dec 3 2007 5:00PM
Marking the <"http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?navid=22&pid=109">International Day of Disabled Persons, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today emphasized that people with disabilities not only make good employees, but that companies benefit greatly from employing them.

"Persons with disabilities have the ability to make valuable contributions in the workforce as employees, entrepreneurs and employers," said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11305.doc.htm">message for the Day, whose theme this year is "Decent work for persons with disabilities."

"Whenever the opportunity arises, persons with disabilities prove their worth as productive members of the workforce," Mr. Ban said. "That is why more and more employers are slowly coming to the realization that employing persons with disabilities makes good sense."

"Changing workplace environments and advances in information and communications technology are also giving persons with disabilities new avenues for seeking decent work," the Secretary-General said.

Economic factors will dictate more hiring of persons with disabilities, said Chris Sullivan, National Program Manager for Merrill Lynch's Special Needs Financial Services, at a press briefing at UN Headquarters. There would be a global shortage of 31 million skilled workers by 2010, and companies would increasingly resort to the largely untapped pool of talented workers with disabilities.

"The supply and demand cycle will turn the tide," added National Business and Disability Council Vice President Judy Young. In addition, companies that hired persons with disabilities had come to recognize their contribution not only in terms of skills and productivity, but "in the innovative ways in which they are able to solve problems and accomplish tasks."

But a change of perception was needed, Ms. Young said. "Governments can dictate legislation, but cannot change attitudes. Attitudes only change when people with disabilities work side by side with people without disabilities, and each learn how to value each other and the contribution each brings to the workplace."

"It is all a matter of breaking down negative perceptions," said Mr. Sullivan, who was born hearing-impaired. "You have to look at the person and not at the disability. That requires a tremendous change of perception in everyone, including the international community. But we are working on it."

His company employed persons with disabilities as financial advisors, propriety traders and staffers of the compliance division, he said. A Wall Street Consortium of Diversity was being formed and would hold its first meeting in New York in January, he added.

Persons with disabilities also represented a large customer base, Ms. Young said, with an estimated $1 trillion in aggregate income worldwide. "Companies have long recognized that it is good business to hire workers who reflect their target markets," she said. With advances in technology and accessibility, customers with disabilities were more often visiting businesses, in person and on-line.

It was time, she said, "to turn the tide and recognize the power of people with disabilities as important players in the world economy, as productive workers and as viable customers."

In a related development, Spain became the tenth country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which introduces new international human rights standards to combat discrimination and promote equality of persons with disabilities.

Spain's Vice-President María Teresa Fernández de la Vega today deposited her country's instrument of ratification, following Bangladesh and South Africa, which ratified on 30 November. Ten more ratifications are now needed for the treaty to come into force.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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LOOKING TO BALI AND BEYOND, BAN KI-MOON ADVOCATES NEW 'GREEN ECONOMICS'

LOOKING TO BALI AND BEYOND, BAN KI-MOON ADVOCATES NEW 'GREEN ECONOMICS'
New York, Dec 3 2007 5:00PM
As the curtain was raised on the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged leaders to create a global framework to promote green economics and development.

Writing an <"http://www.un.org/sg/press_green_economics.shtml">Op-Ed in <i>The Washington Post</i> today, the Secretary-General said the Bali Conference is an opportunity for leaders to establish a road map for the future and agree on a timeline to conclude a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol – set to expire in 2012 – by next year so that it can enter into force in 2013.

"Handled correctly, our fight against global warming could set the stage for an eco-friendly transformation of the global economy – one that spurs growth and development rather than crimps it, as many nations fear."

Like the Industrial Revolution, the technology revolution and the modern era of globalization, the Secretary-General observed that the world is on the cusp of a new age of green economics.

Scientists report that human activities are driving climate change, but "largely lost in the debate is the good news," he noted, citing examples including Brazil, which derives some 44 per cent of its energy from renewable fuels – compared to the 13 per cent global average.

Although China is frequently touted as the successor to the United States in being the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, the Secretary-General pointed out that the country is making strides to combat key environmental issues by investing $10 billion in renewable energy this year. Premier Wen Jiabao recently pledged to slash energy consumption by 20 per cent over five years.

Mr. Ban said that rather than suffer from a transition to a green economy, growth may in fact gain momentum through the creation of new jobs as investment in zero-greenhouse gas energy surges.

The UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/">UNEP) has estimated that global investment in zero-greenhouse energy will reach $1.9 trillion by 2020 – a figure the Secretary-General called "seed money for a wholesale reconfiguration of global industry."

The private sector requires ground rules and is calling for policies on climate change, including regulation, emissions caps and efficiency guidelines, he said.

"The scientists have done their job," declared Mr. Ban, who is attending the Conference's high-level segment next week. "Now it's up to the politicians. Bali is a test of their leadership."

Some 10,000 participants from 187 countries are expected to attend the two-week Conference.

Over the weekend, the Secretary-General spoke with the leaders of India and China on the issue, while last week, he conversed with the presidents of the Russian Federation, United States and Brazil, according to a UN spokesperson.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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UN EXPERT INVITED TO OBSERVE MILITARY COMMISSION HEARINGS AT GUANTANAMO BAY

UN EXPERT INVITED TO OBSERVE MILITARY COMMISSION HEARINGS AT GUANTANAMO BAY
New York, Dec 3 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism today announced that he will attend, at the invitation of the United States Government, military commission hearings scheduled to commence on Wednesday at Guantanamo Bay.

Announcing the invitation in a <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/9275B229AB675028C12573A6005D3159?opendocument">statement released in Geneva, Martin Scheinin said the upcoming official trip is in follow up to his visit to the US in May.

It is expected that the Special Rapporteur will have the opportunity to observe an evidentiary hearing regarding the case of United States v. Hamdan, a Yemeni national, was captured in Afghanistan during hostilities in 2001 and who has been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002 charged under the Military Commissions Act with conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism.

The Special Rapporteur's mission report on the United States is expected to be presented and considered by the resumed sixth session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 12 December. He will also report orally on his observations regarding his trip to Guantanamo Bay.

Mr. Scheinin has a mandate to develop a regular dialogue and to cooperate with all relevant players, including Governments, to exchange information, make recommendations and to identify and promote best practices on measures to counter terrorism that respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. As Special Rapporteur, he is independent from any government and serves in his individual capacity.

Mr. Scheinin has previously served as a member of the Human Rights Committee (1997-2004). He is currently Director at the Institute for Human Rights, Abo Akademi University in Turku, Finland.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON URGES GREATER COOPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

BAN KI-MOON URGES GREATER COOPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
New York, Dec 3 2007 4:00PM
The long-term success of the International Criminal Court (ICC) depends on greater cooperation from the world's countries, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling on States to maintain their funding and public advocacy for the tribunal.

Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm11310.doc.htm">told the sixth Assembly of States Parties, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, that the Court has quickly "established itself as the centrepiece of our system of international criminal justice" in the five years since the Rome Statute creating the <"http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html&l=en">ICC entered into force.

"It both embodies and drives a profound evolution in international culture and law. It serves notice to any would-be [Slobodan] Milosevic or Charles Taylor that their actions today may lead to international prosecution tomorrow," he said, referring to the former Yugoslav and Liberian leaders accused of committing war crimes.

But the Secretary-General stressed that the Court's ongoing success, and even ability to function, will rely closely on the support of States Parties and from the UN, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups.

He called for "cooperation that results in financial support and political backing, and which flows from expressions of support in public, as well as behind closed doors" for both the Court and for its Trust Fund for Victims.

Mr. Ban pledged the continuing support of the UN towards the ICC – which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands – and its Prosecutor and urged individual countries to play their part in enforcing warrants and arresting indicted individuals.

Turning to the four situations that ICC prosecutors are investigating – the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Darfur region of Sudan, northern Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR) – Mr. Ban said that, in Darfur, "unspeakable crimes on a massive scale are still being committed."

He also noted that some of the situations being probed remain unstable, with a lasting peace not yet having taken hold and questions raised about the balance between obtaining peace and finding a measure of justice regarding those who have committed war crimes.

"There are no easy answers to this morally and legally charged balancing act. However, the overarching principle is clear: there can be no sustainable peace without justice. Peace and justice, accountability and reconciliation are not mutually exclusive. To the contrary, they go hand in hand."
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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BAIL APPLICATION BY KHMER ROUGE PRISON CHIEF TURNED DOWN BY UN-BACKED TRIBUNAL

BAIL APPLICATION BY KHMER ROUGE PRISON CHIEF TURNED DOWN BY UN-BACKED TRIBUNAL
New York, Dec 3 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia trying Khmer Rouge leaders accused of mass killings and other crimes three decades ago today dismissed a former prison chief's appeal to be released from provisional detention pending his trial.

The pre-trial chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (<" http://www.eccc.gov.kh/english/default.aspx ">ECCC), sitting in the capital, Phnom Penh, announced that it had agreed unanimously to uphold the decision of the co-investigating judges to deny bail to Kaing Guek Eav.

Also known as Duch, Mr. Kaing was charged in July with crimes against humanity over his role as chief at the S21 prison in Phnom Penh during the Khmer Rouge's rule in the 1970s, when hundreds of thousands of people were killed or died from starvation, forced labour and ill treatment.
Under an agreement signed by the UN and Cambodia, the trial court and a Supreme Court within the Cambodian legal system will investigate those most responsible for crimes and serious violations of national and international law under Khmer Rouge rule between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979, when up to 3 million people may have perished.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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AFGHANISTAN: UN MISSION TO BOOST DIALOGUE WITH FORMER INSURGENTS, ENVOY SAYS

AFGHANISTAN: UN MISSION TO BOOST DIALOGUE WITH FORMER INSURGENTS, ENVOY SAYS
New York, Dec 3 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (<"http://www.unama-afg.org/">UNAMA) said today it intends to continue reaching out to a number of groups previously involved in the insurgency that are now seeking to end the violence and participate in rebuilding the fledgling democracy.

Political outreach is one of the Mission's three priorities over the coming year, along with strengthening the rule of law and integrating the complex and numerous efforts underway in Afghanistan, the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative, Chris Alexander, told a press briefing in Kabul.

Efforts will include engaging with those Afghan individuals and groups who, for one reason or another, have come to feel excluded from the political and development process currently underway in the country, Mr. Alexander noted.

"We also intend to continue reaching out to some groups hitherto involved in the insurgency, who are now seeking ways to end the violence," he said. The objective is to help them "re-connect with their Government and their society, participate in strengthening institutions and join with us in a concerted effort to consolidate peace."

Conditions for dialogue with these groups are set by Afghans themselves – the Government, the Parliament and civil society – but clearly, "Those Afghans who show good will, who are willing to live under the current Afghan Constitution, to participate in Afghanistan's legitimate institutions, and to end their participation in violence – are welcome in this process," he said.

Afghanistan has experienced one of the bloodiest years since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 owing to increased violence and terrorist activity by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and other extremist groups. Mr. Alexander insisted that this would not deter the international community's efforts to bring stability and development to the country.

"Our conviction is that the appetite for peace in the coming year will grow and the dialogue about peace will be broader and deeper than ever," he stated.

Another area the Mission would be focusing on is strengthening the rule of law, including bolstering the capacity and performance of Afghanistan's justice institutions, as well as improving access to justice for all Afghans.

"The rule of law is not only about courts and prosecutors, trials and prisons," noted Mr. Alexander, stressing that improved law enforcement across Afghanistan will continue to depend on the success of police reform – a priority for the international community.

While the scale of the challenges inside Afghanistan has grown, so has international commitment to respond. "The international community is spending between $3 billion and $4 billion this year on development in all its forms, from roads to health care clinics," he said. In addition, there are provincial development plans now for all 34 provinces, and the number of international military forces in the country has doubled in the past couple of years.

Mr. Alexander expressed confidence that the coming year would mark a new beginning for the country, stating that "through political outreach, by strengthening the rule of law, and by integrating the very complex and large scale efforts underway to support Afghanistan, we think that 2008 can be a year of achievement for this country, a year of achievement for its international partners, and a year of achievement for the United Nations."
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE ESTABLISHES WEST AFRICAN REGIONAL OFFICE

UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE ESTABLISHES WEST AFRICAN REGIONAL OFFICE
New York, Dec 3 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx">OHCHR) and the Senegalese Government today <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/25794307A33EFDBDC12573A6004F31A3?opendocument">signed an agreement to set up a regional office in the capital, Dakar, to bolster the protection of rights across West Africa.

The new office will be tasked with working with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental associations and other UN partners to devise and carry out strategies to protect the human rights of people living in the 15 member states of the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS).

Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kyung-wha Kang, who signed the memorandum of understanding establishing the office on behalf of the UN, said the bureau "demonstrates the High Commissioner's commitment to assist the efforts of the ECOWAS member states in the field of human rights."

The office in Dakar, created as part of the OHCHR's Strategic Management Plan to boost its field presence, is the fourth of its kind in Africa, joining offices already established in Yaoundé, Cameroon (covering Central Africa); Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Eastern Africa); and Pretoria, South Africa (Southern Africa).

The member states of ECOWAS are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR: UN, AFRICAN UNION PEACE ENVOYS HOLD TALKS WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS

DARFUR: UN, AFRICAN UNION PEACE ENVOYS HOLD TALKS WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS
New York, Dec 3 2007 3:00PM
The United Nations and African Union Special Envoys for Darfur are meeting tomorrow in Egypt with regional partners to the peace process in the war-torn Sudanese region to assess the progress so far and help forge agreement on the way forward.

Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim will hold talks in the town of Sharm el-Sheikh with representatives of Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and Libya, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters.

The meeting is the latest step in the efforts of the UN and AU to broker a comprehensive peace accord to quell the violence and humanitarian suffering in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others displaced since rebels began fighting Government forces and allied militia known as the Janjaweed in 2003.

The UN and AU are deploying a hybrid peacekeeping mission (known as UNAMID) to Darfur at the start of next year to take over from the existing but under-resourced AU mission (AMIS), but objections and obstacles raised by the Sudanese Government and a lack of offers for critical force units have left the deployment in jeopardy, senior UN officials warned last week.

Tomorrow Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim will brief the four countries on the latest developments in the three-part peace process, which began in late October with formal talks in Sirte, Libya, and then moved into a second phase last month with consultations and meetings with some of Darfur's various and often splintered movements.

The third phase will bring the movements together with the Government for full talks on the key issues, including power-sharing, wealth-sharing, the humanitarian situation and security conditions.

Meanwhile, in Khartoum the head of AMID and the AU-UN Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada met with a senior Sudanese Government official at the weekend to review the outstanding issues to the deployment of UNAMID.

Mr. Adada and Mutrif Siddiq, the Chairman of the Government's technical committee for the implementation of the mission, focused their discussions on the allocation of land to UNAMID within Darfur, the use of El Fasher airport for mission operations, expediting the process of releasing mission communications equipment and the details of the Status of Force Agreement (SOFA).
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD HELP AFRICA WITH BORDER ISSUES - BAN KI-MOON

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD HELP AFRICA WITH BORDER ISSUES – BAN KI-MOON
New York, Dec 3 2007 3:00PM
The international community should support efforts by the African Union to address border issues so that they will no longer be a potential source of disputes, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.

"Since African countries gained independence, the borders – drawn during the colonial period in a context of rivalries between European countries – have been a recurrent source of conflict," said the Secretary-General in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2887">message to the Seminar on the Implementation of the African Union Border Programme, held in Djibouti on 1 December.

"The situation is particularly challenging in cases where strategic or natural resources are located in cross-border areas," he said. "Demarcation of all borders between States before they become a source of conflict is thus an important preventive measure."

The Secretary-General hailed AU efforts to address the issue, including through the adoption earlier this year of the Declaration on the African Union Border Programme which aims to conclude the delimitation and demarcation of African borders so that they may cease to be potential sources of problems.

The seminar should assist in the effort to determine the nature and scope of the resources required for such a venture. "I am convinced that the international community should assist the African Union in this endeavour," said the Secretary-General, pledging the UN's support.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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UN ENVOY MEETS WITH OFFICIALS IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

UN ENVOY MEETS WITH OFFICIALS IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
New York, Dec 3 2007 3:00PM
A United Nations envoy today met with officials from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia today to discuss the official name of the country and related issues.

Matthew Nimetz, the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the talks between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, is in Skopje today for talks with officials, including the President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and envoy dealing with the "name issue."

According to UN spokesperson Marie Okabe, Mr. Nimetz reported that he had a constructive session with the leaders who expressed their views in detail.

He also voiced hope that the pace of the talks between the two countries can be accelerated, and noted that those in Skopje had a positive attitude towards finding ways to reach a solution.

The Envoy will meet with Greek leaders on this issue in Athens on Wednesday.

On his initiative, representatives of the two countries met in New York early last month.

Article 5 of the Interim Accord of 13 September 1995, brokered by the UN, details the difference between the two countries regarding the official name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It also obliges the two sides to continue negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General to try to reach agreement on their dispute.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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POST-CYCLONE SITUATION IN BANGLADESH MUCH WORSE THAN UNDERSTOOD - UN AGENCIES

POST-CYCLONE SITUATION IN BANGLADESH MUCH WORSE THAN UNDERSTOOD – UN AGENCIES
New York, Dec 3 2007 2:00PM
The humanitarian situation in Bangladesh in the wake of last month's devastating Cyclone Sidr is much worse than previously understood, United Nations aid agencies said today after revising their estimates of the number of people affected and the scale of the damage to homes and other infrastructure.

More than 8.5 million people are now estimated to have been affected by the storm, about 1.5 million more than originally thought, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA). It said more funds may be needed from donors to help authorities cope with the situation.

"As more information becomes available, an even grimmer reality is being revealed," OCHA said in a press statement, noting that about 2.6 million Bangladeshis across nine districts of the South Asian delta country still need immediate life-saving assistance.

The death toll has increased slightly to 3,268, the number of people considered missing is 872 and the number of injured has been revised upward by 5,000 to almost 40,000. The material damage is also more severe than understood: nearly 564,000 homes have been completely destroyed, a leap of 200,000 on earlier reports, while another 885,280 houses have been damaged.

OCHA said at least 1.25 million livestock have been confirmed killed, more than twice the previous estimate, and the area of cropland damaged has risen to 2 million acres.

Food, shelter and cash remain the three highest priority areas for emergency assistance, according to the latest UN humanitarian assessments, but sanitation, drinking water, electricity and livelihood assistance are also seen as critical.

So far the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (<"http://ochaonline2.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=7480">CERF) has disbursed $14.7 million to help with relief efforts in the most affected areas of Bangladesh, while international donors have contributed over $143 million.

But OCHA said even more money could be needed to storm-affected Bangladeshis given the rising tolls and the identification of new needs among the population.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR SOLUTION TO WATER CRISIS

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR SOLUTION TO WATER CRISIS
New York, Dec 3 2007 2:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for solutions to urgent water problems which threaten to roll back economic and social gains.

"Throughout the world, water resources continue to be spoiled, wasted and degraded," Mr. Ban said in a video <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11311.doc.htm">address to the first-ever Asia-Pacific Water Summit being held in Beppu, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu.

The water situation in the Asia-Pacific region is especially worrisome, he said, due to high population growth, unsustainable consumption, pollution and poor management of clean water sources.

Climate change – manifested in receding glaciers, worsening floods and increasingly severe droughts – is exacerbating the problem, but "despite these warning signs, water care remains an underserved and underappreciated field," Mr. Ban observed.

"The consequences for humanity are grave," he cautioned.

Water scarcity undercuts environmental sustainability, impedes efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – eight targets to slash poverty, hunger and other ills by 2015 – and could set off wars and conflict, the Secretary-General said.

Solving the crucial problem promises tremendous gains, he noted, as up to $34 can be saved on health, education and social and economic development for every dollar spent.

"Of course, the benefits of clean water cannot be measured in dollars and cents alone," he said. "There is no price tag on transforming lives, or on giving every child a real chance for a healthy, productive future."

The two-day summit is expected to be attended by leaders of nearly 50 Asian-Pacific countries and regions, as well as by government representatives, members of the private sector, academic, civil society representatives and journalists.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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WITNESS WHO FALSELY TESTIFIED AT RWANDAN GENOCIDE TRIAL JAILED BY UN TRIBUNAL

WITNESS WHO FALSELY TESTIFIED AT RWANDAN GENOCIDE TRIAL JAILED BY UN TRIBUNAL
New York, Dec 3 2007 2:00PM
The United Nations war crimes tribunal for the 1994 Rwandan genocide today sentenced a former witness to nine months in prison for giving false testimony during the trial of the country's former higher education minister.

The witness, identified only by the code name GAA, pleaded guilty to one count of contempt of court at a hearing this morning of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which sits in Arusha, Tanzania.

It is the Tribunal's first prosecution for contempt of court and for giving false testimony.

GAA was arrested in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, in July and transferred to the ICTR a month later following an investigation by prosecutors on the direction of the Tribunal's appeals chamber when it upheld the conviction of Jean de Dieu Kamuhanda in September 2005. Witnesses in that trial were allegedly induced to give false testimony under oath.

Mr. Kamuhanda is serving concurrent life sentences after being convicted of genocide and extermination for his role in the mass killings that engulfed the small African country in less than three months in 1994. Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered, often by machete or club.

Judges at the ICTR found Mr. Kamuhanda had supervised the killings in his native Gikomero commune in the Kigali-Rural prefecture. He distributed firearms, grenades and machetes to the Hutu Interahamwe militia and led attacks at the parish church and adjoining school in Gikomero, where several thousand Tutsi civilians were killed.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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UN LABOUR AGENCY SPOTLIGHTS NEED FOR DECENT WORK FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

UN LABOUR AGENCY SPOTLIGHTS NEED FOR DECENT WORK FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
New York, Dec 3 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations agency tasked with ensuring decent work for all called today for greater efforts to break down the barriers that still prevent millions of people with disabilities from fully participating in the labour market, citing a strong link between disability and poverty.

In a new report entitled "The Right to Decent Work of Persons with Disabilities," the International Labour Organization (<"http://www.ilo.org/global/What_we_do/Events/Campaigns/lang--en/WCMS_087695/index.htm">ILO) states that although much has been accomplished in recent years to improve the lives of persons with disabilities, millions around the world continue to suffer violations of their rights.

They tend to experience high unemployment, underemployment, have lower earnings than persons without disabilities and often drop out of the labour market completely, according to the report – released today for the International Day of Disabled Persons, which this year focuses on the goal of decent work for people with disabilities.

At the same time, there is a growing awareness that people with disabilities represent enormous, untapped economic potential, and that they can make a valuable contribution to national economies, the report adds.

"Decent work is the ILO's primary goal for everyone, including people with disabilities," says ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. "When we promote the rights and dignity of people with disabilities, we are empowering individuals, enriching societies and strengthening economies. We must intensify our efforts to step up the pace of change."

The agency estimates that some 650 million people – or one out of every 10 people in the world – have a disability, and that of these, approximately 470 million are of working age. Despite efforts to ensure access to jobs, people with disabilities as a group often face disproportionate levels of poverty and unemployment.

"There is a strong link between disability and poverty," the report states, adding that an estimated 80 per cent of all people with disabilities in the world live in developing countries. Of these, some 426 million live below the poverty line.

The report stresses the need for significant efforts to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in employment, which will also contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs) for halving poverty by the year 2015.

The ILO said the new UN <" http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml">Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted last December, which guarantees the right to work, will go a long way in helping to promote inclusion.

Since its adoption, 118 countries have signed the Convention which introduces new international human rights standards to combat discrimination and promote equality of persons with disabilities.

Marking the International Day, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (<" http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47503bec4.html">UNHCR) today launched a series of commitments to improve the working conditions of staff with disabilities.

"The international community adopted new international standards on the rights of persons with disabilities one year ago," said Louise Arbour. "Those standards should apply to the United Nations as much as to States and I commit to promoting decent work in my Office over the coming year as part of this effort."

The commitments include improving working conditions for staff with disabilities and for staff who have children with disabilities, sensitizing staff about disabilities in the workplace, and introducing an internship programme for interns with disabilities.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE OPENS IN BALI WITH CALL FOR BREAKTHROUGH

UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE OPENS IN BALI WITH CALL FOR BREAKTHROUGH
New York, Dec 3 2007 11:00AM
The <" http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php">United Nations Climate Change Conference opened in Bali, Indonesia today with a call for a clear agenda that will lead countries toward a new deal to address the problem by 2009 so that it can enter into force in 2013 when the current regime expires.

At the same time, conference leaders cautioned that while Bali should launch the negotiations, it would not deliver a fully negotiated deal.

"While the launch of negotiations and a clear deadline of 2009 to end the negotiations would constitute a breakthrough, anything short of that would constitute a failure," said
Indonesian Environment Minister and President of the Conference Rachmat Witoelar said.

"It is critical that we act and we act now," he said. "It is imperative to start the process in Bali. We need to send a strong statement to the international community that we at the Bali negotiations can act with the requisite sense of urgency and import."

The Bali Conference is expected to launch negotiations that would likely take two years to conclude. But while Bali is expected to frame the negotiations that will lead to an agreement, many of the most contentious issues are likely to be considered much later in the negotiating process.

To help shape the negotiations in on the future Bali, the Conference established a special contact group, chaired by South Africa and Australia.

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer said public expectations for Bali to provide answers are big. "The eyes of the world," he told negotiators, "are now upon you. There is a huge responsibility for Bali to deliver."
Still, few expect that reaching agreement in Bali and on a future agreement will be easy. "Shaping the future may seem like the impossible task of squaring a circle of conflicting interests," Mr. de Boer said.

He called for continued leadership by industrialized countries, saying bold action by them can boost growth in the South. And while fossil fuels will continue to be the main drivers of growth, Mr. de Boer said developing countries could avoid the same mistakes as developed countries through greater cooperation, technology and incentives.

He called for collective efforts to create a comprehensive framework that allows all countries to adapt, particularly those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Kenyan Environment Minister David Mwiraria, stressed the need to take real action on adaptation. He called for countries to conclude agreement on the remaining issues that need to be resolved that would allow the Kyoto Protocol's Adaptation Fund to start operation. He also said work had been slow on efforts to bring more Clean Development Mechanism projects to Africa.
2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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SRI LANKA: UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS BOMBING OF REBEL RADIO STATION

SRI LANKA: UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS BOMBING OF REBEL RADIO STATION
New York, Dec 3 2007 8:00AM
The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned a deadly attack on a radio station run by the rebel Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan army planes struck the Voice of Tigers radio station near Kilinochchi in the north of the country on the afternoon of 27 November, killing five of the station's staff and reportedly more than five other people, according to a news release from UNESCO.

"Regardless of the content of the broadcasts aired by the Voice of Tigers, there can be no excuse for military strikes on civilian media," said Koïchiro Matsuura.

"Such action contravenes the Geneva Convention which requires the military to treat media workers as civilians."

Mr. Matsuura stressed that "killing media personnel is not going to help reconciliation" and urged urge the authorities "to ensure respect for the basic human right of freedom of expression."

2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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UN FOOD AGENCY PROVIDES MEALS IN SOMALI CAPITAL FOR FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS

UN FOOD AGENCY PROVIDES MEALS IN SOMALI CAPITAL FOR FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS
New York, Dec 3 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners have started providing meals to tens of thousands of people in the Somali capital of Mogadishu in a first since Somalia's 1993 emergency.

The effort, which began on 25 November, aims to provide meals in up to 10 districts with a target of up to 50,000 people each day.

"The depth and scale of the crisis in Somalia is extremely alarming to us all -- in some parts acute malnutrition levels surpass emergency threshold levels," said WFP Somalia Country Director Peter Goossens, adding that the success of the operation demonstrated the determination of WFP and its partner SAACID to reach the hungry despite a multitude of obstacles.

WFP was forced to start what it calls "wet feeding" in Mogadishu after fatal shooting incidents halted distributions of dry rations in the capital in late June. Dried rations, stored in one-month batches in the homes of those using them, are more liable to be looted than prepared meals eaten on site.

Mr. Goossens said insecurity in Mogadishu was also causing the disruption of markets with consequent hyperinflation, while acute malnutrition rates among children under the age of five estimated to be reaching 15 per cent or more.

The agency also continues feeding many of the estimated 600,000 people who have fled Mogadishu this year. Last week, it distributed a one-month ration in the Afgoye area to 180,000 of the displaced.

Given Somalia's pressing needs, WFP is appealing to donors to bridge a $31-million funding gap.

2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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UN FOOD AGENCY TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF IRAQI REFUGEES IN SYRIA IT HELPS

UN FOOD AGENCY TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF IRAQI REFUGEES IN SYRIA IT HELPS
New York, Dec 3 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today announced that it will provide assistance to more than double the number of Iraqi refugees in Syria it is currently helping and called on donors to support the operation.

WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran, who met recently with senior Syrian officials and groups of Iraqi refugees in Damascus, warned that despite the efforts of the host Government and donors, "more Iraqi women, children and men are unable to meet their basic food needs and social support systems in Syria are being overstretched."

About a third of Iraqi respondents in a recent UN assessment said they skipped one meal a day to feed their children, while nearly 60 per cent resort to buying less expensive foods, often less nutritious, to cope with the food prices that have increased dramatically.

Based on this assessment, WFP decided to expand its assistance from the current caseload of 51,000 people to cover as many as 114,000 of the most needy Iraqis in Syria by April 2008. The beneficiaries will receive a monthly food ration made up of rice, vegetable oil and lentils.

But the agency has not even yet received enough funding for the current caseload; its $5.6 million operation is facing a shortfall of 38 per cent.

"We appeal to donors for more support to help the vulnerable among the Iraqis in Syria live with dignity until they can go home safely," Ms. Sheeran said.

2007-12-03 00:00:00.000

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CONTINUING DIALOGUE WITH SUDAN VITAL TO EXPEDITING ASSISTANCE, SAYS TOP UN AID OFFICIAL

CONTINUING DIALOGUE WITH SUDAN VITAL TO EXPEDITING ASSISTANCE, SAYS TOP UN AID OFFICIAL
New York, Dec 2 2007 5:00PM
Wrapping up a four-day visit to Sudan, the top United Nations humanitarian official today stressed the need to maintain a constructive dialogue with the Government to ensure that people affected by the conflict in the country's strife-torn Darfur region get the help they need.

During his mission, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes met with the Government, UN agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), donors and people affected by the conflict in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed in the past four years due to violence. At least 2.2 million others have been displaced and an estimated 4 million now depend on humanitarian aid for survival.

Mr. Holmes, who met with local officials in both northern and southern Darfur, said the Joint Communiqué, signed after his last visit in March, has been useful in addressing the concerns of the humanitarian community working in the region, particularly bureaucratic issues, while noting that some concerns do remain.

"The purpose of my mission was to discuss these issues with the Government and to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground," stated Mr. Holmes, who also serves as UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. "It is important to strengthen trust and confidence, which requires a personal and continuous commitment from me and from many others."

He stressed that while the signing of the Joint Communiqué has been beneficial, important challenges remain in ensuring that humanitarian principles are fully respected and all those in need of assistance receive the help they need.

"I am concerned that displacement is still continuing, even while some people have been able to return," stated Mr. Holmes, who also emphasized the need to continue working to ensure that humanitarian workers are able to operate in a safe and conducive environment, despite problems such as car hijack
increasingly common.

The humanitarian chief was given assurances by the Government that there would be no problem with the extension of the 2004 Moratorium on restrictions which enables international NGOs to continue operating in Darfur. He expressed the hope that this would happen soon, noting that the Sudan Workplan 2008 ? requesting $2.2 billion to address humanitarian, recovery and development needs ? will be launched on 11 December, and NGOs are the UN's main implementing partners on the ground.

Concerning returns, Mr. Holmes stated that while it was the aim of all concerned to ensure that internally displaced persons (IDPs) could return to their homes as soon as possible, this could only take place once security improves and basic services are operating. "It is clear that return of IDPs must always be voluntary, participative and to suitable and safe areas accessible by the humanitarian service providers," he said.

Mr. Holmes added that the UN stood ready to provide extra aid if early indications of a potentially poor food harvest in Darfur were confirmed.

He will now travel to Kenya, the last stop on his current three-nation trip which began in Ethiopia.

2007-12-02 00:00:00.000

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ON INTERNATIONAL DAY, BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR ERADICATING MODERN FORMS OF SLAVERY

ON INTERNATIONAL DAY, BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR ERADICATING MODERN FORMS OF SLAVERY
New York, Dec 2 2007 4:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has marked the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery with a call for redoubling efforts to wipe out the contemporary forms of this abominable practice under which millions of people around the world continue to suffer.

"Millions of our fellow human beings continue to live as contemporary slaves, victims of abominable practices like human trafficking, forced labour and sexual exploitation," Mr. Ban said his <http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11306.doc.htm>message for the Day, observed annually on 2 December.

Countless children are forced to become soldiers, work in sweat shops or are sold by desperate families, and women are brutalized and traded like commodities, he added.

"The fact that these atrocities take place in today's world should fill us all with shame," Mr. Ban stated, adding that, above all, "the needs of the enslaved must inspire us to action."

He stressed that no individual, community or country can remain silent in the face of this scourge, calling for action at the national, regional and global levels.

In that regard, he noted that the UN Human Rights Council this year established a new Special Procedures mandate and appointed a Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. "This mandate will play a leading role in confronting slavery in close collaboration with UN Member States, our civil society partners, and victims' groups," he stated.

Mr. Ban also emphasized the need to understand why and how slavery is so common in so "civilized" an age. "We have to recognize that endemic poverty, social exclusion and widespread discrimination allow this practice to fester," he said. "Slavery's practitioners thrive on the desperate, the dispossessed and the disadvantaged."

He called for reaffirming the inherent dignity of all men, women and children, adding "let us redouble our efforts to build societies in which slavery truly is a

2007-12-02 00:00:00.000

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