DARFUR: UN ENVOY SAYS FORMAL POLITICAL NEGOTIATIONS COULD START SOON

DARFUR: UN ENVOY SAYS FORMAL POLITICAL NEGOTIATIONS COULD START SOON
New York, May 18 2007 7:00PM
Formal political negotiations to resolve the deadly conflict engulfing Sudan's Darfur region could begin soon, with many of the warring parties indicating they are ready to sit down and talk, the senior United Nations envoy to the crisis said today.

Jan Eliasson, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Darfur, told reporters that the pre-negotiations phase has almost concluded, with the convergence of several parallel efforts by Sudan's neighbours and the UN to end the fighting.

"We have the beginning now of a credible political process," he said during a press briefing following his most recent trip to the region with his African Union (AU) counterpart, Salim Ahmed Salim. "We are now at the stage where we will practically prepare for the negotiations."

One of the biggest obstacles is the number of rebel movements in Darfur, which have grown because the movements have splintered into factions since the beginning of the fighting in the remote and impoverished region. At least nine distinct groups are now fighting the Government.

Mr. Eliasson said the number of rebel groups would present a major logistical challenge to organizing formal negotiations, but he was still confident that the process was on track as many of the groups have pledged that they are ready to talk.

"We expect all parties to cooperate; if they don't, we will face a new stage, new era of conflict in Darfur," he said.

More than 200,000 people have been killed across Darfur and at least 2 million others have been displaced since rebel groups took up arms in 2003 against Government forces, which have since been backed by the notorious Janjaweed militias.

The killings, destruction of villages, widespread displacement and human rights abuses have continued, despite the efforts of the under-resourced AU peacekeeping mission known as AMIS.

Under a deal struck by the UN, the AU and the Sudanese Government late last year, AMIS will be replaced in a three-step process by an eventual hybrid AU-UN peacekeeping force comprising about 17,000 troops and 3,000 police officers.

But Mr. Eliasson warned today that any peacekeeping operations would be in jeopardy so long as the political divisions driving the conflict are not resolved. "It's time for us now to put much more emphasis on the political process," he said. "If we don't deal with the solutions, we will have major problems with peacekeeping in the years to come."

He added that the swelling populations inside Darfur's many camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) – and those over the border in neighbouring Chad – were being steadily radicalized by the conflict, further endangering the sustainability of any solution.

The envoy also noted that more people in Darfur are being killed today in tribal clashes, often over productive land made scarce by desertification, than in fighting between the rebels and the Government and allied militias.

This aspect, combined with the splintering of the rebel groups, has made the conflict increasingly internecine and ever more complex to solve. It has also sundered community relations across the region.

"The cultural, social and economic fabric of Darfur is gone," he said.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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DIVERSIFICATION IN CENTRAL ASIA IS FOCUS OF UN-SPONSORED BUSINESS FORUM

DIVERSIFICATION IN CENTRAL ASIA IS FOCUS OF UN-SPONSORED BUSINESS FORUM
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
With the economies of Central Asia hurtling forward but tied to a single sector, some 300 business leaders and policymakers gathered today for a United Nations-sponsored forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to discuss diversification and international competitiveness.

The region is among the fastest growing in the world, registering a 12.4 per cent growth rate in 2006, but too much of the growth has been driven by oil, gas and mineral resources industries, according to the Bangkok-based UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (<"http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2007/may/g15.asp">UNESCAP), which organized the conference in cooperation with the government of Kazakhstan.

"Only through opening up or greater liberalization can economic diversification be achieved, thereby limiting the risk of reliance on a few commodities," said Mr. Kim Hak-Su, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNESCAP Executive Secretary at the fourth Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF).

The theme of the forum is "At the Crossroads between Asia and Europe: Harnessing the Possibilities of Central Asia," and in his opening address, Mr. Kim noted that the region was once a crossroads of global trade.

"With the right policies in place, it can once again be an important part of that trade," he said, adding that efficient transport procedures were crucial in that regard.

The forum is timed to coincide with the 63rd UNESCAP Commission Session, also taking place in Almaty from 17-23 May, so that its recommendations can be transmitted to the trade ministers attending that high-level meeting.

Both meetings represent the first of their kind to be held in Central Asia since UNESCAP was established 60 years ago, the agency said.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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CÔTE D'IVOIRE: PEACE PROCESS NEEDS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT, FACILITATOR SAYS

CÔTE D'IVOIRE: PEACE PROCESS NEEDS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT, FACILITATOR SAYS
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
The peace process in Côte d'Ivoire needs international support to succeed, a representative of the key negotiator told the United Nations Security Council today.

The UN must "provide its consistent support to the parties and to facilitation – both technically and financially – and do this through the end of the crisis," Djibrill Y. Bassole, Minister for National Security of Burkina Faso, said on behalf of the country's President, Blaise Compaoré, the Facilitator of the Ouagadougou Agreement.

The Ouagadougou agreement, struck on 4 March, sets out a series of measures to deal with the political divide in Côte d'Ivoire, which has been split between the Government-controlled south and the rebel Forces Nouvelles-held north since 2002.

"The peace process is well underway but it could prove vulnerable given the electoral issues at stake," said Mr. Bassole, stressing the need for international support to the holding of free, democratic presidential elections.

He called the Agreement an "acceptable and balanced way out for the parties" and said it had been welcomed in Ivorian political circles and by the country's people.

"The decision of the two parties to implement their commitments under the Agreement has made a major contribution to relaxing the political environment in Côte d'Ivoire," he said. "The rationale of confrontation that previously existed has given way to a rationale of useful partnership."

But he cautioned that implementation "is facing a number of challenges inherent in the very nature of the crisis and which are also tied to financing operations."

The Facilitator, Mr. Bassole said, is committed to resolving the crisis. "The parties to the Ouagadougou Agreement will not be able to carry out this process without the assistance of the international community, particularly the UN," he said, welcoming the role being played by the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unoci/index.html">UNOCI) and the French Licorne forces.

Meanwhile, in Ouagadougou, the Officer-in-Charge of UNOCI, Abou Moussa met with the Facilitator and other officials to exchange views on recent political developments in Côte d'Ivoire. "We acknowledged that there has been significant progress, that there have also been some difficulties, especially operational problems, but that the political will is there," he said.

In a recent <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/275">report on the peace process in Côte d'Ivoire, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommends that UNOCI not begin to draw down its troop numbers at least until after the zone of confidence has been replaced successfully with a green line. The green line is to be marked by 17 UNOCI observation posts that will be dismantled progressively.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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DEADLY ATTACKS IN SOUTH DARFUR SPARK UN CALL FOR INDEPENDENT INQUIRY

DEADLY ATTACKS IN SOUTH DARFUR SPARK UN CALL FOR INDEPENDENT INQUIRY
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
The United Nations human rights chief today <" http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/69B910048B7A7A03C12572DF00372CA2?opendocument">called for an immediate independent probe into the involvement of Sudanese Government security forces in deadly attacks this year against a series of villages in the violence-wracked Darfur region.

At least 100 people were killed and thousands more displaced in the area known as Bulbul, close to the South Darfur state capital, Nyala, during the large-scale attacks that took place between January and March. Many houses were burned and their contents looted.

The violence results from a long-simmering dispute over land between the Rizeigat Abbala, who are largely pastoralists, and the Tarjum, a mainly agricultural and cattle herding tribe. Members of both groups describe themselves as Arabs and have been pro-Government in the wider Darfur conflict.

A <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/docs/periodicreport7.doc">report issued today by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documents numerous violations of international human rights law during the attacks by Rizeigat Abbala, with the involvement of Sudanese Border Intelligence Guards, on Tarjum villages and settlements.

OHCHR said the witness testimony has been consistent: hundreds of heavily armed attackers, many of whom were identified as Border Intelligence personnel, have fired indiscriminately from the outskirts of settlements with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. They then entered the settlements, burned large sections, shot men found inside and systematically looted any items of value, especially livestock.

No effective action has been taken by the Government to prevent the attacks, bring the perpetrators to justice or compensate the victims, High Commissioner Louise Arbour stated in the report.

"The ongoing impunity for these crimes is of great concern and is a violation of Sudan's obligations," she wrote.

Ms. Arbour said "an adequately resourced, independent, transparent investigation" was needed into the Bulbul attacks, with any evidence collected to be used for potential prosecutions and the findings to be made public.

"All necessary measures, including through disciplinary and dismissal procedures," should be taken to control members of the regular armed forces and paramilitary forces, the High Commissioner added.

She called for the deployment of police officers and regular armed forces in the Bulbul area settlements that are deemed vulnerable to attacks, with a clear mandate to intervene to prevent further attacks.

The Sudanese Government should also "publicly condemn violations of human rights and hold those in command of security forces and law enforcement activities at the time violations are perpetrated personally responsible for the abuses."

Across Darfur, more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2 million others displaced from their homes because of fighting between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militias and rebel groups since 2003.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF 2 PALESTINIAN MEDIA WORKERS IN GAZA CITY

UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF 2 PALESTINIAN MEDIA WORKERS IN GAZA CITY
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
The Director-General of the United Nations Educationa, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today called for an investigation into the killing of two Palestinians working at a newspaper in Gaza City earlier this month.

"I condemn the murder of Suleiman Abdul-Rahim al-Ashi and Mohammad Matar Abdo," <"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=37806&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">said Koïchiro Matsuura. "Killing journalists and media workers is not just a crime against individual people but an attack on society's right to be informed – it is also an attack against the basic human right of freedom of expression," he declared.

"I trust the Palestinian authorities will investigate these crimes and bring their perpetrators to justice," said Mr. Matsuura.

"I also urge the Palestinian presidency and Government to do their utmost to ensure respect for freedom of the press, an indispensable condition for the development of a democratic Palestinian society and for the improvement of the living conditions of the Palestinian people."

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, on 13 May gunmen wearing presidential guard uniforms shot Abdul-Rahim al-Ashi, and Mohammad Matar Abdo who were in a taxi in a high security area southwest of Gaza City.

Abdul-Rahim al-Ashi, was an economics editor for the Hamas-affiliated daily Palestine, and Mohammad Matar Abdo was responsible for the paper's distribution.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN MERCENARY EXPERTS CALL ON FIJI TO REGULATE PRIVATE SECURITY ACTIVITIES

UN MERCENARY EXPERTS CALL ON FIJI TO REGULATE PRIVATE SECURITY ACTIVITIES
New York, May 18 2007 6:00PM
Concerned that many Fijians have been recruited as mercenaries, experts on the issue today urged the authorities of the Pacific country to ensure that private security companies operate in full accordance with international human rights standards, as they <" http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/07327AECD14905D8C12572DF0037ABC8?opendocument">concluded a fact-finding mission for the United Nations.

In preliminary recommendations, the Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries, five independent experts who report to the UN <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil">Human Rights Council, urged the Government to maintain transparent registers of private security companies as well as a system of regular inspections, so that security workers, their families and the populations among which they worked were protected.

"The Working Group notes that Fiji has an established tradition of well trained, disciplined and highly skilled military and security personnel, who perform security functions in various capacities worldwide," the group said in its statement, adding that remittances from such personnel formed an important part of the domestic economy.

"However, the Working Group notes with concern that in a number of instances the activities carried out by Fijians abroad may qualify as mercenary-related activities," it continued.

The group said it was most worried about companies that work in situations of armed conflict such as Iraq, as well as those that exploit Fijians through excessive working hours, non-payment of salaries, ill-treatment and neglect of basic needs.

It was also concerned over limited reintegration services available to Fijians who return to their communities after working in security services abroad, which it said are necessary to prevent domestic violence and the spread of sexually transmittable diseases.

To remedy this gap, the group recommended the establishment of a comprehensive system of debriefing and professional counselling.

It also recommended that Fiji accede to the <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/cescr.htm">International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm">International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the <" http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/cmw.htm ">International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, as these instruments would strengthen the protection of Fijians contracted for security work abroad.

The Working Group, established by the then UN <" http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/chr.htm ">Commission on Human Rights in 2005, is headed by its Chairperson-Rapporteur, José Luis Gómez del Prado of Spain.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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AT UN MEETING, COUNTRIES OFFER PRACTICAL STEPS FOR COUNTERING TERRORISM

AT UN MEETING, COUNTRIES OFFER PRACTICAL STEPS FOR COUNTERING TERRORISM
New York, May 18 2007 5:00PM
From sharing best practices on preventing radicalization to ensuring that the voices of victims are heard, United Nations Member States, regional organizations and civil society groups have wrapped up a symposium in Vienna on counter-terrorism by proposing a raft of practical measures to defeat the scourge.

The two-day <"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/terrorism_seminars.html">symposium – the first major forum on the issue since the landmark UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy was adopted at the General Assembly last September – concluded with calls for Member States to work together more closely to try to put an end to terrorist activity.

In his concluding remarks, Assistant Secretary-General Bob Orr, Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, said he was heartened that so many participants at the symposium acknowledged that the main responsibility for implementing the Strategy lay with Member States.

He also welcomed the many suggestions and proposals offered at the meeting, many of which envision the Task Force playing a crucial role to help Member States and regional groups to implement the Strategy.

The proposals include: ensuring that the voices of terrorist victims are heard, and facilitating a dialogue between victims and States; sharing best practices on preventing radicalization; countering the growing terrorist use of the Internet; incorporating human rights obligations into all aspects of counter-terrorism work; sharing experiences on protecting vulnerable targets, such as users of mass transport; and ensuring the Strategy is carried out in an integrated manner.
Adopted after a year of often fractious negotiations, the Strategy includes practical steps at the local, national and international level – ranging from strengthening the capacity of individual States to prevent and combat terrorism to ensuring that human rights and the rule of law are always respected in the fight against the scourge.
It also calls for measures to enhance the role of the UN system to deal with terrorism, and to make sure that the world body's efforts are better coordinated.
The Vienna symposium was convened jointly by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Austria.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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NUMBER OF RETURNING SOUTHERN SUDANESE REFUGEES TOPS 140,000 - UN AGENCIES

NUMBER OF RETURNING SOUTHERN SUDANESE REFUGEES TOPS 140,000 – UN AGENCIES
New York, May 18 2007 5:00PM
More than 140,000 southern Sudanese refugees have returned home since the north-south civil war ended at the start of 2005, but almost twice as many remain in neighbouring countries, the United Nations humanitarian arm reported today.

In its latest update on the situation in southern Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA) said of the approximately 143,500 refugees that have returned so far, more than 61,400 were directly helped by either the UN or its partner agencies.

This year alone some 35,380 refugees have returned as the south continues to slowly rebuild in the wake of the comprehensive peace agreement that ended one of the continent's longest civil wars. The UN aims to repatriate 102,000 refugees in 2007.

But about 270,000 refugees are still outside Sudan, OCHA reported, living in Uganda, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea or Egypt.

The UN, the Sudanese Government and the Government of Southern Sudan have been working to boost returns of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) under a joint plan as part of the comprehensive peace deal which ended the North-South conflict, separate from the fighting that continues to rage in the western region of Darfur between rebel forces, the Government and allied militias.

As many as 850,000 IDPs are estimated to have also returned home to central or southern Sudan during the past two years.

UN humanitarian agencies are also reporting success in their "Go to School" initiative, launched in April last year.

Student enrolment in southern Sudan has leaped from 343,000 during the civil war to 850,000 today, and girls now comprise more than one-third of students. Over 2,500 teachers have been trained, more than 200 new classrooms have been built and another 300 classrooms are being rehabilitated, while school supplies have been provided to all students.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN AID AGENCY AIRLIFTS EMERGENCY GEAR TO CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FROM GHANA

UN AID AGENCY AIRLIFTS EMERGENCY GEAR TO CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FROM GHANA
New York, May 18 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that it was <" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2485">airlifting 31 metric tons of equipment to the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of expanded efforts to reach over 230,000 people affected by recent violence and displacement.

"In a matter of hours, we are going to move our gear from Accra into CAR, where it will be immediately deployed to support our complex logistics operation there," said Amer Daoudi, Associate Director of WFP's transport division.

The equipment from WFP's Humanitarian Response Depot (<" http://www.unhrd.org">HRD) in the Ghanaian capital Accra includes temporary storage facilities, living accommodations and accompanying tool kits, all scheduled to depart today onboard a WFP-chartered Illyushin 76 cargo jet for the three-hour flight to Bangui in CAR.

"This airlift from our Accra Humanitarian Response Depot confirms the importance for WFP of the global network of HRDs we are operating," said Daoudi. "Airlifting equipment we had pre-positioned in Accra is resulting in huge savings of time and money."

HRD Accra is part of the Global Network established by WFP to build on the success of the agency's original UNHRD in Brindisi, to support the emergency response effort of the UN, governments non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Nearly 300,000 people have had to flee their homes in the CAR over the past year because of fighting, banditry and rebel attacks. Many people are living in the open bush, too afraid to return to their former homes.

Today's airlift is part of an enhancement of logistical capacity for WFP to meet the increased needs in the CAR, for which the agency recently appealed for $3.5 million in addition to its other requests for the country in 2007.

In addition to the new funds required to reinforce logistics, the agency's current food assistance programme still has a shortage of $25 million for operations in the CAR, one of the world's poorest countries.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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MEDICAL TRENDS REVEALED IN LATEST UN HEALTH STATISTICS COMPILATION

MEDICAL TRENDS REVEALED IN LATEST UN HEALTH STATISTICS COMPILATION
New York, May 18 2007 3:00PM
The rising deaths caused by non-communicable diseases and the vast inequality in health resources between developed and developing countries are two of the trends spotlighted in an annual statistical compilation <" http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2007/np24/en/index.html">released today by the United Nations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) report represents the most complete set of health statistics available, for a set of 50 health indicators from the agency's 193 Member States, with the new edition also highlighting trends in 10 of the most closely watched global health figure.

According to the publication, World Health Statistics 2007, the ageing of the global population will result in significant increases in the total number of deaths caused by most non-communicable diseases, particularly cancer, over the next 30 years.

In regard to the distribution of health resources, the volume points out that there is a 20/90 syndrome in which 30 developed countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) make up less than 20 per cent of the world's population but spend 90 per cent of available health funding.

Other trends monitored by the publication include projections of mortality for the year 2030, aspects of maternal mortality, rates of growth stunting due to malnutrition, the
extent to which people can access treatment, the major risk factors for ill-health, and health outcomes in the context of demographic factors in individual countries.

In her speech introducing the report to current World Health Assembly, the annual policy-making meeting of WHO, Director-General Margaret Chan, focused on the need for accurate evidence and up-to-date statistics as the basis for policy decisions.

"Reliable health data and statistics are the foundation of health policies, strategies, and evaluation and monitoring," Dr. Chan told the gathering in Geneva. "Evidence is also the foundation for sound health information for the general public."
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON URGES COMPROMISE ON IRAQ'S CONSTITUTION

BAN KI-MOON URGES COMPROMISE ON IRAQ'S CONSTITUTION
New York, May 18 2007 2:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General today urged Iraqi leaders to compromise on the Constitution in the interests of the country as a whole.

As Iraq's Constitutional Review Committee prepares to submit the results of its deliberations to the full parliament, Mr. Ban's spokesperson issued a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2571">statement emphasizing the importance of the process to achieve national reconciliation in Iraq.

Core issues dealt with by the Committee lie at the heart of how Iraq's system will function, involving a balanced division of powers between the federal government and the regions as well as a system for the fair distribution of oil revenues throughout the country.

"Striking a compromise on the core constitutional issues at the heart of Iraq's system of governance is essential for establishing stability in the country," Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

"The Secretary-General hopes that Iraqi leaders will embrace this opportunity by rising above narrow sectarian interests, remaining open to compromise, and fostering consensus," she said, pledging the UN's full commitment to a national dialogue towards a Constitution than can be supported by all Iraqis.

The statement also lauded the Committee for carrying out its work "responsibly in an atmosphere of mutual respect."

On Monday, Mr. Ban's top envoy to Iraq also called for compromise on the Constitution.

In the absence of a conclusion, Special Representative Ashraf Qazi warned that "the review process has the potential to be extremely divisive exercise."

The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (<"http://www.uniraq.org">UNAMI) said the process offers an opportunity to address the real gaps and problems in the current constitutional text, and that improving the system of governance would be beneficial to all.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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TECH COMPANIES INCREASING LOOKING AT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, UN PANEL TOLD

TECH COMPANIES INCREASING LOOKING AT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, UN PANEL TOLD
New York, May 18 2007 1:00PM
The larger information technology corporations in Silicon Valley are undergoing a "significant mindset change" regarding emerging markets, a top executive has told a panel at the United Nations.

Information technology (IT) companies were seizing the opportunity to think very differently about providing products that would be used in different ways than in developed nations, said Gary Bolles, President of Microcast Communications. But some companies were still reluctant to enter developing country markets for a variety of reasons.

One problem, said Richard LeFave, Chief Information Officer of Sprint Nextel, was insufficient spectrum. Governments had a responsibility to manage the spectrum as a resource, just like water and electricity. "We would not be in India or Brazil if there was not a capability for us to operate there. And the intellectual capability available in a country makes a big difference, too."

Wireless, including broadband, was providing a new set of tools for deploying telecommunications capabilities, Mr. LeFave said. The number of accesses in the 14 Latin American countries where his company was present had tripled since 2002, mainly thanks to wireless technology. Developing countries that had introduced wireless had registered significant growth.

Wireless was constantly achieving higher speed and lower costs: this would benefit developing countries and "bridge many gaps that seemed previously unbridgeable," he added. The combination of wireless technologies with new capabilities and software tools would develop a new set of applications for countries in their quest for economic growth.

To convince IT companies to enter developing markets, "you have to stimulate a need for technology, to create a demand for IT applications, as well as efficient markets," said Antonio Castillo Holgado, Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs, Telefonica. The public and the private sectors should work together to create capability, focusing on all applications. "You can then sell technology as a tool -- for instance for disseminating health information."

The traditional way of thinking was that first research and development created products, then these would go into production, and finally they would be marketed. But in developing countries "first you create an attractive market, then production will come in, and finally R & D," he said.

"You have to live in a market, observe it, be there, study it before you introduce a product," said Tero Ojanperä, Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer of Nokia. "You don't just push the technology."

The world had now 2.6 billion mobile users, Mr. Ojanperä said. Their number would increase to 4 billion by 2010 and to 5 billion by 2015, nearing universal connectivity. But first a number of steps were needed, and one of them was education. In China, Nokia was providing, together with other partners, English courses through mobile phones. African farmers were using Short Message Service (SMS) via mobile phones to find out prices for their crops and decide the best moment for selling.

The Internet was not just available in advanced markets, he said, but was present in almost every network in the world. It provided unprecedented opportunities for small entrepreneurs, for software developers, for a host of small businesses. Handset-based technologies were progressing quickly, mobile phones were becoming more and more like personal computers, and this expansion of capabilities would benefit developing countries.

People in developing countries were ready to spend 8 to 12 per cent of their income in phone calls, said Heather Hudson of University of San Francisco. "There is much more demand than we think: businesses, schools, institutions, are ready to pay." What was needed was to bring down regulatory barriers and let in competitors, as countries with monopolies had a much lower mobile growth rate.

The Internet worked out in rural areas just as well as it did in urban settings, said Jose Alberto Cuellar Alvarez, speaking via videoconference from the UN Information Centre in Mexico City. The Internet had improved market efficiency, speeded up information exchange and opened a host of new possibilities: for instance, agricultural producers in remote rural areas could now advertise and sell their products on a scale previously not possible.

Governments should play a major role in devising strategies for using IT technologies, he said, linking the spread of IT to overall development plans. For instance, "public policies for roads should go hand in hand with IT policies," he said.

The meeting, "Tale of Two Worlds: Keeping Pace with a Moving Target", which marked <" http://www.un.org/events/infoday/2007">World Information Society Day, 17 May, was organized by the Global Alliance for ICT and Development and the United Nations Association Diaspora Network.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN MEETING IN BONN MOVES WORLD CLOSER TO ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

UN MEETING IN BONN MOVES WORLD CLOSER TO ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, May 18 2007 12:00PM
Parties to United Nations-backed agreements on climate change today concluded a preparatory session on stemming the emission of greenhouse gasses and mitigating their effects ahead of a major world conference on the issue in December in Bali, Indonesia.

"This meeting has served to resolve a number of issues ahead of the Bali conference," Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC) at the close of the discussions in Bonn, Germany, which were attended by around 1,800 participants, including the 191 Parties to the Convention and 173 Parties to its <"http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php">Kyoto Protocol, which contains legally binding targets for reducing emissions through 2012.

Topics covered included methods for increasing the transfer of clean technologies, adapting to the inevitable effects of climate change and preventing deforestation, estimated to account for more than 20 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

The conference was also the first opportunity for delegates to react to the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<"http://www.ipcc.ch">IPCC), released in early May, which maintained that climate change can be mitigated at relatively low cost with the right policies and incentives.

The current high level of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere was caused by industrialized countries, said developing countries at the meeting, advocating for their own right growth and poverty alleviation, according to Mr. de Boer.

"This is why the issue of economic incentives to green investments in developing countries is so important," he said, adding that these would probably involve carbon trading schemes.

"The fact that European, American and Australian business groups here in Bonn have been calling on governments to adopt long-term, legally binding emission reduction targets is as strong signal that they feel the carbon market will be an important part of any 2012 agreement, " said Mr. Boer.

The talks will resume in Vienna this August.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN REFUGEE AGENCY BEGINS ASSISTING RESETTLEMENT OF BURUNDIANS IN US

UN REFUGEE AGENCY BEGINS ASSISTING RESETTLEMENT OF BURUNDIANS IN US
New York, May 18 2007 11:00AM
With the assistance of the United Nations refugee agency, the first group of some 8,500 Burundians to be <"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/print?tbl=NEWS&id=464d78ccd">resettled in the United States today left a refugee camp in Tanzania, where they had taken refuge after fleeing mass violence 35 years ago.

The 88 who left today are part of 3,000 so-called '1972 Burundians' – about 35 per cent of the number accepted for resettlement – who are expected to leave over the next 15 weeks for Nairobi and then travel on to various US cities, such as Atlanta and Phoenix, according to Jennifer Pagonis, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

"The 1972 Burundians represent one of the world's most protracted refugee situations, and resettlement is the only viable durable solution for most of them," Ms. Pagonis said in Geneva.

Hundreds of thousands of Burundians fled to neighbouring countries that year to escape ethnic violence which killed an estimated 200,000 people, she said, adding that children of refugees born in exile were also considered for resettlement in the US.

"While repatriation of Burundian refugees remains a priority, we believe that successful repatriation and reintegration of this particular group is not possible," she commented.

"After nearly 35 years in exile, they would face complex and unresolved land issues. Moreover, some refugees believe they are viewed as outsiders and would never be able to fully integrate in Burundi," she said.

She added that those born in exile identify closely with their host country, Tanzania, but it cannot offer them integration either.

The resettlement operation is being organized by the US Government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR. Before their departure from Nairobi, the refugees will undergo an orientation workshop organized by IOM.

This will help prepare them for a new life in the US and ease their integration, UNHCR said.

Tanzania still hosts some 276,000 refugees, mainly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN INCREASES FOOD DELIVERIES IN SOMALIA AMID PIRACY

UN INCREASES FOOD DELIVERIES IN SOMALIA AMID PIRACY
New York, May 18 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today began a distribution of food to 122,500 Somalis affected by violence while warning that piracy is hampering its operations.

"We are expanding our distributions to the displaced -- many of whom are women and children -- with this round of distributions, which means WFP should be reaching 80 per cent of the 150,000 we plan to feed," said Peter Goossens, the agency's Somalia Country Director in Nairobi.

"But just when we are reaching more people, incidents of piracy against ships off Somalia are again on the rise and are threatening to cut the fastest and most efficient way -- by sea -- to move large amounts of food assistance to the needy in Somalia during this crisis," he said.

Mr. Goossens charged that the pirates "are very cruelly playing with the lives of the most vulnerable women and children who had to leave their homes because of fighting" and appealed to the Somali authorities to act "before they cause more misery both to the crews of hijacked ships and to the people who rely on WFP food for their survival."

The recent distribution follows aid deliveries in late April and early May to 114,000 displaced people and returnees.

The United Nations estimates that between 300,000 and 400,000 people fled Mogadishu since 1 February.

Somalia has recently experienced its worst fighting in 16 years between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), backed by Ethiopian forces, and anti-TFG factions.

2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN CONDEMNS MURDER OF HAITIAN JOURNALIST ALIX JOSEPH

UN CONDEMNS MURDER OF HAITIAN JOURNALIST ALIX JOSEPH
New York, May 18 2007 8:00AM
The United Nations mission in Haiti today condemned the assassination of radio journalist Alix Joseph, vowing to help the authorities find the perpetrators.

Mr. Joseph, the director of Radio Provinciale, was assassinated on 16 May in Gonaïves by armed men, the UN Stabilization Mission in Haïti (MINUSTAH) said in a news release deploring the crime.

"This cruel and irresponsible act adds to the long list of crimes already committed against professionals of the Haitian press," MINUSTAH said, pledging to help the Haitian authorities in the investigation and prosecution of the assassins.

The mission also voiced its solidarity with members of the Haitian media who continue to seek the end of the impunity for the killers of their murdered colleagues.

2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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UN GOODWILL AMBASSADOR HONOURED FOR CHRONICLING STRUGGLE AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS

UN GOODWILL AMBASSADOR HONOURED FOR CHRONICLING STRUGGLE AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS
New York, May 18 2007 8:00AM
An Italian photojournalist who brings the work of the United Nations anti-drug unit before the public has been awarded a prestigious German publishing prize for a feature on the global struggle against illicit narcotics.

Alessandro Scotti Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), captured the Henri Nannen Prize for his feature Weltmacht Drogen (Drugs, the global power) feature published in the German magazine GEO.

The prize is awarded annually by Gruner + Jahr, publishers of Stern magazine. Mr. Scotti's powerful black and white images, which won the award in the Best Photographic Achievement section, chronicle the battle against the narcotics industry in Iran, Afghanistan, Latin America and Central Asia, UNODC said in a news release.

"Scotti's talent has transformed the tragic plight of a few into a global campaign against narco-trafficking," UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said. "He shows us the face of addiction, exploitation, and physical suffering, and challenges us to respond."

In its citation, the jury said that in documenting the drugs trade for more than five years, Scotti had succeeded in bringing his reportage vividly to life. "The photographer gets so close to the action that the viewer can sense the great demands his reporting is making on him."

Mr. Scotti, one of 10 prizewinners selected from 863 submissions from 188 German-language publications, has worked as a professional photographer and writer for 10 years. Since 2005, he has travelled extensively in Afghanistan, Colombia, Iran, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand to represent UNODC.

He is presently completing a trilogy of books for UNODC documenting the global drugs trade. Entitled De Narcoticis, the series explores all aspects of the narcotics trade, including cultivation, trafficking, prevention and addiction.

Mr. Scotti's haunting images help the public to understand the complexity

2007-05-18 00:00:00.000

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CENTRAL AFRICA NEEDS 'CONCRETE MEASURES' TO ACHIEVE STABILITY, SAYS BAN KI-MOON

CENTRAL AFRICA NEEDS 'CONCRETE MEASURES' TO ACHIEVE STABILITY, SAYS BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 17 2007 7:00PM
Welcoming steps to approve a Central African pact against the illegal trafficking of arms and a code of conduct for the countries' armed forces, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today told a United Nations-sponsored security meeting that such concrete measures were needed for the region to achieve lasting peace and stability.

In a message to the latest ministerial meeting of the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, Mr. Ban said there have been several signs of important progress in the region over the past year despite the many challenges it faces.

He cited the holding of presidential and legislative elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the ceasefire between the Burundian Government and that country's last major rebel group, PALIPEHUTU-FNL, as encouraging examples.

But he added that the delay in implementing the ceasefire in Burundi and the outbreak of deadly violence in the DRC in March indicated the fragility of the situation in those two countries.

"It is therefore very important to put in place the mechanisms and the programmes which will consolidate the progress realised," Mr. Ban said in the message, delivered on his behalf to the meeting by Agnès Marcaillou, Chief of the Regional Disarmament Branch of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.

The five-day meeting, which concludes tomorrow, is being held in São Tomé, capital of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Mr. Ban added that the current conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, which is threatening to engulf neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) as well, showed the need for a regional framework for collective security.

"I welcome also your intention to approve as soon as possible the text of a sub-regional instrument in the fight against the illegal trade in small arms, and a code of conduct for the armed and security forces in Central Africa.

"Only concrete measures to reinforce peace and security will restore the necessary stability for sustainable development of Central Africa and give the populations the opportunity to exploit fully their immense human and natural riches."

The Committee, which meets twice a year at the ministerial level, was established by the UN Secretary-General in May 1992 and its membership comprises all 11 countries in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) – Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the CAR, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and São Tomé and Príncipe.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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GREECE AND FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA RENEW UN-LED TALKS

GREECE AND FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA RENEW UN-LED TALKS
New York, May 17 2007 7:00PM
Representatives of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have held a fresh round of United Nations-mediated talks over the question of the official name of the latter country.

Matthew Nimetz, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Greece-FYROM talks, initiated yesterday's discussions, which took place in New York.

Greece was represented by its Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, while FYROM was represented by Ambassador Nikola Dimitrov.

"The parties continued to exchange views in the context of Article 5 of the Interim Accord" of 13 September 1995, according to an update released by the UN after the talks. "They decided to meet again on a date to be agreed."

Article 5 of the Interim Accord, which was brokered by the UN, details the difference between the two countries regarding the official name of FYROM. It also obliges the two sides to continue negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General to try to reach agreement on their dispute.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UN OFFICIALS URGE COUNTRIES TO ACT ON COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY

UN OFFICIALS URGE COUNTRIES TO ACT ON COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY
New York, May 17 2007 6:00PM
The main responsibility for carrying out the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy "falls squarely on Member States," a senior UN official today told a symposium in Vienna convened to translate the landmark plan from words into action.

Assistant Secretary-General Bob Orr, Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, told the opening of the two-day symposium that a majority of the more than 50 practical recommendations and provisions in the Strategy are direct calls for Member States to take specific action.

"If we are to have concrete results to show to the world at the Two-Year Review of the Strategy, all actors must be actively engaged, both individually and collectively," Mr. Orr said, pledging that the UN and its various departments and agencies would also introduce practical measures when required.

Adopted by the General Assembly last September after a year of often fractious negotiations, the Strategy includes practical steps at the local, national and international level – ranging from strengthening the capacity of individual States to prevent and combat terrorism to ensuring that human rights and the rule of law are always respected in the fight against terrorism.

It also calls for measures to enhance the role of the UN system to deal with terrorism, and to make sure that the world body's efforts are better coordinated.

Speaking during a debate following the opening speeches, Mr. Orr said the Strategy had been adopted as a holistic, comprehensive document and its implementation should therefore be done in an integrated manner and not as a pick-and-choose exercise by Member States.

The Vienna symposium – convened jointly by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (<"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/news_and_publications.html">UNODC) and Austria – is the first major forum for Member States and the UN system to gather to chart a path for implementing the Strategy since its adoption.

UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa told the meeting that his agency has the history of technical assistance, the network of field offices and the knowledge of the links between drugs, crime and terrorism to help UN Member States on the ground as they devise the practical measures to counter terrorism.

Mr. Costa also called on States to set clear benchmarks against which performance can be measured, adding that "we will be judged by our actions, by results."
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO LEAD UN CONTINGENT IN AIDS WALK FUNDRAISER

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO LEAD UN CONTINGENT IN AIDS WALK FUNDRAISER
New York, May 17 2007 4:00PM
Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro will walk with a contingent of United Nations staff members and about 50,000 other people in the annual fundraiser called AIDS Walk New York on Sunday, a UN spokesman said today.

The UN Cares team has participated for many years in the massive event, raising more than $35,000 in 2006.

In announcing her intention to participate, Ms. Migiro said AIDS remains one of the most serious challenges of our time.

"Our collective efforts are needed if we are to stop the spread of the disease and ensure that everyone has access to the prevention, treatment, care and support services they need," she said in her message to staff, encouraging them to join her.

Last night, the Deputy Secretary-General spoke at the UN Association (UNA) of New York, to lend encouragement to New Yorkers who actively support the Organization's agenda.

Sharing with them the priorities of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's new administration, she divided the UN's challenges into pressing geo-political and development issues and mid to long-term issues such as climate change, human rights and cultural understanding.

She also outlined progress in UN reform, saying she expects to work closely in the months ahead with Mr. Ban and with Member States to advance the issue.

For advancing the entire agenda, however, the UN's partnership with the United States is particularly crucial, she said, calling UNA members in the country "guardians of that bond."
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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INTERNAL VIOLENCE DOWN IN GAZA, BUT PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI VIOLENCE ON THE RISE - UN

INTERNAL VIOLENCE DOWN IN GAZA, BUT PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI VIOLENCE ON THE RISE – UN
New York, May 17 2007 4:00PM
Following the Palestinian ceasefire, which took effect yesterday, internal violence has calmed in the Gaza strip, though Palestinian-Israeli clashes have escalated, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

"There are some signs of improvement regarding civilian movement and the delivery of services throughout the Gaza Strip as the extent and intensity of violence has abated somewhat," UN spokesperson Michele Montas said in New York.

The situation in Gaza City, however, remains more volatile, <"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA said. Two schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA) in Rafah, with about 3,000 pupils, came under fire earlier this afternoon as a result of ongoing clashes between Hamas and Fatah gunmen.

The children were forced to congregate on the first floor of the school, pending evacuation, for their own safety.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT ISSUES CALL FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN MIDDLE EAST

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT ISSUES CALL FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN MIDDLE EAST
New York, May 17 2007 4:00PM
The President of the United Nations General Assembly, a lawyer and rights advocate from Bahrain, has issued a strong call for addressing the social, educational and other constraints impeding the equality of women in the Middle East.

"The concept of human rights is based on the notion that all human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms," Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa noted in an <"http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/statements/statement20070516-awards.shtml">address to a panel discussion Wednesday evening on Women and Human Rights in the Middle East at Rutgers University, New Jersey, United States.

"Yet, in the Middle East women face multi-layered and multi-dimensional discrimination that is embedded in our culture, government policies, educational systems and the legal framework."

She said the situation stems in part from the interpretation of Islamic text. "Women are subject to family laws that are Sharia based which strictly follow the interpretations of Islamic scholars that lived 1000 years ago at the beginning of Islam. These interpretations are applied now without making any allowances to the very different social contexts of today," she said.

"In fact, these interpretations are sanctified as holy which prevent them from criticism and change. This is one of the main reasons behind the discrepancy between personal status codes on the one hand and the current social circumstances on the other."

Under family law, women cannot conclude marital contracts without a male guardian and cannot obtain a divorce without a court proceeding. Men can divorce their wives by a mere verbal declaration.

"These rules deprive women of their basic right of self determination," said Sheikha Haya. "These rules deprive women from maintaining peace and security within their home as they are constantly threatened by divorce or polygamy."

The General Assembly President blamed a "lack of rational interpretations of the text that integrate the current social circumstances" and called for "new interpretations of Islamic text in light of contemporary circumstances and needs."

She said social structure also plays a part, especially the concept of the family versus the individual as the nucleus of society. This has led women to conform to the needs of men who in turn offer protection and financial support. "It has led women to accept a level of control and submission, even violence at times for the preservation of the family," she said.

The structure has also "created a mentality that fears the autonomy of women, viewing it as a threat to the centrality of the traditional family, a threat to marital relationships and a catalyst to sexual freedom," added the President. "These attitudes which were based on traditions are now associated with religion, making it harder to criticize or change them."

Politically, women remain under-represented in parliaments and at higher government positions. "Even when they are ministers, they are often assigned ministries that reinforce their traditional roles," she observed, citing a number of reasons, including the opposition of women themselves to their own involvement in politics. "We saw this in Bahrain in 2002 when the majority of voters were women but not one woman out of the eight female candidates was actually elected."

Despite these circumstances, women have been active in influencing policy making and public opinion through other means, including the media, in petitions to Members of Parliament and government officials, and through their memberships in unions, political parties and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). "Today, the Middle East is witnessing a proliferation of NGOs, many of which are active in women empowerment issues."

Although the Middle East has come a long way in educating women, "the fact of the matter is that critical thinking, and the teaching of philosophy and theology are absent in our curricula; and they are essential in laying the foundation to review, evaluate and criticise the ideas that shape our societies," she said.

"We are left with a fertile ground for fundamentalist ideologies and we have reverted to the past to solve our problems of the present."

Stressing that the status of women must be examined in the light of the regional and international circumstances, she noted that the Middle East "continues to face the devastating effects of war, occupation, civil unrest, weak governance as well as the challenges of globalization, economic volatility, impoverishment, demographic changes and counter-terrorism measures which may negatively affect human rights and further constrain freedoms."

Amid a prevailing determination within the Middle East to modernize and reform so that people can live without fear and want, "it is now, more than ever before, that the voices of women need to be heard," declared the Assembly President.

"We must not only hear these voices – we must listen to them, and then act. So much of our future depends on our response."

Sheikha Haya was honoured at the event sponsored by the University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies along with Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi for their dedication to women and human rights in the Middle East.

"Over the past three decades, I have strived to defend women's rights in my home country, in the region of the Middle East, and more broadly on an international level," said the Assembly President. "It therefore immensely gratifies me to see Rutgers recognize our struggle, not only as women from the Middle East but also as women who have dedicated their lives to advancing the rights of other women."
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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INTIMIDATION HAMPERS PROBE INTO POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN DR CONGO - UN

INTIMIDATION HAMPERS PROBE INTO POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN DR CONGO – UN
New York, May 17 2007 3:00PM
Though it has interviewed some 200 victims and witnesses of the post-election clashes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations mission there said today that Government cooperation with investigators has been tepid and many witnesses have been intimidated.

The April human rights <"http://www.monuc.org/News.aspx?newsID=14592">report by the UN Mission in the country (known as <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/monuc/index.html">MONUC), says that, despite those obstacles, its special investigations team plans to conclude this month its probe into the March violence in the capital, Kinshasa, where hundreds were killed during fighting between Government forces and the guards of unsuccessful presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba.

"The team's work suffered from the refusal of the authorities to grant access to some important locations, such as the compound of former Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba and some military camps," the report said.

"Numerous incidents of intimidation by the intelligence services, police and military in the wake of the violence have also discouraged victims, witnesses, hospitals and medical centres staff and authorities from coming forward or speaking freely with the team," it added.

The Mission also found that police officers were involved in a large number of serious human rights violations, especially in the eastern Kasaï Province. Government troops were also found to have summarily executed civilians and to have engaged in other egregious human rights abuses.

It said that members of other armed groups have continued to commit human rights abuses on the populations of North and South Kivu. In particular, reports of attacks by armed Rwandan Hutu militias on villages in area continued throughout the period in review, including allegations of executions, abductions and looting.

Also in the Kivus, Mayi-Mayi militias were accused of multiple rapes, mutilations and killings, including the burning alive of three villagers in retaliation for the death of one of their number at the hands of Government forces.

Yesterday, the UN Security Council extended the deployment of MONUC to help the DRC consolidate security in the wake of recent violence which follows the end of a six-year civil war, widely considered the most lethal conflict in the world since World War II.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UN DISASTER OFFICIALS BEGIN AID ASSESSMENTS IN FLOOD-RAVAGED URUGUAY

UN DISASTER OFFICIALS BEGIN AID ASSESSMENTS IN FLOOD-RAVAGED URUGUAY
New York, May 17 2007 3:00PM
United Nations disaster assessment officials are on the ground in Uruguay, determining what aid is needed to help the thousands of people forced to flee their homes after the worst floods to strike the country in almost half a century.

The UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team, as well as officials from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are carrying out rapid assessments in Durazno, Soriano and Treinta y Tres departments.

Télécoms Sans Frontières, a non-governmental organization (NGO), is also helping with assessments, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today.

Preliminary reports indicate that local authorities are providing enough food, water and medicines to meet emergency needs, while UN agencies operating in the country have also bought supplies such as blankets, mattresses and health and sanitation items.

Although flood levels have receded in some areas, allowing people to return to their homes, the waters are still so high in many places that a comprehensive assessment of the damage to housing and other infrastructure remains impossible.

About 12,000 people were evacuated at the peak of the floods, which followed several days of torrential rainfall across Uruguay. At the height of the downpour, some 350 millimetres of rain fell in just 48 hours starting on 5 May.

The Uruguayan Government estimates that 110,000 people have been affected in nine of the Latin American country's 19 departments. The three hardest-hit departments stretch across the centre of Uruguay.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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FOURTEEN NATIONS ELECTED TO SERVE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

FOURTEEN NATIONS ELECTED TO SERVE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
New York, May 17 2007 3:00PM
Fourteen countries have been <" http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/ga10593.doc.htm">elected to serve on the United Nations Human Rights Council after two rounds of balloting among Member States today at UN Headquarters in New York.

Angola, Bolivia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Qatar, Slovenia and South Africa were successful after the first round of voting, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy were chosen following a second round.

Successful countries – which were elected according to a formula that allots seats among regional groups – needed to obtain an absolute majority of the General Assembly's membership of 192 States. The second round of balloting was restricted to those States which had scored the most votes in the first round without achieving a majority.

In the African States group, Madagascar (182 votes), South Africa (175), Angola (172) and Egypt (168) exceeded the majority during the first round, while India (185), Indonesia (182), the Philippines (179) and Qatar (170) won the seats allotted to the Asian States group. In the Latin America and the Caribbean States group, where two seats were up for grabs, Nicaragua (174) and Bolivia (169) were elected.

Slovenia, which obtained 168 votes, was the only nation in the Eastern European States category to win a majority in the first round, but in the second round Bosnia and Herzegovina picked up 112 votes. Belarus did not score enough votes in either round.

Two seats were available to the Western European and Other States group, and the Netherlands won 121 votes in the opening round, while Denmark and Italy tied on 114 votes. In the second round, Italy scored 111 votes and Denmark obtained 86.

Some of today's successful countries – South Africa, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Netherlands – were actually being elected to their second term after winning a seat during the inaugural elections of the Council last year, when the body was established to replace the discredited Commission on Human Rights.

As part of the Council's formation, some members won three-year terms and others were given one-year terms and allowed to run for re-election again this year. Under Council riles, members serve three-year terms and cannot run for re-election after two consecutive terms. Those elected today will serve three-year terms on the 47-member body.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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ASIA-PACIFIC OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS HEALTH SERVICES, ANTI-POVERTY GOALS AT UN MEETING

ASIA-PACIFIC OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS HEALTH SERVICES, ANTI-POVERTY GOALS AT UN MEETING
New York, May 17 2007 2:00PM
The global anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and strategies for boosting investments in health care are expected to top the agenda this week at the annual high-level meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Officials from 62 <"http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2007/may/g14.asp">UNESCAP member governments have gathered today in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for the week-long meeting – 60 years after the body, then known as the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East, was founded in Shanghai.

The Asia-Pacific Business Forum, a two-day event starting tomorrow, is taking place alongside the Commission meeting, bringing together business leaders and civil society representatives as well as senior government officials.

UNESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su <"http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2007/may/l17.asp">said the Forum would "provide participants with a unique platform to discuss opportunities and challenges for Central Asia's increasing integration into the global economy and to learn from other Asian experiences."

During the Commission meeting's ministerial segment, which begins on Monday, member nations will examine how the region's poorest countries can achieve the <"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs by the target date of 2015.

They will also consider a UNESCAP study that shows a clear link between increased investment in health services and improved economic performance. It also recommends making the national health systems more accessible to vulnerable groups.

Spending on health services is so low in some of the Asia-Pacific region's poorest countries – about 20 States spend less than $20 a person each year – that an additional $25 billion would be necessary to meet the minimum requirements, the study found.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UN STUDY REVEALS LESS THAN HALF OF REGISTERED RETURNEES LIVE IN CROATIA

UN STUDY REVEALS LESS THAN HALF OF REGISTERED RETURNEES LIVE IN CROATIA
New York, May 17 2007 10:00AM
Less than half of some 120,000 ethnic Serbs registered as returnees in Croatia actually live in the country, according to the findings of a just-released survey commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"We estimate that actual returnees account for about 43 percent of the total number of registered returnees," said the report's authors, Zagreb University academics Milan Mesic and Dragan Bagic, during a public presentation in the Croatian capital Tuesday attended by the country's President, Stjepan Mesic, and other dignitaries.

The survey also found that 40 per cent of the registered Serb returnees had settled in the areas -- mainly in Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina -- where they had sought refuge during the war in the 1990s, but visit Croatia at least once a year. Some 6 per cent reside sporadically in Croatia, while about 11 per cent of the registered returnees have died.

Covering a representative selection of 1,450 registered returnees and conducted between September and December last year with the help of the Croatian Red Cross and the Serb Democratic Forum, the survey also found that some 43 per cent of returnees are aged over 60, while 46 percent are retired. The average age of all returnees is 51, compared to the Croatian average of 39 years.

About a third of returnee Serbs were unemployed, compared to a countrywide average of 17 percent for Croatia. Only 8 per cent were employed or self-employed, while 11 per cent were dependent on humanitarian assistance.

The authors concluded that the most effective way to ensure increased and sustainable return of the Serbs was to develop and implement programmes aimed at revitalizing the economy in areas of return and at tapping the labour and entrepreneurial resources of both the Serb returnees and the majority Croat population.

Wilfried Buchhorn, the UNHCR representative in Croatia, endorsed these conclusions. "Stronger
international level is required in order to create better living and employment conditions for the returnees," he said.

The country's leadership, meanwhile, pledged to work for the continued return and reintegration of Croatia's Serb community. "The creation of conditions for the return of all, including the Serbs, is in the best national interest in the full sense of the word," President Mesic said at the presentation of the survey findings.

"There is no alternative to the process of return, and there should not be any. There is no alternative to coexistence, tolerance and equality of all citizens of this country," he added.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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PAKISTAN: UN URGES CALM FOLLOWING UNREST AT REFUGEE CAMP

PAKISTAN: UN URGES CALM FOLLOWING UNREST AT REFUGEE CAMP
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
Reacting to recent unrest at a refugee camp in south-western Pakistan, the United Nations today appealed for calm ahead of next month's planned closure of the facility.

Tensions were sparked on Wednesday at Jungle Pir Alizai camp in Killa Abduallah district of Balochistan province after local authorities said they were bulldozing some walls of an uninhabited compound in the camp as a first step toward closing it. Camp residents started throwing stones in protest, tear gas was fired, and the authorities withdrew from the scene, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which said it could not confirm casualties.

"We regret the outbreak of violence at Jungle Pir Alizai camp," said UNHCR's Representative in Pakistan, Guenet Guebre-Christos. "While we recognize the Government's right to close camps on its soil for security reasons, we also urge the authorities and Afghans to do so in a peaceful way, to preserve the goodwill that has developed between them over the last 27 years."

She added that UNHCR was lending its good offices to offer a way out through voluntary repatriation with enhanced assistance averaging $100 per person, or relocation with transport to and reception facilities at an existing camp in Pakistan.

"As remaining in the camp marked for closure is not an option, we strongly appeal to Afghans that they should avail the opportunity either to relocate to an existing refugee camp or chose voluntary repatriation with UNHCR assistance."

UNHCR has not been able to access Jungle Pir Alizai camp since mid-2005 -- a year after the Pakistan Government first announced that the camp would be closed for security reasons. The closure deadline is set for 15 June.

A census in 2005 counted some 35,000 Afghans living in the camp, including many who claimed to be from the local tribes in Pakistan. Afghans affected by the closure of the camp have been given two choices -- to voluntarily repatriate with UNHCR ass
the existing Ghazgai Minara camp in Balochistan's Loralai district, where they will receive primary education, basic healthcare, water and sanitation facilities.

More than 3 million Afghans have returned home from Pakistan with UNHCR assistance since 2002. Over 2.15 million registered Afghans remain in Pakistan today.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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SRI LANKA: UNICEF HELPS CHILDREN DISPLACED BY ESCALATING CONFLICT

SRI LANKA: UNICEF HELPS CHILDREN DISPLACED BY ESCALATING CONFLICT
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
Despite the insecurity in parts of Sri Lanka torn by conflict, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is working to help the youngest victims of the violence who are increasingly deprived of adequate food, sanitation and education.

The escalating clashes between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or Tamil Tigers, is affecting 3 million people, including over 500,000 who have fled their homes, according to UNICEF.

The agency is supporting a range of activities to alleviate the conflict's psychosocial impact on children. "We've got animators and young people working together with these children and teaching them about mine awareness, but also doing theatre and just play activities," said UNICEF's Chief of Field Coordination in Sri Lanka, Natascha Paddison.

"They're just trying to get a sense of normalcy to the youngsters, which is very important."

Despite UNICEF's best efforts, the impact of the violence on children and families is enormous, with malnutrition rates rising, a lack of access to education and adequate water and sanitation facilities, and recruitment of child soldiers into rebel factions. The psychological effects cannot be underestimated, Ms. Paddison noted.

She said in the conflict-torn areas, children who are asked about the future "don't say what they want to be, but what they want to have -- which is peace. They all say they want the shelling to stop. They want peace."

The situation in Sri Lanka poses many challenges, as multiple players enter the conflict and it become increasingly militarized, said UNICEF, which is working to provide children and families with services.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF GUATEMALAN JOURNALIST

UNESCO CHIEF CONDEMNS MURDER OF GUATEMALAN JOURNALIST
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has condemned the murder of Mario Rolando López Sánchez, a producer for the Guatemalan station Radio Sonora.

The crime occurred on 3 May, which is commemorated as World Press Freedom Day, and UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura said it was disturbing that this "should become a day of mourning due to another violent act by people who resort to guns to silence their critics."

He voiced confidence that action would be taken in response, saying, "I trust that the Guatemalan authorities will do their utmost to arrest and bring to justice the culprits of this crime."

The 64-year old journalist was hit by several gunshots a few metres from his home. Head producer for Radio Sonora, he also co-produced for the last 14 years a daily programme about politics, entitled Casos y Cosas de la Vida Nacional (Cases and things concerning the life of the nation).

According to Arnulfo Agustín Guzmán, Director of Radio Sonora, the murder cannot be considered an ordinary crime as the victim's car and personal effects were not stolen.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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YOUTH NEED MORE ACCESS TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, BAN KI-MOON SAYS

YOUTH NEED MORE ACCESS TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, BAN KI-MOON SAYS
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged policymakers and industry leaders to work together with young people to give more of them access to information and communications technology (ICT).

"In many instances, young people are the driving force behind innovation in the development and use of new technologies," Mr. Ban said in a message on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which is being observed under the theme Connect the Young.

"But the digital chasm leaves others out of this picture, and unable to capitalize fully on the benefits of globalization," he said. "Young people everywhere must have equal opportunities to rise out of poverty and illiteracy, and to realize their full potential," he added.

Pointing out that the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has been helping the world to communicate from the advent of the telegraph to the present, he said the entire UN system, following the World summit on the Information Society, is now committed to strongly linking ICT with development.

"So let us promote visionary public policies, innovative business models and creative technological solutions that will empower young people and engage them in the global effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals," Mr. Ban urged, referring to the internationally agreed targets for reducing poverty and other world ills by 2015.

Also marking the International Day today, 16 UN information centres (UNICs) that provide communication services to 34 countries in sub-Saharan Africa today launched new websites in an effort to bring the work of the UN closer to local constituencies.

In addition to news generated by UN Headquarters, the UN Country Teams and the UNICs themselves, the websites will host translations, into more than 20 national languages, of key UN documents, as well as providing a variety of links to UN system websites and programmes, according to UNIC Pretoria, w
the sites.

The websites will be based at the UNICs in Ghana, Madagascar, Eritrea, Republic of Congo, Burundi, Senegal, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Togo, Zambia, Lesotho, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Namibia and Cameroon.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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UN, CHINA JOIN FORCES TO COMBAT ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME

UN, CHINA JOIN FORCES TO COMBAT ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
New York, May 17 2007 9:00AM
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is joining forces with China to help customs officials in the Asia Pacific region to prevent the smuggling of banned chemicals and endangered species.

"Customs are in the frontline, expected to maximize the benefits society can derive from the globalized trading system while also expected to minimize the risks and threats that trade can pose -- threats from illegal trade in banned or restricted chemicals up to managing movements of living modified organisms and the illegal trade in rare and endangered wildlife," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner told a workshop being held this week at the Shanghai Customs College.

He said China, with some 50,000 customs officials and an increasingly important role in international trade and global political life, could make a key contribution in this field.

Environmental crime and illegal trade is, by some estimates, valued at tens of billion if not well over 100 billion dollars a year, UNEP said in a news release.

A wide range of chemicals, including persistent organic pollutants and substances that deplete the ozone layer, are now controlled, banned or subject to phase outs under multilateral environmental agreements. These measures are aimed at protecting public health and the wider environment but also present opportunities for unscrupulous individuals and organized crime, UNEP said.

Meanwhile treaties such as the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), cover trade in wildlife as part of a range of international measures to allow legitimate trade in animals and plants and restrict or outlaw trade in species under threat.

Mr. Steiner said it was impressive that a treaty like CITES had, over the decades, become as relevant to customs officials work as tackling illegal trade in arms, drugs and trafficking in humans.

The four-day Shanghai workshop, involving UNEP, secretariats of the Multilateral Environme
the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and Interpol, aims to 'train the trainers' from regional customs agencies.

2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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GOAL OF UNIFIED KOREAN PENINSULA ACHIEVABLE, SAYS BAN KI-MOON

GOAL OF UNIFIED KOREAN PENINSULA ACHIEVABLE, SAYS BAN KI-MOON
New York, May 16 2007 7:00PM
The dream of a reunified Korean Peninsula will come true, if the international community works in concert and all sides are willing to put aside their Cold War tensions, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a speech pledging renewed United Nations commitment towards resolving the outstanding issues in contention.

"All of us should embrace the change coming to our part of the world," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm10996.doc.htm">speech last night in New York to a dinner marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Korea Society.

He welcomed the recent advances in the multilateral negotiations on the nuclear activities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying he was heartened to see it was "back on track" and promising the UN would do all it could to support the process.

In February, the participants in the six-party talks reached an accord on initial steps towards denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula in which the DPRK committed to dismantling its nuclear arms programme in return for international energy and other aid.

"Beyond a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue with North Korea, we should aim to establish a peace mechanism, through transition from armistice to a permanent peace regimen," he said.

Mr. Ban stressed his view that if the international community works together, it "can help achieve a secure, prosperous and democratic Peninsula… It is time to set aside the divisions of the Cold War, and focus on the future."

The Secretary-General said he was equally concerned about ensuring those people most in need in the DPRK, especially children, the elderly and women, receive the aid they require.

"I am determined, through dialogue and engagement with the DPRK and other countries, to mobilize international support for both humanitarian and longer-term development needs in the DPRK, as well as work for goodwill and mutual understanding in the region."

During his speech Mr. Ban also outlined the priorities of his agenda as Secretary-General and the steps he has undertaken so far to achieve those ends. He discussed the crisis in Darfur, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Lebanon's political impasse, violence in Iraq, climate change, human rights, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the internal working culture of the UN.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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UN HEADQUARTERS REFURBISHMENT AIMS TO MEET 'GREEN' STANDARDS - OFFICIAL

UN HEADQUARTERS REFURBISHMENT AIMS TO MEET 'GREEN' STANDARDS – OFFICIAL
New York, May 16 2007 6:00PM
The senior United Nations management official today said a planned $1.9 billion refurbishment of the Organization's dilapidated Headquarters complex will aim to meet or even exceed environmental standards.

Reviewing the timetable for the overhaul, known as the "capital master plan," Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, said parts of the Secretariat's iconic building would be vacated and renovated while other parts would remain in use.

Movement of staff would begin in 2008, with construction on a lawn on the UN's premises to begin the same year so that the General Assembly could meet in the new space during the renovation.

"We are taking this opportunity of the capital master plan to move ahead with the 'greening of the UN,'" she said. "This is a very important opportunity for all of us and we're going to take it to make sure the UN can become a model, if we can, on the environmental front."

She acknowledged that this is a tall order. "It is not going to be easy because this is an old building that we are renovating. If we start from scratch it would be easier," she said.

To guide its work, the UN was following the standards set by LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a group that provides certification to buildings in the United States when they accomplish certain measures. The UN was trying to achieve the group's 'silver rating,'" said Ms. Bárcena.

"We are trying to go further if we can," she added.

Ms. Bárcena said top priority would be given to eliminating safety and health risks. "This is an old building, so as soon as you start renovating there might be the risk of certain substances that can appear in the construction, like asbestos," she said, emphasizing that these factors would be fully taken into account.

She said a recent fire inspection by the local New York City authorities revealed numerous flaws. "Others call them violations but we call them directives," she said of the Fire Department's findings. "They found 850 directives, of which we are taking care of them one by one," she said, adding that a detailed plan of action has also been put into place to address each concern.

"When the capital master plan is finished in 2014 we will not only meet the existing fire safety regulations in New York; we hope that we will exceed them," she said.

The main UN Headquarters buildings were constructed in 1949 and 1950 and have not been significantly improved or maintained since then. They are extremely energy inefficient, costing the UN more than $30 million a year in energy costs alone. The capital master plan is expected to save costs in the long run while saving energy.

Ms. Bárcena also briefed correspondents on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's proposals on UN peacekeeping, which are now under consideration by the budget watchdog, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).

Under the plan, the new Department of Peace Operations would consolidate all factors dealing with strategy, planning and deployment while the new Department of Field Support would take on the responsibility of what Mr. Ban has called the current "impossibly overstretched" management.

Ms. Bárcena said the proposals as they relate to the regular UN budget are "cost neutral," with increases being sought from the "support account," a mechanism funded through the individual budgets of peacekeeping missions. The aim would be to reduce the current headquarters-to-field staff ratio from 1 for every 149 to 1 for every 106. An increase of $65 million is being sought.

"Yes, it includes an increase in posts and yes, it includes an increase in money, but this increase in numbers and resources in a certain way was going to be there even if the restructuring was not proposed," she said, explaining that the changes were long overdue.

Of the 495 new posts being sought, not all were to be in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, she said, noting that some 80 would go to the Office for Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the UN's investigative arm.

Ms. Bárcena also reviewed progress in improving the UN's internal justice system with steps being taken to start strengthening the Ombudsman and mediation capacity while bolstering formal judicial structures.

On a more personal note, Ms. Bárcena said she would make her own financial disclosure form public. This follows the example of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro. Others would be made public on a voluntary basis.
2007-05-16 00:00:00.000

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