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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

U.N. HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Friday, April 24, 2009

TOP HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL TO VISIT SRI LANKA OVER WEEKEND;

SECURITY COUNCIL URGES SRI LANKA TO EXTEND SUPPORT TO U.N. MISSION, ALLOW ACCESS TO DISPLACED

• The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, will travel to Sri Lanka tomorrow for a three-day mission.
  

• There, he will discuss issues of pressing importance with the Government of Sri Lanka, including the need for the Government to actively facilitate humanitarian missions to the conflict area, access to those displaced persons at screening centers, the release of UN staff members detained in camps, and the humanitarian response to the situation in the camps for Internally Displaced Persons.
  

• Meanwhile, Neil Buhne, the UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, is scheduled to travel to Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka today. He will be leading the UN mission to the conflict zone referred to by the Secretary-General yesterday.
  

• [In remarks to the press, the Security Council President, Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller, later urged the government of Sri Lanka to extend all necessary support to the UN mission, to allow the UN and ICRC access to all sites where displaced persons are being registered and provided with shelter, and to fulfill their commitments with regard to facilitating humanitarian access.]
  

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the humanitarian situation in the Vanni continues to be critical. Civilian casualties have been tragically high, and their suffering horrendous. Fighting continues to be reported.
  

• Civilians remaining in the conflict zone, which we estimate at least 50,000 are in extreme peril.
  

• The security situation in the conflict zone has not allowed for humanitarian assistance to be delivered since 1st April 2009. However 30 metric tons is planned for delivery today.
  

• The United Nations continues to be concerned about malnutrition and health issues, and injuries for people still in the conflict zone and the evacuees.
  

• The United Nations is also very concerned about overcrowding in the camps, and is continuing to work with the government to identify new sites and advocating that IDPs be allowed to go to host families.
  

• Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is preparing to ramp up its already sizeable humanitarian operations in Sri Lanka to address the needs of tens of thousands of people displaced by the recent fighting in the north-east of the country. Plans include an emergency airlift of 5,000 family tents and other aid items from the refugee agency's regional stockpile in Dubai to the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, for use in some 38 camps in and around the towns of Vavuniya, Jaffna and Trincomalee. At a later press conference, Amin Awad, the UNHCR Representative in Sri Lanka, on the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka.
  

• The Spokeswoman said, in response to a question, that although reported casualty figures are unverified numbers, UN humanitarian officials have noted that the numbers being reported appear to be a reasonable estimate.

UNITED NATIONS CONDEMNS BACK-TO-BACK BOMBINGS IN IRAQ

• Secretary-General Ban K-moon condemns the appalling suicide bombings since yesterday in Baghdad and Diyala, which reportedly killed at least 140 people including a large number of visiting Iranian pilgrims. He expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims. The Secretary-General is particularly dismayed by reports that one of the bombers was a woman accompanied by a five-year-old child. No cause or grievance can justify such reprehensible acts.
  
  The Secretary-General joins the people of Iraq in rejecting these attempts to incite further violence in the country. He reiterates the United Nations’ commitment to supporting Iraq in the efforts to achieve lasting peace and national reconciliation.
  

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for has also strongly condemned yesterday’s and today’s bombings in Baghdad. Staffan de Mistura said these attacks on pilgrims and others are horrific crimes against civilians, some of whom had gathered at a food aid distribution center when they were killed. De Mistura said he is concerned at the spike in such criminal attacks in recent weeks. He added, however, that he is confident that the Iraqi people will remain united in their resolve to combat violence.

SECURITY COUNCIL HOLDS OPEN MEETING ON SITUATION IN CHAD

• The Security Council this morning held an open meeting on the situation in Chad and the Central African Republic. They then held consultations on the same subject followed by other matters.
  

• During the open meeting, Council members heard a briefing by Assistant Secretary-General for ɫ��TVkeeping Operations Edmund Mulet. Mulet said that the UN peacekeeping force in that region is now halfway to its full strength after much difficulty generating troops at short notice. He said it’s now crucial for member states to contribute the necessary equipment for the force. Mulet said the Mission has received pledges for just 6 out of the required 18 military helicopters.
  

• He also noted that the humanitarian situation in northeastern Chad remains worrisome. Some 250,000 Sudanese refugees, 160 000 IDPs and 700 000 local civilians were entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance, he said.

DURBAN REVIEW CONFERENCE CLOSES WITH SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME

• The anti-racism Durban Review Conference wrapped up in Geneva today, after hearing statements from a number of non-governmental organizations.
  

• In a closing press conference, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called the final outcome a “good document.” She also stressed that, since day one of her tenure as High Commissioner, she had been committed to the Durban Review Conference – despite having to face a widespread, highly-organized disinformation campaign.
  

• Pillay reiterated that it was unfortunate that a few States had disengaged from the process. But she noted that they could still add their countries’ names to the list of 182 States that did adopt the outcome document.

UNITED NATIONS MARKS 23^RD ANNIVERSARY OF CHERNOBYL

• Four UN agencies today marked the 23rd anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident by launching a new programme, which is designed to meet the priority information needs of affected communities in Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine.
  

• The three-year initiative aims to translate the latest scientific information on the consequences of the accident into sound practical advice for residents of the affected territories. The participating agencies are the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
  

• According to Helen Clark, UNDP’s Administrator and the UN Coordinator of International Cooperation on Chernobyl, people need sound information to make good decisions. And translating science into accurate, practical advice will help people live safely and productively in Chernobyl-affected areas, ease their fears, and contribute to bringing the region back to normal.
  

• UNDP adds that the current Chernobyl response also provides a good example of UN agencies working together, in the spirit of “Delivering as One.” We have more on that upstairs.

BAN KI-MOON AND BILL CLINTON TO RECEIVE REPORT ON LESSONS LEARNED ON 2004 TSUNAMI

• This afternoon, the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, former US President Bill Clinton, will receive a report on the lessons learned during the 2004 tsunami.
  

• Delegations from India, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand will present country experiences on “The Tsunami Legacy: Innovation, Breakthroughs and Change.”
  

• The Secretary-General is expected to underline the importance of crisis response to natural disasters through foresight and advanced planning – not just emergency relief. He is also expected to note that measures such as good building designs, proper land-use planning, public education, community preparedness and effective early warning systems can reduce the impact of severe weather events.

TOMORROW IS WORLD MALARIA DAY

• Tomorrow is World Malaria Day. In a message to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General says tomorrow is more than a commemoration – it is a time to rally our forces to stop the disease. He also warns that, in this time of economic crisis, we must protect investments in global health and not allow malaria to resurge.
  

• There are now just over 600 days remaining until 31 December 2010, the Secretary-General’s deadline for all endemic countries to achieve universal coverage with essential malaria control interventions. And there have been major signs of progress towards that goal.
  

• According to UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman, “We are, for the first time in history, poised to make malaria a rare cause of death and disability.” Pointing to a new report by her agency and other partners, called “Malaria and Children,” she notes that endemic African countries received enough nets between 2004 and 2008 to cover more than 40 per cent of their at-risk populations.
  

• At the same time, however, Veneman stresses that malaria still kills some one million people each year, most of them children in Africa.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

HUMANITARIAN CONDITIONS WORSENING IN DR CONGO: Humanitarian conditions are worsening in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the UN Refugee Agency. UNHCR estimates that 100,000 civilians in North Kivu have fled raids by Rwandan rebels in recent months. They are unable to return to their homes for fear of further attacks by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). UNHCR says the rebels are engaged in a house-to-house terror campaign in the region around Goma. This month alone they torched some 360 homes, and killed scores, including children.

HIGH-LEVEL CONFERENCE ON RELIABLE AND STABLE TRANSIT ENERGY HELD THIS WEEK: The Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, Sha Zukang, is this week in Turkmenistan, where he is representing the Secretary-General at a High-level conference on "Reliable and Stable Transit of Energy and its Role in Ensuring Sustainable Development and International Cooperation." In his address to the conference, he said that the ultimate goal of stable and reliable transit of energy, whether for trade or consumption, was to ensure continued progress towards sustainable development. He added that in that regard, access to clean, reliable and affordable sources of energy was vital. The Under-Secretary-General noted that with proper energy management, economic development could be boosted and effectively safeguarded against future crisis.

WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION POLICY FORUM WRAPS UP TODAY IN LISBON: Turning to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), its World Telecommunication Policy Forum is wrapping up today in Lisbon, Portugal. Among the initiatives announced today by ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré was a new international e-school project that will include the dissemination of laptops to children in developing countries. In addition, Forum attendees stressed the need for a “digital Marshall Plan,” that would extend broadband access to every corner of the planet. Touré also noted that there is now widespread recognition that information and communication technologies will play a vital role in powering economic growth and creating jobs.

SECRETARY-GENERAL JOINS FOOTBALL EVENT TO SUPPORT PEOPLE TORN APART BY ARMED CONFLICT: Tomorrow, the Secretary-General plans to attend a charity soccer match between UN Ambassadors. Organized jointly by the Permanent Missions of Chile and the Principality of Liechtenstein to the United Nations, each team player is sponsored by an individual or an organization, and will make a donation to benefit the organization "Play31".

Play31 uses the power of soccer -- or football -- to bring together people who have been torn apart by armed conflict. By donating footballs and facilitating community gatherings, Play31 helps to create peaceful societies where children can exercise their right to play. Play31 was founded on the basis of Article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which stipulates that every child has the right to play. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, will also attend that match.

***The guest at the noon briefing was Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative for the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. She presented the latest Annual Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of children and armed conflict, and brief on her recent trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS[1]
25 April – 1 May 2009

Saturday, 25 April

Today is World Malaria Day.

The Permanent Missions of Chile and Liechtenstein to the United Nations are jointly organizing a fundraiser soccer match to benefit the organization Play31, which brings together people who have been torn apart by conflict through this sport. The Secretary-General is expected to attend the soccer match.

Sunday, 26 April

Today marks the 23^rd anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Monday, 27 April

This morning, the Security Council will hold a briefing and hold consultations on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).

Today, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will host a meeting with the Bretton Woods Institution, WTO and UNCTAD, in the ECOSOC Chamber. More than 100 high-level officials are expected to attend, including ministers of finance, economy, development cooperation, and central bank governors. Also expected are a number of Executive Directors of the Bank and the Fund. This meeting follows the 25-26 April Bretton Woods Spring Meetings in Washington DC.

Tuesday, 28 April

The Security Council will hold consultations on the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (ONUCI) and on Côte d’Ivoire sanctions.

From 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the ECOSOC Chamber, there will be a powhiri, a traditional Maori ceremony, to welcome the new UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark. Deputy-Secretary-General of the United Nations Asha-Rose Migiro and UNDP Associate Administrator Ad Melkert will also be present.

Today and tomorrow, the U.N. Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the MacArthur Foundation hold the Migration and Development Seminar Series to discuss the role and inclusion of diasporas in formal peacebuilding processes.

Wednesday, 29 April

The Security Council will hold an open debate on children and armed conflict.

At 1p.m. in Room-S226, Carlos Lopes, Assistant-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNITAR and William Lacy Swing, Director-General of IOM, discuss the Migration and Development Seminar Series.

Thursday, 30 April

The Security Council will meet to adopt resolutions on the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS).

Friday, 1 May

Today, the Russian Federation will assume the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of May.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055