DARFUR SUSPECT A 'FUGITIVE,' SAYS INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT PROSECUTOR

DARFUR SUSPECT A 'FUGITIVE,' SAYS INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT PROSECUTOR New York, Apr 26 2008 4:00PM Despite an arrest warrant being issued for him one year ago by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a Sudanese minister accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the war-ravaged region of Darfur is free and is a "fugitive," the body;s Prosecutor said today.

"He attacked Sudanese people, his people, those he vowed to protect as Minister; he is an indicted minister, he is a fugitive," ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a press release. "He will end up in Court."

Last 27 April, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber issued warrants for the arrest of Ahman Harun, former Minister of State for the Interior of Sudan -- and current Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs -- and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Al Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb.

According to The Hague-based ICC, evidence collected over two years from different sources shows that Mr. Harun financed, armed and incited the Janjaweed to attack Darfurian villages from 2003-2004 and killing civilians, with Mr. Kushyab having led the attacks. Their actions have allegedly forced millions to flee their homes.

No national proceedings related to these crimes have been held in Sudan, Mr. Moreno-Ocampo noted. "Brutal and massive attacks, rapes, tortures were committed 5 years ago against Sudanese citizens and their own Government promised everything and has done nothing."

The arrest warrants for Mr. Harun and Mr. Kushayb were transmitted to Sudan last 16 June, but the Government has not responded, is not cooperating and has not complied with Security Council Resolution 1593.

That resolution, from 2005, calls on the Sudanese Government to "cooperate fully and provide any necessary assistance to the Court and the Prosecutor."

"Crimes are thoroughly organized. Destitution is organized. Insecurity is organized," the Prosecutor said, noting that the focus of the second investigation will be on the "mobilization of the state apparatus to plan, commit and cover up the crimes."

Mr. Moreno-Ocampo is scheduled to report to the Council on 5 June on progress made in the investigation, after which he will present his evidence to the Judge.

"I urge the international community to send a strong and unanimous message to the Government of the Sudan, requesting the execution of the arrest warrants. The [Government of Sudan], as the territorial State, has a responsibility to do so. They can, they must surrender the two indicted criminals now, and break the system of violence and impunity in Darfur," he said.
2008-04-26 00:00:00.000

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IRAQ: TOP UN ENVOY VOICES HOPE THAT LIST OF BAGHDAD GOVERNORATE CANDIDATES CAN BE AGREED UPON

IRAQ: TOP UN ENVOY VOICES HOPE THAT LIST OF BAGHDAD GOVERNORATE CANDIDATES CAN BE AGREED UPON New York, Apr 26 2008 3:00PM The top United Nations envoy to Iraq today expressed hope that an agreement can be reached in the Council of Representatives on the list of candidates for the Baghdad governorate election offices (GEOs) for the upcoming elections.

The Secretary-Generalâ??s Special Representative Staffan de Mistura welcomed the submission of names of candidates for the position of Director of the GEOs by the Council to the Independent High Election Commission (IHEC), an independent electoral authority consisting of nine members.

Noting that body has yet to receive the list of candidates for the Baghdad offices from the Council, Mr. de Mistura â?" who also heads the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) â?" said that â??there is a need to finalize the selection process to enable IHEC to start planning for for voter registration.â?

Due to the recent unrest in Baghdad, the deadline for the submissions has been extended.

The Special Representative said that to move the process forward, UNAMI will forward its recommendations directly to the IHEC, which in turn will slecting acting Directors for the two Baghdad GEOs, pending a final decisions by the Council.

The IHEC is scheculed to begin interviewing the listed candidates on 27 April. After the selection process is finalized and the 7-day period to contest reuslts is over, it will announce the names of selected GEO Directors.

UNAMI has finished intervieiwing candidates for the Ninewa GEO, and intends to submit its recommendations to the Council shortly.

In his latest quarterly report on UNAMI to the Security Council made public yesterday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wote that the holding of credible governorate elections later this year could in the long run serve to underpin the legitimacy of democratic governance, calling on the Council of Representatives to â??urgently pass a governorate elections lawâ? to conduct the elections as smoothly and as fairly as possible.
2008-04-26 00:00:00.000

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RENEWED UN MANDATE AIMS TO STOP SPREAD OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

RENEWED UN MANDATE AIMS TO STOP SPREAD OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION New York, Apr 25 2008 6:00PM The Security Council today <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sc9310.doc.htm">issued a three-year extension to the mandate of a United Nations committee which works to halt the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Set up under a 2004 Security Council resolution, the committee is part of a regime imposing binding legal obligations on all States to establish domestic controls aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.

All States are also obliged to refrain from supporting non-State actors to develop, acquire, manufacture or transport nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. States are also required to establish laws to prevent any of these activities by non-State actors, in particular for terrorist purposes.

The committee also promotes better cooperation between countries on measures to block the spread of such weapons, and promotes universal adherence to existing international non proliferation treaties.

The committee compiles information on progress States are making to comply with the resolution, by assessing the physical protection of weapons, border security and law enforcement efforts, as well as controls over exports and trans-shipments.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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CONTINUED FUEL SHORTAGES IN GAZA SPARK CONCERN FROM SENIOR UN OFFICIAL

CONTINUED FUEL SHORTAGES IN GAZA SPARK CONCERN FROM SENIOR UN OFFICIAL New York, Apr 25 2008 6:00PM The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (<"http://www.unsco.org/Default.asp">UNSCO) said today that he remains extremely concerned about the severe humanitarian impact that the continuing fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip are having on the civilian population and on basic public services.

"The United Nations is heavily engaged with all parties to try to bring about a resolution of this crisis and see adequate supplies of fuel restored and distributed throughout Gaza," Robert H. Serry said in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Israel stopped all fuel supplies to Gaza after Palestinian militants attacked the Nahal Oz terminal, located close to the border with Gaza, on 9 April. On Wednesday, it told the UN it was ready to deliver 100,000 litres of diesel, but fuel was not delivered yesterday, with Nahal Oz closed and the storage facilities on the Palestinian side of the border crossing full, according to the Israeli authorities.

The Gaza Petrol and Gas Station Owners Association informed the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA) yesterday that it would distribute 50,000 litres of diesel to sustain the agency's humanitarian operations, but this effort was thwarted by protests on the Palestinian side of the crossing.

UNRWA was able to make its food deliveries yesterday, but it will not be able to do so from tomorrow – the next scheduled delivery day – unless it receives fresh supplies of diesel.

"At this crucial juncture, all parties must act to avert further suffering of the civilian population," Mr. Serry said in the statement.

He called on Hamas, which controls Gaza, to ensure conditions to enable the distribution of supplies at Nahal Oz so that more supplies can enter Gaza.

"Hamas must immediately bring an end to attacks by itself or any other group against crossings in Gaza."

The Special Coordinator also called on Israel to "restore adequate supplies of diesel and benzene for the civilian population of Gaza in accordance with international law."

Last month, about 3.8 million litres of diesel fuel and 340,000 litres of benzene were transferred from Israel into Gaza, which Mr. Serry said was not enough to meet the requirements of Gaza, which is home to an estimated 1.4 million inhabitants. In March last year, more than 8.8 million litres of diesel fuel and 1.7 million litres of benzene were supplied.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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IN VIENNA, SECRETARY-GENERAL OPENS NEW MODERN, CLIMATE-FRIENDLY UN COMPLEX

IN VIENNA, SECRETARY-GENERAL OPENS NEW MODERN, CLIMATE-FRIENDLY UN COMPLEX New York, Apr 25 2008 5:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon began an official visit to Vienna today by inaugurating a new environmentally-friendly, state-of-the-art facility which will support discussions between countries on a range of critical issues, from nuclear weapons to drugs and crime.

Donated by Austria, the "M Building" – as the new complex is known – encompasses dozens of meeting rooms and has the capacity to service up to 1,500 people. "The United Nations and other Vienna-based organizations are very grateful for this meaningful contribution, which will facilitate our work here immeasurably," Mr. Ban said at the inauguration ceremony.

The Secretary-General highlighted the fact that the new facility is environmentally friendly and hailed its many energy-saving features, such as re-circulating heat and sensors to optimize cooling and heating efficiency and minimize waste.

"For the past year and a half I've been pushing the environmental agenda, and it's encouraging to see that in this building has been designed with the best interests of the planet at heart," he stated.

In remarks to the press on the site of the new conference building, Mr. Ban addressed the current food crisis, owing to the soaring prices of basic staples such as rice and wheat.

"We must take immediate action in a concerted way," he said, stressing the need, in the short term, to address the humanitarian crisis, and, in the long term, to explore how to improve distribution systems and promote improved production.

While in Vienna, the Secretary-General met with Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik. He later held a working luncheon with Ms. Plassnik and the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia, as well as senior officials from Poland and Hungary. They discussed cooperation between the UN and the European Union, Kosovo, Chad, Darfur, the Middle East, Cyprus and UN reform.

Mr. Ban also met with Austrian President Heinz Fischer, with whom he discussed the country's contribution to peacekeeping operations in Chad and Kosovo, the Olympic Games, the Annapolis peace process in the Middle East, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and this September's summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Secretary-General arrived in Vienna from Côte d'Ivoire, the final leg of a four-nation West African tour that also took him to Burkina Faso, Liberia and Ghana.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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POOR FARMERS RECEIVE $200 MILLION BOOST FROM UN TO FACE FOOD CRISIS

POOR FARMERS RECEIVE $200 MILLION BOOST FROM UN TO FACE FOOD CRISIS New York, Apr 25 2008 4:00PM The United Nations rural development arm announced today that it is providing up to $200 million for poor farmers during the upcoming cropping season as it tries to alleviate the suffering of hundreds of millions of people facing hunger and malnutrition due to soaring food prices.

"The capacity of the world's 450 million smallholder farmers to respond by growing more food is at risk because of spiralling energy and fertiliser prices," said Lennart Båge, President of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (<"http://www.ifad.org/">IFAD). "Poor farmers are not reaping the benefits of higher food prices because they cannot afford the fertiliser or seeds to plant next season's crops."

Speaking after a meeting of the agency's Executive Board in Rome, he called for concerted comprehensive and coordinated action to be taken by the international community to prevent the slide of millions into abject poverty.

"Poor rural farmers are central to any solution to today's global food crisis and the long-term problems of hunger and poverty," Mr. Båge noted.

He called for a three-pronged strategy: providing emergency food aid to feed the hungry today; supporting, in the short term, smallholder farmers in their bid to plan next season's crops; and longer-term investment in agriculture to ensure food security, nutrition and rural development.

"The world has under-invested in agriculture and rural development for far too long," the President stated. "It is high time to put this right."

Yesterday, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that surging food prices are thwarting the agency's ability to feed the world's hungry.

"We can buy 40 per cent less food than we could last June with the same contribution," WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said in a video conference from Rome, voicing concern that as many as 100 million people face being pushed deeper into poverty.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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UN NUCLEAR AGENCY TO PROBE CLAIM ON SYRIAN INSTALLATION BOMBED BY ISRAEL

UN NUCLEAR AGENCY TO PROBE CLAIM ON SYRIAN INSTALLATION BOMBED BY ISRAEL New York, Apr 25 2008 4:00PM The United Nations atomic watchdog pledged today to conduct an investigation after receiving information from the United States alleging that a Syrian installation destroyed by Israel last year contained a nuclear reactor.

Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/">IAEA), said in a statement issued in Vienna that the agency would "treat this information with the seriousness it deserves and will investigate the veracity of the information."

He noted that Syria is obligated under its safeguards agreement with the agency to report the planning and construction of any nuclear facility.

The information provided by the US yesterday states that the installation bombed by Israel last September was a nuclear reactor that was not yet operational and had not had any nuclear material introduced into it.

"The Director General deplores the fact that this information was not provided to the agency in a timely manner, in accordance with the agency's responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to enable it to verify its veracity and establish the facts," Mr. ElBaradei said.

"Under the NPT, the agency has a responsibility to verify any proliferation allegations in a non-nuclear-weapon State party to the NPT and to report its findings to the IAEA Board of Governors and the Security Council, as required."

Given that, Mr. ElBaradei's statement added, "the Director General views the unilateral use of force by Israel as undermining the due process of verification that is at the heart of the non-proliferation regime."
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO HELP IRAQ OVERCOME DIVISIONS - SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN

MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO HELP IRAQ OVERCOME DIVISIONS – SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN New York, Apr 25 2008 4:00PM Although some initial steps toward national reconciliation in Iraq have begun, more needs to be done to help the communities resolve the fundamental issues that divide them, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in his latest quarterly <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2008/266">report.

Mr. Ban writes that the Government "continues to face formidable challenges to reaching a national consensus on how to share power and resources." But he notes that new legislation, including the Justice and Accountability Law, which replaced earlier policies banning former members of the Baath party from public office, represents a compromise between the interests of the country's three main parliamentary blocks.

Mr. Ban goes on to urge Iraqi leaders to pursue "the Iraqi national interest, rather than individual, party, ethnic or sectarian interests."

He also says that the holding of credible governorate elections later this year could in the long run serve to underpin the legitimacy of democratic governance, calling on Iraq's Council of Representatives to "urgently pass a governorate elections law" to conduct the elections as smoothly and as fairly as possible.

The report welcomes the freeze on military operations by the Mahdi Army, announced by its leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, and notes that the end of the fighting in Basra and other places at the end of March was made possible by compromise and agreement.

Mr. Ban adds that he is deeply concerned that large sections of the population are living in poverty and insecurity. To meet the humanitarian needs of Iraqis, he urges Iraq's political leadership to agree on a hydrocarbon law so that the country's oil resources can be shared in a fair and transparent manner.

The report is scheduled to be discussed by the Security Council on Monday, where it will be presented by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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MOURNING FALLEN UN STAFF, DEPUTY-SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR INCREASED PROTECTION

MOURNING FALLEN UN STAFF, DEPUTY-SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR INCREASED PROTECTION New York, Apr 25 2008 4:00PM As United Nations staff this morning gathered at Headquarters to remember their colleagues who died in the service of the world body, <" http://www.un.org/sg/deputysg.shtml">Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro called on Member States to increase protection for UN personnel.

"Each of us deserves to be protected by the Member States which we serve," Ms. Migiro said. "The past teaches us that we should not and must not settle for less."

The UN family, like any family that suffers the loss of its members, "must take the time to remember, to mourn the loss of our dearest colleagues", she said. "But we must also celebrate their lives and their achievements."

"There appears to be no safe haven for any UN staff members," said UN Staff Union President Stephen Kisambira. He asked States to ratify the 2005 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Safety of UN and Associated Personnel, which expands the scope of the Convention to cover personnel involved in delivering humanitarian, political or development assistance. The Protocol is not yet in force, as only 11 countries have ratified it.

The memorial ceremony, held at the UN Visitors' Plaza at the opening of UN Staff Day 2008, concluded with the reading of the names of the 294 staff members who died in service since the last Staff Day, held in December 2005.

As an Honour Guard lowered the UN flag at half-mast, two staff members, Geraldine Adams and Jérôme Longué, alternated reading the names of colleagues who died of deliberate attacks, accidents, illness and other causes. The list included the 17 staff members killed in the December 2007 bombing of the UN office in Algiers, the seven staff members who died in a helicopter crash in Nepal last month and the four UN military observers killed in the July 2006 bombing of an observer post in southern Lebanon.

Among the fallen are 152 military personnel, 20 police officers and 75 local staff – a reminder of the vulnerability of locally recruited UN personnel. Forty-seven were serving with the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (<"http://www.monuc.org/Home.aspx?lang=en">MONUC), 39 with the UN Mission in Liberia (<"http://www.unmil.org/">UNMIL) and 34 with the UN Mission in the Sudan (<"http://www.unmis.org/english/en-main.htm">UNMIS). The latest victim, Mohammed Makki El Rasheed, was shot and killed on 21 April in Darfur while driving a truck of supplies for the World Food Programme (<"http://www.unmis.org/english/en-main.htm ">WFP).
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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NEPAL: UN STILL AWAITING FINAL RESULTS FOR HISTORIC CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY POLLS

NEPAL: UN STILL AWAITING FINAL RESULTS FOR HISTORIC CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY POLLS New York, Apr 25 2008 4:00PM The United Nations Mission in Nepal (<"http://www.unmin.org.np/">UNMIN) said it is still awaiting the final results of the recent Constituent Assembly polls, while the country's Election Commission today announced that the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has won 100 of the 335 seats under the proportional representation system.

The Commission, which has been tabulating the results from the 10 April polls, added that the Nepali Congress and United Marxist-Leninist party received 73 and 70 seats, respectively. The fourth and fifth largest share of seats went to two parties based in the country's Terai region in the south.

According to UNMIN, this does not yet constitute the "final results" as stipulated in the Interim Constitution, which will only be announced by the Election Commission once parties have finalized their representatives and the Commission has signed off on these.

Once the Commission announces the final results of the election, the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly must take place within 21 days, the Mission added.

The Assembly will be tasked with drawing up a new constitution for the country, which has emerged from a decade-long civil war that claimed an estimated 13,000 lives before the Government and Maoist rebels signed a peace accord in 2006.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE AGENCY DEPLORES DEATHS OF FOUR REFUGEES AFTER EXPULSION BY TURKEY

UN REFUGEE AGENCY DEPLORES DEATHS OF FOUR REFUGEES AFTER EXPULSION BY TURKEY New York, Apr 25 2008 3:00PM The United Nations refugee agency is seeking clarification from Turkey after 18 refugees were forced to cross a fast-flowing river on the Turkish-Iraqi border, leading to the deaths of four by drowning.

The incident took place on Wednesday at an unpatrolled stretch of the border in Sirnak province in south-eastern Turkey.

According to witnesses interviewed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4811e23c4.html">UNHCR), the Turkish authorities had earlier attempted to forcibly deport 60 people of various nationalities to Iraq at an official border crossing. The Iraqi border authorities allowed 42 Iraqis to enter the country but refused to admit 18 Iranian and Syrian nationals. Turkish police then took the 18, including five Iranians whose refugee status had been recognized by UNHCR, to an area where a river runs along the border, and forced them to swim across.

Witnesses said that four people, including a refugee from Iran, were swept away by the strong river current and drowned. Their bodies could not be recovered. UNHCR is in contact with the surviving refugees through its office in Erbil in northern Iraq and reports that they are deeply traumatized.

UNHCR had previously asked the Turkish Government not to deport the five Iranian refugees, who had all been detained after attempting to cross into Greece in an irregular manner. The UN refugee agency had said that it did not consider Iraq a safe country of asylum for these refugees.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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UN LAYS OUT PLAN FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF AREA AROUND CHERNOBYL DISASTER SITE

UN LAYS OUT PLAN FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF AREA AROUND CHERNOBYL DISASTER SITE New York, Apr 25 2008 3:00PM Marking the twenty-second anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine on 26 April 1986, the United Nations Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2008/april/un-to-continue-chernobyl-recovery-efforts-until-2016.en">UNDP) today presented a draft action plan to support the Chernobyl area's ongoing recovery until 2016.

The action plan is part of the "<"http://www.undp.org/chernobyl/">Decade of Recovery and Sustainable Development" proclaimed by a 2007 UN General Assembly Resolution. The aim of the Decade, which runs from 2006 to 2016, is to promote a "return to normal life" for the region.

The UN's plan is built on scientific findings showing that most people living in the affected areas need not fear negative health effects from radiation. The objective is to spur recovery by promoting new economic opportunities, including investment and job creation, and to restore community self-sufficiency. Accurate, up-to-date information is also being provided to counter widespread myths and misconceptions.

A <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sgsm11530.doc.htm">statement issued by the spokesperson for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the accident had had a huge impact on the region but that the outlook was hopeful: "We can take, heart, however, in the growing confidence that communities affected by the Chernobyl accident now have the chance and, increasingly, the means, to lead a normal life."

Later this year, Russian tennis star and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Maria Sharapova plans to visit UNDP community development projects that her charitable foundation has funded since 2007. Ms. Sharapova, who has family roots in Gomel, a city not far from the damaged reactor, said that she looked forward to visiting the region, "and delivering a message of recovery, self-reliance, and healthy choices to young people."
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL VOICES SERIOUS CONCERN AFTER DEADLY VIOLENCE IN BURUNDI

SECURITY COUNCIL VOICES SERIOUS CONCERN AFTER DEADLY VIOLENCE IN BURUNDI New York, Apr 25 2008 3:00PM The Security Council has condemned the recent deadly spate of violent confrontations between Burundi's National Defence Forces and the Palipehutu-FNL rebel group in and around the capital, Bujumbura.

Council members, in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sc9309.doc.htm">presidential statement issued yesterday, called on the two parties "to scrupulously respect" the ceasefire they reached in September 2006 and to resume dialogue to overcome any obstacles that might delay the conclusion to the peace process.

They also urged the Palipehutu-FNL (Forces Nationales de Libération) to return immediately – and without any preconditions – to the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism that was established in the wake of the ceasefire accord.

"Any attempt to jeopardize peace in Burundi through violent means is unacceptable," according to the statement, read out by Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month.

He added that the 15-member body backed regional initiatives to bring the parties together to overcome the current crisis and implement earlier commitments.

Last Friday Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a similar statement through his spokesperson on the fighting.

Burundi is attempting to rebuild, with the support of the UN Integrated Office in the country (BINUB), after a brutal civil war between its Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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TACKLING DROUGHT CRUCIAL IN FINDING FOOD CRISIS SOLUTION - UN

TACKLING DROUGHT CRUCIAL IN FINDING FOOD CRISIS SOLUTION – UN New York, Apr 25 2008 3:00PM Addressing drought is essential in resolving the food crisis the world faces, the United Nations agency tasked with minimizing the threat posed by natural disasters said today.

Both drought and unsustainable water management have played a key role in the current problem, and managing drought risk is essential to finding a long-term solution to the crisis, according to a press release issued by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).

Reports of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – last year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate – have shown unequivocally that the world is warming, almost certainly due to human activity, with potentially disastrous effects including worsening drought in some regions and heavier rainfall in others.

"Drought creeps, so we can outrun it," said Sálvano Briceño, Director of the ISDR Secretariat. "But this will take a genuine mindset and policy shift towards the ethos that prevention is better than cure, and serious political and economic commitment to saving harvests and lives on a global economic level."

Major food exporters such as Australia and Ukraine are experiencing the effects of drought, serving as examples of how climate change can trigger future food crises.

Water scarcity contributes to food scarcity, and, as the IPCC has pointed out, billions of people are at the risk of water stress by the end of the century unless carbon emissions are slashed and urgent adaptation actions are taken.

ISDR said that a greater emphasis must be placed on disaster risk, urging communities and nations to enhance their defences against global warming, drought and desertification through such measures as improved water management.

Yesterday, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that soaring food prices across the globe are threatening the agency's efforts to feed the world's hungry.

WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran warned of the "new face of hunger" – the millions being pushed into the urgent hunger category.

"We're also concerned because this isn't just an issue of hunger, but also an issue of instability," she said, with protests against soaring food prices having been held in dozens of countries.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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BOSNIAN CROAT COMMANDER CONVICTED BY UN TRIBUNAL TO SERVE JAIL TERM IN ITALY

BOSNIAN CROAT COMMANDER CONVICTED BY UN TRIBUNAL TO SERVE JAIL TERM IN ITALY New York, Apr 25 2008 1:00PM A Bosnian Croat military commander convicted by a United Nations war crimes tribunal for his role in the torture and persecutions of Muslims living in the Mostar area of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Balkan wars of the 1990s will serve the remainder of his 20-year sentence in Italy.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (<" http://www.un.org/icty/?Open">ICTY), which sits in The Hague, announced today that Mladen Naletili&#263; was transferred yesterday to detention in Italy.

Also known as Tuta, Mr. Naletili&#263; founded and commanded the convicts' battalion, a military unit within the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) that operated in the area around the city of Mostar in 1993-94.

Mr. Naletili&#263; was convicted in 2003 of persecutions, unlawful labour, torture, wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, the unlawful transfer of civilians, wanton destruction and plunder. His co-accused, Vinko Martinovi&#263;, was also convicted and sentenced to 18 years' jail.

During the trial the ICTY heard how Mr. Naletili&#263; was personally involved in forcibly removing about 400 Bosnian Muslims from Sovi&#263;i and Doljani villages and then ordering that all their homes be burned to the ground. He also used prisoners of war to perform forced labour in the vicinity of his villa.

The trial chamber found that Mr. Naletili&#263; repeatedly caused great suffering to Muslims held at the Heliodrom detention centre, in Doljani and at the Tobacco Institute in Mostar.

Italy is one of 15 European countries that have signed an agreement with the ICTY to enforce sentences imposed by the Tribunal on convicted individuals.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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RENEWED VIOLENCE DRIVES THOUSANDS OUT OF SOMALI CAPITAL -- UN

RENEWED VIOLENCE DRIVES THOUSANDS OUT OF SOMALI CAPITAL -- UN New York, Apr 25 2008 10:00AM Some 7,000 people have fled the Somali capital Mogadishu after a new round of fighting this week that killed a significant number of civilians and reportedly wounded 200 people, including women and children, the United Nations refugee agency announced today.

"The exodus from the war-ravaged city further aggravates the situation in a country where over 1 million people are already internally displaced," Ron Redmond, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4811bc0f2.html">UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva, adding that some 700,000 left Mogadishu last year alone. "The latest violence also prevents the internally displaced living in areas surrounding the city from returning to their homes."

He pointed out that international aid agencies, including UNHCR, are impeded from providing affected populations with the protection and assistance they need. Furthermore, aid workers encounter problems at checkpoints, including demands for money in exchange for passage.

Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces fought with insurgents, and according to eyewitness reports, over 1,000 families fled their homes in two neighbourhoods north of Mogadishu following heavy shelling of residential areas.

"Scores of civilians have reportedly been killed or wounded over the past few days, among them worshippers brutally killed in a mosque, sparking fresh fears and renewed exodus of civilians from the city," Mr. Redmond observed.

Many of those who have left Mogadishu are seeking safety in the bush or on the road leading to Afgooye.

That town, which is 30 km west of the capital, is already sheltering over 250,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), most of whom who escaped violence in Mogadishu last year.

UNHCR reported that since yesterday, the fighting has stopped in Mogadishu, but people continue to leave the city, though the numbers are falling.

As soon as the security situation allows, the agency will distribute non-food items -- including sleeping mats, blankets, jerry cans and plastic sheets -- to settlements for up to 14,000 families, or 84,000 people, along the road between Mogadishu and Afgooye.

Earlier this week, an independent UN human rights expert condemned the killing of civilians in Somalia, including a number of religious leaders, and called for an immediate end to the violence that has flared up in recent weeks in the Horn of Africa nation.

In a <"http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/1F0F822A3090EDF0C1257434002A8E2B?OpenDocument">statement, Ghanim Alnajjar, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, condemned in particular the alleged deliberate killing of numerous clerics belonging to "Altabligh Group" at the Al-Hidaya Compound/Mosque.

"The killings have to be investigated expeditiously and impartially, and any lasting peace in Somalia must be based on justice, truth and accountability," he stated.
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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ON WORLD DAY, UNICEF ISSUES CALL TO CURB MALARIA

ON WORLD DAY, UNICEF ISSUES CALL TO CURB MALARIA New York, Apr 25 2008 9:01AM The United Nations Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF ) is marking World Malaria Day today by calling for accelerated efforts to tackle the disease, which kills more than one million people -- mostly children -- every year.

"Malaria is a curable and preventable disease that can be controlled by increasing the use of mosquito nets and other proven interventions, as part of integrated, community-based programmes," said the agency's Executive Director Ann M. Veneman.

It is a "disease without borders" -- the theme of this year's Day -- and is endemic in more than 100 countries and territories.

Resources to tackle the scourge have increased significantly in recent years as a result of the efforts of the UN-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; the United States President's Malaria Initiative; the World Bank; UNICEF; and others.

Most African nations have switched over to the more effective Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) -- recommended by the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) -- to treat malaria.

ACT production has surged from 4 million treatment doses in 2004 to over 100 million in 2006.

Ms. Veneman noted that 18 million long-lasting insecticidal nets protecting against malaria have been distributed in Ethiopia since 2005, while 10 million have been delivered in Kenya over the past five years. "These successes show what can be achieved with concerted action," she said.

"But with an estimated 800,000 African children still dying from malaria every year, it is clear that much remains to be done."

One decade after UNICEF, the WHO and their partners launched the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) initiative, malaria -- claiming the lives of some 3,000 children daily -- is still the single largest killer of Africa children.

To control the disease globally, it will cost approximately $3.2 billion, and through increased public and private commitments and partnerships, RBM has raised $1 billion to date.

UNICEF appealed for bolstered interventions -- including sustained financing, community involvement and leadership as well as enhanced global, regional and national partnerships -- to control the disease.

Yesterday, the agency announced a partnership with religious, business and sports leaders to supply insecticide-treated bed nets for Africa.

"Nothing But Nets," a grassroots campaign created in 2006 by the UN Foundation (UNF) to raise awareness about malaria, helps fund the distribution of life-saving bed nets.

It "is an important initiative that will help build on successes in addressing malaria and accelerate results for children," Ms. Veneman said at a news conference at UN Headquarters. "Our results will be measured in lives saved and in lives improved."
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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IRAQI CHILDREN ARE SILENT VICTIMS OF ONGOING VIOLENCE, SAYS UN ENVOY

IRAQI CHILDREN ARE SILENT VICTIMS OF ONGOING VIOLENCE, SAYS UN ENVOY New York, Apr 25 2008 9:00AM Wrapping up a six-day visit to Iraq, the United Nations human rights envoy tasked with protecting the rights of children caught up in armed conflict said that the war-ravaged country's children are silent victims of the continued violence.

"Many of them are no longer go to school, many are recruited for violent activities or detained in custody, they lack access to the most basic services and manifest a wide range of psychological symptoms from the violence in their everyday lives," said Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

She urged religious, political, military and community leaders to encourage children to stay out of the violence and return to their studies.

Gender-based violence is also reported to be on the rise, which Ms. Coomaraswamy said is "intolerable."

Only half of primary school children are attending school, down from 80 per cent in 2005, she noted. Only 40 per cent having access to clean drinking water, with the outbreak of cholera possible.

Since 2004, rising numbers of children have been recruited into militias and insurgent groups, some serving as suicide bombers, while some 1,500 are known to be in detention facilities.

Since humanitarian workers' access to children is impeded in many parts of Iraq, children are deprived of their assistance.

The Special Representative called on all parties to give free and independent access to aid workers, and urged the Iraqi Government, the United States Government and other countries to allow agencies, such as the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (< http://unhcr.org">UNHCR) and the UN World Food Programme (<http://wfp.org>WFP), to be able to reach children in all parts of Iraq without hindrance.

Ms. Coomaraswamy also appealed to the international community to assist neighbouring countries to which Iraqis have fled to ensure that the children are protected and can access basic services, including education and health care.

She called on all sides in the Iraqi conflict to follow international humanitarian standards for the protection of children and to release without delay any children under the age of 18 associated with their forces, and also to adhere to international human rights standards pertaining to juvenile justice provisions.

"Let peace in Iraq begin with the protection of children" said the Special Representative said.

2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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DOCTORS' HIV TREATMENTS NEARLY AS EFFECTIVE AS ADVANCED THERAPIES -- UN

DOCTORS' HIV TREATMENTS NEARLY AS EFFECTIVE AS ADVANCED THERAPIES -- UN New York, Apr 25 2008 9:00AM Treatment of HIV-infected people by doctors looking for simple signs of deteriorating health -- such as weight loss or fever -- are almost as effective as those relying on advanced laboratory tests, a new United Nations-backed paper has found.

"The results of this study should reassure clinicians in Africa and Asia, who are treating literally millions of people without these laboratory tests, that they are not compromising patient safety," said Charles Gilks, Coordinator of Anti-retroviral Treatment (ART) and HIV Care at the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) and co-author of the paper published today in The Lancet.

"In fact, the outcome of their treatment is almost as good as those patients in the USA and Europe where laboratory-guided treatment is the norm."

The study, carried out by United Kingdom experts working with WHO scientists, sought to assess the medium- and long-term consequences of the approaches to monitoring ART in settings where resources are limited.

It found that survival rates for those who were treated through clinical symptoms alone were almost identical to those who experienced laboratory monitoring. Although the survival rate is slightly higher for those living with HIV who were monitored for viral loads, the authors noted that this is not the most cost-effective strategy for the poorest countries.

Also, it was found that clinical observation alone is almost as effective as expensive laboratory tests in ascertaining when to have patients switch from WHO-recommended first-line treatments to more costly second-line medicines.

The study's authors used mathematical models and not on real patients. Very little real world data is available because ART drugs have only been used for a short time in some countries.

2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

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HUNDREDS FLEE NEW VIOLENCE IN STRIFE-TORN REGION OF DR CONGO, UN AGENCY SAYS

HUNDREDS FLEE NEW VIOLENCE IN STRIFE-TORN REGION OF DR CONGO, UN AGENCY SAYS New York, Apr 24 2008 6:00PM Renewed fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) North Kivu province today has forced the United Nations refugee agency to halt the distribution of aid to internally displaced persons and to call off a drive to register newly displaced people in the Rutshuru area.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4810b0b72.html">UNHCR) suspended operations after reports of new fighting between Government soldiers and fighters from the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) near the Kinyandoni Anglican IDP site in North Kivu. Clashes on Saturday and Sunday left at least one woman dead.

UNHCR field staff reported that IDPs were continuing to flock to sites around Kiwanja. The majority is sheltering in public buildings and most new arrivals are women and children. Some said their homes had been destroyed and their possessions looted, while some parents said they had lost touch with their children.

The UN agency said that "medical assistance is of vital importance," and added that suspected cases of cholera had been reported.

The hundreds fleeing in recent days have added to an estimated existing IDP population of 860,000 in North Kivu, which lies next to the border with Rwanda and Uganda.

The displacement in the Rutshuru area, some 70 kilometres north of the provincial capital, Goma, comes three months after the signing of an accord in Goma between the Government and rival armed groups aimed at bringing lasting peace to the DRC's far east after more than a decade of conflict. Despite the accord, tensions have remained high.

A peace agreement in 2003 formally brought years of war to a close, but fighting flared again in North Kivu that same year. An estimated 1.3 million IDPs remain in the DRC, while 350,000 Congolese have fled to other countries.
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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HAITI NEEDS URGENT HELP TO AVOID BACKSLIDING AMID CURRENT CRISIS - BAN KI-MOON

HAITI NEEDS URGENT HELP TO AVOID BACKSLIDING AMID CURRENT CRISIS – BAN KI-MOON New York, Apr 24 2008 6:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written to more than a dozen key Member States, asking for their urgent assistance in addressing the situation in Haiti, which has witnessed violent protests in recent weeks over rising food prices and a rapid deterioration in socio-economic conditions that threatens to undo the gains achieved by the tiny nation.

Haiti – already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere – has been hit particularly hard by the recent surge in the price of basic foods.

Mr. Ban "noted that the rise in the prices of certain staple commodities had led to increased popular frustration, which found expression in a number of demonstrations, some violent, earlier this month," his spokesperson told reporters.

"It is the Secretary-General's view that Haiti is making significant progress towards political, economic and social stability and that it is crucial to avoid backsliding, which could unravel the many gains achieved over the past four years," said Marie Okabe.

The UN system will do everything in its capacity to assist Haiti, she added. However, real progress will also require urgent support from donors, including in-kind contributions and funds to help fill short-term needs and the requirements of ongoing programmes.

Last week the UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for Haiti said the country will remain in an extremely precarious economic and humanitarian situation unless it receives an urgent injection of funds to widen emergency feeding operations, extend existing job programmes and jump-start agricultural activity.

"If we don't react very strongly, then we could find ourselves in a very difficult state," said Joël Boutroue. "The level of poverty, combined with the lack of coping mechanisms for the poorest Haitians, means we have the potential for a very explosive situation."
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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LACK OF TANGIBLE RESULTS IN KEY AREAS MAY UNDERMINE NORTH-SOUTH SUDAN PACT - UN

LACK OF TANGIBLE RESULTS IN KEY AREAS MAY UNDERMINE NORTH-SOUTH SUDAN PACT – UN New York, Apr 24 2008 6:00PM The parties to the 2005 peace accord ending the long-running north-south civil war in Sudan deserve credit for striving to overcome their tensions and problems through dialogue, but tangible progress has been made in key areas, jeopardizing the agreement's implementation, the United Nations says in a new report.

The <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2008/267">report on the situation in Sudan, published today, welcomes the recent good cooperation between the Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan in devising a joint plan to achieve economic recovery and development, especially in the areas most affected by the civil war.

This should "contribute to delivering a true 'peace dividend' to the people of Sudan," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon writes in the report, which covers the period since the end of January.

Preserving the partnership between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), signatories to the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement, is also "fundamental to the success of the peace process."

But recent clashes and tensions in the Abyei area, an oil-rich region which remains disputed by the two sides, are a potential threat to the agreement and the broader partnership, Mr. Ban says.

"I urge the parties to summon the political will to address difficult outstanding issues, particularly the status of Abyei and the disputed 1 January 1956 border. Further delay in resolving those issues may complicate the situation and lead to unintended conflict."

Resolution of Abyei, including division of oil revenues derived from the area, is just one issue of many which the report says must be overcome if the CPA is to be fully implemented. The others include border demarcation; the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants; the formation of joint integrated units involving the two sides; and appropriate preparations for the current national census and next year's scheduled elections.

"Those issues are interlinked. Progress must be made in parallel; delay or confrontation in one area will affect implementation in the other areas."

Mr. Ban adds that relatively minor amendments are needed to allow the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to maximize its support to the parties and to help them implement the rest of the CPA, including the arrangements for a peaceful referendum in 2011.

"Our activities should also contribute to laying a foundation for stability post-2011," regardless of whether there is a federal structure or neighbouring States, the report concludes.
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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STREAMLINED CUSTOMS COULD BOOST EXPORTS BY POOREST COUNTRIES - UN OFFICIAL

STREAMLINED CUSTOMS COULD BOOST EXPORTS BY POOREST COUNTRIES – UN OFFICIAL New York, Apr 24 2008 5:00PM Cumbersome customs procedures are adding unnecessary costs to the transport of goods from landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) to international markets, a senior UN official has told a meeting held to measure progress on the issue.

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (<"http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2008/apr/g23.asp">ESCAP), said yesterday that international conventions on transport and transit could solve the problem by harmonizing, simplifying and standardizing rules and documentation.

Ms. Heyzer was speaking at the end of a two-day meeting in Bangkok which assessed progress in Asia and Europe since the UN's Almaty Programme of Action was adopted in 2003. The programme aims to help LLDCs by supporting cooperation between landlocked and transit countries, and by cutting red tape, transport costs and time.

The meeting was organized by ESCAP, along with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (<"http://www.unece.org/">ECE), and the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (<"http://www.un.org/ohrlls/">UN-OHRLLS).

Cheikh Sidi Diarra, the UN High Representative, told the meeting that much progress had been made since 2003. He said that, on average, it now takes LLDCs 49 days to export a consignment of goods, down from 57 days in 2005. He also cited two ESCAP initiatives as good examples of better transit cooperation: the Asian Highway Network and the Trans-Asian Railway Network. The Highway covers 141,000 kilometres and links 32 countries, while the Railway runs 81,000 kilometres in 28 countries.

Ms. Heyzer noted that "there are still remarkable infrastructure gaps which cannot be addressed without involving the private sector." But she added that "the landlocked and the transit countries share many common problems" and cited another ESCAP initiative, the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, as a tool that could help these countries engage in dynamic trade and investment.
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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SOARING FOOD PRICES JEOPARDIZING UN'S ABILITY TO FEED THE WORLD'S HUNGRY

SOARING FOOD PRICES JEOPARDIZING UN'S ABILITY TO FEED THE WORLD'S HUNGRY New York, Apr 24 2008 4:00PM The accelerating rise in food prices worldwide is threatening the work of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to feed the millions of hungry people around the globe, the head of the agency said today.

"We can buy 40 per cent less food than we could last June with the same contribution," WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said in a video conference from Rome, voicing concern that as many as 100 million people face being pushed deeper into poverty.

The aggressive price increases – caused by such factors as income growth, rising oil prices, increasingly severe weather and trade policy, among others – began last June, she noted. In the past month alone, the price of rice in Asia has nearly doubled.

"If people don't have resiliency it makes it very difficult to adjust," she said, adding that those in the developing world spend more than 70 per cent of their household income on food already.

In countries where people subsist on less than $1 per day, many have cut back on meals, only eating several times per week.

"We're also concerned because this isn't just an issue of hunger, but also an issue of instability," Ms. Sheeran pointed out, with protests against soaring food prices having been held in dozens of countries.

Furthermore, there is the additional challenge of adequate supply, with up to 40 countries now imposing export bans on food, impacting importing countries, which are most impacted by the food crisis.

Those most at risk are children and mothers; refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs); pastoralists; and the urban poor.

The Executive Director also cautioned that farmers are joining the ranks of the "new face of hunger," the millions being pushed into the urgent hunger category. Despite the higher prices farmers can get for their products, many do not have access to credit or any form of support and are therefore unable to afford the inputs required and must plant less.

In Kenya's Rift Valley, non-IDP farmers are planting only one-third of what they did last year due to soaring prices of supplies such as fertilizer.

Along with governments, other UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), <"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP is pursuing a three-track global strategy for the current crisis. As part of an immediate response, it seeks to assess needs and identify the newly vulnerable and target its distribution of food in extreme situations.

In the medium term, WFP hopes to provide seeds, fertilizer and other key inputs, as well as expand its cash and voucher initiatives, while in the longer term, it seeks policy reform, bolstered agricultural production and investment in sustainable safety nets.

Last week, the agency announced it faced a $755 million shortfall – in addition to its budget of over $3 billion for 2008 – to feed the hungry worldwide due to food and fuel price increases.

UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_43651.html">UNICEF) Executive Director Ann M. Veneman also expressed concern over the "negative social and economic impacts" of climbing food prices, particularly in low-income and least developed nations.

In a statement, she observed that the rising prices will most affect the most vulnerable, including people depending on humanitarian assistance, orphans, those affected by HIV and AIDS, refugees and poor urban families.

"The increase in food prices may not only slow down progress towards achieving health and nutrition related Millennium Development Goals [<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs], but can also reverse or negatively impact child-related social indicators," Ms. Veneman remarked.

Calling for evidence-based interventions, she said that the most pressing priority is to assist already malnourished children and prevent the deterioration of the nutrition situation of affected populations.
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON ENCOURAGES IVORIANS TO CONTINUE MAKING HEADWAY IN PEACE PROCESS

BAN KI-MOON ENCOURAGES IVORIANS TO CONTINUE MAKING HEADWAY IN PEACE PROCESS New York, Apr 24 2008 3:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today met with all the main political actors in Côte d'Ivoire and encouraged them to continue making progress in the West African nation's peace process, as he wrapped up a regional tour that also took him to Burkina Faso, Liberia and Ghana.

Earlier today Mr. Ban held meetings with the Ivorian Foreign Minister, political party leaders, civil society representatives and the President of the Independent Electoral Commission. He later observed the work being done by the UN peacekeeping mission, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unoci/">UNOCI.

The Secretary-General also presided over the signing of a Code of Good Conduct by the country's political parties for the upcoming elections. After being delayed several times, the presidential polls – which were to be held as far back as 2005 – are now slated for 30 November.

The holding of free and fair elections is one of the provisions of last year's Ouagadougou Peace Agreement, which paved the way for an end to the conflict between the Government-controlled south and the rebel Forces Nouvelles-held north.

Earlier this month, almost half a million Ivorians received new birth certificates, the first step in a process to enable them to vote in the elections.

Yesterday, Mr. Ban met separately with Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and President Laurent Gbagbo. He told reporters he had encouraged the Prime Minister to continue with his efforts to maintain the peace process in collaboration with the President and the other political actors.

Following his meeting with President Gbagbo, the Secretary-General said that he was encouraged that the Côte d'Ivoire Government has cleared all arrears with the World Bank and regained the trust and confidence of international financial institutions.

In addition, Mr. Ban signed an agreement with the Prime Minister and the donor community, in which donors pledged 27 million Euros towards the next phase of the peace process.

The Secretary-General now heads to Vienna, the first stop on a weeklong European visit during which he will also travel to Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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MAYORS GATHER AT UN TO DISCUSS PRACTICAL STEPS FOR DEALING WITH URBAN PROBLEMS

MAYORS GATHER AT UN TO DISCUSS PRACTICAL STEPS FOR DEALING WITH URBAN PROBLEMS New York, Apr 24 2008 2:00PM Mayors and other representatives from some of the world's biggest and most rapidly growing cities have been meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York over the past two days to examine how they can harness innovative forms of technology to overcome the environmental problems caused by the relentless expansion of urban areas.

Participants at this week's conference, entitled "Sustainable Urbanization in the Information Age," have been discussing practical solutions for improving living conditions – such as by reducing traffic congestion, pollution and crimes – while preventing social and economic inequity and exclusion.

The focus is on using information and communication technology (ICT) to achieve more sustainable urban planning given the physical pressures being placed on urban areas worldwide.

The conference is being held as the UN estimates that by the end of this year, more than half of the world's population – currently believed to be about 6.7 billion people – will be living in urban areas for the first time in human history.

UN Economic and Social Commission (<"http://www.un.org/ecosoc/">ECOSOC) President Léo Mérorès told the forum that "rather than fear the shift from rural to urban, we have an opportunity to leverage it to ensure sustainable development. What we need is sustainable urbanization."

Participants include mayors, representatives of local authorities, developers, architects, engineers, planners, ICT experts and representatives of the media, the private sector and civil society.

The conference was jointly organized by a series of organizations and entities, including the Global Alliance for ICT and Development of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (<"http://www.un.org/esa/desa/">DESA), the UN Human Settlements Programme (<"http://www.unhabitat.org/">UN-HABITAT) and urban planners in the New York City region.
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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MEDIA IMPORTANT TO PROMOTING DEMOCRACY, ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT STRESSES

MEDIA IMPORTANT TO PROMOTING DEMOCRACY, ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT STRESSES New York, Apr 24 2008 2:00PM The media plays a vital role in encouraging democratization, strengthening the rule of law and promoting institution-building, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim told today's opening of a regional forum on the work of the media.

Speaking in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where the Eurasian Media Forum is taking place, Mr. Kerim stressed that the media contributes to the process of democratization by asking difficult questions of those in power, providing access to important information and representing all views impartially.

By carrying out these tasks, the media help to enhance the rule of law and the building of public institutions in countries trying to achieve greater democratization.

Mr. Kerim said it was important to continue to promote democracy and development as the principal basis of the multilateral system while ensuring that as many people as possible have a stake in the benefits of that system.

He added that all States must work together responsibly and in solidarity with international institutions, along with the media, civil society and the private sector, if they are to take full advantages of the opportunities offered by globalization and to overcome the world's current major challenges.

While in Kazakhstan, Mr. Kerim also met with President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and the two men focused on regional issues, UN-Kazakh relations and the key topics of the current session of the General Assembly.

Mr. Kerim and Mr. Nazarbayev also discussed inter-religious dialogue as Kazakhstan has hosted both the first and second Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and is a member of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations.

Later the Assembly President is scheduled to travel to the Kazakh capital, Astana, for talks with parliamentary leaders and members of the UN country team. Earlier this week he also made an official visit to Turkmenistan.
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR: UN AGENCY CALLS FOR ENSURING SAFETY OF AID WORKERS AFTER LATEST KILLING

DARFUR: UN AGENCY CALLS FOR ENSURING SAFETY OF AID WORKERS AFTER LATEST KILLING New York, Apr 24 2008 11:00AM The United Nations World Food Programme (<" http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP) is urging the Government of Sudan and all parties on the ground to ensure the safety of aid workers after one of its drivers was shot dead while delivering vital food relief to Darfur, the second such killing in two months.

The latest incident comes days after the agency <"http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/ASAZ-7DZHL4?OpenDocument">announced it will have to cut food rations to the strife-torn Sudanese region by half because attacks on its trucks are preventing critical relief supplies from getting through.

Mohammed Makki El Rasheed, 58 was killed on 21 April while travelling on a main transport route between North and South Darfur. The father of six was on his first-ever delivery trip to Darfur, where WFP is feeding over two million internally displaced persons (<" http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs) and refugees.

"WFP is calling on all rebel groups and their commanders on the ground to ensure safety along the roads where they operate, so that humanitarian food relief can arrive to those who need it," according to an update issued by the agency.

It is also asking the Government to increase the number of police escorts for WFP convoys, so more food can get through.

So far this year 60 WFP-contracted trucks have been hijacked in Darfur, with 39 trucks still missing and 26 drivers unaccounted for. Another driver was killed while transporting food in South Darfur on 24 March.

The attacks have meant that WFP deliveries have dropped to less than 900 tons per day. Normally, around this time of year, the agency's trucks should be delivering 1,800 metric tons of food daily to supply warehouses ahead of the rainy season, due to begin next month.
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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BETTER MANAGING OF RISKS CAN REDUCE WORK-RELATED ACCIDENTS, SAYS UN AGENCY

BETTER MANAGING OF RISKS CAN REDUCE WORK-RELATED ACCIDENTS, SAYS UN AGENCY New York, Apr 24 2008 11:00AM The United Nations labour agency is calling for better managing risks in the workplace in an effort to reduce the over two million deaths each year resulting from work-related accidents and ill health.

In a new report published on the occasion of the <"http://www.ilo.org/global/What_we_do/Events/Campaigns/lang--en/WCMS_091614/index.htm">World Day for Safety and Health at Work, observed on 28 April, the International Labour Organization (ILO) outlined management techniques that identify, anticipate and assess hazards and risks and take action to control and reduce them.

"Millions of work related accidents, injury and disease annually take their toll on human lives, businesses, the economy and the environment," noted ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.

"We know that by assessing risks and hazards, combating them at source and promoting a culture of prevention we can significantly reduce workplace illness and injuries," he added.

According to the ILO, 2.2 million people die annually from work-related accidents and diseases and work-related deaths appear to be on the rise. In addition, every year some 270 million people suffer non-fatal, work-related accidents resulting in at least three days absence from work and an additional 160 million new people suffer from some work-related illness.

"There is clear evidence that healthy workforces both enhance business productivity and benefit enterprises and national economies by reducing the number of accidents and diseases and lowering the number of insurance and compensation claims," said Dr. Sameera Al-Tuwaijri, Director of ILO's Safework Department.

In addition to the publication of the report, entitled "My life, my work, my safe work: Managing risk in the work environment," a number of events and activities are planned around the world to mark the Day, from a street campaign on occupational safety and health in Moscow to an international book fair in Buenos Aires to promote the importance of health and safety in the world of work.
2008-04-24 00:00:00.000

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NEPALESE CHILDREN STILL FACE SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, UN REPORT FINDS

NEPALESE CHILDREN STILL FACE SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, UN REPORT FINDS New York, Apr 23 2008 7:00PM Grave violations against children have not stopped in Nepal, although they have fallen significantly in number since the signing in 2006 of the comprehensive ceasefire agreement ending the Asian country's protracted armed conflict, a new United Nations <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2008/259">report says.

The report from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, released today, includes a series of recommendations calling for the enhanced legal protection of minors and stepped-up measures to end the recruitment of children by armed groups and reintegrate child soldiers back into the general community.

It finds that many children were recruited by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) just before the accord was signed in 2006 and that no progress has since been made in formally discharging them, although some have been released informally.

Emerging social unrest in the Terai region in the country's south have also posed new risks for children, including recruitment by armed groups, according to the report, which covers the period from October 2006 to the end of last year.

Moreover, across the country, all major political parties are increasingly willing to use children in their political demonstrations, strikes and blockades.

The report recommends that the Government should take "significant steps" in the areas of legal reform, accountability and reconciliation, including enacting a law that criminalizes the recruitment of persons aged less than 18 by armed groups.

"It should take further steps to ensure that law enforcement agencies and the courts investigate and prosecute crimes against children and strengthen legal institutions to ensure that human rights issues are addressed and also to ensure that any strengthening or reform of law enforcement and criminal justice systems are in line with international standards," the report states.

Further, the Government should "make a clear commitment to the reintegration of children associated with armed forces and armed groups," in part by working with the UN and the CPN-M to set up an effective programme for the release and reintegration of such children.

Turning to the CPN-M, the report calls on the party to take urgent steps to enter into a concrete action plan with the UN to implement its earlier commitment for the immediate and unconditional release of children in Maoist army cantonments. It also calls on the party to end the obstacles to the reintegration of informally released children.

The report has been released less than two weeks after Nepalese voters went to the polls in historic elections to select the members of a Constituent Assembly, which is tasked with drafting a new constitution for the country.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS ENGAGED IN MOST INTENSIVE TALKS IN EIGHT YEARS - UN

ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS ENGAGED IN MOST INTENSIVE TALKS IN EIGHT YEARS – UN New York, Apr 23 2008 6:00PM Israelis and Palestinians are currently engaged in the most intensive negotiations on issues pertaining to final status since the political process broke down almost eight years ago, a senior United Nations official told an <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2008/sc9305.doc.htm">open meeting of the Security Council today.

However, Assistant-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Angela Kane warned the 15-member body that "the significance of this should not be underestimated, but neither should the grave risks to the process be overlooked."

She noted that there have been several major incidents of violence recently, particularly in and around Gaza.

The area "has also witnessed heightened humanitarian distress, while conditions in the West Bank including East Jerusalem have not significantly improved despite continuing efforts," Ms. Kane said in her briefing to the Council on the events of the past month.

During the reporting period, Ms. Kane said, 69 Palestinians, including 15 children, were killed in operations of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and 95 injured, while six Israelis were killed by Palestinian militants and 27 injured.

"We are deeply alarmed at the prospects of a further intensification of violence, given the terrible implications for civilians and the threat such conflict would pose to the security of all parties – the Palestinians, Israel and Egypt," she said, calling on the latter country to continue its efforts towards bringing calm to Gaza.

Following the 9 April attack on the Nahal Oz fuel terminal the Israeli Government is re-examining security mechanisms for secure commercial fuel delivery into Gaza.

"Had Nahal Oz not been able to reopen today, the [Gaza] power plant would have shut down and most areas of Gaza would have experienced increased electricity cuts," the Assistant Secretary-General said.

Low levels of fuel have resulted in vehicular transport being brought to a standstill and 15-20 per cent of the Gazan population receiving water for 3-5 hours every four days.

Some 60,000 cubic meters of raw and partially treated sewage is dumped into the Mediterranean Sea daily, and most fishing vessels have been grounded, meaning the sardine season will be lost, Ms. Kane reported.

Humanitarian agencies are also being impacted. The fuel supplies of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA) will run out on 24 April, and in a bid to conserve fuel, it is prioritizing food distribution, solid waste removal and sewage projects.

"As of tomorrow, unless petrol is allowed in, UNRWA will discontinue its food assistance to 650,000 refugees as well as its garbage collection services benefiting 500,000 Gazans," she said, adding that a further 500,000 people in one dozen municipalities are living without any solid waste management capacity, mostly due to the lack of fuel.

The Assistant Secretary-General welcomed the Israeli Government's removal of obstacles in the West Bank. However, UN staff have found that only 44 have been removed, of which only five were significant.

"We welcome these removals, but strongly urge further and more substantive progress to ease restrictions as envisaged in the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access and is vital to Palestinian economic revival," she observed.

She also voiced support for the re-affirmation of the Arab Peace Initiative, "which remains a central element in the search for peace in the region. We encourage Arab support for President [Mahmoud] Abbas' efforts to negotiate a peace treaty with Israel; Prime Minister [Salam] Fayad's efforts to build the institutions of a future Palestinian state; and for Palestinian unity."

On Lebanon, Ms. Kane said the country is undergoing "an intense political crisis" that has prevented the presidential election, with the top office having remained vacant since late last November.

Furthermore, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/">UNIFIL) has noticed a sharp increase in the daily number of Israeli air violations, which surged from 282 in February to 692 in March and reached 476 in the first half of April alone.

"The overflights constitute violations of Lebanese sovereignty and the Blue Line and continue to undermine the credibility of UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces," Ms. Kane stated.

On 2 May, the principals of the Middle East diplomatic Quartet – consisting of the UN, European Union, United States and Russian Federation – are gathering in London for a meeting chaired by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to assess the process launched in Annapolis in November 2007.

Mr. Ban, along with Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process Robert Serry, are working with both sides, the regional partners and within the Quartet "to support the political process, encourage action to meet commitments and improve conditions on the ground, and address the grave humanitarian, political and security situation in and around Gaza," the Assistant Secretary-General told the Security Council.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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FINDING CURES FOR MAJOR ILLNESSES AT RISK DUE TO BIODIVERSITY LOSS, UN WARNS

FINDING CURES FOR MAJOR ILLNESSES AT RISK DUE TO BIODIVERSITY LOSS, UN WARNS New York, Apr 23 2008 6:00PM Finding treatments for cancer, thinning bone disease and kidney failure are at risk due to biodiversity loss, a ground-breaking new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) book cautioned.

"Sustaining Life" – the work of over 100 experts supported by UNEP, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – is the most far-reaching book on this subject to date.

The volume's authors warn that threats to land and marine-based life forms, reduce the chances of creating such medical treatments as safer painkillers, treatments for blindness and re-growing tissue and organs.

For example, studies of the southern gastric brooding frog, or <i>Rheobatrachus</i>, showed that baby frogs produced substances slowing acid and enzyme secretions, thus leading researchers to believe that new inroads could be made on treating human peptic ulcers, which affect 25 million people in the United States alone.

"But the studies could not be continued because both species of <i>Rheobatrachus</i> became extinct, and the valuable medical secrets they held are now gone forever," said Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, the book's key authors.

Experts stressed that the conclusions of "Sustaining Life" are not intended to sanction the harvesting of wildlife in a manner which further endangers species, but instead that they should trigger stepped up conservation and management efforts.

"Habitat loss, destruction and degradation of ecosystems, pollution, over-exploitation and climate change are among the powerful and persistent impacts that are running down the planet's nature-based capital, including the medical treasure trove of the world's biodiversity," said Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director.

The head of UNDP, Kemal Dervis, said that people around the world, especially the rural poor, depend heavily on biodiversity, but its loss will "seriously jeopardize our prospects for achieving the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] by 2015," he said, referring to the eight poverty targets.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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NEW PUSH TO SEND BED NETS TO PREVENT MALARIA DEATHS IN AFRICA ANNOUNCED AT UN

NEW PUSH TO SEND BED NETS TO PREVENT MALARIA DEATHS IN AFRICA ANNOUNCED AT UN New York, Apr 23 2008 5:00PM The United Nations has teamed up with religious, business and sports leaders in a new effort to send insecticide-treated bed nets to Africa to prevent millions of deaths from the disease, ahead of the first-ever World Malaria Day on Friday.

"Nothing But Nets" is a grassroots campaign created in 2006 by the UN Foundation to raise awareness about malaria, which still kills about one million people every year, most of them children, and help fund the distribution of life-saving bed nets.

Ann Veneman, Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), noted that of the one million people that die each year due to malaria, about 800,000 are children under the age of five who live in sub-Saharan Africa.

"The Nothing But Nets campaign is an important initiative that will help build on successes in addressing malaria and accelerate results for children," she told a news conference at UN Headquarters. "Our results will be measured in lives saved and in lives improved."

Ms. Veneman stressed that the disease takes a heavy toll in terms of death and human suffering and is a major source of poverty. "The cost of malaria control and treatment drains African economies and, according to some estimates, slows economic growth by as much as 1.3 per cent per year," she noted.

"Malaria prevention is an important component of poverty reduction and economic development, and progress is being made," she added.

Tim Wirth, President of the UN Foundation, explained that through the programme, citizens around the world can purchase bed nets for $10 each. They are then distributed through UN programmes in different countries.

"This is the most effective prevention programme in the area of malaria that we know about," he noted.

The founding partners of the campaign, which was inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, include the National Basketball Association (NBA), the United Methodist Church and <i>Sports Illustrated</i> magazine.

NBA Commissioner David Stern highlighted the power of sports as a vehicle for communication on a global scale. "Athletes can be used to communicate many messages – some of them are for athletic shoes and apparel and some of them may be for cereal or automobiles. But how wonderful it is or them to have the opportunity to communicate that we should save lives," he stated.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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IVORIAN PEACE PROCESS TOPS AGENDA OF BAN KI-MOON'S FINAL STOPS IN WEST AFRICA

IVORIAN PEACE PROCESS TOPS AGENDA OF BAN KI-MOON'S FINAL STOPS IN WEST AFRICA New York, Apr 23 2008 4:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reaffirmed the continued support of the United Nations for Côte d'Ivoire's peace process, including the elections slated for later this year, as he arrived in Abidjan, the final stop on a four-nation tour that also took him to Ghana, Liberia and Burkina Faso.

Mr. Ban met with President Laurent Gbagbo soon after his arrival in the West African nation, and also with Prime Minister Guillaume Soro.

Yesterday, in Burkina Faso, the Secretary-General discussed the Ivorian peace process with President Blaise Compaoré, the facilitator of that process, and thanked him for his work in the inter-Ivorian dialogue.

Côte d'Ivoire became divided in 2002 between the Government-controlled south and the rebel Forces Nouvelles-held north, but a peace agreement concluded in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, paved the way for an end to the conflict and included a provision calling for free and fair elections to be held.

Presidential polls were to be held as far back as 2005, but after having been delayed several times since, are now scheduled for 30 November.

Following his meeting with Mr. Compaoré, Mr. Ban said he was encouraged that the Ivorian Government has set a date for elections and that he would encourage Mr. Gbagbo to keep this commitment.

"I hope that we will soon see stability and peace and development in Côte d'Ivoire," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1147">told reporters, adding that "the road to elections is fraught with many challenges, many difficulties."

Mr. Ban also met yesterday with Burkina Faso's Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament, and discussed with them the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs), good governance and poverty reduction.

Before leaving Burkina Faso this morning, the Secretary-General <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3114">visited the Manegda School – a primary school on the outskirts of Ouagadougou that is supported by the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF). While there he planted a tree and offered ten computers to the schoolchildren.

After wrapping up his West Africa trip, Mr. Ban will travel to Vienna where he will meet on Friday with the Federal Chancellor of Austria, Alfred Gusenbauer.

He will also attend the inauguration of additional conference facilities at the Vienna International Centre, where the International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/">IAEA), the UN office in Vienna, the UN Industrial Development Organization (<"http://www.unido.org/">UNIDO) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (<"http://disarmament.un.org/WMD/ctbt/index.html">CTBT) Organization have their headquarters.

Following that, the Secretary General heads to Switzerland, where on Monday in Bern he will chair the meeting of the <"http://www.unsystemceb.org/">UN Chief Executive Board, which brings together 27 heads of UN agencies, funds and programmes. The gathering will largely focus on increasing food prices and the possible responses from the UN system.

On Tuesday Mr. Ban will be in Geneva, where he will deliver the first of a series of lectures organized by the UN office there and the UN Institute for Training and Research (<"http://www.unitar.org/">UNITAR). More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the lecture – entitled "Are the development goals doomed to fail?" – which will include an interactive segment, with questions that have been coming in from the audience through three Swiss media outlets in the last few days.

The Secretary-General will then head to London, where on 2 May he will chair a meeting of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East – the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States. The gathering will review all aspects of the peace process launched in the US city of Annapolis late last year and the situation on the ground.

The Quartet meeting will take place in the margins of a meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on the same day. The AHLC is convening to assess progress in Palestinian institutional and economic development since its meeting in New York last September.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON URGES COUNTRIES TO ENHANCE SHARING OF DATA ON SMALL ARMS

BAN KI-MOON URGES COUNTRIES TO ENHANCE SHARING OF DATA ON SMALL ARMS New York, Apr 23 2008 4:00PM Member States need to increase their collection, maintenance and sharing of data on small arms as part of measures to encourage disarmament, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report made public today.

These weapons are "cheap, light and easy to handle, transport and conceal," Mr. Ban wrote in his first-ever <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2008/258">report on the topic.

"While a build-up of small arms alone may not create the conflicts in which they are used, their excessive accumulation and universal availability tends to aggravate conflicts by increasing the lethality and duration of violence and by increasing the sense of insecurity which leads to a greater demand for weapons."

The Secretary-General pointed out that currently most conflicts are fought using mainly small arms and light weapons, being widely used in inter-State conflicts as well as in civil wars, terrorism, organized crime and gang warfare.

"Small arms facilitate a vast spectrum of human rights violations," such as rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture and forced recruitment of children by armed groups or forces, he said. "More human rights abuses are committed with them than with any other weapons.

The lack of progress in curbing small arms is partially a result of limited data, coordination and capacity, Mr. Ban noted.

"Without more transparency on the part of Governments, in particular in the field of trade in small arms and ammunition, it is difficult to assess where gaps exist in the national, regional and global implementation of international instruments," he said, calling for stepped up research on the issue by States which are in a position to do so.

The Secretary-General observed that coordination on the topic of small arms could also be improved within the UN, adding that reviving the Coordination Action on Small Arms (CASA) – established in 198 as a consultative mechanism – is one of this year's top disarmament priorities.

CASA will also begin creating international standards for controlling small arms, similar to the ones created for mine action and for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.

The report recommended that the Security Council promote strengthened cooperation among its sanctions monitoring groups, peacekeeping missions, Member States and others. It also encouraged the Peacebuilding Commission, the Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict to boost their cooperation on the issue of children and small arms.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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UN TRIBUNAL AND JUSTICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE START PROJECT TO SAFEGUARD COURT'S LEGACY

UN TRIBUNAL AND JUSTICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE START PROJECT TO SAFEGUARD COURT'S LEGACY New York, Apr 23 2008 4:00PM The United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the worst war crimes committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s and the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (<"http://www.unicri.it/">UNICRI) have begun a joint project to transfer the knowledge gained from the tribunal's work to future courts and institutions dealing with the issues.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (<"http://www.un.org/icty/">ICTY), with the assistance of UNICRI, will draft a compilation of its best practices that can then be used by other international and domestic regimes tackling war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, the tribunal said in a <"http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2008/pr1242e.htm">press release issued today in The Hague.

The document will include all of the ICTY's expertise on its proceedings, ranging from investigations to the enforcement of its sentences, and drawing from the work of the Office of the President, Chambers, Prosecution and Registry at the tribunal.

The manual is due for completion later this year and a digest of ICTY jurisprudence is also being considered for publication, the tribunal said. UNICRI will organize the publication and distribution of the documents.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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BEIJING GAMES FOCUS OF TALKS AS UN OFFICIAL MEETS HEAD OF OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

BEIJING GAMES FOCUS OF TALKS AS UN OFFICIAL MEETS HEAD OF OLYMPIC COMMITTEE New York, Apr 23 2008 3:00PM The United Nations Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace and the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have pledged to ensure that this summer's Games in Beijing, China, are celebrated in a spirit of friendship and respect.

During their meeting at the Committee's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, Wilfried Lemke and IOC President Jacques Rogge agreed to continue collaboration in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games 2008 and beyond.

Mr. Lemke voiced his concern about the "challenging international backdrop which the Olympic Games have been drawn into in recent weeks," according to a news release issued following yesterday's meeting.

"I hope that the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games will leave a lasting legacy in China and beyond," he stated, adding that "the spirit of the Olympic Games requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship and solidarity."

Dr. Rogge noted that "by choosing to award the Games to China in July 2001, one fifth of humanity would be hosting the world's biggest sporting event."

He added that the Games are an opportunity to remember and encourage the changes that China has made over a short period, including initiatives and laws directly related to its hosting of the Games, such as new media laws, and environmental, education and sports programmes.

The talks also focused on the long-standing partnership between the IOC and the UN, which was highlighted during Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's visit to the Committee's headquarters earlier this year. The two organizations agreed to boost their cooperation in areas such peacebuilding, the fight against doping and environmental protection, as well as explore new areas of joint activities such as the Youth Olympic Games.

The Special Adviser also met with Jordi Serra, Executive Director of the International Table Tennis Federation based in Renens, Switzerland. Several activities are being planned to harness the sport – which will be featured at the Beijing Games – as a vehicle to bring people together and promote world peace.

Appointed last month by Mr. Ban, Mr. Lemke succeeds former Swiss President Adolf Ogi in the efforts to strengthen the relationship between the UN and the world of sport.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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LANGUAGES THE FOCUS OF ANNUAL UN WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY

LANGUAGES THE FOCUS OF ANNUAL UN WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY New York, Apr 23 2008 1:00PM Bookshops, libraries, schools, publishers, authors' societies and cultural institutions in more than 100 countries are holding events today to mark the annual <"http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5125&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">World Book and Copyright Day, designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) to celebrate the enduring value of the written word.

This year's Day focuses on the linguistic aspect of publishing, a theme that coincides with 2008 being proclaimed by the General Assembly as the International Year of Languages.

In a message to mark the Day, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura warned that "when a language has no access to the world of publishing, it is excluded – together with those who speak it – from a significant part of the intellectual life and economic activity of society."

Mr. Matsuura added that "in this context, it is then a matter of urgency to give languages broader access to publishing, so as to promote the exchange of books and editorial content."

Today, Amsterdam succeeds Bogotá as World Book Capital City, a designation introduced by UNESCO in 2001 to promote books. The Dutch city is planning to hold many events over the next 12 months to celebrate literature.

The title-holder is chosen by representatives of UNESCO, the International Publishers Association, the International Booksellers Federation and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and previous recipients include Madrid, Alexandria, New Delhi, Antwerp, Montreal and Bogotá.

Beirut has been selected to succeed Amsterdam in 2009 and the nominations for 2010 – a decision will be made in June – are Guadalajara, Lisbon, Ljubljana, Riga, Saint Petersburg, Vienna and Wellington.

UNESCO chose 23 April for World Book and Copyright Day because it is the day in 1616 when the United Kingdom's William Shakespeare, Spain's Miguel de Cervantes and Peru's "El Inca" Garcilaso de la Vega all died. The prominent writers Vladimir Nabokov, Halldor Laxness, Josep Pla, Maurice Druon and Manuel Mejía Vallejo were also either born or died on this day.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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ALL OF AFGHANISTAN'S CHILDREN MUST HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION - UN ENVOY

ALL OF AFGHANISTAN'S CHILDREN MUST HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION – UN ENVOY New York, Apr 23 2008 1:00PM While lauding the progress made since 2001 in getting millions of Afghan children, especially girls, into school, UN envoy Kai Eide today reaffirmed the commitment of the world body to helping ensure that every child in the fledgling democracy is able to receive an education.

"Education is a fundamental right for every human being. It fosters dignity, freedom and is vital if we are to enable Afghanistan to mobilize all the resources of its people," said Mr. Eide, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (<"http://www.unama-afg.org/Index.htm">UNAMA).

During a visit to Amani High School in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Mr. Eide said that Afghanistan can be proud of the tremendous progress that its schools have made under the leadership of the Ministry of Education.

"Before 2001 there were fewer than a million children in school and girls were all but excluded from mainstream education," he noted. "Today over six million children attend schools and over 330,000 girls started school for the first time this year, unprecedented in Afghanistan's history."

The Special Representative's visit comes during Global Action Week for Education, during which countries all over the world reaffirm their commitment to achieving the "Education for All" goals set by over 160 countries at the 2000 World Education Conference in Dakar, Senegal.

The international campaign, supported by 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), is focusing this year on "quality education to end exclusion." Worldwide some 72 million children are excluded from schooling, owing to reasons such as disability, gender, conflict and poverty. In addition, over 700 million adults around the globe remain illiterate.

Earlier this week UNESCO reported that, despite progress in school enrolment in Afghanistan, half of the country's school-age children are not in school, among them nomadic children, children with disabilities and street children. However, the majority of those who are not receiving an education are girls – an estimated 1.2 million of them.

"We want to see inclusive education for all of Afghanistan's children. They are the future of this country," Mr. Eide stated.

UN agencies have been working with the Ministry of Education to address some of the challenges to education in the country. Some 3,000 community-based schools were built last year by the Ministry, with the support of the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF), for over 140,000 children living in remote areas who have limited access to formal schools.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/">WFP) has been encouraging poor families to send their children to school through its food-for-school programme which benefited over 2.5 million children last year.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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TEN NEW PARTICIPANTS SIGN ON TO UN SCHEME TO SLASH EMISSIONS

TEN NEW PARTICIPANTS SIGN ON TO UN SCHEME TO SLASH EMISSIONS New York, Apr 23 2008 1:00PM A Latin American beauty corporation, a boutique French advertising agency and a United Kingdom think tank are among ten new participants which have signed on to a United Nations Internet-based scheme in a bid to hasten climate neutrality.

The Climate Neutral Network (<"http://www.climateneutral.unep.org/cnn_frontpage.aspx?m=49">CN Net), launched in February and set up by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in cooperation with the UN Environment Management Group, is an online forum to tackle the challenge of rising greenhouse gases.

The project assists entities aiming to slash their greenhouse gas emissions by making the strategies of pioneer organizations' public as way to inspire those trying to reach their climate-friendly goals and by offering a forum for like-minded groups to network and shared best practices on the issue. It also aims to bring developed and developing country participants together to promote development.

"A small but growing band of countries, cities and corporations are making the clear and explicit statement that aspiring to low, even zero, emission economies is not some unobtainable pipe-dream but a path to profitability, stability and sanity in an increasingly unstable world," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner <"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=531&ArticleID=5776&l=en">said today in Singapore at a two-day summit organized by his agency and the UN Global Compact.

He said that CN Net will spur the transition to a low-carbon world and alter the way business is conducted.

"The existing and new participants are leading by example and proving the art of the possible and a determination to be part of a global climate solution," Mr. Steiner observed.

The new members of CN Net are: <ul>
<li>Belcorp, a Peruvian beauty corporation; Inoxia, a French advertising agency; </li>
<li>BlindSpot, a UK research centre focusing on sustainable development; Incentive Sol, a Brazilian online carbon-trading venture; </li>
<li>Sempre Avanti Consulting, a New Zealand-based carbon-neutral consultancy; </li>
<li>Carbon Clear, a UK organization helping businesses and individuals reduce their carbon footprint; </li>
<li>Wright Communications, New Zealand's only public relations firm specializing in corporate responsibility and sustainability communications; </li>
<li>Planète Urgence, a French non-governmental organization (NGO); and</li>
<li>The Regional Ozone Network in Europe and Central Asia (ECA), created in 2003 to assist one dozen countries in the area phase out ozone-depleting substances; </li><li>UNEP. </li></ul>

They join four countries (Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand and Norway), four cities (Arendal, Norway; Rizhao, China; Vancouver, Canada; and Växjö, Sweden) and five corporations (Co-operative Financial Services of the UK, Interface Inc. of the United States, Natura of Brazil, Nedbank of South Africa and Senoko Power of Singapore), who signed on in February.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES CONVENE AT UN FORUM TO SHARE CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS

ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES CONVENE AT UN FORUM TO SHARE CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS New York, Apr 23 2008 11:00AM Participants from countries in the Asia-Pacific region will have an opportunity to share good practices on ways to cut greenhouse gases while reducing poverty at a <" http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2008/apr/g22.asp">meeting convened today in Bangkok by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The gathering, organized in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and the Japanese Overseas Environmental Cooperation Centre, will also launch an Asia-Pacific Gateway for Climate Change and Development.

The web-based platform provides a forum to exchange experiences and information on "co-benefits" activities, and measures to adapt to climate change.

One example of a co-benefits project from the region is the use of landfill gas, by which the greenhouse gasses created by decaying trash is burned to generate electricity. As a result, the effect of these gasses on the climate is reduced – creating a source of energy for development while mitigating climate change.

Other 'win-win' projects can be found in the Philippines, where enhanced public transportation services are reducing both commute times and carbon emissions, and in Malaysia, which has introduced innovative strategies for waste management which lower emissions and reduce the build up of waste at the same time.

Participants at the meeting, which was opened by the Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Shigeru Mochida, and Japan's Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, Toshiro Kojima, also explored ways of helping developing countries to make adaptations to climate change part of their development efforts.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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DENOUNCING CIVILIAN DEATHS, UN RIGHTS EXPERT URGES SOMALIA CEASEFIRE

DENOUNCING CIVILIAN DEATHS, UN RIGHTS EXPERT URGES SOMALIA CEASEFIRE New York, Apr 23 2008 11:00AM An independent United Nations human rights expert has condemned the killing of civilians in Somalia, including a number of religious leaders, and called for an immediate end to the violence that has flared up in recent weeks in the Horn of Africa nation.

The country has witnessed renewed violence between the troops of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by the Ethiopian Army, and the anti-government insurgent forces.

"The use of heavy weaponry into areas where civilians are concentrated left reportedly 81 civilians dead and more than 100 wounded," Ghanim Alnajjar, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, <" http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/1F0F822A3090EDF0C1257434002A8E2B?OpenDocument">said in a statement issued today in Geneva.

Mr. Alnajjar condemned in particular the alleged deliberate killing of numerous clerics belonging to "Altabligh Group" at the Alhidaya Compound/Mosque.

"The killings have to be investigated expeditiously and impartially, and any lasting peace in Somalia must be based on justice, truth and accountability," he stated.

The Independent Expert appealed for calm and an immediate ceasefire, and urged the TFG and the international community to protect civilians in Somalia, which has not had a functioning national government since 1991.

On Monday Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon <" http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3111">voiced deep concern over this weekend's heavy fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, and deplored the substantial number of civilian casualties and injuries resulting from the violence.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban urged parties to the conflict "to refrain from the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force that endangers the lives of civilians, particularly in heavily populated civilian areas, and reminds them that any targeting of non-combatants is a violation of international law."

Rising insecurity is among the reasons that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<" http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080 ">OCHA) believes the humanitarian situation in the strife-torn nation is deteriorating faster than expected.

An estimated 1.8 million people in Somalia require humanitarian assistance and that figure could increase to 2 million once current assessments are concluded, according to OCHA.
2008-04-23 00:00:00.000

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ONUS ON ETHIOPIA, ERITREA TO RESOLVE DISPUTE, SAYS TOP UN PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL

ONUS ON ETHIOPIA, ERITREA TO RESOLVE DISPUTE, SAYS TOP UN PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL New York, Apr 22 2008 7:00PM Ethiopia and Eritrea are primarily responsible for settling their border dispute and must follow up on the commitments they made in an accord in 2000, the top United Nations peacekeeping official stressed today.

Given Eritrea's announcement today that it no longer supports the UN peacekeeping presence, known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmee/index.html">UNMEE, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guéhenno told reporters following a closed Security Council meeting on the situation between the Horn of Africa neighbours that "now we are reaching the end of what peacekeeping can achieve."

He noted that peacekeeping can only make a difference if the countries involved have made a political commitment.

Eight years after the signing of the Algiers Agreements which ended the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, "it is essential that the parties recommit themselves to that process, that they complete what they started in Algiers," Mr. Guéhenno stated.

He added that the authority of the Council regarding peacekeepers has been challenged in this case, which has implications for other operations.

In a special report to the 15-member body on UNMEE released earlier this month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon laid out four options for the future of the peacekeeping operation, including the possibility of axing the mission, because of restrictions imposed by Eritrea on its side of the disputed border.

He warned in the report that none of the options are ideal as they all bear serious risks and would not resolve the impasse created by the Eritrean restrictions. Ending the mission could result in a return to open hostilities, for example, he wrote.

"Yet the prevailing circumstances seriously limit the available courses of action," Mr. Ban noted.

The decision was made to temporarily move UN personnel and equipment out of Eritrea in March after the country cut off fuel supplies to UNMEE, paralyzing the operation on that side of the disputed border with Ethiopia.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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START OF SUDANESE CENSUS WELCOMED BY UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION

START OF SUDANESE CENSUS WELCOMED BY UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION New York, Apr 22 2008 7:00PM The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has welcomed today's start of the African country's historic nationwide census, which aims to count all Sudanese people and households in preparation for elections scheduled for next year.

UNMIS commended the two parties to the 2005 comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) – the Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) – ending the long-running north-south civil war for ensuring that the census can take place.

Starting today, census enumerators are fanning out across the vast nation over the next two weeks to conduct interviews and record answers about the number, geographical distribution, social and economic characteristics on the population.

The holding of the census is one of the key elements in implementing the CPA and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement last week calling the event a milestone in the peace process, which is supposed to culminate in elections next year.

The January 2005 accord formally ended a conflict that claimed about two million lives and displaced some 4.5 million others.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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AS CANCER CASES RISE IN ALBANIA, UN AGENCIES JOIN FORCES TO HELP FIGHT DISEASE

AS CANCER CASES RISE IN ALBANIA, UN AGENCIES JOIN FORCES TO HELP FIGHT DISEASE New York, Apr 22 2008 7:00PM The United Nations nuclear watchdog and the world body's health agency are teaming up to try to slow the spread of cancer in Albania, where the number of diagnosed cases has surged in the past two decades.

The World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/en/">WHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have helped Albanian authorities draft a national cancer control programme to serve the small country's population of 3.6 million people, <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2008/albaniaExpectations.html">IAEA said in a news report issued yesterday.

More than 4,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in Albania, up from around 2,800 in 1990, and cancer is now second only to cardiovascular disease as a cause of death. Albanian health specialists say changes in lifestyle since the fall of the Communist regime, connected to food, smoking, pollution, physical activity, stress and other factors, have significantly increased the risk factors.

More than two-thirds of cancer cases in Albania are diagnosed too late for effective treatment, a common feature of low-income countries. Palliative care services are also extremely limited.

The IAEA said it is also providing expertise and equipment and facilitating training in fields such as radiation oncology through its Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT).

Mikiko Sawanishi, the agency's technical cooperation programme management officer for Albania, said safety was the priority for the IAEA.

"Because of the specialized nature of radiation medicine, we are working closely with the Government to ensure the [national] oncology institute receives full support and that its personnel are competent," she said.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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ACTRESS, UN OFFICIALS URGE SUPPORT FOR CAMPAIGN TO ELIMINATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

ACTRESS, UN OFFICIALS URGE SUPPORT FOR CAMPAIGN TO ELIMINATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN New York, Apr 22 2008 7:00PM Academy-Award winning actress and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman and senior world body officials today issued a call for greater support for an online petition aimed at eliminating violence against women.

"Every voice counts, and every amount counts," Ms. Kidman told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, urging people to add their names to the campaign and donors to step up funding for the cause. "Let survivors of violence around the world know that they can count on us."

When asked about her motivations in taking part in the movement, the Ambassador said that as a mother of two who is seven months pregnant, she seeks to help both her own children and children around the world have a "better life."

Since its launch late last November, the "Say NO to violence against women" petition has garnered more than 200,000 supporters.

"By signing on, citizens send an unequivocal message to leaders around the world, letting their governments know that they want to see decisive action," Joanne Sandler, <"http://www.unifem.org/news_events/story_detail.php?StoryID=675">UNIFEM Executive Director, said at the press conference. "They want to see an end to impunity, services for survivors and – most importantly – strong investments in prevention."

In a welcome development, governments have started to sign on to the campaign, including the entire Senegalese Cabinet, led by the West African nation's President, she added.

In response to a journalist's question over whether the current number of signatures is a disappointment, Ms. Sandler said that she is thrilled at the current response, observing that "this is something that catches on over time."

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said that the UN system is now converging around this key topic, noting that in February, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon kicked off a multi-year global campaign bringing together the world body, governments and civil society to try to end violence against women and called it an issue that "cannot wait."

Characterizing it as the "most pervasive human rights violation," Ms. Migiro said that violence against women "transcends borders, cultures and economic differences."

Calling on the international community to cooperate in stemming the scourge, UN Foundation (UNF) President Timothy E. Wirth said that everyone can play a part.

"Taking the simple step of signing on to this campaign sends the message that enough is enough, and that the cycle of violence must stop now," he said.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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UN MEETING EXPLORES HOW TO BOOST ECONOMIES OF LANDLOCKED DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

UN MEETING EXPLORES HOW TO BOOST ECONOMIES OF LANDLOCKED DEVELOPED COUNTRIES New York, Apr 22 2008 6:00PM Experts from Asia and Europe have gathered at a United Nations-backed meeting which opened today in Bangkok to discuss progress made in efforts to link landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) in the Asia-Pacific region to sea ports.

The two-day talks will centre around assessing developments since the adoption of the UN's Almaty Programme of Action in 2003, which is the first global action plan negotiated at the ministerial level that provides a framework for cooperation between landlocked and the transit access developing countries, promising reductions in red tape and transportation costs and time.

The meeting has been organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), along with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).

Presentations will be made by LLDC Member States of ESCAP – Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – and by transit countries, including China, Iran and Russia.

Also kicking off in Bangkok today is a meeting of 40 representatives from the Asia-Pacific region to confer on how to boost employment in the Pacific islands.

The Special Body on Pacific Island Developing Countries of <"http://www.unescap.org/unis/sub_unis/press_releases.asp">ESCAP meets every two years, and the current gathering will take place from 22-23 April.

Participants will talk about policies – including transport infrastructure and promoting entrepreneurship and private sector growth – to spur economic growth, which is key in creating jobs.

They will also discuss how the UN can support efforts towards sustainable development in the region.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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POOREST COUNTRIES HAVE YET TO BENEFIT FROM TRADE LIBERALIZATION - UN OFFICIAL

POOREST COUNTRIES HAVE YET TO BENEFIT FROM TRADE LIBERALIZATION – UN OFFICIAL New York, Apr 22 2008 6:00PM Landlocked and least developed countries (LDCs) have been further marginalized as a result of trade liberalization, which has led to increased growth in many parts of the world, a senior United Nations official has said.

Addressing the 12th UN Conference on Trade and Development (<"http://www.unctad.org/Templates/StartPage.asp?intItemID=2068">UNCTAD), taking place in Accra, Ghana, Cheick Sidi Diarra lamented the fact that many of these countries have experienced a further loss of their market share as a result of trade liberalization.

Mr. Diarra, the UN's High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, noted that globalization, which is supposed to lead to economic growth and reduce poverty, has served to deepen the disparities between and within countries.

To further integrate LDCs into the world economy, he called for domestic policies that support technological progress and innovation, as well as employment creation and upgrading of physical infrastructure. This must be accompanied by the creation of an enabling global environment, he added.

Landlocked developing countries are particularly marginalized in the international trading system, Mr. Diarra pointed out, owing to their remoteness from major world markets and excessive transit transport costs.

The High Representative said that addressing this situation requires the establishment of viable transit transport systems and the building up of export capacity.

He also expressed support for the Aid-for-Trade (AFT) initiative – launched at the World Trade Organization's (WTO) 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Conference – which aims to scale up international financial assistance for building up trade capacity in developing countries.

Mr. Diarra hoped the Accra gathering would help focus attention on the urgent need for greater support for the LDCs and landlocked developing countries in the area of international trade.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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AT FIVE-YEAR MARK, DARFUR CRISIS IS ONLY WORSENING - UN AID CHIEF

AT FIVE-YEAR MARK, DARFUR CRISIS IS ONLY WORSENING – UN AID CHIEF New York, Apr 22 2008 5:00PM Five years after fighting first erupted in Darfur between Sudanese Government forces and rebel groups, the world has still not found a durable solution to the suffering of millions of people in the region, the United Nations humanitarian chief told the Security Council today, warning the situation will only deteriorate unless urgent measures are taken.

John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told a Council meeting that he was saddened and angry to inform them that the situation inside Darfur had only worsened in the past 12 months, despite the efforts of the international community.

"We continue to see the goalposts receding, to the point where peace in Darfur seems further away today than ever," he said in a statement. "Further progress in the deployment of UNAMID [the hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force], equipped to protect civilians and improve security, will help.

"But only an end to all violence and concrete steps towards a political settlement will make the fundamental difference needed, as the rebel movements themselves above all need to recognize. Otherwise the reality is that the people of Darfur face a continued steady deterioration of their conditions of life and their chances of lasting recovery."

Mr. Holmes said as many as 300,000 people are now estimated to have died in Darfur since early 2003, when rebels began fighting Government forces and allied militiamen. This figure includes deaths from disease, malnutrition and reduced life expectancy, as well as from direct combat.

Aside from the death toll, more than 2.7 million Darfurians have been displaced by the fighting, the vast majority still living within the arid region on Sudan's western flank. Around 260,000 refugees have had to flee to the east of neighbouring Chad.

In his briefing to the Council, Rodolphe Adada, the AU-UN Joint Special Representative for Darfur, said it was disturbing that while the region has remained near the top of the international agenda, this attention had not been matched with the necessary action to provide UNAMID with the means to accomplish the tasks assigned to it.

The Council authorized the deployment of UNAMID last year to take over from an under-resourced AU force, and the operation began work at the start of this year. But so far only around 10,000 of the roughly 26,000 uniformed personnel have been deployed.

Speaking to reporters outside the Council, Mr. Adada said that up to 80 per cent of the entire UNAMID force could be deployed by the end of this year if donor countries do more to help out, whether by providing troops or equipment.

He called on the Council to redouble its efforts to assist the mission and he also read out an update on efforts to broker a political settlement by the UN and AU envoys to the peace process, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim.

Mr. Adada said logistical challenges are one of the biggest problems, with the mission lacking the infrastructure at the moment to house the thousands of staff expected at full deployment.

He said UN and AU officials were working hard to try to accelerate deployment and to make the most of the available resources – including fresh water – in the parched and landlocked region.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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GAZA: UN AND PARTNERS MEET ON CRITICAL HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

GAZA: UN AND PARTNERS MEET ON CRITICAL HUMANITARIAN SITUATION New York, Apr 22 2008 5:00PM The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East (UNSCO) today reported that the world body and international agencies operating in the Gaza Strip have held an emergency gathering to review the increasingly dire humanitarian situation there.

If fuel is not allowed in by tomorrow, Gaza's power plant will be forced to halt operations and there will be electricity cuts in most areas lasting as long as eight hours per day, the meeting determined.

According to UNSCO, no diesel or petrol has entered Gaza since the 9 April attack by Palestinian militants on the Nahal Oz fuel depot.

In a bid to conserve fuel, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is prioritizing food distribution, solid waste removal and sewage projects.

In spite of these efforts, an estimated 500,000 Gazans in one dozen municipalities already lack solid waste management.

UNRWA noted that its own fuel supplies will run out by this Thursday, and without a fresh supply, it will have to suspend the provision of food aid to 650,000 refugees and garbage collection services for 500,000 Gazans.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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UN HONOURS SEVEN LEADERS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

UN HONOURS SEVEN LEADERS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE New York, Apr 22 2008 4:00PM The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today acknowledged seven luminaries in the fight against global warming as this year's Champions of the Earth.

The recipients of the award, which is in its fourth year, include Prince Albert II of Monaco and Balgis Osman-Elasha, a Sudanese climate researcher who has effectively piloted climate-proofing strategies in some of the most affected areas in the world.

"Our winners for 2008 light an alternative path for humanity by taking responsibility, demonstrating leadership and realizing change across a wide range of sustainability issues," including improved management of resources from waste and water, <"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=531&ArticleID=5773&l=en">UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said at the awards gala in Singapore.

Each awardee is "living proof that the greening of the global economy is underway and that a transition to a more resource efficient society not only makes environmental sense, but social and economic sense, too," he added.

Six of the winners represent each of the world's geographical regions: former United States Senator Timothy E. Wirth; Atiq Rahman, the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies; Liz Thompson, the former Energy and Environment Minister of Barbados; and Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal, the Secretary-General of the Yemen People's General Congress.

This year's UNEP Special Prize was bestowed upon Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand, which has blazed the trail towards climate neutrality and hopes to meet the goal of 90 per cent renewable energy by 2025.

She said that her vision is to "sustain the biodiversity, the cultural diversity and environmental integrity that we have had in our world and which is very, very much under threat."

The Champions of the Earth award was established in 2004 by UNEP to reward individuals for their contributions – globally and regionally – to bolstering the protection and management of the Earth's environment and resources. Recipients are selected by a senior UNEP panel with input from the agency's regional offices.

Past winners include former Iranian Vice President Massoudeh Ebtekar; Mikhail Gorbachev of Russia; Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan; Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee; and former United States Vice President Al Gore.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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UN TRIBUNAL PARTIALLY OVERTURNS CONVICTIONS OF TWO BOSNIAN MUSLIM COMMANDERS

UN TRIBUNAL PARTIALLY OVERTURNS CONVICTIONS OF TWO BOSNIAN MUSLIM COMMANDERS New York, Apr 22 2008 4:00PM The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (<"http://www.un.org/icty/">ICTY) today partially overturned the convictions and <"http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2008/pr1240e.htm">reduced the jail sentences given to two former high-level commanders in Bosnia and Herzegovina whose forces murdered and mistreated captured Bosnian Croats and Serbs in 1993.

Enver Hadžihasanovi&#263; will now serve three years and six months in prison – down from the original term of five years – and the sentence for Amir Kubura has been reduced by six months to two years after the ruling by the appeals chamber of the ICTY, which sits in The Hague.

Mr. Hadžihasanovi&#263;, 57, was commander of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ABiH) Third Corps and Mr. Kubura, 44, was commander of the Corps' Seventh Muslim Mountain Brigade, which operated in central Bosnia in mid-1993 as a band of Mujahedin forces recruited from other countries.

While the ICTY today upheld many of the war crimes convictions made by the trial chamber in 2006, it reversed several findings, including one that Mr. Hadžihasanovi&#263; had failed to punish those responsible for the murder of Mladen Havranek and the cruel treatment of six prisoners held at a furniture salon in Bugojno on 5 August 1993. The judges said the measures taken by the commander were reasonable in the circumstances.

The ICTY also found that the El Mujahedin detachment was sufficiently separate from the ABiH that it could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. Hadžihasanovi&#263; had effective control over it. Mr. Kubura had a conviction overturned that he had failed to sufficiently punish those who plundered four villages in June 1993.

Meanwhile, the Tribunal's trial chamber today granted temporary provisional release to Milivoj Petkovic, a former senior Bosnian Croat figure on trial with five others in what is known as the 'Prlic and others' case, on humanitarian grounds. The leave is to be taken before the defence case is scheduled to begin on 5 May.

The men, former high-level leaders in the Bosnian Croat wartime entity known as Herceg-Bosna, stand accused of war crimes committed in 1992 and 1993 against Bosnian Muslims and other non-Croats in south-western and central Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially the municipalities of Prozor, Gornji Vakuf, Jablanica, Mostar, Ljubuški, Stolac, Capljina and Vareš.
The many charges include murder, rape, unlawful deportation, imprisonment, cruel treatment, unlawful labour, the wanton destruction of cities, towns and villages, and persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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UN'S TOP POLITICAL OFFICIAL URGES NEIGHBOURS TO SUPPORT IRAQ

UN'S TOP POLITICAL OFFICIAL URGES NEIGHBOURS TO SUPPORT IRAQ New York, Apr 22 2008 4:00PM The United Nations political chief today urged further dialogue and stronger support by Iraq's neighbours for stabilizing the strife-torn country, including through the opening of embassies in Baghdad.

"The support of neighbouring countries is essential for the stability of Iraq," Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe told a ministerial meeting of Iraq and its neighbours in Kuwait today, the third meeting of its kind since last year focusing on issues such as energy, refugees and border security.

Addressing the gathering on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Mr. Pascoe said the opening of embassies would be "a very positive step."

Mr. Pascoe also described stepped-up UN efforts to help the Government and people of Iraq through the work of the UN Assistance Mission there, known as UNAMI, which he visited over the weekend before arriving in Kuwait.

The UN is helping Iraq with political dialogue, the resolution of internal territorial disputes, the holding of governorate elections later this year and the review of Iraq's constitution.

"Even though violence, political tensions and slow socio-economic progress persist, the institutions set up in Iraq in 2005 through democratic elections and a constitutional referendum are progressively taking root," Mr. Pascoe stated.

"A fundamental consensus on a democratic, sovereign, united and federal Iraq is emerging. Nevertheless, despite continuing improvements in the capacity of Iraq's national security forces, the security situation still remains fragile," he added.

The Under-Secretary-General also highlighted the need to focus on alleviating the suffering of Iraq's refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), "not only on humanitarian grounds, but also because it has regional repercussions."

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that out of a total population of 26 million, some 4.4 million Iraqis are still uprooted, including 2.4 million displaced inside Iraq and 2 million outside – mainly in Syria and Jordan.

"We believe that together with the Government of Iraq, and the wider international community, the United Nations can help host countries, particularly Jordan and Syria, with humanitarian and technical assistance," Mr. Pascoe said, adding that the world body is also developing a programme for refugee return to ensure that the Iraqi Government and agencies are ready when the conditions are ripe for this to take place.

Meanwhile, on the margins of the Kuwait meeting, a number of concerned countries, along with officials from the UN, Arab League and European Union, met as the "Friends of Lebanon" to discuss the situation in that country.

The group ended their meeting with a joint statement, stating that they are deeply dismayed at the ongoing political stalemate in Lebanon, and calling for the immediate election of the consensual candidate, General Michel Suleiman, as President without prior conditions.

Representing the Secretary-General at that meeting was his Special Envoy for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559, Terje Roed-Larsen.

Resolution 1559, adopted by the Council in 2004, calls for free and fair presidential elections in Lebanon without interference from foreign influences and for the disbandment of all militia groups operating in the country.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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COLOMBIA: UN AGENCIES HAND OUT EMERGENCY FOOD TO ISOLATED INDIGENOUS GROUPS

COLOMBIA: UN AGENCIES HAND OUT EMERGENCY FOOD TO ISOLATED INDIGENOUS GROUPS New York, Apr 22 2008 3:00PM The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have started distributing emergency aid to several indigenous communities in east-central Colombia living in an isolated area being disputed by Government forces and irregular armed groups.

<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP provided 14 tons of food aid by boat last week to some 1,000 people – who mostly belong to the Guyabero or Nukak Maku indigenous groups – living in four villages along the Guaviare River after a request from <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/480e073b4.html">UNHCR, the refugee agency's spokesperson Ron Redmond <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/480db8224.html">told reporters today in Geneva.

The area, so remote that it is only accessible by river, is disputed territory and rumours of imminent conflict between Government forces and armed groups have sparked widespread panic among local communities.

Hundreds of people have recently fled, Mr. Redmond said, sometimes walking for days through local forests. One settlement, Puerto Alvira, has lost about 75 per cent of its estimated population of 3,000 people. A shortage of gasoline has also brought boat transport to a standstill.

"Those who have stayed are now virtually cut off from the rest of the world," Mr. Redmond noted. "Food is not getting through. The very little that is available is extremely expensive. Mission members also noted an acute shortage of medication, with no available means to evacuate the sick in an emergency."

Aside from UNHCR and WFP, the local church, the Colombian Ministry for Social Welfare and representatives of the ombudsman's office took part in the mission, distributing basic hygiene kits and school materials donated by the local municipality.

The two UN agencies are also starting several projects in the area, such as establishing a school restaurant and running welfare programmes for the elderly and young children.

Decades of conflict and strife in Colombia have displaced at least 2.4 million people, and the country's 80 different indigenous groups – who together comprise about two per cent of the national population – are disproportionately represented in those statistics.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON PLEDGES CONTINUED UN SUPPORT FOR LIBERIA'S POST-CONFLICT RECOVERY

BAN KI-MOON PLEDGES CONTINUED UN SUPPORT FOR LIBERIA'S POST-CONFLICT RECOVERY New York, Apr 22 2008 2:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged the continued assistance of the United Nations to Liberia, which he said has made great strides in recovering from a brutal decade-long civil war, but still faces daunting challenges in areas such as security, rule of law and development, as he wrapped up a visit to the West African nation.

"I have come to Liberia to see at first hand the remarkable achievements your country has made in recovering from a devastating conflict. And I have come to reassure the Liberian people of my steadfast commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in your nation," Mr. Ban said in an <"http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=224">address to a joint session of the Liberian legislature in the capital, Monrovia.

"As the most representative legislature in the history of this country, you have a unique chance to build a national vision for a secure, peaceful and prosperous Liberia – one that provides opportunities for all its citizens," he said.

Mr. Ban outlined several areas where further progress is needed, including reforming the legal and judicial system and extending the rule of law throughout the country.

He said more also needs to be done to reintegrate populations affected by war and promote reconciliation and national unity, as well as ensure economic development. "Delivering the peace dividend in these areas is necessary to underpin the stability that Liberia currently enjoys," he noted.

"In this and other challenges confronting Liberia, the entire United Nations family will work with you," the Secretary-General pledged.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has begun the first phase of its drawdown process, and the Security Council will decide on the next phase after reviewing the progress made by the Government in meeting certain key benchmarks.

Mr. Ban said his recommendations to the Council on the drawdown will be linked to the Government's ability to assume full responsibility for its national security. "Our common strategic goal is to ensure that Liberia has a solid security sector – one that can stand on its own feet before UNMIL completes its withdrawal."

The Secretary-General also drew attention to surge in food prices, a major concern not only for Liberia, but also for the region and the world as a whole.

Speaking to reporters later in the day, he said that "the recent worldwide protests over soaring global food prices have demonstrated the need for Liberia to meet the MDGs [Millennium Development Goals] in order to be safe from the weaknesses of globalization while taking advantage from its myriad opportunities for growth and prosperity."

He added that it is regrettable that rape continues to be the most commonly committed crime in Liberia, and he called on community leaders, Government leaders, traditional chiefs, elders and prominent Liberians to take the lead in combating the scourge of rape and other acts of sexual and gender-based violence. Recently the UN joined forces with the Liberian Government and civil society groups in a nationwide anti-rape campaign.

Upon arrival in Monrovia yesterday the Secretary-General was greeted by an honour guard and received the traditional Liberian gift of a live chicken and an egg, as well as a key to the city, making him an honorary citizen of the Liberian capital.

He met this morning with Vice President Joseph Boakai, and with members of the cabinet, with whom he discussed the recovery efforts since the war and the challenges ahead for Liberia as well as the peacebuilding projects under way.

Mr. Ban is now in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, where this evening he will meet with President Blaise Compaoré and Prime Minister Tertius Zongo.

Burkina Faso is the third leg of a four-nation West Africa tour that began in Ghana and will conclude in Côte d'Ivoire.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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UN REBUILDING REFUGEE CAMPS IN NEPAL AND CHAD DEVASTATED BY FIRES

UN REBUILDING REFUGEE CAMPS IN NEPAL AND CHAD DEVASTATED BY FIRES New York, Apr 22 2008 2:00PM The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/480de6444.html">UNHCR) is rebuilding camps in Nepal and Chad after devastating fires left more than 10,000 refugees homeless in the two countries.

Last month, a blaze sparked by an oil lamp spread through an area packed with huts – some of which had been built into walkways to accommodate the largely-growing population – in the Goldhap camp in eastern Nepal, leaving 8,000 Bhutanese refugees without homes. No one was killed in the fire, which destroyed nearly 95 per cent of the settlement.

The newly-reconstructed camp – rebuilding is expected to be completed in July, ahead of the July monsoon rains – will have fire-retardant thatched roofs and wider spacing between huts to minimize fire hazards, UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva today.

While UNHCR and its partners have so far received $177,000 to reconstruct the settlement, it still requires more than $400,000 to complete the task.

For the past two months, refugees have been living in temporary shelters and with host families, with the most vulnerable of them sheltering in the camp school which survived the blaze.

The Nepalese Government, UNHCR and other organizations have provided food, tarpaulins, plastic mats, jerry cans, mosquito nets and emergency cash grants to those made homeless by the fire.

To avert the spread of diseases, UNHCR has provided health workers, installed water tanks and latrines and dug waste disposal pits, among other efforts.

"Life is slowly returning to normal for Goldhap's refugees," Mr. Redmond observed.

UNHCR has distributed copies of school notes for students who had lost them in the fire, while those sitting annual exams were hosted in other camps.

Over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have been living in seven settlements in eastern Nepal since the early 1990s.

Meanwhile, UNHCR is also assisting with reconstructing the Goz Amer refugee camp in Chad, where a fire on 11 April left 2,100 Sudanese refugees from the war-torn Darfur region homeless.

The blaze was started by an untended cooking fire, destroying 270 family huts, and the agency is encouraging refugees to rebuild their homes with bricks instead of straw, stick and mud, which are popular materials in the region.

Those affected by the fire are currently being housed in UNHCR family tents.

"The main challenge to brick construction is the severe lack of water in eastern Chad," Mr. Redmond pointed out, given that refugees must use what little water is available as potable water and thus are disincline to waste it.

"Therefore, we have urged them to only use water from a nearby wadi [seasonal stream] for brick construction, while water provided in the camp by us should be used for drinking and cooking purposes."

This week, refugees in Djabal camp held a voluntary food collection for those displaced by the fire in the Goz Amer settlement, 45 kilometres away, in a show of solidarity.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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AFGHAN VICTIMS OF PAST ABUSES FIND VOICE IN NEW UN-BACKED PLAY

AFGHAN VICTIMS OF PAST ABUSES FIND VOICE IN NEW UN-BACKED PLAY New York, Apr 22 2008 12:00PM A new United Nations-supported theatre show that premiered in Kabul today highlights the need to deal with the impunity of past human rights abuses spanning nearly three decades of conflict in Afghanistan and provides an opportunity for victims to have their voices heard.

Named after an anonymous Afghan prisoner known as 'AH-5787,' the show illustrates how many Afghans continue to carry the pain of the country's strife-filled past and how victims struggle to find a way to deal with incidents of violence.

"The people of Afghanistan are crying out for justice," <"http://www.unama-afg.org/_latestnews/2008/08april22-transitional-justice-show.html">said Norah Niland, head of the human rights unit in the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). "Justice deals not only with prosecutions, but also with the need for a deep understanding of what happened in the past."

In a monologue with the audience, the main character, Sardar, explores many of the questions that victims have to tackle with, including those relating to justice, revenge and peace. "There is a great history of story-telling and oral history in Afghanistan and through this play we hope to tap into that tradition," stated Ms. Niland.

Thousands of Afghan men, women and children were subjected to various human rights abuses during over the past several decades, including the right to life and safety, freedom of movement, and access to education and health. Many of those responsible for these crimes have yet to be brought to justice.

In 2005, the Afghan Government adopted an action plan to try to address the abuses of the past, achieve peace with justice and promote national reconciliation, but it has suffered from lack of implementation.

The show, performed in Dari and Pashto, is produced with support from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the German Development Service. It is set to begin touring Afghan provinces in the coming weeks.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCY APPEALS FOR $3 MILLION TO AID YEMENIS DISPLACED BY CONFLICT

UN AGENCY APPEALS FOR $3 MILLION TO AID YEMENIS DISPLACED BY CONFLICT New York, Apr 22 2008 11:00AM The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is seeking nearly $3 million to assist some 77,000 people affected by a local conflict which erupted between a rebel group and government forces in northern Yemen in 2004.

According to the agency, about half of the internally displaced persons (<" http://www.unhcr.org/protect/3b84c7e23.html">IDPs) returned to their homes in the Sa'adah Governorate after a ceasefire was signed in August 2007. However, renewed fighting has led to new displacements, and despite a peace agreement signed in January 2008, the situation remains volatile.

"New IDPs continue to arrive in Sa'adah city, including more than 200 families for the past week alone," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond <" http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/480db8232.html">told a news conference in Geneva.

UNHCR plans to use the funds to improve the living conditions of the IDPs and returnees, including through the distribution of non-food items, such as blankets, stoves and mattresses. It also intends to provide tents and reconstruction material and assistance for the construction of mud shelter for 400 vulnerable returnees.

"This assistance will also help relieve the burden on local communities, which host 90 per cent of the IDP population," Mr. Redmond noted.

The agency also plans to provide IDPs and returnees with training so they can become self-sufficient, raise awareness on IDP rights, provide social counselling services and carry out projects to prevent sexual-based violence.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS 'SILENT TSUNAMI' THREATENING OVER 100 MILLION PEOPLE, WARNS UN

GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS 'SILENT TSUNAMI' THREATENING OVER 100 MILLION PEOPLE, WARNS UN New York, Apr 22 2008 10:00AM The head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today <" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2820">called for urgent action to tackle the "silent tsunami" of rising food prices which threatens to push more than 100 million people worldwide into hunger.

"This is the new face of hunger – the millions of people who were not in the urgent hunger category six months ago but now are," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran, after addressing a British parliamentary hearing in London.

She said that like the 2004 tsunami, which hit the Indian Ocean leaving quarter of a million dead and about 10 million more destitute, the food price crisis – the biggest challenge WFP has faced in its 45-year history – requires a global response.

"The response calls for large-scale, high-level action by the global community, focused on emergency and longer-term solutions," she added.

Recalling the record $12 billion provided by the donor community for the tsunami recovery effort, Ms. Sheeran said "we need that same kind of action and generosity."

Stressing the role of partnerships in fighting the food "emergency," she said WFP has been working with donor governments, other UN agencies, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and other humanitarian actors, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to ensure a coordinated response.

The impact of the crisis is already being felt in different parts of the world. Unless new funding can be found on time, WFP will have to suspend school feeding to 450,000 children beginning in May in Cambodia.

In addition, protests and riots have broken out in some countries over the rising cost of many basic foods, such as rice, wheat and corn.

Addressing a gathering of trade and development officials in Ghana over the weekend, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon <" http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=222">urged immediate steps to guarantee the world's food security, starting with ensuring that WFP has the additional $755 million it needs to cover the rising costs of its existing emergency operations.
2008-04-22 00:00:00.000

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SOME STATES STILL DO NOT RECOGNIZE RACISM'S EXISTENCE, UN RIGHTS CHIEF CAUTIONS

SOME STATES STILL DO NOT RECOGNIZE RACISM'S EXISTENCE, UN RIGHTS CHIEF CAUTIONS New York, Apr 21 2008 7:00PM As <" http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/PreparatoryCommitteeRacism.aspx">preparatory meetings kicked off today in Geneva in preparation for next year's review of the landmark 2001 global conference against racism, the top United Nations human rights official warned that some States still do not recognize the existence of racism as a phenomenon.

"National laws and measures to ensure its elimination in most countries are either inadequate or ineffective," said High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour. "As a result, vulnerable groups continue to suffer aggression while abusers enjoy impunity."

She added that few nations have implemented the necessary action plans to remedy this situation.

The process to prepare for the 2009 Durban Review Conference began in 2006, but its first substantive meeting was held by the Preparatory Committee today.

The Conference will assess progress and implementation at the regional, national and international levels of the Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.

"The Durban Review Conference is not, and should not be seen as, a repetition of the 2001 World Conference," Ms. Arbour pointed out at the opening meeting of the Preparatory Committee.

Instead, "it is a platform to evaluate progress, an opportunity to reinvigorate commitments, and a vehicle to fine-tune responses in a purposeful and contextual manner."

According to a press release from Ms. Arbour's Office, known as OHCHR, progress since the 2001 meeting – a huge event which attracted some 18,000 people – has been patchy.

The High Commissioner acknowledged that the controversy surrounding the original Durban Conference has not completely subsided.

"There is no hiding the fact that the Durban Review Conference, even before moving its first, preparatory steps, has already elicited criticism and continues to raise concerns which, if not squarely confronted and resolved, may ultimately jeopardize a successful outcome of this process," she said.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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UN AGENCY WARNS BULGARIA IS CLAMPING DOWN ON ASYLUM CLAIMS BY IRAQIS

UN AGENCY WARNS BULGARIA IS CLAMPING DOWN ON ASYLUM CLAIMS BY IRAQIS New York, Apr 21 2008 7:00PM Bulgaria has become much tougher in the past few months in processing the asylum claims of Iraqis, despite no apparent change in the overall profile of the arrivals, the United Nations refugee agency warned today.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) <" http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/480cb0ca4.html">said the South-East European country used to grant either full refugee status or humanitarian status to almost every Iraqi who asked for asylum after arriving, usually from Turkey.

But figures released by an independent human rights organization indicate that between last December and this March, Bulgarian immigration officials rejected 41 Iraqi asylum claims and granted refugee status to just two applicants and humanitarian status to 60.

UNHCR said many of the cases were now under appeal, although the Government in Sofia had informed the agency that it had simply become more rigorous in assessing claims and making status rulings.

"But UNHCR is worried at the apparent change of policy, which the agency believes is not justified by any change of profile of the new arrivals," it said in a news release. "Most Iraqi asylum-seekers continue to be single males, but a growing number of families and single mothers with children are also looking for protection in Bulgaria."

The agency said that, before their first asylum applications were rejected in December, Bulgarian authorities had expressed concern that the Iraqis were placing pressure on the country's limited accommodation capacity.

Cahterine Hamon Sharpe, UNHCR representative in Bulgaria, said the capacity problems have to be resolved in other ways.

"The individual's need for protection is the only legitimate reason for granting or denying refugee status," she said, noting that only 533 Iraqis sought asylum in Bulgaria last year, compared to about 5,500 in neighbouring Greece and 3,500 in Turkey.

Meanwhile, the agency has issued a position document advising European Union governments to refrain from returning asylum-seekers to Greece until further notice because the country does not have "essential procedural safeguards" throughout the refugee status determination process, despite recent efforts by authorities to improve their actions.

As a result, asylum-seekers "often lack the most basic entitlements, such as interpreters and legal aid, to ensure that their claims receive adequate scrutiny from the asylum authorities," a spokesperson for UNHCR told reporters in Geneva on Friday.

The spokesperson added that reception conditions in Greece also remain short of both European and wider international standards, and called on the Government to review its procedures and practices.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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ON NEXT LEG OF WEST AFRICAN TOUR, BAN KI-MOON RECEIVES KEYS TO LIBERIAN CAPITAL

ON NEXT LEG OF WEST AFRICAN TOUR, BAN KI-MOON RECEIVES KEYS TO LIBERIAN CAPITAL New York, Apr 21 2008 7:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today received the keys to the Liberian capital, Monrovia, as he arrived in the West African country for the second leg of a four-nation regional tour.

Mr. Ban was greeted by Vice-President Joseph N. Boakai and an honour guard, comprising personnel from the UN Mission in Liberia (<"http://www.unmil.org/">UNMIL) and the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), after touching down in Monrovia.

At the key ceremony which took place later at City Hall, Mr. Ban thanked the Liberian people and pointed out Monrovia's historic significance.

"This city, founded more than 150 years ago as a symbol of liberty, expresses one of the most cherished values of the UN," he said.

In an interview with UNMIL Radio, the Secretary-General said that he is in Liberia – which is rebuilding after a 15-year civil war – in a show of support and admiration for the country's people.

Prior to visiting Liberia, he had been in Accra, Ghana, to take part in the twelfth UN Conference on Trade and Development (<"http://www.unctadxii.org/en/">UNCTAD).

During his time in Liberia, Mr. Ban plans to address a joint session of the national legislature and to meet with Government officials. He is also scheduled to meet with UN staff and personnel serving in Liberia.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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UN AND SAUDI ARABIA STRESS IMPORTANCE OF ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE

UN AND SAUDI ARABIA STRESS IMPORTANCE OF ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE New York, Apr 21 2008 6:00PM The senior United Nations envoy on the Middle East and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister have underscored the continued importance of the Arab Peace Initiative during a meeting in Riyadh on the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process Robert Serry and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal also stressed their shared commitment to a comprehensive regional peace based on Security Council resolutions and international law during yesterday's meeting, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York today.

They conferred on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian talks as well as on the situation on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territory, including moves to address the grave humanitarian conditions faced by the Gaza Strip.

"In addition, they discussed efforts to ensure implementation of Phase I Road Map obligations," Ms. Montas said.

The Arab Peace Initiative, a plan adopted in Beirut by the region's leaders in March 2002, is based on the principle of land for peace. It calls for Israel to withdraw from all Arab lands occupied since 1967, recognize an independent Palestinian State and provide a just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees. In return Arab countries would recognize Israel, end their conflict and normalize relations.

In a related development, no diesel or petrol has entered Gaza since the 9 April attack by Palestinian militants on the Nahal Oz fuel depot, according to Mr. Serry's office, known as <"http://www.unsco.org/unsco.asp"> UNSCO.

The UN and its humanitarian partners, which have already been squeezed by shortages, will shut down their operations – including the provision of health, education, food, water, sanitation and other key services to the area's 1.5 million residents – in a few days if fuel supplies are not restored immediately.

All international aid agencies operating in Gaza are scheduled to meet tomorrow to assess the increasingly dire situation.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL URGES NEPALESE TO RESPECT ELECTORAL OUTCOME AFTER PEACEFUL VOTE

SECURITY COUNCIL URGES NEPALESE TO RESPECT ELECTORAL OUTCOME AFTER PEACEFUL VOTE New York, Apr 21 2008 6:00PM The <" http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/index.html">Security Council today congratulated the people of Nepal on the "largely peaceful" Constituent Assembly election held on 10 April, and urged them to abide by the outcome of the historic polls.

In a statement read out to the press by Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa, which holds the Council's rotating presidency for April, the 15-member body urged all Nepalese parties "to respect the will of the people and the rule of law in the coming weeks as the results are being counted."

The UN Mission in Nepal (<" http://www.unmin.org.np/">UNMIN) today confirmed that the country's Election Commission declared results in 239 of 240 constituencies in the first-past-the-post vote, and in 232 constituencies in the proportional representation race.

Final results from both races are expected tomorrow, after which the Commission will take a few days to tabulate the results and allot seats in the Constituent Assembly to all eligible political parties.

Once elected, the Constituent Assembly will be tasked with drafting a new constitution for Nepal, which has emerged from a decade-long civil war that claimed an estimated 13,000 lives before the Government and Maoist rebels signed a peace accord in 2006.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative in Nepal, Ian Martin, <" http://www.unmin.org.np/downloads/interview/2008-04-21-UNMIN.SRSG.Interview.Gorkhapatra.ENG.pdf">said</s> that even before all results are in, it is clear that the Constituent Assembly is going to reflect Nepal's diverse population better than any previous body.

"Rather than inviting political conflict, this is an opportunity to develop an inclusive and participatory process for making key decisions about the future of Nepal," he said in an interview with the Nepali national daily Gorkhapatra.

He added that all political parties have indicated that they accept the election results as the basis for forming the Constituent Assembly, as well as a new government to administer the country during the period it takes to draw up the new constitution.

"But we must remember this peace process is not yet complete by any means," Mr. Martin noted. "The Constituent Assembly election was a very important moment in it, but there are major issues still to be addressed."
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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DR CONGO AND RWANDA ASSESS PROGRESS IN DEALING WITH ARMED GROUPS - UN

DR CONGO AND RWANDA ASSESS PROGRESS IN DEALING WITH ARMED GROUPS – UN New York, Apr 21 2008 5:00PM Representatives of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda met in New York in United Nations-chaired talks to review progress in dealing with armed groups.

The Central African neighbours signed the Joint Nairobi Communiqué, under which the two nations agreed to work together against threats to peace and stability in the region.

The Friday meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group's Special Envoys was led by Edmond Mulet, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Alan Doss, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the DRC.

During the discussions, the Congolese delegation said that it intends to invite leaders of the ex-Rwandan Armed Forces (ex-FAR)/Interahamwe to Kisangani early next month.

At those upcoming talks, the DRC said that it will impress upon them that they must either seize the opportunity to disarm and repatriate voluntarily or else face the consequences of a refusal, including military operations and sanctions, as laid out in a Security Council resolution adopted last month.

That resolution called on all members of ex-FAR/Interahamwe, Forces Démocratiques de la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) and other Rwandan armed groups operating in the eastern DRC to surrender immediately to Congolese authorities and the United Nations peacekeeping mission known as <" http://www.monuc.org/Home.aspx?lang=en">MONUC.

The 15-member body also said these groups must "immediately stop recruiting and using children, release all children associated with them, and put an end to gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse," adding that those responsible need to be brought to justice.

The next meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group's Special Envoys will take place in Kigali, attendees of Friday's talks decided.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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RURAL WOMEN COULD SUFFER DUE TO INCREASED BIOFUEL PRODUCTION, WARNS UN AGENCY

RURAL WOMEN COULD SUFFER DUE TO INCREASED BIOFUEL PRODUCTION, WARNS UN AGENCY New York, Apr 21 2008 5:00PM The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) <" http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000830/index.html">warned today that the increasing demand for liquid biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel, the conversion of agricultural land for their production and the increased use of natural resources could be detrimental to women in rural areas.

In a new study, the agency urges countries to adopt measures to ensure that women have the same opportunities as men to benefit from the increased production of biofuels.

"Unless policies are adopted in developing countries to strengthen the participation of small farmers, especially women in biofuel production by increasing their access to land, capital and technology – gender inequalities are likely to become more marked and women's vulnerability to hunger and poverty further exacerbated," said Yianna Lambrou, co-author of the paper entitled <" http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai503e/ai503e00.htm">Gender and Equity Issues in Liquid Biofuels Production – Minimizing the Risks to Maximize the Opportunities.

"Biofuel production certainly offers opportunities for farmers – but they will only trickle down to the farm level, especially to women, if pro-poor policies are put in place that also empower women," Ms. Lambrou added.

Converting agricultural lands for biofuel production could force women out of the lands used for farming, and harm their ability to provide food, the report states. In addition, the increased use of natural resources such as water and firewood for biofuel production means less of those resources will be available for use by women, who already have to travel long distances for collecting such materials.

Therefore, FAO calls for further examining the socio-economic effects of liquid biofuel production on men and women. It also urges biofuel development strategy that is both environmentally sustainable and pro-poor, and which will protect the agricultural activities of small farmers, especially women.

Last year the UN <" http://www.righttofood.org/">Special Rapporteur on the right to food called for a five-year moratorium on biofuels, after warning that converting crops such as maize, wheat and sugar into fuels was driving up the prices of food, land and water.

Jean Ziegler noted that while the argument for biofuels is legitimate in terms of energy efficiency and combating climate change, the effect of transforming food crops such as wheat and maize into agricultural fuel is "absolutely catastrophic" for hungry people and will negatively impact the realization of the right to food.

More recently, the increased production of biofuels has been cited as one of the reasons for the global surge in food prices, which has led to protests and riots in different parts of the world.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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THOUSANDS GATHER AS ANNUAL INDIGENOUS FORUM KICKS OFF AT UN HEADQUARTERS

THOUSANDS GATHER AS ANNUAL INDIGENOUS FORUM KICKS OFF AT UN HEADQUARTERS New York, Apr 21 2008 5:00PM The United Nations Permanent <" http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session_seventh.html">Forum on Indigenous Issues meets at "a historic crossroads," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon <" http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3110">told the opening session today as more than 2,500 participants from around the world converged on UN Headquarters in New York for the two-week event.

Last year's adoption by world leaders of the landmark UN <" http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/declaration.html"> Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples means this year's Permanent Forum – founded in 2000 – is taking on a new role, Mr. Ban said in a video message.

"You will work to translate the Declaration into a living document at the national and international levels," he said. "As you do, you will promote the UN development agenda and its vision of development for all. This includes the poorest and most vulnerable, a group to which many indigenous peoples belong."

The Declaration, a non-binding text that was adopted after two decades of debate, outlines the rights of the world's estimated 370 million indigenous people and outlaws discrimination against them. It sets out rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues.

Climate change is the special theme of this year's session of the Forum, a choice applauded by the Secretary-General.

"Indigenous peoples live in many of the world's most biologically diverse areas. As custodians of these lands, they have accumulated deep, first-hand knowledge about the impacts of environmental degradation, including climate change. They know the economic and social consequences, and they can and should play a role in the global response."

Mr. Ban also welcomed the focus this session on several other issues and challenges, including the Pacific region and the need to protect and promote indigenous languages.

"Indigenous languages represent an overwhelming majority of all languages spoken today, with most facing the threat of extinction."

The participants at the Forum include senior UN officials and representatives of States, civil society and academia, as well as Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma, the first indigenous leader of his country.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HOLDS MEETINGS WITH SENIOR OFFICIALS IN TURKMENISTAN

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HOLDS MEETINGS WITH SENIOR OFFICIALS IN TURKMENISTAN New York, Apr 21 2008 4:00PM The growing food crisis around the world, the situation in Afghanistan, counter-terrorism efforts, preventive diplomacy and regional cooperation were on the agenda today during talks between <" http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/">General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim and the leaders of Turkmenistan.

Mr. Kerim began his official visit to Central Asia today by holding meetings in Ashgabat, the Turkmen capital, with President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and Parliament Chairperson Akja Nurberdjeva.

One of the key themes was food security as a growing number of countries worldwide experience public protests and riots over the surging cost of basics such as rice, wheat and corn.

Janos Tisovszky, a spokesperson for Mr. Kerim, told reporters today that the Assembly President has been closely watching developments in the food crisis and has voiced concern about their economic, social, political and security impact.

Mr. Tisovszky said the Ashgabat meetings also focused on Turkmenistan's cooperation with the UN and its contribution to the current priority issues of the 192-member Assembly, such as climate change, UN reform and efforts to accelerate progress towards the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs).

Tomorrow Mr. Kerim is scheduled to visit the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia and to meet with the UN Country Team in <" http://www.untuk.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=105 ">Turkmenistan, before he heads to neighbouring Kazakhstan later in the week.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON SOUNDS ALARM ON VIOLENCE IN SOMALI CAPITAL

BAN KI-MOON SOUNDS ALARM ON VIOLENCE IN SOMALI CAPITAL New York, Apr 21 2008 4:00PM Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced deep concern over this weekend's heavy fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, and deplored the substantial number of civilian deaths and injuries that have been suffered.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3111">statement, Mr. Ban "urges parties to the conflict in Mogadishu to refrain from the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force that endangers the lives of civilians, particularly in heavily populated civilian areas, and reminds them that any targeting of non-combatants is a violation of international law."

Also condemning the weekend clashes, the top United Nations envoy to the war-ravaged Horn of Africa nation – which has not had a functioning national government and has been riven by factional fighting since Muhammad Siad Barre's regime was toppled in 1991 – characterized the violence as "senseless."

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, underscored that the innocent are the victims of the fighting, which would only make achieving reconciliation and reconstruction more difficult.

"It is unjustifiable for such violence to erupt particularly when both the Transitional Federal Government [TFG] and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia have courageously expressed their willingness to talk about peace and reconciliation," he said in a press release issued in Nairobi.

Last month, the TFG announced that it is ready to enter into discussions with the opposition.

"I once again appeal to everyone to accelerate efforts to restore stability and unity and stop the violence which is bringing only misery and destruction to the people of <"http://www.un-somalia.org/index.asp">Somalia," Mr. Ould-Abdallah said.

Earlier this month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/somalia/Home/tabid/2713/Default.aspx">OCHA) warned that the country's humanitarian situation is deteriorating faster than expected, owing to an unusually harsh dry season, rising insecurity and soaring inflation rates.

OCHA revised upwards the number of those living in a state of humanitarian emergency from 315,000 to 425,000, and the number of newly displaced people from 705,000 to 745,000.

As of the end of March, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) estimated that 70,000 people have fled the violence in Mogadishu since the start of 2008.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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UN POLITICAL CHIEF VISITS IRAQ AHEAD OF KUWAIT SUMMIT

UN POLITICAL CHIEF VISITS IRAQ AHEAD OF KUWAIT SUMMIT New York, Apr 21 2008 2:00PM The top United Nations political official has just wrapped up a three-day visit to Baghdad, during which he met with members of the world body's mission there, as well as senior officials of the Iraqi Government and the Multinational Forces (MNF), ahead of a meeting of Iraq and its neighbours set to begin tomorrow in Kuwait.

While in Baghdad, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe addressed staff of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (<"http://www.uniraq.org/">UNAMI) at a town hall meeting, in which he expressed strong support and appreciation for their valuable work under difficult conditions.

He was briefed on the situation in the strife-torn country and UN assistance to the Government and people of Iraq in areas covered by Security Council resolution <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1770(2007)">1770, including elections, reconciliation, the resolution of disputed boundaries, human rights and humanitarian concerns, as well as UN support for reconstruction and development.

He also toured UNAMI facilities and the international zone in which the mission is located.

In addition, Mr. Pascoe had meetings with Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdel Mahdi and Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih.

Prior to departing Baghdad today, he held discussions with United States Ambassador Ryan Crocker and with the MNF Force Commander, General David Petraeus.

Mr. Pascoe now heads to Kuwait, where he will attend, on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a meeting of Iraq and neighbouring countries.

The Under-Secretary-General is expected to brief the Security Council on Iraq next week.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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MILLIONS OF AFGHAN CHILDREN, MAINLY GIRLS, STILL NOT ATTENDING SCHOOL - UN

MILLIONS OF AFGHAN CHILDREN, MAINLY GIRLS, STILL NOT ATTENDING SCHOOL – UN New York, Apr 21 2008 2:00PM Although over 6 million children returned to Afghanistan's classrooms a month ago at the start of a new school year, United Nations agencies <"http://www.unama-afg.org/news/_pc/_english/2008/08april21.html">said today that half of the war-torn country's young people are excluded from receiving an education, the bulk of them girls.

"In Afghanistan, despite progress in school enrolment, in the last two years half of the school-age children were estimated to be out of school," Shigeru Aoyagi, Country Director of 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) told journalists in the capital, Kabul, today.

Among those not enrolled in school are nomadic children, children with disabilities, street children and children living with their mothers in prison. However, the majority of those who are not receiving an education are girls.

This is the case even though the enrolment of girls, who were barred from going to school under the repressive Taliban regime, has increased significantly in the past five years, according to the UN Children's Fund (<" http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF).

"We still have 1.2 million girls of school age who do not have access to schools," said Catherine Mbengue, UNICEF Country Representative in Afghanistan. "We have a lot of work to do to make sure all conditions are met so that schools are friendly to girls."

The reasons why so many children are not in school include a lack of teachers, schools sited close to families, educational materials and, in some areas, security.

To address the challenges associated with education in Afghanistan, UN agencies, in collaboration with the Government, are involved in the construction of schools; teacher training – particularly of female teachers; the provision of textbooks and other materials; and talking with families and community and religious leaders on the importance of education.

"The involvement of communities, of parents, of society as a whole in education is a must in this country, given that we have a lot of gaps in terms of finance, in terms of human resources, in terms of access," noted Mr. Aoyagi. "If we just stick to the promotion of formal education and if we are not aware of the limitation of formal education we cannot promote education for all in this country."

Today is the start of <" http://www.unicef.org/media/media_39442.html ">Global Action Week for Education, in which countries all over the world reaffirm their commitment to achieving the "Education for All" goals set by over 160 countries at the <"http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/wef_2000/">2000 World Education Conference in Dakar, Senegal.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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GEORGIA: UN MISSION OBSERVES NO BUILD-UP OF FORCES ON EITHER SIDE

GEORGIA: UN MISSION OBSERVES NO BUILD-UP OF FORCES ON EITHER SIDE New York, Apr 21 2008 2:00PM The United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (<" http://www.unomig.org">UNOMIG) has stepped up its monitoring but said today that it has not seen anything so far to confirm recent media reports of a build-up of either Georgian or Abkhaz forces along the ceasefire line or in the Kodori Valley.

In a press release issued in Tbilisi, the mission said "the only sizeable movement of armed personnel through the security zone observed by UNOMIG's military observers was a notified in advance rotation of Georgian MIA personnel to and from upper Kodori Valley in the period 16-19 April."

Media reports claiming there has been a concentration of armed personnel and military hardware have prompted official statements in both Tbilisi and Sukhumi, lifting tensions between the two sides and increasing the possibility of a serious incident or direct confrontation.

"The reported shooting down of an unmanned aerial vehicle in the zone of conflict on 20 April is a case in point," UNOMIG said, urging both sides to exercise restraint and refrain from acts that could escalate the "already tense" situation.

The mission – which was established in 1993 – said it would continue to conduct focused monitoring to meet the concerns of Tbilisi and Sukhumi.

Last week, the Security Council, in a <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/res/1752(2007)">resolution extending the mandate of UNOMIG until 15 October, called on "all parties to consider and address seriously each other's legitimate security concerns, to refrain from any acts of violence or provocation, including political action or rhetoric, and to comply fully with previous agreements regarding ceasefire and non-use of violence."
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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TRADE AND INVESTMENT KEYS TO SPURRING AFRICA'S GROWTH, SAYS BAN KI-MOON

TRADE AND INVESTMENT KEYS TO SPURRING AFRICA'S GROWTH, SAYS BAN KI-MOON New York, Apr 21 2008 12:00PM Increased trade and investment, particularly in agriculture, are crucial if Africa is to achieve the kind of growth needed to meeting its development targets, as well as to address the current global food crisis, which threatens to undo the gains made so far, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon <" http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=221">said today.

"We face a development emergency," Mr. Ban told the high-level segment of the twelfth UN Conference on Trade and Development (<" http://www.unctadxii.org/en/">UNCTAD), taking place in Accra, Ghana.

He noted that well past the mid-point of the race to achieve the set of internationally agreed anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs), many countries are falling behind.

Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, "is most at risk – here, not a single country is on track to meet all of the MDGs by 2015," he told the gathering of trade and development officials from around the world.

At the same time, advances on specific goals in individual African countries such as Ghana, Kenya and Uganda suggest that rapid progress is certainly possible, Mr. Ban stated, adding that the successes in these countries need to be replicated and expanded across Africa with effective support from the international community. "This scaling-up of our development activities requires unprecedented effort, but it is achievable."

The Secretary-General pointed out that Africa has yet to fully benefit from globalization, especially increased trade and investment, noting that the continent's share of global trade and foreign investment languishes at a mere 3 per cent.

Critical to spurring Africa's growth is to ensure a breakthrough in the Doha Round of trade talks, as well as more South-South exchanges and greater foreign direct investment, he said.

Mr. Ban also drew attention to the "alarming" rise in global food prices, which he said threatens to undo the gains achieved so far in fighting hunger and malnutrition.

The situation calls for a substantial increase in investment and expenditure in agriculture, and underscores the importance of pushing for an open trading system in agricultural commodities – which would benefit countries around the world, the Secretary-General said.

Stating he was "especially troubled" by incidents of food riots in Africa and around the world, Mr. Ban urged countries to consider "bold measures to guarantee affordable food to even the poorest of the poor."

In particular, he urged donors to support the appeal for $755 million by the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/">WFP) to sustain food aid to some of the world's most vulnerable people.

In addition, he called for a substantial increase in expenditures on agriculture, adding that trade and investment should be used to bring about a 'Green revolution' of improved agricultural productivity across Africa.

The Secretary-General's visit to Ghana is the first stop on a four-nation tour of West Africa that will also take him to Liberia, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire.
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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UNESCO CALLS FOR BETTER PROTECTION OF JOURNALISTS AFTER GAZA KILLING

UNESCO CALLS FOR BETTER PROTECTION OF JOURNALISTS AFTER GAZA KILLING New York, Apr 21 2008 10:00AM The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has called for improved protection of journalists, after a Palestinian cameraman working for the Reuters news agency in Gaza was killed when a missile hit his vehicle.

"I condemn the killing of Palestinian journalist Fadel Shanaa," <"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=42286&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">declared UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura.

Mr. Shanaa, 25, died on 16 April after a missile hit the vehicle in which he and sound engineer Wafa Barbakh were travelling in while filming the actions of Israeli tanks near the Al-Barij refugee camp. Mr. Barbakh was injured in the incident.

The vehicle is reported to have been clearly marked with the word "Press" to indicate it was being used by journalists.

"I trust the Israeli authorities will spare no effort in investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack on Mr Shanaa's vehicle," said Mr. Matsuura. "It is important that due regard be paid to the safety of journalists, at all times and under all circumstances."
2008-04-21 00:00:00.000

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SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN WARNS AGAINST IMPULSES TOWARDS PROTECTIONISM

SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN WARNS AGAINST IMPULSES TOWARDS PROTECTIONISM New York, Apr 20 2008 4:00PM The forces of trade and globalization that have driven a "virtuous cycle" of economic prosperity around the world in the last two decades must be allowed to continue or the current crisis in poor countries over soaring food prices will only worsen, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a major gathering of trade and development officials today.

Speaking in Accra, Ghana, at the opening of the twelfth UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Mr. Ban warned that neither the food crisis nor the chance that some regions may be poised for a slowdown should be used by governments as an excuse to turn towards protectionism.

"International grain markets must remain open and functioning normally," he said. "Beggar Thy Neighbour food wars cannot, in the long run, help anyone.

"Ultimately, our task is to ensure that the virtuous cycle goes on and its benefits extend as broadly as possible -- most especially to those who have so far missed out. More trade, not less, will get us out of the hole we're in."

Mr. Ban said the world was "living through one of the most extraordinary economic transformations in history," with the global economy growing in size from $23 trillion in 1990 to $53 trillion in 2007 and trade increasing by 133 per cent over the same period.

"Developing nations have generated more than half this growth. They now account for nearly 40 per cent of world trade -- half of it among themselves. Once-poor countries have become engines of growth for others, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty."

But the Secretary-General added that the global economic boom of the past two decades has passed by the poorest of the world's poor. "We cannot leave the 'bottom billion' to flounder. We cannot neglect their real and pressing needs. We need fresh thinking, fresh approaches."

Protests and riots have broken out around the world recently over the surging cost of many basic foods and agricultural staples, such as rice, wheat and corn. Mr. Ban said the reasons for the crisis were complex, and included not only the increased production of biofuels, but also the higher oil prices lifting both overall transport costs and fertilizer costs and the rising consumption, especially in Asia, that was boosting worldwide demand for many foods.

"One thing is certain: for the past three years, the world has consumed more food than it produces. Grain stocks are at their lowest in 30 years. The situation is unsustainable."

Mr. Ban told the conference that immediate steps must be taken to guarantee the world's food security, starting by ensuring the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has the additional $755 million it needs to cover the rising costs of its existing emergency operations.

In the long-term, he said, agricultural production must be expanded, especially in the developing world and sub-Saharan Africa. "Simply improving market efficiency can have a huge effect. Roughly a third of the world's food shortages, according to the WFP, are the result of bottlenecks in local markets and distribution systems."

Welcoming the World Bank's plans to increase its agricultural lending in Africa from $400 million to $800 million next year, the Secretary-General said the rest of the international community must take similar measures to alleviate the problems of the developing world.

He also stressed a need for a successful conclusion to the current Doha round of trade liberalization talks.

"At a minimum, that would mean opening new and significant markets for agricultural and non-agricultural exports and services from low-income developing countries.

"It is time for wealthier nations to rethink old-fashioned programmes of agricultural subsidies. Economists agree that they inhibit trade and disproportionately penalize poorer nations, contributing to the current emergency. If we cannot scrap these relics today, in an era of high prices, then when can we?"

In addition Mr. Ban called for aid and official development assistance (ODA) from affluent nations to be channelled towards projects that boost local industry and production capacity, such as roads, schools and health-care systems. Resource-rich developing nations should also benefit more from the global boom in commodity prices, he said.

The Secretary-General's visit to Ghana is the first stop on a four-nation tour of West Africa that will also take him to Liberia, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire.

Speaking to reporters on his arrival yesterday in Accra, he said that, apart from the food crisis, he would also raise the subjects of several political situations -- especially those in Zimbabwe, Kenya, the Darfur region of Sudan and Côte d'Ivoire -- during his meetings with political leaders.

2008-04-20 00:00:00.000

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