HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY MARIE OKABE
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
UN HEADQUARTERS,
Monday
BAN KI-MOON EXPRESSES SYMPATHY TO FAMILY AFTER U.N. WORKER'S REMAINS IDENTIFIED IN LEBANON
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been
informed that the remains of Alec Collett, who was on assignment for the
UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
and disappeared in Lebanon in 1985, have been found in eastern Lebanon.
The Secretary-General appreciates the role played
by the relevant authorities in the United Kingdom and in Lebanon to resolve
this matter after so many years. He is grateful for the work done by the
Department of Safety and Security in helping to determine what happened to
Mr. Collett. Although he is saddened by Alec Collett’s death, he hopes that
the actions taken to find his remains can provide a measure of comfort to
his loved ones.
The Secretary-General expresses his sincere sympathies to Alec Collett’s family and would like to restate the commitment of the United Nations to assist them in the days ahead.
BAN KI-MOON WELCOMES EASING OF RESTRICTIONS ON SRI LANKANS IN CAMPS FOR DISPLACED
The Secretary-General, in a
statement issued over the weekend, welcomes the decision by the Government
of Sri Lanka to grant increased freedom of movement to internally displaced
persons (IDPs) still residing in camps in northern Sri Lanka.
The Secretary-General also
welcomes the release of over half of the IDPs from the camps, and encourages
the Government to continue to prioritize the return of IDPs. These are steps
which the UN has long been pressing for in its intensive engagement with the
authorities in Sri Lanka, including during the Secretary-General’s own visit
in May.
The Secretary-General urges the Government of Sri Lanka to continue to work with the UN and other humanitarian partners to improve the quality of the returns process, including through consultation with the IDPs themselves, and to ensure the best possible assistance and services to returnees.
MAJORITY OF WEST BANK OFF-LIMITS FOR PALESTINIAN USE AND DEVELOPMENT
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) today issued an
update on movement and access issues in the West Bank.
According to that report, over the past six months, the
Israeli authorities have taken measures that have increased the freedom of
movement of Palestinians between most Palestinian urban centers in the West
Bank.
But during the same period, there has been no
significant improvement when it comes to access to land and use of space by
Palestinians. For example, one particular area, which comprises sixty
percent of the West Bank, has remained, to a large extent, off-limits for
Palestinian use and development.
DARFUR MISSION IS HAMPERED BY SERIOUS CHALLENGES INCLUDING THREATS TO STAFF
Available today is the Secretary-General’s latest
report on the African Union – United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur
(UNAMID) released today.
The report, which covers the period between July and
October this year, details progress on the implementation of UNAMID’s
mandate as well as efforts on the political process and progress on the
security and humanitarian situation.
In the report, the Secretary-General notes that though
UNAMID continues to focus on its critical tasks of civilian protection and
facilitation of humanitarian delivery, the mission’s work has been hampered
by a number of serious challenges. These include increased threats to
international staff in Darfur, ongoing military activities between Chad and
Sudan and within Darfur, and the absence of a comprehensive negotiated
settlement to the Darfur crisis.
UNAMID personnel continue to be the target of criminal
activity and banditry, including harassment and violent attacks, according
to the report. One extremely alarming development is the kidnapping of
international staff serving in Darfur, including two UNAMID staff members
who were kidnapped on 29 August and are still being held by their captors.
The report further notes that the political process for
Darfur has reached a critical juncture. The Secretary-General urges all
parties to the Darfur conflict to use the current opportunity offering by
the Doha Talks to re-engage with the peace process in good faith, so that a
sustainable peace could be achieved for all Darfurians.
In response to questions, the Deputy Spokesperson said that the continued lack of key military enablers and force multipliers, including two medium transport units, a level II hospital, an aerial reconnaissance unit, and 18 medium utility helicopters, continues to be a source of serious concern for UNAMID. This has negatively affected the Mission’s ability to discharge fully its mandate by limiting monitoring and verification activities, hindering quick reaction capability and curtailing the Mission’s logistical and medical services, she added.
MORE THAN 150 EX-COMBATANTS TAKE PART IN DEMOBILIZATION AND REINTEGRATION PROGRAM
The United Nations – African
Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
reports that more than 150 ex-combatants have taken part in the first of
a three-day demobilization and reintegration programme sponsored by the
Government of Sudan and supported by UNAMID.
The programme involves
briefings on reintegration, verification of administrative documents,
medical and disability screening, fingerprinting, and the issuance of
identification cards. Participants are given a cash payment of 400 Sudanese
Pounds ($150 USD), and after two months they will be issued food vouchers
and other basic amenities.
In all, more than 400 ex-combatants from North Darfur are expected to be demobilized in El Fasher alone. Two additional demobilization and reintegration events are scheduled for West and South Darfur shortly.
SUDAN: U.N. ENVOY CONCERNED BY PRESENCE OF CHILDREN IN ARMED GROUPS
The Secretary-General’s
Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Radhika
Coomaraswamy, has expressed concern about the presence of children amongst
Sudan’s non-State armed groups and the association of some children within
the Sudan Armed Forces.
Coomaraswamy was speaking at
the end of nine-day trip to Sudan, where she
visited Khartoum, El-Fasher and El-Geneina in Darfur, as well as Juba,
Yambio and Bor in Southern Sudan.
She welcomed the signing of
an action plan by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) to end the use
of children as soldiers in Juba on 20 November 2009.
Coomaraswamy also commends
the Government of National Unity for the progress made in the last two years
to strengthen the protection of children.
She also welcomed the fact that silence around sexual violence has been broken and can be spoken about more openly. The Special Representative calls upon the Government to adopt as a matter of urgency, a comprehensive national strategy to combat gender-based violence that includes prevention, accountability and response.
BAN KI-MOON HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO EXAMINE & UPDATE U.N.’S PEACEMAKING ARCHITECTURE & TOOLS
The Secretary-General spoke by teleconference with his
special and personal representatives and envoys, who are meeting in a
seminar in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland.
He told the gathered officials that he is keenly aware
of the need to constantly examine and update the UN’s peacemaking
architecture, mechanisms, technologies and toolkit. That effort, he added,
must encompass the full range of what we do, including conflict prevention,
peacekeeping, and peacebuilding.
The Secretary-General stressed that he is committed to
filling vacancies, speeding up the appointment process and ensuring that
there are no leadership vacuums. And he remains determined to pursue
investigations into sexual abuse and other infractions with all due haste,
given the cloud these can cast over a mission.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General will speak at the presentation of the recommendations of the Commission on Effective Development Cooperation with Africa, chaired by Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. He will say that the report’s recommendations are far-reaching and could help to lift millions of people out of poverty.
U.N. AGENCIES HELP CONFLICT SURVIVORS IN YEMEN
As of 14 November, the World
Food Programme (WFP) and its implementing partners in
Yemen had distributed 2,065 metric tons of food to more than 100,000
people. The November food distribution cycle will be completed in all
districts prior to the Eid holidays.
Meanwhile, as of last Monday,
the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ distribution of basic
supplies through partners has benefited more than 5,000 families in three
governorates in northern Yemen.
The water supply in Al-Mazrak
area, in the Hajjah Governorate, is maintained at 20 litres per person per
day. UNICEF provided four additional water tanks in the new blocks of the
camp, and four outside the camp, while work to improve water distribution,
disinfection and quality monitoring in the camp is ongoing. In Al-Mazrak
Camp, meanwhile, Oxfam and UNICEF have constructed 900 latrines.
Asked about the situation in Yemen following recent fighting involving Saudi forces, the Deputy Spokesperson said that UN agencies, with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the lead, were working to provide humanitarian assistance on the ground and trying to obtain access to people displaced by the fighting. The Secretary-General, she noted, continues to monitor the situation, on which he has expressed his views.
WESTERN SAHARA: BAN KI-MOON CONCERNED BY GROWING TENSION BETWEEN NEGOTIATING PARTIES
[In response to questions asked earlier, the Deputy
Spokesperson issued a note to correspondents after the briefing that the
Secretary-General is concerned by the growing tension between the parties to
the Western Sahara negotiations, which has increased following the recent
detention of several groups of Saharawi activists and the situation of
Aminatou Haidar. He has responded in writing to letters received from the
Frente Polisario in this regard.
The Secretary-General has urged both parties to
continue to cooperate with his Personal Envoy, Mr. Christopher Ross, in
seeking to schedule another set of talks and to work together to achieve
progress toward a mutually agreed political solution.
Regarding the human dimension of the conflict, the
Secretary-General has reiterated his call to the parties to remain engaged
with the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.]
ISRAEL-LEBANON: U.N. ATTACHES SPECIAL IMPORTANCE TO ISSUE OF GHAJAR
Asked about
reports that Israeli forces might withdraw from the Lebanese part of the
town of Ghajar, the Spokeswoman said that the United Nations does not have
any official notification from the Israeli Government on the matter,
although it has seen media reports in this regard today.
Okabe said that
this is a longstanding matter and our position is very clear: that Israel is
obliged to withdraw from northern Ghajar and the adjacent area north of the
Blue Line, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701.
She said that
the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is in contact with the Israelis and
hopes for a speedy solution on the basis of UNIFIL’s proposal that was
submitted to the parties in order to facilitate Israeli Defense Force
withdrawal from the area.
The United Nations attaches special importance to this issue, the Spokeswoman asserted. An understanding on the proposal would facilitate implementation of resolution 1701 and would greatly contribute to confidence building in the area.
U.N. OFFICIAL SIGNS PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS WITH REPUBLIC OF KOREA
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Administrator Helen Clark and the Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Trade, in Seoul today,
signed two landmark agreements which underpin a new relationship between
UNDP and the Republic of Korea.
The first was to establish in Seoul a Policy Center on
Global Development Partnerships, the second to establish a Millennium
Development Goal Trust Fund between the South Korean Government and UNDP.
Also during the visit, the first of a three-leg Northeast Asia trip, Clark met with President Lee Myung-bak and various top Government officials.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECURITY COUNCIL TAKES UP BOSNIA: The Security Council held a meeting this morning on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among the speakers today was Valentin Inzko, the High Representative and European Union Special Representative in that country.
NUMBER OF RESEARCHERS RISING IN DEVELOPING WORLD: The number of researchers in developing countries is rising, according to a new study by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Their number jumped by 56% in developing countries between 2002 and 2007. UNESCO says that these results indicate that many countries are recognizing the importance of innovation for economic growth.
*** The guest at the noon briefing today was John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. He briefed on his recent trip to Sri Lanka.
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