SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS HEAD OF PROBE INTO ILLEGAL ARMED GROUPS IN GUATEMALA

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS HEAD OF PROBE INTO ILLEGAL ARMED GROUPS IN GUATEMALA
New York, Sep 14 2007 8:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appointed a Spanish prosecutor and judge who is currently helping the United Nations in its fight against illicit drugs to head the independent body being set up to investigate the presence and activities of illegal armed groups in Guatemala.

Carlos Castresana Fernández will take up his duties immediately as head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), starting with a week-long preparatory mission to the Central American country on Monday, according to a statement released by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.

During that mission the Commissioner will meet with officials from the Government, the judiciary and the security forces, as well as representatives of political parties, civil society and the diplomatic corps.

Mr. Castresana is currently working for the Mexico and Central America regional bureau of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), where he has coordinated a project on crime prevention and the use of illegal drugs in the Mexican state of Nuevo León.

Announcing the appointment, Mr. Ban noted Mr. Castresana's extensive experience in Spain from the early 1990s to 2005 as a criminal prosecutor and as a judge in areas directly relevant to the mandate of CICIG, such as combating corruption, drug trafficking and money laundering.

CICIG was established under an agreement between the UN and the Guatemalan Government that came into effect on 4 September. An independent, non-UN body, the Commission will be able to conduct its own investigations and also help local institutions, particularly the Office of the Public Prosecutor.

One of CICIG's tasks is to recommend public policies and any legal or institutional measures for eradicating the illegal armed groups and preventing their re-emergence. The costs are expected to be borne by voluntary contributions from the international community.

Over three decades of conflict in Guatemala ended with the signing of peace accords in December of 1996, but concern has been mounting in recent years that illegal security groups and clandestine security organizations have continued to operate with impunity, conducting criminal activities and violating human rights.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR SOLUTION 'CANNOT BE PIECEMEAL' - SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN

DARFUR SOLUTION 'CANNOT BE PIECEMEAL' – SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN
New York, Sep 14 2007 7:00PM
Only a comprehensive approach that deals with all the issues – from politics and security to economic development and the environment – will solve the Darfur conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he detailed his observations from his recent visit to the war-torn Sudanese region.

In an <"http://www.un.org/sg/press_article_darfur_sudan.shtml">opinion column for <i>The Washington Post</i>, published in today's edition, Mr. Ban said that his week-long trip to Sudan, Chad and Libya confirmed to him that the reality about Darfur is far more complicated than widely understood.

"I came away with a clear understanding," he wrote, referring to the "candid views" he heard from Sudanese officials, villagers displaced by fighters, aid workers and the leaders of neighbouring countries. "There can be no single solution to this crisis. Darfur is a case study in complexity. If peace is to come, it must take into account all the elements that gave rise to the conflict."

The Secretary-General stressed that "solutions cannot be piecemeal. The crisis grew from many causes." He cited security, inter-tribal politics, battles over scarce resources such as water, desertification and economic development as critical examples.

Mr. Ban also emphasized the importance of listening to as broad a range of society, from tribal leaders to women's groups to refugees to national officials, as possible if the solution is going to work.

"Any peace must have deep roots if it is to endure… We need a social contract for peace."

Despite the suffering that Mr. Ban witnessed on the trip, he said he believed it was still possible to succeed in ending the conflict and bringing about lasting peace.

He noted the logistical preparations already being made to deploy the historic hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID), which will have some 26,000 peacekeepers and civilian police officers to try to quell the violence in a region where at least 200,000 people have been killed and 2.2 million others made homeless since 2003.

Mr. Ban announced last week that peace negotiations between the Sudanese Government and the Darfur rebels will begin in Libya on 27 October under the auspices of the UN and AU envoys to Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim.

But he added that it was important to not neglect the fragile situation in southern Sudan, where the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is trying to help implement the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement that ended the separate and long-running civil war between the country's northern and southern regions.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN-BACKED WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION FOSTERS POLICY EXCHANGE

UN-BACKED WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION FOSTERS POLICY EXCHANGE
New York, Sep 14 2007 7:00PM
A three-day United Nations-sponsored workshop has concluded after participants exchanged information and policy recommendations on climate change adaptation measures.

Some 150 experts from developed and developing nations, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) gathered in Rome from 10-12 September to share their experiences in adaptation planning in the fields of agriculture and food security, water resources, coastal zones and health.

"The impacts of climate change – such as changes in temperature and rainfall, increasing sea level and more frequent extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods – already have the potential to affect most of the world's countries and can lead to tremendous losses in human lives and economic productivity," said Roberto Acosta, Coordinator of the Adaptation, Technology and Science Programme of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC).

The fourth report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<"http://www.ipcc.ch/">IPCC) noted that negative climate change impacts will be on the rise in the future, making planning for adapting to these changes necessary.

During the workshop, participants identified gaps and needs in current adaptation planning, and made suggestions to allow countries and communities to better strategize in the years ahead.

The UNFCCC held a conference in Cairo in June, focusing on current and future climate-related risks and extreme events. Workshops are planned for next year concentrating on methods and tools, data and observations and climate modelling and socio-economic information.

A high-level informal dialogue on climate change is scheduled for 24 September in New York to set the stage for the upcoming major December summit in Bali, Indonesia.

That meeting seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.

In a related development, a top UN official stressed the need for least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) to prepare for upcoming future climate change-related events so their views will be appropriately reflected in those meetings.

Cheikh Sidi Diarra, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS noted that even though these countries – especially small island countries and African nations – are least responsible for global warming, they are hardest hit by climate change.

Speaking at a special meeting, organized by his Office and the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), on climate change issues pertaining to these countries, the High Representative said that the issue of sea-level rise is the most urgent one facing SIDS, and its impact is already being felt. He urged that effective adaptation measures be implemented.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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NEW UN ORCHESTRA TO STRIKE A CHORD FOR WORLD PEACE

NEW UN ORCHESTRA TO STRIKE A CHORD FOR WORLD PEACE
New York, Sep 14 2007 7:00PM
Dozens of young musicians representing many of the world's regions and cultures will harmonize to form a new Orchestra for the United Nations, it was announced today.

"The Orchestra is a unique project which will galvanize support for the UN through music and multimedia projects focused on the UN's ideals, values and priorities," Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyotaka Akasaka said.

UN Volunteers (UNV) Executive Director Ad De Raad, the Director of the United in Music Foundation Geert Boogaard and Mr. Akasaka signed an agreement to launch the new orchestra, officially named "United in Music: The Orchestra for the United Nations."

When performing abroad, guest musicians from the countries being visited will perform with the Orchestra, which will not be a classical ensemble.

"We often need a thousand words to get a simple message across and sometimes we only need one language: music," said Mr. Boogaard, who conceived of the Orchestra and with the backing of the Dutch Government approached the UN. "I view music as a way to inspire people to embrace the ideals of the United Nations and to feel the need for voluntary action."

He has managed the 40-member Ricciotti Ensemble, and produced hundreds of their concerts in numerous unusual locations, ranging from the cathedral tower in Utrecht, the Netherlands, to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa to war-torn Bosnia.

Under today's agreement, the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) will provide guidance on the UN's goals, priorities, themes, observances and international events, while UNV will recruit professionally trained musicians of various nationalities.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN APPEALS FOR ALMOST $40 MILLION TO ASSIST FLOOD VICTIMS IN NICARAGUA

UN APPEALS FOR ALMOST $40 MILLION TO ASSIST FLOOD VICTIMS IN NICARAGUA
New York, Sep 14 2007 7:00PM
United Nations humanitarian agencies today appealed for more than $39 million to help Nicaraguans deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Felix, which left a deadly trail of destruction when it struck the Central American country earlier this month.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) said $22.8 million is needed to provide emergency life-saving relief for an estimated 162,000 people affected by the hurricane, while an extra $16.3 million is required for early recovery programmes over the next six months.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said he hoped international donors would respond generously to the appeal.

"As the longer-term economic impact is also bound to be grave, their assistance will prove crucial in the recovery effort that follows," said Mr. Holmes, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

The world body is drawing from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to kick-start the appeal, which is focused on helping the people of Nicaragua's North Autonomous Region on the Atlantic Coast, the region hit hardest by Felix.

Almost 8,000 houses, 6,000 latrines and 5,000 wells were damaged or completely destroyed as the winds of the category-five hurricane, which made landfall on 4 September, reached 270 kilometres per hour. So far the death toll is 67, with another 110 people recorded as missing.

OCHA said the appeal calls for help with food aid, nutrition, shelter, health, water and sanitation, education, telecommunications, security, logistics and protection. Medicines and emergency health kits are seen as priorities, as well as ensuring water quality and maintaining disease control.

For the next three months, UN agencies expect to carry out general food distribution within the affected communities in the North Autonomous Region on the Atlantic Coast, which is a predominantly poor and relatively inaccessible region, and at the evacuation centres. The UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=31">WFP) is also likely to help affected communities and households rebuild their infrastructure.

This is the 11th "flash appeal" to be issued by OCHA this year, which eclipses the previous record of 10 set in 2005. Aside from last month's appeal to help earthquake survivors in Peru, the appeals have followed climate-related disasters, such as hurricanes, drought and floods.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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NEPAL: BRIEF DEPARTURE OF MAOISTS FROM CANTONMENT SITES SPARKS UN CONCERN

NEPAL: BRIEF DEPARTURE OF MAOISTS FROM CANTONMENT SITES SPARKS UN CONCERN
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has voiced concern that large numbers of Maoist soldiers today briefly left one of the cantonment sites where they had agreed to stay as part of last year's peace accord ending the conflict in the Himalayan country.

Maoist army personnel were observed this morning outside the main cantonment site in Nawalparasi and its satellite sites in the western region of Nepal, UNMIN said in a press release, adding that it had deployed three mobile teams to monitor the situation.

"This is a serious violation of commitments made in the agreement of arms and armed personnel reached between the Maoists and their partners in the Interim Government," UNMIN stated.

The mission said it had conveyed its concerns to the political and military leadership of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which advised that it had ordered the immediate return of personnel to the cantonment sites.

Under last year's agreement ending the civil war, the Maoists agreed that their combatants would be confined at the cantonment sites, where they and their weapons can be registered and verified, in the lead-up to Constituent Assembly elections scheduled for November.

UNMIN said in its press release that "while the verification process of Maoist army personnel is proceeding well, implementing the commitments in relation to the management of arms and armed personnel, without exception, is essential to the overall peace process and in particular to preparing a free and fair atmosphere for the Constituent Assembly election."
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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SECOND ROUND OF BANGLADESHI FLOODS PROMPTS UNICEF TO SEND AID

SECOND ROUND OF BANGLADESHI FLOODS PROMPTS UNICEF TO SEND AID
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is distributing life-saving drugs, high protein biscuits and shelter equipment in Bangladesh, which is bracing itself for a potentially devastating second round of floods in the monsoon season this year.

More than one million Bangladeshis have been evacuated or are stranded as major rivers in the country and the neighbouring north-eastern region of India have again risen to alarming levels and begun to inundate swathes of nearby countryside, <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_40869.html">UNICEF said in a press statement issued today.

The Brahmaputra River, which flows from Tibet through India to Bangladesh and into the Bay of Bengal, is above the danger level in 17 places, according to officials from Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting Centre.

UNICEF said it has been providing drugs, bags of intravenous saline, high-protein biscuits, shelter equipment and 10,000 family kits, which contain blankets, cooking utensils, medicines, bandages and a water container.

Since the first round of floods, which started in June and lasted in some parts of Bangladesh until August, Government figures indicate more than 800 people have died, mostly from drowning or the effect of snake bites.

The second round of floods is expected to be extremely serious, UNICEF reported, noting that the embankments that have been rebuilt and the seedlings that have been planted since the first round of flooding could be washed away.

More than a million hectares of cropland – including newly-sown rice paddies and vegetable fields – are now in jeopardy unless the rising waters start to recede soon.

Bangladesh's delta landscape, shaped partly by the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers, leaves the country extremely prone to flooding, especially during the annual monsoon season.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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TENS OF THOUSANDS UPROOTED BY VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

TENS OF THOUSANDS UPROOTED BY VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
Increased violence has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes in the north of the Central African Republic (CAR) near the border with Chad, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) said today.

Some 12,000 people – the entire population of the area between the towns of Markounda and Silambi – have been uprooted, according to UN Humanitarian Coordinator for CAR Toby Lanzer.

Civilians have been caught in fighting between various armed groups, including both State and non-State factions from CAR and neighbouring Chad, in recent months. Late last month, it was reported that the population had escaped the violence into the bush.

The UN expressed concern for the 12,000 living along the Markounda-Silambi axis, approximately 500 kilometres north of the capital Bangui. In July, less than half of that number of people was displaced in the area, but now the entire population of the axis has been forced to flee their homes.

"Conditions are abominable – marked by constant driving rain and night-time temperatures dipping to 15 degrees Celsius," said Mr. Lanzer, who led a UN mission to the area from 7 to 10 September. "All this comes at the height of the lean season, when people are at the end of their ropes."

These internally displaced persons (IDPs) have no shelter, safe water, health care or basic necessities such as cooking utensils and soap, and a marked increase in acute respiratory infections has been reported among the displaced.

"We are approaching the harvest in the coming weeks, and people need to get to their fields. If not, hunger will inevitably follow," said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, who called for all parties in the country's north to create an atmosphere conducive to the IDPs returning home.

The UN and its partners' $83 million appeal to assist those in need is only half funded, and Mr. Holmes, who also serves as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is considering allocating Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) resources to the CAR.

Appealing for increased assistance, the UN highlighted the limited capacity of local authorities to protect and help those impacted.

In the past 18 months, nearly 300,000 people have been uprooted from their homes because of conflict within the CAR's borders, and problems in both Chad and the Darfur region of Sudan threaten to further destabilize the situation in northern CAR.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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DIFFICULT SECURITY CONDITIONS IMPEDE MUCH-NEEDED AID DELIVERY TO AFGHANS - UN

DIFFICULT SECURITY CONDITIONS IMPEDE MUCH-NEEDED AID DELIVERY TO AFGHANS – UN
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
Challenging security conditions are impeding relief workers' efforts to assess and meet humanitarian needs in remote areas in Afghanistan's south, south-east and east, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The UN mission in the Asian nation, known as UNAMA, is facing difficulties in reaching areas to verify casualties or carry out humanitarian activities, with all 53 districts in the south – except the urban areas of four of the five provincial capitals – being virtually unreachable.

OCHA also noted that both sides to the conflict are contributing to the problem. In addition, it said that continuing military operations against anti-Government groups could lead to more attacks on "softer" targets, such as the UN, and national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and there has already been a surge in kidnappings of aid workers.

Meanwhile, at a UN-backed workshop in the capital Kabul, a three-year plan to promote girls' education was developed.

"To improve the situation of girls' education in Afghanistan, it is imperative that the country develops focused interventions and addresses the barriers that prevent girls from attending schools," said Catherine Mbengue, Representative in Afghanistan for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

More than 50 representatives from Government ministries, UN agencies, NGOs and research organizations attended the workshop, which was set up by UNICEF and the Education Ministry in collaboration with the Girls' Education Initiative Working Group.

The education plan tries to accelerate girls' enrolment by promoting girl-friendly schools, providing nutrition services, training female teachers and teaching girls currently not attending school.

During the time of the Taliban, girls were not allowed to officially register in schools, and Government figures show that no girls were enrolled in 2001 in Afghanistan, which is now rebuilding after three decades of conflict.

Girls' enrolment in schools has surged in the past five years. But boys still outnumber them two to one at the primary school level, while there are three times as many boys as girls at the lower secondary level and four times at the higher secondary level.

In a related development, best-selling author and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Envoy Khaled Hosseini, wrapped up a 10-day tour of northern Afghanistan with a warning that the international community must maintain its efforts to help the country.

"Afghanistan is at a crossroads," he said. "There are some signs of disillusionment both in Afghanistan and within the international community. But a long-term engagement is absolutely critical if the country is to continue moving in the right direction."

The author and his family left Afghanistan in 1976, seeking asylum four years later in the United States, and his new novel, <i>A Thousand Splendid Suns</i>, is an account of two women over the span of three decades in the war-torn country.

During this trip, the author, who is also a qualified medical doctor, visited UNHCR project sites and met with returnees in the northern provinces of Kunduz, Baghlan, Balkh, Parwan and Kabul.

"We are rebuilding our lives but we need help," a village elder told Mr. Hosseini in Dharkhat in Baghlan province. "We get our drinking water from a village across the river. This often makes us sick. And when we get sick we cannot see doctors or get medicine."

The Goodwill Ambassador noted that in spite of improvements, the refugees faced much many more hurdles than he had anticipated. "There are of course signs of progress but many are frustrated at the slow pace of change and difficult living conditions," he said. "Homelessness, landlessness and lack of jobs continue to be major problems."

Despite the hardships faced by many Afghans, Mr. Hosseini said that he was buoyed by their hopeful attitudes.

"Afghan people are by their nature optimistic and resourceful and they continue to believe that the future holds better things for them," he said.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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DARFURIAN REBEL LEADER TRAVELS TO KENYA FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT, SAYS UN MISSION

DARFURIAN REBEL LEADER TRAVELS TO KENYA FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT, SAYS UN MISSION
New York, Sep 14 2007 5:00PM
The United Nations Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS) announced today that one of its aircraft has flown the key Darfurian elder and rebel figure Suleiman Jamous to Kenya for medical treatment, in line with an agreement reached last week by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

Mr. Jamous left the UN hospital at Kadugli, the capital of Southern Kordofan state, for the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, for further treatment today.

Last week, during his visit to Sudan, Mr. Ban said Mr. Bashir's decision to allow Mr. Jamous to leave the country will "create conditions conducive to peace negotiations." Mr. Jamous is a leading member of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).

Earlier this month, UN and African Union (AU) envoys Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim had vowed to pursue the case of Mr. Jamous, who had been detained by Sudanese authorities, "in view of the role Mr. Jamous can play in the political process."

The political negotiations between the Government and Darfur's many rebel groups are slated to take place in Libya on 27 October under the lead of Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim.

The talks are designed to try to resolve the underlying issues – including a lack of economic development and scarce resources such as water – driving the conflict that since 2003 has led to the deaths of more than 200,000 people.

Another 2.2 million Sudanese have had to flee their homes because of the fighting between the rebels, Government forces and allied militias known as the Janjaweed. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued warrants for the arrest of two suspects over alleged war crimes in Darfur, and the UN and AU are setting up a hybrid peacekeeping force (UNAMID) to quell the violence.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN SENDS DISASTER ASSESSMENT TEAM TO GHANA TO RESPOND TO FLOODING

UN SENDS DISASTER ASSESSMENT TEAM TO GHANA TO RESPOND TO FLOODING
New York, Sep 14 2007 4:00PM
The United Nations has deployed a six-member disaster assessment and coordination (UNDAC) team to north-eastern Ghana, which has been hit hardest by the floods that have followed a week of torrential rains across West Africa late last month.

Thousands of homes in Ghana's Upper East Region were destroyed after the rains struck, several major bridges have collapsed and large areas of cropland have been destroyed, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1080">OCHA) reported today.

More than 260,000 Ghanaians have been affected, according to Government figures, and the UNDAC team is expected to meet the country's own disaster officials today to coordinate the response.

Already the Government and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have begun distributing aid, including food, within the Upper East Region, and helping people displaced by the floods. A particular concern is the potential for an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

Torrential rains struck at least 11 countries in West Africa in the last week of August, OCHA reported, and in total over 500,000 people have been affected. The other countries involved are Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON LAUNCHES 'UNPRECEDENTED' GROUP TO BOOST AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT

BAN KI-MOON LAUNCHES 'UNPRECEDENTED' GROUP TO BOOST AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT
New York, Sep 14 2007 3:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=2734">convened international development leaders for the inaugural session of a new steering group to boost Africa's as yet failing efforts to meet the ambitious goals the world has set itself to slash poverty, hunger, maternal and infant mortality, and other social ills, all by 2015.

This was an "unprecedented gathering," Mr. Ban told reporters after chairing the meeting of the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs) Africa Steering Group, bringing together top officials from the African Union, European Union, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, International Monetary Fund (<"http://www.imf.org/">IMF) and <"http://www.worldbank.org/">World Bank.

"We are concerned that many African countries are off track, particularly for the countries in sub-Saharan regions. That is the only region in the world where not even a single country is on the track. We must help those countries so that they can join on the track," he added, noting that the Group had agreed to strengthen their collaboration to expedite the achievement of the MDGs adopted by the UN Millennium Summit of 2000.

The first of three challenges the Group resolved to address is to identify effective mechanisms for implementing the MDGs for health, education, agriculture and food security, infrastructure and statistical systems.

Five of the eight goals seek to cut by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day and suffering from hunger; ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling; cut the mortality rate among children under five by two thirds; reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters; and halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

"Our organizations will work together to review international implementation mechanisms and support Governments in making the investments needed to achieve the MDGs," the leaders said in a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sg2131.doc.htm">joint statement. "We will determine how these mechanisms can be strengthened where they are falling short, and where new ones need to be added."

The second challenge they set themselves is to improve aid predictability. "Our organizations will make our own aid more predictable," they said. "We will also work with other donors to help establish country-by-country schedules for official development assistance to rise to meet existing commitments, so that African Governments can plan effectively for the practical investments needed to achieve the MDGs."

Thirdly they pledged to strengthen joint efforts at the country level. "Starting in a sub-set of African countries, we will launch an intensive collaboration among our organizations to support Governments in preparing and implementing strategies that are ambitious enough to achieve the MDGs," they declared.

"Just past the midpoint to the target date of 2015, it is of paramount importance that we focus on practical steps to implement existing pledges," they added. "With the launch of the MDG Africa Steering Group, we reaffirm our commitment to spare no effort in reaching the MDGs in Africa."

The leaders pledged to mobilize their institutions in cooperation and partnership. "We know that rapid progress is possible, and will work with other world leaders to use all the tools, resources and commitments available to support African countries in halving extreme poverty by 2015, and in charting a path towards sustained economic growth."

A MDG Africa Working Group, led by the Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, who was also present during today's discussions, will meet on 20 September to launch operational work, brining together top leaders of the Group's organizations plus other bodies such as the 30-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of industrialized, market-economy countries.

All those attending praised Mr. Ban's move. "This is an excellent initiative," World Bank President Robert Zoellick told reporters afterwards. "It is certainly a timely one."

African Union Commissioner for Economic Affairs Maxwell Mkwezalamba noted that international support had not been forthcoming as promised. "This has been one of our major concerns. You look at the commitments made since Monterrey in 2002, the Gleneagles summit in 2005, we find that there is not much that has come to Africa," he said, referring to major international economic conferences.

"And this indeed is something that needs to be addressed if Africa will attain the MDGs by the target date of 2015."

European Union Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel stressed that not only would the donors have to fulfil their promised but the African countries also had to make every effort to reach the targets. Toward this end, he stressed the importance of trade.

"We have a special focus for aid for trade," he said. "There cannot be a sustainable development in the developing countries without very strong support on trade, because trade can of course bring prosperity and jobs and also can give to the states the means they need in order to bring the basic services to the people."
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS PROSECUTORS AT UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNALS

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS PROSECUTORS AT UN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNALS
New York, Sep 14 2007 2:00PM
The Security Council today agreed to extend the mandates of the current chief prosecutors at the United Nations war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

By a resolution adopted with 14 votes in favour and only the Russian Federation abstaining, the Council agreed to <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9115.doc.htm">extend the mandate of Carla Del Ponte at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) until 31 December this year, in line with a request from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The resolution noted "the need to ensure a smooth transition between the departure of Ms. Carla Del Ponte and the assumption of office of her successor" and that Mr. Ban intends to submit the name of his nominee to succeed Ms. Del Ponte.

Ms. Del Ponte, whose mandate began in 1999, is the third chief prosecutor at the <"http://www.un.org/icty/">ICTY, which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands.

Explaining his abstention, the representative of the Russian Federation said his country had doubts about Ms. Del Ponte's understanding of her mandate.

"Instead of carrying out the profoundly professional duties of a jurist employed by the international community to support an impartial prosecution in the Tribunal, for the present Chief Prosecutor, the priority has become functions of being some kind of quasi-political player who has had the audacity to write a prescription in the area of international relations," he said.

In another action, Hassan Bubacar Jallow was <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sc9114.doc.htm">re-appointed to a four-year term at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (<"http://69.94.11.53/default.htm">ICTR), effective from tomorrow, after a resolution passed unanimously by Council members.

The resolution allows for Mr. Jallow's appointment to be terminated if the ICTR, which is based in Arusha, Tanzania, completes its work before September 2011.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN-BUILT PRISON TRAINING CENTRE OPENS IN SOUTHERN SUDAN

UN-BUILT PRISON TRAINING CENTRE OPENS IN SOUTHERN SUDAN
New York, Sep 14 2007 2:00PM
A prison staff training centre in southern Sudan has opened as part of efforts by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to rehabilitate the country's dilapidated prison service and to help reintegrate former combatants from the north-south civil war into civilian life.

The Lologo regional training centre, which opened yesterday, is expected to receive up to 1,500 ex-soldiers from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the former rebel group from the south, over the next six months, UNDP said in a press release.

The first 550 ex-soldiers have started on a three-month orientation course, while specialist courses will also be offered soon to train instructors, welfare officers, medical officers and management.

<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2007/september/sudan-prisons-20070913.en">UNDP is jointly funding the project with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the training will be undertaken by instructors from the Sudanese prison service and staff from the rule of law and corrections team with the UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmis/">UNMIS).

Jafet Enriquez, UNDP's Head of Office, said the agency "is committed to supporting the building of effective and accountable governance and rule of law institutions."

He announced that the agency is building its second prison centre in Rumbek, southern Sudan.

The prison service improvement programme is part of UNDP's efforts to implement the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement that ended the 21-year civil war between north and south in Sudan.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN FUND APPROVES NEARLY $200 MILLION IN GRANTS AND LOANS TO HELP RURAL POOR

UN FUND APPROVES NEARLY $200 MILLION IN GRANTS AND LOANS TO HELP RURAL POOR
New York, Sep 14 2007 1:00PM
The United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) announced that it has approved almost $200 million in grants and loans to support initiatives to bolster the living conditions of the rural poor in more than a dozen countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Near East.

In West and Central Africa, <"http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2007/38.htm">IFAD will make $5.7 million in loans and $15 million in grants available.

Some 28,000 farmers in the Woleu-Ntem province of Gabon will receive funding to help diversify their incomes through the development and marketing of new products form such staple crops as bananas, cassava and peanuts.

In Guinea, a grant will help finance a project to bolster local governance in rural areas while in Guinea-Bissau, one of the world's poorest nations, another grant will assist 100,000 rural people build their communities through rehabilitating infrastructure and bolstering grassroots organizations.

Lesotho, Uganda, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Pakistan, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Armenia, Morocco and Yemen will also receive IFAD grants or loans.

Additionally, the fund approved six grants to international centres conducting agricultural research and development activities in rural areas in poor nations.

IFAD supports nearly 200 ongoing rural poverty eradication programmes and projects, worth $6 billion, to reach 82 million rural poor people worldwide.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN FOOD AID REACHES TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ETHIOPIAN FLOOD VICTIMS

UN FOOD AID REACHES TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ETHIOPIAN FLOOD VICTIMS
New York, Sep 14 2007 12:00PM
Distribution of food for more than 60,000 Ethiopian flood victims has started amid some overcrowding in temporary shelters and the threat of an outbreak of water-borne diseases, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) <" http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LSGZ-772E6F?OpenDocument&cc=eth">reported today.

More than180,000 people in Amhara, Afar and Tigray in northern Ethiopia, in Gambella in the west and in the Southern Nations region in the south were hit by the seasonal floods and 42,000 people have been displaced. Some are living in temporary shelters such as schools and mobile health clinics or under plastic sheeting, while others have been taken in by relatives or friends.

"Food distributions have started to the women, children and men hardest hit by the floods and WFP will work with the concerned authorities to do whatever needs to be done," <" http://www.wfp.org/country_brief/indexcountry.asp?country=231">WFP Ethiopia Country Director Mohamed Diab said.

WFP is part of a Government-led assessment team travelling to the three flood-affected regions to determine the extent of needs following the flooding and its longer-term impact.

"We are waiting for the return of the assessment mission to see what more needs to be done by the Government and humanitarian partners," Mr. Diab said. "The floods hit most parts of the country, but in some areas it appears that communities were better prepared and avoided widespread displacement and loss of life."

To date, the death toll has reached 17 people, while some 4,000 head of livestock have been drowned or washed away and 34,000 hectares of land have been damaged.

The number of displaced in Amhara Region is rising, leading to overcrowding in temporary shelters and the threat of outbreaks of serious communicable and water-borne diseases such as acute watery diarrhoea and malaria. Some estimates show that 100 to 200 people are displaced each day.

There are also fears that the increased water levels of the Omo and Wabelle Shabele rivers could lead to more flooding.

In 2006, Ethiopia experienced some of the heaviest and most intense flooding that it has ever seen. More than 600 people were killed and there was also extensive damage to infrastructure and property.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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DARFUR OFFERS BOTH CHALLENGES AND EXPERIENCE TO POLICE, UN CHIEF IN SUDAN SAYS

DARFUR OFFERS BOTH CHALLENGES AND EXPERIENCE TO POLICE, UN CHIEF IN SUDAN SAYS
New York, Sep 14 2007 12:00PM
The challenges faced by peacekeepers in the upcoming joint United Nations-African Union mission to Darfur cannot be underestimated but the opportunity for police officers to gain invaluable mission experience in what will be the largest UN Police contingent ever are also clear, the UN's top police officer in Sudan has said, as he urged Member States to provide experienced personnel for the operation.

"There are two advantages of getting experienced international police officers for this mission. First of all, it's an advantage for achieving the mandate and so it's good for the people of Darfur who certainly deserve to have peace," UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://www.unmis.org/english/en-main.htm">UNMIS) Police Commissioner Kai Vittrup told the UN News Service. The Darfur mission will involve the largest UN Police contingent ever with over 6,400 officers.

"Second, it's good for officers to be involved in the biggest <"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/police/index.shtml">UN Police mission. They will gain experience and develop capacity in dealing with implementing a very difficult operation. This will benefit the officers when they return to their national forces because they'll have experiences that no-one else will get or will take years to get."

"They'll have the experience of working together with police officers from all over the world, they'll develop good relations, good co-operation with other cultures and they'll have a broader view of national diversity when they return home after one or two years," added the experienced Danish officer who is involved in preparing for the UN's heavy support package to Darfur.

The lack of infrastructure in the western region is just one challenge to overcome, noted Mr. Vittrup, while also highlighting the need for all officers on the mission to be culturally sensitive and in particular to work with the local communities and get their involvement in solving problems.

"We have to remember that we are guests invited by the government of Sudan and as guests we have to set a good example. Another thing is that wearing the blue beret means you are representing the UN and if you fail in your behaviour and fail in what you're doing, the UN will be blamed."

Despite the myriad difficulties however, the key message for Member States' police officers who take part in the hybrid African Union-UN peacekeeping force in Darfur (to be known as UNAMID) is to remember why they are there in the first place, says Mr. Vittrup.

"We are going there to support in the final peace agreement, the political side of course will have to solve the problem. Going there I consider a calculated risk which I would have to take and that's it, because even in my country working as a police officer it's a calculated risk too."

"From the highest ranking officers to the lowest, when they return to their homes, they'll be very proud of what they have done in Darfur. They'll have been there in the service of peace and they'll have made a difference for the people and for the benefit of Sudan, I think that's very, very important and something to be proud of."
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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AS DROUGHTS INTENSIFY, WATER AND SOIL MANAGEMENT VITAL TO ENSURE FOOD - UN

AS DROUGHTS INTENSIFY, WATER AND SOIL MANAGEMENT VITAL TO ENSURE FOOD - UN
New York, Sep 14 2007 12:00PM
With more intense, longer droughts searing ever-larger areas since the 1970s, particularly in the tropics, one of the most important issues facing the world today is the need to ensure food security through the sustainable management of water and soil resources, according to the top United Nations meteorological official.

The year 2007 has already seen a high number of extreme events, such as droughts in parts of southern Africa leading to a reduction in maize production of about 40 to 60 per cent in Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, UN World Meteorological Organization (<"http://www.wmo.ch/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr794_e.html">WMO) Secretary-General Michel Jarraud told a conference of member countries of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (<"http://www.unccd.int">UNCCD), closing in Madrid today.

He noted that WMO contributed to the understanding of interactions between climate and land degradation through dedicated observations of the climate system, proper assessment and management of water resources, advances in climate science and prediction, and promotion of capacity-building in the application of meteorological and hydrological data to drought preparedness and management.

The Conference welcomed the WMO International <" http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/wcp/agm/meetings/wocald06/wocald06_en.html">Workshop on Climate and Land Degradation held in Arusha last year, which recommended various steps including use of historical climate data and change scenarios for strategic planning, targeted weather forecasts at all levels and at very local scales to help make appropriate decisions, and improved gathering of detailed rainfall intensity data to assess surface erosion.

In a message to the Conference earlier this week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the linked scourges of desertification and climate change are impeding the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals">MDGs), which seek to slash world poverty and hunger, infant andf maternal mortality and lack of access to education and health care, all by 2015.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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TOP UN OFFICIAL URGES HUMAN RIGHTS BODY TO BEGIN COUNTRY REVIEWS

TOP UN OFFICIAL URGES HUMAN RIGHTS BODY TO BEGIN COUNTRY REVIEWS
New York, Sep 14 2007 12:00PM
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today urged the Human Rights Council to press forward with its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, which allows the human rights records of every country to be scrutinized.

"We are acutely aware that the credibility of the United Nations human rights system hinges upon satisfactory implementation of the review, since the UPR has the potential to greatly influence and address human rights situations on the ground," she told the Council which is currently meeting in its sixth session in Geneva.

Under this new mechanism, over the course of four years, all UN Member States – at the rate of 48 a year – will be reviewed to assess whether they have fulfilled their human rights obligations.

"Through the UPR all UN Member States will now be reviewed in the same comprehensive manner on the basis of universal and equal parameters and standards," she said. "At the same time, countries under review will be fully involved in what is envisaged as a participatory and inclusive review process."

In her address to the 47-member body, the High Commissioner also highlighted problems faced by countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Iran and Myanmar.

On the DRC, Ms. Arbour voiced concern over the lack of progress in the vast Central Africa nation which is seeking to rebuild after a brutal six year civil war that killed 4 million in fighting, attendant hunger and disease.

The High Commissioner pointed out that no perpetrators who committed serious crimes committed in the first half of this year have been arrested and brought to justice. "Interference by military and political authorities in the administration of justice is prevalent, particularly in high-profile cases," she noted. "Recent trials raise serious questions about the independence of the judiciary."

While visiting Teheran, Iran's capital, earlier this month, Ms. Arbour met with senior Government officials as well as with local women's rights defenders on how to improve respect for human rights. She expressed to them her particular concerns regarding the death penalty being applied to juveniles and the need to defend the right to peaceful public expression, she told the Council, which began its session on 10 September.

Ms. Arbour also said that she has been following the suppression of peaceful protests in Myanmar with mounting concern. "I urge the authorities to release detainees and political prisoners and ensure respect for fundamental rights," she told the Council, whose three-week session wraps up on 28 September.

In a related development, UN independent experts today jointly called on Myanmar to immediately release over 150 people brutally arrested last month after protesting the surge in fuel prices.

"It is shocking that peaceful demonstrators have received life sentences in trials without any basic guarantee of the due process of law and that local journalists were prevented from reporting on these measures," three Special Rapporteurs said in a joint statement.

Noting the "important and courageous role" that women, student leaders and monks played in the protests, the experts said that the "Myanmar authorities should be proud of its vibrant civil society and engage without hesitations in a constructive and transparent dialogue with all parties so as to lay down a roadmap for a healthy and empowered democratic society, for the benefit of the country and the region at large.

They also warned that Myanmar can push forward with political transition unless "ordinary people have the space to express their views and discontent, peacefully and in public."

The three experts who issued today's statement are Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar; Ambeyi Ligabo, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; and Leandro Despouy, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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NEW UN-BACKED GUIDELINES ISSUED TO TACKLE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN CONFLICTS, DISASTERS

NEW UN-BACKED GUIDELINES ISSUED TO TACKLE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN CONFLICTS, DISASTERS
New York, Sep 14 2007 11:00AM
United Nations and other international humanitarian agencies have agreed on a new set of <"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr46/en/index.html">guidelines to address the mental health and psychosocial needs of survivors in response to emergencies such as conflicts or disasters, identifying useful practices and flagging potentially harmful ones.

With a clear focus on social interventions and support, they emphasize the importance of building on local resources such as teachers, health workers, healers, and women's groups to promote psychosocial well-being, and include ways to protect and care for people with severe trauma-induced mental disorders and provide psychological first aid for those in acute distress.

"The new guidelines present a major step forward to much better protect the mental health and psychosocial well-being of displaced persons using an integrated approach in collaboration with all partners," UN High Commissioner of Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) Deputy Director for International Protection Services Ruvendrini Menikdiwela said of The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings.

"These new IASC guidelines are a significant step towards providing better care and support to people in disaster- and conflict-affected areas worldwide," UN World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director-General for Health Action in Crises Ala Alwan added.

Recent conflicts and natural disasters in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Sudan among many others involve substantial psychological and social suffering in the short term, which if not adequately addressed can lead to long-term mental health and psychosocial problems, threatening peace, people's human rights and development, WHO warned.

The guidelines, published by the IASC, a committee that is responsible for world-wide humanitarian policy and consists of heads of relevant UN and other intergovernmental agencies, Red Cross and Red Crescent agencies, and non-governmental organization consortia, were developed by staff from 27 agencies.

They stress that treating survivors with dignity and enabling them to participate in and organize emergency support is essential and highlight the difficulties of coordinating mental health and psychosocial support in large emergencies involving numerous agencies when affected populations can be overwhelmed by outsiders and local contributions to mental health and psychosocial support are easily marginalized or undermined.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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NUMBER OF CHOLERA CASES IN NORTHERN IRAQ DOUBLES, BUT DEATH TOLL REMAINS STATIC - UN

NUMBER OF CHOLERA CASES IN NORTHERN IRAQ DOUBLES, BUT DEATH TOLL REMAINS STATIC – UN
New York, Sep 14 2007 11:00AM
The number of people struck by a cholera outbreak in Northern Iraq has doubled to 16,000 people but the death toll remains the same at 10, the United Nations health agency reported today.

"The good news was that, although the disease has spread, the number of deaths has remained the same," UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Fadéla Chaib told a news <"http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/6789CFCC5031B504C125735600401C54?OpenDocument">briefing in Geneva.

That is an indication that the measures taken to deal with the outbreak are having an effect, she said.

WHO's representative for Iraq, who is normally based in Amman, has made a number of trips to the north of Iraq as well as to Baghdad to talk to the authorities and coordinate with them on this issue.

WHO has also pre-positioned 10 Interagency Diarrhoeal Disease kits, each with the capacity to treat 100 severe cases, in order to ensure adequate supplies of essential drugs and other medical and laboratory supplies.

Between 23 August and 10 September, at least 6,000 people have been reported with diarrhoeal diseases in Sulemaniya province and almost 7,000 in Kirkuk province. Since 6 September the outbreak has spread to Erbil province, causing at least 3,000 cases. On Monday WHO put the number of infected at over 7,000 and said the epidemic put over 2.8 million people at risk from exposure to the infectious and sometimes fatal disease.

It is unclear what caused the outbreak, but initial investigation show some evidence that, in Sulemaniya, polluted water that residents were forced to rely on due to a shortage of drinking water may have been to blame. In Kirkuk, cracked water pipes allowed contamination by sewage, and because of the close geographic proximity the outbreak spread to Erbil.

The continuous movement of people and cargo, bad sanitary conditions and high temperatures may increase the possibility of spreading the disease rapidly to other areas such as Baghdad and the central provinces, health officials have warned.

<"http://www.who.int/topics/cholera/en">Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It causes watery diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given. About 80 to 90 per cent of cases are mild or moderate and are difficult to distinguish clinically from other types of acute diarrhoea. Less than 20 per cent of ill people develop typical cholera with signs of moderate or severe dehydration.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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THOUSANDS OF DISPLACED CONGOLESE RECEIVE FOOD AID BUT FEARS PERSIST FOR OTHERS, UN WARNS

THOUSANDS OF DISPLACED CONGOLESE RECEIVE FOOD AID BUT FEARS PERSIST FOR OTHERS, UN WARNS
New York, Sep 14 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) <" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2637">warned today that although many of the tens of thousands of people displaced by fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent days have now received emergency rations, there are serious concerns for those who remain beyond its reach due to insecurity.

"We are dealing with a humanitarian emergency that could spiral out of control unless we get proper access to the worst-affected areas," said WFP Country Director Charles Vincent. "We are working round the clock to reach people who have fled with virtually nothing. Across the east, the situation is getting worse every day for innocent civilians caught up in this conflict. There are too many we are currently unable to reach."

WFP urgently requires an additional $12 million for immediate regional purchase of food and further borrowings from neighbouring WFP operations to provide full rations to the needy, mostly in the east, until the end of the year.

Fighting among the Congolese army, renegade troops and rebels in North Kivu Province has forced many thousands to flee in fear from their villages in search of safety. Over 50,000 have gathered around the village of Mugunga, 10 kilometres west of the provincial capital Goma, after escaping fighting in Masisi district.

By yesterday evening, WFP had distributed a 10-day ration of maize flour, peas, oil and salt to more than 35,000 people at Mugunga, but poor security has severely limited access beyond Mugunga to the worst-affected areas of Masisi, where at least 7,000 more people are believed to be living in the bush in urgent need of food and other aid.

An additional 30,000 people are believed to have fled Masisi into South Kivu, where WFP is working through its partners to reach them with urgent food aid but access to the vast majority of displaced there remains restricted by insecurity. In most cases, WFP requires armed escorts from the UN mission in DRC (<" http://www.monuc.org/Home.aspx?lang=en">MONUC) to reach them.

Preliminary reports from outlying areas of North Kivu, where large numbers of people are known to be displaced, indicate an alarming increase in rates of acute malnutrition, reaching close to 19 per cent in some cases, well past the emergency threshold. The situation in South Kivu is little better, with rates climbing to 17 per cent.

People's health and immune systems are being eroded by constant displacement and being forced to sleep out in the bush to avoid attacks, making children even more vulnerable to malnutrition. The agricultural economy that the vast majority depends on has been all but destroyed in many areas.

The crisis brings the total of people displaced in the Kivus to close to 1 million, two-thirds of them in North Kivu where 300,000 have fled their homes since November last year alone. The need for food in DRC, predominantly in the east, has tripled in the past year and these most recent displacements put an ever greater strain on WFP resources. Rations distributed to the longer-term displaced have been halved in order to eke out stocks.

Even after using recent contributions to organize food loans from neighbouring WFP offices in the region to cover the increased needs, the DRC operation still faces breaks in food supplies.

Meanwhile the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) reported today that most of the 35,000 Congolese who fled from the fighting to Uganda have now returned home, gradually crossing the border as fighting died down.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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AT LEAST 56 DIE AS PERILOUS PEOPLE SMUGGLING RESUMES ACROSS GULF OF ADEN, UN REPORTS

AT LEAST 56 DIE AS PERILOUS PEOPLE SMUGGLING RESUMES ACROSS GULF OF ADEN, UN REPORTS
New York, Sep 14 2007 10:00AM
At least 56 Africans have died violently, some reportedly beaten or doused with acid by smugglers, as the new season of people smuggling gathers steam across the Gulf of Aden in a perilous exodus that takes tens of thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians to Yemen every year, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

In the past 10 days the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recorded the arrival of 12 boats carrying 925 Somalis, Ethiopians and others. Another smuggler's boat apparently failed to reach Yemen after encountering problems about 100 kilometres west of Bosaso in Somalia's Puntland region. The trafficking regularly resumes in September after the summer's storms subside.

At least 100 Somalis aboard one vessel reportedly made it back to shore in Somalia after being adrift for six days. "Many of them had been beaten, and some were reportedly doused with acid by the smugglers," UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46ea55294.html">told a news briefing in Geneva. "The bodies of those who did not survive the six-day ordeal were reportedly thrown overboard. We do not have the numbers of those who died there."

The most recent arrivals in Yemen said they had been beaten by smugglers during the trip and 24 people on their boat died – three from beatings, 11 who had been crammed into the hold, and 10 who drowned in deep waters offshore. Once they reached shore, they came under fire from Yemeni military forces, they told UNHCR.

The migrants, mostly from volatile areas in strife-torn Somalia and the increasingly unstable Ogaden zone in Ethiopia, said they paid between $70 and $150 to make the crossing. Two Sudanese among the group said they wanted to seek asylum in Yemen.

"The deaths in the Gulf of Aden are a reminder of the risks taken every year by thousands of people resorting to smugglers in the Gulf of Aden, the Mediterranean and other waters," Mr. Redmond declared, noting that in recent months international agencies working in Somalia had set up a joint task force to better address the problem.

UNHCR has scaled up its presence to some 25 staff in Somalia's northern Puntland region and is preparing as a first step, along with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org">OCHA) and International Organization for Migration (IOM), an information campaign to warn people of the risks they face in using smugglers.

Leaflets are being prepared for distribution by outreach teams all over Puntland and Somaliland, also in the north. Radio spots are being developed and UNHCR is working on improving access to asylum and basic services inside Somalia for those in need of international protection. This could offer a safer alternative for refugees and internally displaced.

"While we are hoping that such measures will decrease the number of departures, they will be far from sufficient to bring the movement to a halt," Mr. Redmond stressed. "Root causes like war, human rights violations, persecution and poverty force people to leave their homes, and unless these are properly addressed, the tragedy will continue."

So far this year more than 10,000 people have reportedly arrived in Yemen in 103 boats. At least 282 people died and 159 remain missing and presumed dead. In 2006, nearly 29,000 people were recorded arriving in Yemen in 237 boats, at least 328 died and 310 others were recorded as missing.

Somalis registered at the UNHCR's reception centre in Yemen said they left due to conflict, arbitrary killings, the threat of detention, drought and lack of work. Somalis account for half the migrant flow and most have fled conflict in southern and central parts of the country, including Mogadishu, the capital. There are nearly 90,000 registered refugees in Yemen, almost all of them Somalis.
2007-09-14 00:00:00.000

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UN OFFICIAL URGES INTENSIFIED ACTION AGAINST OZONE-DEPLETING SUBSTANCES

UN OFFICIAL URGES INTENSIFIED ACTION AGAINST OZONE-DEPLETING SUBSTANCES
New York, Sep 13 2007 6:00PM
As representatives from almost 200 Governments prepare to gather next week in Montreal, Canada on the 20th anniversary of the United Nations-backed treaty to protect the world's ozone layer, a senior UN official today called for intensified action to eliminate the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which damage it.

In September 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed upon, and up to 191 States who are party to the treaty will attend a five-day conference kicking off on 17 September.

"The Montreal Protocol is without doubt one of the most successful multilateral treaties ever and I look forward to celebrating, in mid-September, two decades of achievement in the Canadian city where it was born," said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=517&ArticleID=5665&l=en">UNEP).

Participants will discuss a recently-released UNEP report which details the benefits of accelerating the phase-out of HCFCs, chemicals used to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are more damaging to ozone.

Under the Montreal Protocol, HCFCs – which are widely used in refrigeration systems and air conditioners – are scheduled to be eliminated in developing countries in 2030 and in developing ones in 2040.

However, the new study points to the advantages of pushing the dates forward by a decade. Global greenhouse emissions could be slashed by more than 3.5 per cent, and the report notes that speeding up the transition to HCFC alternatives could stimulate technological advances as well as return ozone levels to health pre-1980 levels several years earlier.

The Montreal Protocol's "success story is far from over with new and wide-ranging chapters still to be written," Mr. Steiner said. "Indeed if governments adopt accelerated action on HCFCs, we can look forward to not only a faster recovery of the ozone layer, but a further important contribution to the climate change challenge."

Events celebrating the 20th anniversary of the treaty will include special seminars and award ceremonies t recognize the achievements in raising awareness about ozone and the Montreal Protocol.

The celebration comes in advance of a high-level meeting on climate change to be convened in New York by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 24 September.

It is hoped these meetings will set the stage for the upcoming major December summit in Bali, Indonesia, which seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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BAN KI-MOON DONATES AWARD MONEY TO UN AGENCY HELPING SLUM DWELLERS IN KENYA

BAN KI-MOON DONATES AWARD MONEY TO UN AGENCY HELPING SLUM DWELLERS IN KENYA
New York, Sep 13 2007 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will donate $100,000 he was awarded today by the Pony Chung Scholarship Foundation to help a United Nations agency working to better conditions in a slum in Kenya, a spokesperson for the world body announced.

Mr. Ban was recognized by the Foundation, which was established by the Hyundai Corporation, with the Pony Chung Innovation Award given to individuals who bring about innovative and effective changes in the realm of politics, economics, society and culture.

"The award includes a monetary prize of $100,000, all of which the Secretary-General has had transferred to UN-HABITAT," the UN Human Settlements Programme, spokesperson Michele Montas told a press briefing.

"The money will be used for skills training for poor youth in Nairobi's Kibera slum, which the Secretary-General visited on his first trip after taking office," she noted.

During the January visit to that slum – one of the largest on the African continent – Mr. Ban urged residents not to lose hope and pledged to work harder than ever to eradicate global poverty and other social ills.

"I feel very much humbled by what I am seeing now. That makes me resolve again my firm commitment to work for the improvement of the living conditions, education, water, sanitation, housing – all these are the challenges which we must overcome," Mr. Ban said.

The Secretary-General was selected for the award in December 2006 for his accomplishments while he served in the Government of the Republic of Korea.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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SUDANESE CHILDREN STILL ENDURING GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS - UN REPORT

SUDANESE CHILDREN STILL ENDURING GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS – UN REPORT
New York, Sep 13 2007 5:00PM
Sudanese children continue to face grave violations of their human rights, from being recruited and used by armed forces and groups to suffering rape or sexual abuse at their hands, according to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2007/520">report on children and armed conflict in the African country.

Mr. Ban says the situation in general for Sudanese children "is showing small signs of improvement," but cases of killings, abductions and rapes are still being recorded and the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region means there is limited humanitarian access to children at risk.

The Secretary-General urges all the parties to the Darfur conflict – where more than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others made homeless – "to take concrete steps" to protect the rights of children in the war-torn and impoverished region on Sudan's western flank.

Given that, the report welcomes the action plan on child recruitment and reintegration that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reached with the Minawi wing of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), the faction of the rebel group that signed the Darfur Peace Agreement with the Sudanese Government last year.

But he calls on the signatories to the agreement to carry it out immediately so that child soldiers can be released and allowed to reintegrate with their families.

In the report Mr. Ban voices deep concern that "sexual violence against women and girls continues with impunity throughout the country," and especially in Darfur, where rebel groups have been fighting Government forces and allied Janjaweed militia since 2003.

He calls on Khartoum to step up its efforts to enforce the rule of law, including by establishing child and women protection units within the police force and by training social workers and judicial officials.

In the south, where a comprehensive peace agreement in January 2005 ended a 21-year civil war, Mr. Ban says rights violations are more of an inter-communal nature, resulting from years of conflict and the consequent breakdown of the rule of law.

He urges both the Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan, which were formed following the peace accord, to end the recruitment and use of children in their armed forces in line with the provisions of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict – which Sudan has ratified.

The two Governments should also undertake an independent verification exercise with the support of UNICEF and the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to assess and identify those children currently in the armed forces or their allied groups and to set up a regular monitoring system, Mr. Ban says.

He also reiterates previously expressed concerns that children continue to be systematically abducted or kidnapped in both the south and in Darfur, and urges the Government and armed groups to end that practice immediately.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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BOLSTERED EFFORTS CRUCIAL TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE AND STABILITY IN BURUNDI - UN

BOLSTERED EFFORTS CRUCIAL TO CONSOLIDATE PEACE AND STABILITY IN BURUNDI – UN
New York, Sep 13 2007 3:00PM
Intensified efforts are crucial to consolidate peace in Burundi and thwart a relapse into violence and chaos, the leader of a United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) fact-finding mission to the small Central African nation, which suffered decades of ethnic conflict pitting the Hutu majority against the Tutsi minority, said today.

Ambassador Johan L. Løvald, Permanent Representative of Norway, visited Burundi for the fourth time in less than a year from 5-7 September on behalf of the PBC, which was created to prevent countries emerging from civil war and other conflicts from sliding back into bloodshed.

He told reporters in New York that his latest mission had three objectives: to see first-hand the political and security situation, to identify how the PBC's work can aid both national and regional groups; and to meet with Government officials and others on a strategic framework devised by the Burundian Government in May to mobilize financial and political support to overcome the internal challenges threatening the country's long-term recovery.

Mr. Løvald voiced concern that there is a "general sense of uncertainty" on issues including the deadlock in the country's Parliament, a troubling budgetary situation and the suspension of the work of the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism of the 2006 ceasefire between the Government and the Palipehutu- FNL.

"However, I left Bujumbura with a sense that the Government and national partners are determined to deal with the issues that are causing the current political crisis, with the support of the international community," the Ambassador noted.

Established in 2005 by parallel General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, the PBC focuses on reconstruction, institution-building and the promotion of sustainable development in post-conflict countries.

The 31-member body, which operates in conjunction with several of the UN's principal organs – namely the GA, the Council and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) – also recognizes the importance of individual countries spearheading efforts to consolidate peace within their own borders.

Burundi, which has been the victim of violent coups and political instability since gaining independence in 1962, was the first country to receive financial support from the <"http://www.reformtheun.org/index.php/eupdate/2548">Peacebuilding Fund, established from voluntary contributions to aid countries which have recently emerged from war from slipping back into conflict.

Launched last year, it is a multi-year standing trust fund that has an initial funding target of $250 million and thus far has collected deposits worth $143.9 million from dozens of donor countries.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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UNITED NATIONS ADOPTS DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

UNITED NATIONS ADOPTS DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
New York, Sep 13 2007 3:00PM
The General Assembly today adopted a landmark declaration outlining the rights of the world's estimated 370 million indigenous people and outlawing discrimination against them – a move that followed more than two decades of debate.

The <"http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/declaration.html">United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been approved after 143 Member States voted in favour, 11 abstained and four – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States – voted against the text.

A non-binding text, the Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues.

The Declaration emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations.

It also prohibits discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them, and their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own visions of economic and social development.

General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour have all welcomed today's adoption.

Sheikha Haya said "the importance of this document for indigenous peoples and, more broadly, for the human rights agenda, cannot be underestimated. By adopting the Declaration, we are also taking another major step forward towards the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all."

But she warned that "even with this progress, indigenous peoples still face marginalization, extreme poverty and other human rights violations. They are often dragged into conflicts and land disputes that threaten their way of life and very survival; and, suffer from a lack of access to health care and education."

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban described the Declaration's adoption as "a historic moment when UN Member States and indigenous peoples have reconciled with their painful histories and are resolved to move forward together on the path of human rights, justice and development for all."

He called on governments and civil society to ensure that the Declaration's vision becomes a reality by working to integrate indigenous rights into their policies and programmes.

Ms. Arbour noted that the Declaration has been "a long time coming. But the hard work and perseverance of indigenous peoples and their friends and supporters in the international community has finally borne fruit in the most comprehensive statement to date of indigenous peoples' rights."

The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues estimates there are more than 370 million indigenous people in some 70 countries worldwide.

Members of the Forum said earlier this year that the Declaration creates no new rights and does not place indigenous peoples in a special category.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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UN TO LAUNCH $17-MILLION APPEAL TO FEED 100,000 NICARAGUAN HURRICANE VICTIMS

UN TO LAUNCH $17-MILLION APPEAL TO FEED 100,000 NICARAGUAN HURRICANE VICTIMS
New York, Sep 13 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations World Food Programme (<" http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2636">WFP) said today that it plans to launch a $17-million emergency appeal for 100,000 hurricane victims in Nicaragua, as rescue crews reported that they were stunned by the intensity of the destruction wrought along the impoverished country's northern coast.

"The victims of this catastrophe are among the poorest and most vulnerable people, not just in Nicaragua but in the whole Latin American region," WFP Country Director William Hart said of the last week's landfall of Hurricane Felix.

"As our staff arrive with supplies, it is clear they have been left with literally nothing. Everything is destroyed and their lives are in pieces. What we are discovering as we visit these remote areas is a desperate swathe of humanity that has been invisible to the outside world, and which now more than ever needs the help of outsiders," he said.

Initial reports indicate that of the almost 10,000 homes affected by the violent Category 5 hurricane, 80 per cent were completely destroyed. Almost 5,200 wells were contaminated and 6,000 latrines destroyed. Diarrhoea among children is increasing and heavy rainfall is creating unsanitary conditions that have raised fears of worsening health conditions.

"The numbers of people seriously affected continues to grow while at the same time, as more information comes in from this remote region, we realize just how violent and destructive Hurricane Felix really was," Mr. Hart said. "Not only have entire villages up and down the coast been pummelled and flattened into the ground, but extensive damage has also been reported among those living as much as 100 kilometres back from the coastline."

Hurricane Felix also ripped out large quantities of coconut, banana and mango trees, depriving inhabitants of basic foods. The upcoming harvest of rice and other vital crops has been lost, and due to salt water damage to fields it is expected that December's harvest may be lost or severely reduced.

Under the six-month WFP emergency operation, which is part of a consolidated appeal of UN agencies being announced today, WFP will provide a general distribution of emergency rations for the first three months, followed by food support for rehabilitation activities. These activities are likely to be extended for an additional period once a more detailed assessment of the region's needs is completed.

Meanwhile, WFP emergency feeding operations continue. Over the weekend, two ships carrying a combined total of 151 metric tons of food (enough for 15,000 people for 20 days) arrived in the battered coastal port of Bilwi (formerly Puerto Cabezas) after a two-day journey along the Escondido River. Bilwi has been cut off from overland transport after a key bridge was destroyed by Felix.

About 14 tons of the food (enough to feed 1,550 for 18 days) was then transported by two United States Air Force helicopters to the town of Raiti, one of more than 100 Miskito Indian communities along the coast. Without the helicopters, which have established an air bridge in the area, the journey would have taken over a week.

Yesterday the UN Children's Fund (<" http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF) said it was seeking over $2 million in relief aid over the next six months for the hurricane victims.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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UN FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER ON EARTH RECEIVES SPACE-AGE HELP IN RAISING AWARENESS

UN FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER ON EARTH RECEIVES SPACE-AGE HELP IN RAISING AWARENESS
New York, Sep 13 2007 11:00AM
The United Nations battle against hunger on Earth will receive reinforcements from space today when Intelsat, the world's leading satellite services provider, will use its global network to distribute two concerts in a campaign to help reduce the number of hungry people on the planet.

This is the ninth consecutive year that Intelsat is distributing UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2007/1000657/index.html">FAO)TeleFood concerts, awareness-raising events that have mobilized resources for hundreds of community-based, hunger-fighting projects. To date, TeleFood has generated close to $21 million in donations and funded 2,400 projects in 132 countries.

"Intelsat's generosity and years of support have helped FAO to maximize the impact of the TeleFood message, by enabling global awareness of these events," FAO Assistant Director-General for knowledge and communications Lorraine Williams said. "TeleFood has made it possible for FAO to share information in the more than 100 countries around the world which have benefited from roughly 2,400 hunger-fighting projects."

"Millions of people have, as a result of the reach of satellite technology, participated in the drive to eradicate hunger by donating generously to support TeleFood projects."

The two concerts, "Musica vs. Hambre" in Asunción, Paraguay and the "TeleFood Cuba" concert in Havana, Cuba, held respectively on 21 September and 11 November 2006, gathered an impressive line-up of world class performers in support of the <"http://www.fao.org/Food/english/index.html">TeleFood Campaign.

Entertainment stars and other celebrities included Ronan Keating, Paul Young, Noa (Paraguay), the late Compay Segundo, Chucho Valdés and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (Cuba).

TeleFood is FAO's annual campaign of broadcasts, concerts and other events around the world aimed at reaching out and raising awareness about hunger.

"Intelsat is pleased to support the UN in this and the UN's other communications requirements around the world," Intelsat Vice President for Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Dianne VanBeber said, noting that with 52 satellites serving over 200 countries and territories the company is ideally suited to distribute global programming such as the FAO TeleFood concerts.
2007-09-13 00:00:00.000

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